The city of Le Puy-en-Velay is located in the Haute-Loire department in Auvergne (in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region). The city is the starting point for one of the French routes leading pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela, the via Podiensis, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site under the Routes of Santiago de Compostela. It is also the European capital of the Saint James ways and the city acts as a crossroads for these major hiking trails. Indeed, it is also a green destination (like much of the Auvergne region), popular for outdoor tourism and hikers. We went to discover the city with my favorite photographer in July 2023, and it was a first for both of us. I must say, we were truly charmed by this city, which we found particularly interesting and which surprised us very pleasantly.
The city of Le Puy-en-Velay, which has about 20,000 inhabitants (and 80,000 including its urban area), is somewhat of a city in the countryside. You have to imagine that millions of years ago, we were under a lake at this very spot… Today, the historic capital of the Velay is located in the southeastern part of the Massif Central and is famous for its Le Puy bobbin lace making (which, according to legend, began in 1407), the cultivation of the Le Puy green lentil, and the production of Velay verbena liqueur. Yet, it has so much more to offer as well… I hope to succeed in convincing you through this article.
Practical Information
- Getting there by train from Paris: Take a TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon to Saint-Etienne, then a TER train (about 4.5 hours of travel)
Le Puy-en-Velay Tourist Office
2 place du Clauzel, 43000 Le Puy-en-Velay
Table of Contents
What to see and do in and around Le Puy-en-Velay?
Below, as usual, I offer you a small selection of things to do and see if you come for a stay in Le Puy-en-Velay or the region. The city is very easily visitable on foot (although it is quite a workout as it gets very steep here), and it is very pleasant to wander through the narrow, history-steeped streets of the city.
Also to see: the Rocher Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe, an unusual site that gives a unique silhouette to the city with its chapel built on the summit; the Cathedral Notre-Dame du Puy and the cathedral district that extends around it (be careful, it is very steep); the Place du Plot, where the colorful houses give it an Italian flair…
My cultural recommendation: the PassCard en Velay with a 3-monument package (€12 / reduced €6 / valid for 72h) or 5-monument package (€16 / reduced €7.50) with a choice including the Notre-Dame de France Statue, the Fortress of Polignac, the Cathedral Cloister, the Crozatier Museum, and the Rocher Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe
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Visiting the Cathedral Notre-Dame du Puy
The Cathedral Notre-Dame du Puy is in the Romanesque style and its building is in the shape of a Latin cross. It crowns the “Mont Anis” at the top of the city (therefore, making it to the choir is already a challenge for pilgrims, as you have to climb many steps to reach it). Whether you are coming on a pilgrimage or not, it is truly a mandatory stop during your time in Le Puy-en-Velay.
Cathedral Notre-Dame-du-Puy
2 Rue de la Manecanterie, 43000 Le Puy-en-Velay
Free entry
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Visiting the Crozatier Museum
This museum, founded in 1820, is the very archetype of the 19th-century encyclopedic museum, which aimed to promote the acquisition of knowledge throughout France. It bears the name of Charles Crozatier, a sculptor and founder who made a fortune and bequeathed his money to the city to expand the museum. Located in the heart of the Henri Vinay garden, it underwent a major renovation between 2013 and 2018; the palace was restored and a contemporary extension replaced an old building.
The permanent exhibition path has also been rethought and the themes redesigned, while keeping the encyclopedic intent of its origins with a history gallery, a fine arts gallery, a Velay gallery, and a science gallery. This was, in particular, an opportunity for us to discover that the Praxinoscope (the creation of moving images) was invented in Le Puy-en-Velay by Emile Reynaud in 1876 and later presented at the Paris World’s Fair in 1878.
During our visit, we had the opportunity to discover the museum’s new exhibition, in collaboration with the Musée d’Orsay and the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes museums: “Self-Portraits. From Cézanne to Van Gogh“. This temporary exhibition is visible at the Musée Crozatier until September 17, 2023. It invites you to explore almost a century of creation between 1830 and 1920, through the self-portraits of many artists of that era like Cézanne, Courbet, Monet, Van Gogh, and Bonnard.
