Things to see and do Yonne

On the way up to the Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene, the Visitor's House is an essential step for those who want to understand the monument and its entire universe. Indeed, we do not possess the keys to read the greatness of Vézelay and it is in this that the House of the visitor will accompany us. A warm welcome, which places us in front of a mysterious door on which nails form a spiral (one of the symbols that we will find in the Basilica). Once through the door, songs, music, images... everything immerses us in the history of this exceptional site. In the basement of the house, we discover how the builders of the Middle Ages oriented the building according to the course of the sun (the chevet always pointed towards the East), how they realized the Basilica according to perfect proportions. Finally, some reproductions of the magnificent capitals of the Basilica offer us a reading of these stone books. These are fascinating explanations and, in our opinion, indispensable for seeing the monument in a different light. Finally, the House of the Visitor also offers guided tours, such as "The Basilica Revealed" or the showing of a film on the great tympanum.

A special mention for the winter solstice tours which take place during the holidays and make you discover the basilica in a spectacular light, and even unique in the world! The visit is on reservation and lasts 1 hour. A wonderful opportunity to appreciate the magic of the Eternal Hill!

Let us tell you: passing very close to Les Caves Bailly cellars without going to discover them would be a great mistake! For these underground 4-hectare cellars, located in quarries exploited since the 12th century, will leave you with memories for a long time to come. These rooms, dug in the heart of a gigantic limestone deposit some 170 million years old, will allow you to understand the vinification of the Crémant de Bourgogne of which the Bailly-Lapierre cellars are the cradle. And for a good reason: they were fitted out in 1972 to allow the first cuvée of this appellation to be born three years later! Before your guided tour, you can go for a walk in the vineyards (in the morning at 10 am). And after the visit, a tasting of two glasses of Crémant will be offered to you to put into practice what you have just learned (with a souvenir flute offered).

One of the highlights of these very beautiful cellars is that the staff is sensitized to welcoming visitors with disabilities. For the little ones, a children's game book and a glass of grape juice will be offered to them.