--- title: "Vézelay Basilica: How to Visit and What to See" description: "A 12th-century Romanesque basilica crowning its hill, UNESCO-listed since 1979. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours with the village, 1 h 30 from Beaune by driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/basilique-de-vezelay lang: en updated: 2026-10-01 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/basilique-de-vezelay.png --- # Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay (Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay) > Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay: a Romanesque masterpiece crowning a hill, where Saint Bernard preached the Second Crusade. Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay is in Vézelay (Yonne), 1 h 28 by road (125 km) from Beaune. Opening hours: all year: Monday, 8:00 to 20:00; Tuesday to Sunday, 7:00 to 20:00 · Admission: Free entry · Allow 1.5 to 2 hours · Private driver from Beaune: €320 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine crowns the hill of Vézelay, above the valley of the Cure. Built in the 12th century to house relics of Mary Magdalene, it is one of the great works of Burgundian Romanesque art. The church and hill have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. ## Key facts - Type: Abbeys & churches - Location: 95 km north-west of Beaune · Yonne - Coordinates: 47.4664, 3.7483 - 1 h 28 from Beaune - Open all year - Allow 1.5 to 2 hours - Where: Vézelay · Yonne - Official website: [basiliquedevezelay.org](https://www.basiliquedevezelay.org/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 28 · 125 km - €320 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 1 h 28 by road (125 km), €320 one way for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## History In the 11th century the abbey claimed the relics of Mary Magdalene, and pilgrims flocked to Vézelay, an important stage on the road to Santiago de Compostela. The present nave was built from 1120, after a fire that killed many pilgrims. Bernard of Clairvaux preached the Second Crusade here at Easter 1146, before King Louis VII. In 1190 Richard the Lionheart and Philip Augustus met at Vézelay before leaving on the Third Crusade. Huguenots sacked the church in 1569, and by the 19th century it was close to collapse. Prosper Mérimée, inspector of historic monuments, raised the alarm, and the young architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc led a vast restoration from 1840 to 1861. The basilica was on the first list of historic monuments in 1840. Since 1993 the Fraternités monastiques de Jérusalem have led prayer here, with services several times a day. ## What you will see You enter through the narthex, where the great carved tympanum shows Christ in glory. Beyond it, the long Romanesque nave is lined with carved capitals that tell Bible stories and legends, a gallery of 12th-century sculpture to study pillar by pillar. At the far end, the Gothic choir, rebuilt at the end of the 12th century, is flooded with light. The effect is deliberate: you move from a dark porch into ever brighter space. Outside, the hilltop gives wide views over the surrounding countryside. ## Opening hours and tickets - Opening hours: All year: Monday, 8:00 to 20:00; Tuesday to Sunday, 7:00 to 20:00 - Admission: Free entry - Booking: Not needed Sightseeing pauses during Sunday Mass, from 10:30 to 12:30. Checked on 1 October 2026 on [the official site](https://www.basiliquedevezelay.org/les-horaires/). ## Planning your visit Allow one and a half to two hours with the village. Vézelay is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Beaune. The main street climbs steeply to the basilica, so wear good shoes. Individual visits need no booking, and guided tours can be reserved. It is a place of worship, so please respect the services held through the day. ## Did you know? Each year at the summer solstice, sunlight through the south windows draws a line of bright spots down the middle of the nave, like a path of light towards the choir. ## Around Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay What to combine with Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Irancy](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/irancy) (28 km away): The red wine village of the Yonne, set in a bowl of vines and cherry trees. ### Châteaux - [Château de Vault-de-Lugny](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-vault-de-lugny) (9 km away): A moated castle with a tall square keep near Avallon, now an intimate five-star hotel. - [Château de Bazoches](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-bazoches) (10 km away): The castle Vauban bought with a royal reward, and turned into a workshop for his military engineers. - [Château de Chastellux](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chastellux) (14 km away): A towered fortress at the gateway to the Morvan, still lived in by the family of its name. ### Things to do - [Maison Jules-Roy](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-jules-roy-vezelay) (1 km away): The writer Jules Roy's last home in Vézelay, with his study kept as he left it and terraced gardens facing the basilica. - [Zervos Museum of Modern Art (Musée départemental d’art moderne, collection Zervos)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-zervos-vezelay), 1 km away: Picasso, Calder and Miró in the Vézelay house where the writer Romain Rolland spent his last years. - [Église Notre-Dame de Saint-Père](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-notre-dame-saint-pere) (2 km away): A luminous Gothic church at the foot of Vézelay hill, with a 50-metre bell tower and a carved porch restored after Viollet-le-Duc. ### Restaurants - [Le Valucien](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/le-valucien-vault-de-lugny) (9 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred table with Mauritian accents inside a moated castle near Avallon. ### Events - **Saturday, 17 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Paulée du Vézelien](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/paulee-du-vezelien): A harvest-end day of parades through the four villages of the Vézelay appellation, ending with the blessing of the vintage. (Wine festival · Vézelay, Saint-Père, Asquins and Tharoiseau) - **Thursday, 22 July 2027 (Expected dates, not yet confirmed)** · [Pèlerinage de sainte Marie-Madeleine](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/pelerinage-sainte-marie-madeleine-vezelay): Vézelay's pilgrimage on the feast of Mary Magdalene, whose relics drew medieval crowds to the hill. (Tradition · Vézelay) - **Four days in late August, from Thursday to Sunday.** · [Rencontres musicales de Vézelay](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/rencontres-musicales-de-vezelay): Four days of choral and vocal music in and around the basilica of Vézelay at the end of summer. (Music · Vézelay) ### Guides about Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay - [A Chablis day trip from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/chablis-day-trip-from-beaune) - [The Climats of Burgundy](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/climats-of-burgundy-unesco) ## Questions about Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay ### How far is Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay from Beaune? Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay is about 1 h 28 from Beaune by road (125 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €320 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay take? For the visit, allow 1.5 to 2 hours. ### When is Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (basiliquedevezelay.org) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Is Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay a UNESCO World Heritage site? Yes. Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay is part of a site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. ### Can a private driver take us to Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:vezelay): €320 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - --- Canonical page: