Themed tours and activities France

Magic. This guided tour is in many ways. Born of a brilliant idea, this two-time night visit brings light to honour. During the first part, it is with Gilles Fresson, a co-ordinating officer with the Rector of the Cathedral, that you are invited to rediscover the building… in the light of candles. Thus you wander through the crypts then in the silent cathedral and dive in the darkness as if you were pilgrims of the Middle Ages. During the visit, Gilles Fresson tells you the history, legends and mysteries surrounding the cathedral. Then you get out of the building and you turn off candles to enjoy, in a second part and a guide from the tourist office, some of the sites illuminated in the context of "Chartres in Enlightenment". The scenes of this festival, its technical aspects and the artistic work of Xavier de Richemont (author of the lighting Designs) will no longer have secrets for you… In sum, during this visit you will learn to see the cathedral and the city otherwise, and you will leave with stars full of eyes.

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!