Vézelay, France 🇫🇷 2023

Date: 25-26th June 2023

Travelled: 90 kms from Saint Julien du Sault to Saint-Père  

Visited: Vézelay  

Stayed: Saint-Père Camping. €13, N48.02920, E03.30050  

Budget: 33 days @ €100 per day

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The aire at Saint Julien was excellent, plenty of shade and just the sound of an odd train passing in the distance. Pam is keen for a walk as usual so we wander off, hoping to find a path along the nearby River Yonne. Once where a couple of kms from Saint Julien, we can look back to see the remains of a church on the hill above the village.

So we walk back into Saint Julien and eventually slog our way to the top of the hill and the ruin of the Chapelle de Vaugullain. The Chapelle is the only surviving building from a fortress that stood on this site in the 12th century. All that remains is the ramparts and the church.

However it provides some wonderful views and a nice park bench to get your bearings and your breath back.

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Back at the aire we do what needs to be done and set off for Vézelay. It’s a Sunday, the roads are relatively quiet, in country France nothings open on a Sunday other than the service stations, tabac and cafes.

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As there are no aires within cooee of Vezerlay, we decide to stay in a municipal campsite in Saint-Père and visit Vézelay by scooter tomorrow. The campsite is actually very pleasant standing as it does on the River Cure and less than 3 kms to Vézelay.

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We R+R the afternoon away walking into Saint-Pere at what seemed like the right time, finding a little bar that looks interesting so we pop in for a very dry French Rose and a large Jupiler.

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Next morning after Pam drags me for 6 kms walk along the pilgrims trail which passes through Saint-Pere, before we scooter into Vézelay to walk the village.

From our guide book the Most Beautiful Villages in France you’ll find Vézelay on page 81. It’s situated in the Bourgogne region of France. There is a tourist office and the map was free.

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On the very crest we find 11th-century Romanesque Basilica of St Marie-Magdalene. It’s this grand building that makes Vézelay a popular tourist and pilgrim location. There is a major restoration underway but we make the most of it.

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Once we escape the Basilica we spend quite some time walking the ramparts that surround that end of the village. So some more views of the Basilica.

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That battery powered mower was struggling.

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We’ve explored the village highlights as best we can, but lunch is calling. So we wander back down through the old town finding a small restaurant with some shade and a breeze, and enjoy a long lunch.

The tourist office had recommended visiting the 12th century Chapelle de la Cordelle. It’s a bit out of the way down a steep hill so we take the scooter down for a quick visit. It’s pictured below.

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So we’ve enjoyed our visit to both Vézelay and Saint-Pere and a very pleasant lunch. Vézelay has certainly been the most touristy of our French villages to date, but it’s a beautiful place.

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Michael + Pam