Vézelay

In the 11th and 12th centuries one of the most important places of pilgrimage in the Christian world, hilltop Vézelay is today a picturesque, somewhat isolated, village. Its one main street, Rue St-Étienne, climbs steeply and stirringly to the summit and its medieval basilica, world-famous for its Romanesque sculpture. In summer you have to leave your car at the bottom and walk up. Off-season you can drive up and look for parking in the square.

It's easy to ignore this tiny village, but don't: hidden under its narrow ruelles (small streets) are Romanesque cellars that once sheltered pilgrims and are now opened to visitors by home owners in summer. Sections of several houses have arches and columns dating from the 12th and 13th centuries: don't miss the hostelry across from the tourist office and, next to it, the house where Louis VII, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and the king's religious supremo Abbé Suger stayed when they came to hear St. Bernard preach the Second Crusade in 1146.