Vézelay › Varzy

🗺️ Stage Map

Walking Conditions

Sun exposure and terrain type over 37,1 km

Sun Exposure

Terrain

📖 Stage Description

The Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine in Vézelay crowns the inspired hilltop, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is from this great centre of medieval pilgrimage that the Via Lemovicensis — the Vézelay Route — sets out, one of the four great French roads to Compostela.

The path descends from the hill of Vézelay towards the Cure valley, passing through Pierre-Perthuis and its old Romanesque bridge, before climbing into the bocage countryside of the Nièvre. Forests, meadows and peaceful villages make up the preserved landscape of Burgundy.

This long first stage of 37.1 km, rated Moderate, ends at Varzy, a small Nivernais town with a fine collegiate church of Saint-Pierre and a well-regarded municipal museum. A baptism of fire that calls for wisdom from day one.

📍 Villages and Waypoints

• 0km

  Vézelay · Start · 298 m

  UNESCO basilica, official starting point. Pilgrim mass, tourist office.

  💧 Water🛒 Shops🏕️ Accommodations🍴 Restaurants
• 8km

  Pierre-Perthuis · 215 m

  Old Romanesque bridge over the Cure, picturesque gorges. Pilgrim hostel.

  💧 Water🏕️ Hostel
• 21km

  Bazoches · 280 m

  Castle de Bazoches, residence of Marshal Vauban. Panoramic viewpoint.

  💧 Water
• 37,1km

  Varzy · End · 223 m

  Collegiate church of Saint-Pierre, municipal museum. All amenities.

  💧 Water🛒 Shops🏕️ Accommodations🍴 Restaurant

Estimated Time for You

Estimate your time based on your profile — Naismith rule.

⚠️ Practical Information

• ⛰️
  Terrain and difficulty

  Moderate stage of 37,1 km · D+ 486 m · D− 561 m
  High point: 335 m · Low point: 164 m
• 💧
  Water points

  Vézelay km 0 · Pierre-Perthuis km 8 · Varzy km 35
• 🏛️
  Monuments and heritage

  Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay, Grand Site UNESCO (km 0) · Castle de Varzy (km 35)
• 📖
  Pilgrim resources

  miam-miam-dodo.fr · gites-refuges.com