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Commune in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
Photo: DKrieger, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Vézelay is a small town in the Yonne department of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, which is southeast of Paris and north of Lyon.
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This large cathedral, in mixed Romanesque/Gothic style, is a traditional place for pilgrims to start their pilgrimage to the great Romanesque cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. The basilica is free to visit between 08:00 and 20:00. If you like, you can participate in a tour to get more information about the structure and history of the building. There are a few tours a day and they last one and a half hours. Usually the guides speak French, sometimes English. More information about the exact times is available at the basilica, or visit the website. You can walk all around the outside of the basilica. At the back is a park with a beautiful view, great for a picnic.
It has a collection of paintings and sculptures of famous artists like Picasso, Ernst, Calder, Miro, Giacometti, Laurens, Leger and Vieija da Silva.
It is the former Lapidary Museum. It exhibits original sculptures from the basilica.
Tourist office
Open: 14:00-18:00 excepted on Thursdays from All Hallows until April 30, the Sundays from November 12 until Palm Sunday, 25 and 26 December. In July and August open every day from 10:00-19:00 except on Sundays, open from 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00.
Police
Hospital
Traditional French cuisine.
Traditional French cuisine.
A two-star restaurant of famous chef cook Marc Meneau.
Hotel
Chambres d'hôtes
Gîte
Camp site
By bus
SNCF (TER) buses pass Vézelay departing from: Sermizelles, Clamecy and Corbigny.
By car
From the north and the east, the fastest way to reach Vézelay is by the A6 Autoroute that runs from Paris to Beaune (access 21 and 22 for Avallon).
You can easily go around on foot. Drive or take a taxi if you want to visit the beautiful Église Notre Dame in the nearby village of St. Père, which is just below the hill that Vézelay is on top of.
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