Musée Crozatier
2 Rue Antoine Martin 43000 Le Puy-en-VelayTemporary exhibition “Self-Portraits. From Cezanne to Van Gogh” from April 29 to September 17, 2023
Prices (exhibition + museum): €8 / reduced €6 (18-25 years old, job seekers…) / free under 18 / guided tour + €2
The tip: accessible with the Passcard en Velay
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Discovering the Notre-Dame de France Statue
The Notre-Dame de France Statue, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, has dominated Le Puy-en-Velay since 1860. Its construction is a true technical feat. It was created in 1860 using the metal of 213 cannons, captured during the victory over the Russians during the Crimean War in 1855 and offered by Napoleon III. This monumental statue is the work of sculptor Jean-Marie Bonnassieux. It measures 22.70 meters high and weighs 835 tons. The statue is installed on the site of the Rocher Corneille, a natural pedestal, the remains of a volcanic crater, which housed a military fortress in the Middle Ages.
This is a visit I highly recommend, as it allows you to have a beautiful 360-degree view of the city (it is the highest monument in the city), and it is also extremely unusual to be able to enter a monumental sculpture. It is a somewhat sporty visit, both because of the climb in the cathedral district, the climb up to the statue, and finally the climb inside the statue. If you want to take breaks to save your energy, interpretation panels are located along the path.
My advice: make sure to get drinking water at the restrooms at the bottom of the hill after buying your tickets, because if you visit during the summer season, the climb will likely make you very, very hot and you will have drunk your whole water bottle before reaching the top.
Statue Notre-Dame de France
Rue du Cloître, 43000 le Puy-en-Velay
Prices: €4 adult / €2 student and under 18 / free for children under 6
The tip: accessible with the Passcard en Velay
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Visiting the Cloister and Cathedral Complex
A visitor route allows you to discover the cathedral complex with its magnificent polychrome Romanesque cloister from the 11th and 12th centuries, classified as a Historical Monument and managed today by the Center for National Monuments (CMN). In one of the rooms of this complex, you can also discover the Cathedral Treasury, which preserves a very beautiful collection of liturgical embroidery and votive paintings dating from the 15th to the 19th centuries (Cougard-Fruman donation). Finally, you end the visit in the undergrounds of the cathedral complex, which houses remains from the Gallo-Roman period.
Cloister and Cathedral Complex
3 rue du Cloître, 43000 Le Puy-en-Velay
Open all year
Prices: €6 / free under 26, job seekersThe tip: accessible with the Passcard en Velay
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Taking the immersive tours at the Hôtel des Lumières
This digital art center installed in the former Hôtel-Dieu offers three 360-degree immersive scenographies: “Freedom, I draw your name”, “Leonardo da Vinci, Immersive Experience”, and “Compostela, the chapel in lights” installed in the chapel of the Hôtel-Dieu. After these shows, you also have access to an Art and Heritage space that provides keys to understanding the heritage of the Velay. During the visit, you can also discover the hospital pharmacy of the Hôtel-Dieu, a testimony to the history of the site. Finally, don’t miss the work by artist Jean-Michel Othoniel (who I like a lot) as you leave, which concludes the tour.
Hôtel des Lumières
2 Rue Bec de Lièvre, 43000 Le Puy-en-Velay
Practical info: access is through the cathedral porch
Prices: €9.50 / €6 youth / free under 6
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Rafting on the Allier river
To try out some of the local outdoor activities, we took a car to Monistrol d’Allier to go rafting with Tonic Aventure. The Velay territory is located at the source of the Loire and the Allier. Two wild rivers that are perfectly suited for practicing whitewater sports. We therefore left for a half-day to discover the gorges of the Haut-Allier by rafting. It was a first for me but not for my favorite photographer, who had already done it in his adolescence. Unfortunately, it is an activity where it is complicated to bring a camera to make content and even a mobile phone because it is too risky (well, especially because we risk losing it).
In any case, I really loved this activity. We got on a boat with an instructor and other people we didn’t know (but we quickly got to know them) and after some explanations of simple rules to avoid putting ourselves in danger, we were off for this descent of a few hours. It is a really fun activity, you learn on the job and it is really a nice thing to do with friends, I think.
My advice: bring suitable shoes for going into the water (or old sneakers you don’t mind sacrificing), some change of clothes (you are lent a wetsuit for the activity), and don’t take anything with you because you will inevitably end up in the water at one point or another (unless you have a GoPro, of course)!
