Vézelay Abbey

A quiet, un spoilt hilltop town with a beautiful basilica. Free to wander round and take in the atmosphere. The start for many pilgrims. I am not religious but I was strangely moved by the experience of wandering round this place of pilgrimage. A relic of Mary Magdalen is on view in the beautiful crypt.

I rented a car from Dijon, parked it about an hour and a half before the winery, looked up the hill, and saw the church and nave. My heart fluttered as I realized that I had come to Sainte-Madeleine Church. Sainte-Madeleine, which has the meaning of repentance, is said to have become the starting point for the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, and was crowded with pilgrims. When you enter through the entrance on the right side of the main building, you will find the tamban carving, one of the finest works of Romanesque style.

First discovered this gem back in the 1990s and love visiting this entire area. My advice to anyone visiting here is not to just “drive by” and miss all that surrounds this “colline éternelle”. There are several charming boutiques, restauants & auberges along the road that climbs to the Basilique, not to mention great hotel-restaurants in the greater area… you are just minutes from the beautiful Valley du Cousin (D427 between Pontaubert and Avallon). This is a wonderful place to “get lost” in France. As for the Basilique? Eh bien, if you’re looking at this on Google Maps, you already know it is well worth the visit!

Beautiful location. Fairly steep climb up from the car park but worth it. Great Routier restaurant at foot of town.

One of the highlights of our trip. The buildings themselves are nice, but the real appeal is the town and the location up on the cliff. Definitely worth the visit

Beautiful place. Shame we couldn't carry our small dog around in our arms so had to take turns to visit inside. But we were lucky that there was a concert going on during the our visit which sounded great.

An amazing church undergoing extensive renovation. You have the opportunity to see the renovation of the facade up close but only 18 people at a time are allowed to go up the scaffolding. The crypt underneath the church had what looked to be a relic(possibly a bone) from Marie Madeleine.

Nice Monastery in a small typical village in the middle of France. Worth to visit and spend one night. It can be romantic