The venue also offers other activities: rafting, canoeing, canyoning…
Rafting activity with Tonic Aventure
Base nautique du Vivier, 43580 Monistrol d’Allier
Prices: 1/2 day of rafting in Auvergne €55 / person
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Discovering verbena at the Pagès space
This brand originating from Le Puy-en-Velay has existed since the 19th century as it was founded in 1859. In the 90s, the brand separated its liqueur and syrup activity from its tea and infusion activity. A heritage brand, Pagès is today the only family-owned and independent SME specializing in tea and infusions. In the Pagès space, installed in the heart of the city, you can discover the history of the manufacturing of this specialty of Auvergne because verbena is very linked to the territory and the Vellave flora. Indeed, this space is installed in an old cinema and upstairs you can discover a screening room with a short film on the history of the Verveine du Velay Pagès. It was in 1859 that an herbalist created the famous Verveine du Velay liqueur. The original recipe has remained substantially the same: local verbena (grown on the distillery site) with a blend of plants, herbs, and spices.
At the end of your visit, you will be able to have a tasting of different products and alcohols based on verbena (verbena liqueur, Petite Verveine, Verveine Velay 55, gold, or even extra), at the counter of the Pagès space.
Espace Pagès
29 place du Breuil, 43000 Le Puy-en-Velay
Free entry
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Le Puy-en-Velay by night: Le Puy de Lumières
This event, which has taken place every summer since 2017, proposes an illumination of several monuments of the city as part of Puy de Lumières. Summer evenings are the ideal setting for an independent night walk to discover 9 iconic sites of the destination, enhanced by scenographies projected onto the iconic monuments of the urban area in Le Puy-en-Velay and on the banks of the Loire in Brives-Charensac. Each projection tells a story, a legend, a tale often related to the monument on which it appears.
Shows at 8 sites: the theater, the town hall, the Saint-Alexis chapel, the Rocher Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe, the Crozatier museum, the cathedral, the Place du Plot, the Loire river in Brives-Charensac (2 sites).
My advice: it took us 2 evenings to see all the scenographies of Le Puy-en-Velay, so plan for at least 2 nights to be able to do everything.
Puy de Lumières
Every night from July 1 to September 11, 2023, from nightfall until midnight
Duration: each scenography lasts between 10 and 15 minutes and the sessions follow one another
Free and open route
My favorite addresses in Le Puy-en-Velay
As usual, you will find below my selection of good addresses in Le Puy-en-Velay and the surrounding area (a hotel, shops, and several restaurants) that we had the opportunity to test during our stay with the favorite photographer. These addresses often offer the chance to discover local products and some regional specialties to taste if you come to Auvergne. To stock up on local products, you can also head to the Saturday morning market on the Place du Plot with its colorful facades, where you can find small local producers.
Apart from market day, you can also go to the indoor market Halles Ponotes which brings together several gourmet brands of the city. The ideal place to buy good local products or to have a quick lunch.
Specialties: the AOP green lentil from Le Puy-en-Velay (which is said to have been grown here for at least 2000 years); the Velay verbena; the Velay cheese with Artisous, a farm cheese made from raw cow’s milk that is aged thanks to artisous, almost invisible mites that shape its rind; the small spelt; the Vourzac trouts.
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Where to eat ice cream in Le Puy-en-Velay? Mezia
This beautiful house of artisanal ice cream makers and chocolatiers takes its source between Ardèche and Haute-Loire. It has 2 shops in Le Puy-en-Velay, including one located on the way up to the cathedral, which we tested during a gourmet break. I was looking for the best verbena ice cream in the city and wanted to taste the one from Mezia. Unfortunately, the brand was a victim of its own success and there was none left… We still tasted 2 other flavors and I must say that I totally approve of this glacier whose products are delicious!
Glacier Mezia
24 rue des Tables, 43000 Le Puy-en-Velay
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Where to buy cheese in Le Puy-en-Velay? Fromagerie l’Authentic
We brought back some local cheeses (as is our habit), bought in this cheese shop which seemed very high-quality to us and we were not disappointed. I recommend it for your gourmet shopping if you are a cheese lover like us.
To taste: the cheese with artisous; some Bleu d’Auvergne…
Fromagerie l’Authentic
15 rue Porte Aiguière 43000 Le Puy-en-Velay
Open Wednesday to Sunday
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Where to have lunch on a terrace in Le Puy-en-Velay? La Distillerie
This Pub Brasserie with its beautiful wooden counter also has a large indoor and shaded terrace for sunny days. On the menu: good brasserie dishes and a nice selection of beers. The address also organizes concert evenings with a great atmosphere, according to what we were told.
We tasted: as a starter, the Vourzac trout tartare (€16.50), perfect for summer; as a more wintery version, the Auvergne truffade (€14.50), but honestly it works well even in summer, provided you only take that; for dessert, the gourmet artisanal verbena (€7.50); a local beer with verbena to discover, La Vertueuse.
Restaurant la Distillerie
11 rue porte Aiguière, 43000 Le Puy-en-Velay
Price: starter between €8.50 and €15 / mains between €13.50 and €24 / desserts between €6.50 and €7.50 / freedom menu at €23 / TGV menu at €14.50 / children’s menu at €11
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Restaurant for meat lovers in Le Puy-en-Velay? Le Batadou
This restaurant specializes in aged meats and sharing platters. It also has a large terrace set up on the square right in front of the restaurant during the summer season. The service is very friendly and convivial.
To taste: the butcher’s piece, according to what’s available (€19); the whole Vourzac trout with almonds (€20 / only if seeing the fish head doesn’t bother you and if you know how to open a trout); for dessert, the gourmet Verbena (€9) with artisanal verbena liqueur, a verbena frozen souffle, and verbena nougat; for a drink, the Auvergne Mojito with verbena liqueur, of course (€8).
Restaurant Batadou
2 rue Vibert, 43000 Le Puy-en-Velay
Price: wine by the glass between €3.70 and €6 / mains between €17 and €23 / children’s menu €9.50
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Where to have a gastronomic dinner in Le Puy-en-Velay? L’Émotion restaurant
This gastronomic restaurant is located at Place Cadelade, in the city center of Le Puy-en-Velay and has existed since 2019. In the kitchen, chef Michaël Ruat offers refined cuisine, prepared with fresh, local, and regional products, in a modern and uncluttered setting. Since 2021, it has obtained a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide.
We tasted: the beef tartare with green lentils from Le Puy with Cantal shavings; the sea bream ceviche with vegetable tart and lemongrass sorbet; the free-range Auvergne poultry with anchovies and tajine-style bulgur; the salmon on a squid ink ravioli with mussels and curry vegetables; the frozen mousse with green verbena from Velay, lime gel.
Restaurant l’Émotion
15 place Cadelade, 43000 Le Puy-en-Velay
Price: Emotion formula at €38 / Emotion menu at €45 / Tasting menu at €59 / children’s menu €14 / selection of wines by the glass between €5 and €12
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Where to eat in Monistrol d’Allier after rafting? L’Allier des Saveurs
This address, located above the premises of Tonic Aventure (which I mentioned a little earlier in the article), is a very good spot to have lunch before or after the rafting trip. The chef and his team mostly cook local products and I must say we were very pleasantly surprised by what we ate.
To taste: Puy AOP lentil hummus (€6.50); spicy lentil crunch, apricot virgin sauce, fried capers, and fruit leather with Espelette pepper (€8); creamy risotto with spring onions and pecorino romano, watercress, and dried Auvergne breast from the house (€19); Haute-Loire beef entrecote, Bleu d’Auvergne sauce, delicacy potatoes in pork fat (€20.90); creme brulee with thyme syrup (€6.50).
L’Allier des Saveurs
Le Vivier, 43580 Monistrol-d’Allier
Price: starters between €5.50 and €8 / mains between €13.90 and €20.90 / desserts between €5.50 and €6.50
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Where to stay in Le Puy-en-Velay? Hôtel Ibis Styles Le Puy-en-Velay
This hotel is very well located in the city center and not far from the station, which makes it a perfect accommodation if you come by train and don’t have a car to get around. We found the staff to be particularly welcoming and friendly. The decoration of our room was quite sober and the bedding comfortable. I would still advise you to prefer rooms facing the square at the back rather than on the road, if car noise bothers you like me. The breakfast was decent and there is a “hot drinks” area accessible for free for hotel guests all day, which I always appreciate a lot, especially for being able to have a small herbal tea before going to bed.
The tip: upon arrival at the hotel, you are offered a 10% off voucher for the hotel’s 2 restaurants (a brasserie and a pizzeria).
Hôtel Ibis Styles Le Puy en Velay
47 boulevard Maréchal Fayolle, 43000 Le Puy-en-Velay
Room rates from €81.10
The tip: breakfast included in the room price
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Thanks to the Le Puy-en-Velay Tourist Office and to Pauline and Camille from the le büro agency for organizing this great stay to discover Le Puy-en-Velay.
I hope that with all this I will have made you want to visit Le Puy-en-Velay, and if you also have your own favorite addresses and tips for this destination, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments below!
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos not royalty-free, photographer authorization required before any use
