Camino de Santiago Routes: from Vézelay to Autun

Moderate: 5 to 7 hours of walking on trails with few technical difficulties. Some hiking experience is recommended, but not essential.

No luggage to carry: you carry only what you need for the day in a small backpack. Your luggage will be waiting for you every evening at the end of the day’s walk. Your luggage is transported by vehicle and is limited to one bag per person (maximum 20 kg). If you choose the option without luggage transfers, you carry everything you need for the trip yourself.

From 2 people.

7 days, 6 nights, 5 days of hiking.

We take care of hotel bookings and luggage transfers. We provide a detailed route map and step-by-step directions.

In double rooms (or single rooms on request) with a shower and toilet, in walkers' accommodation, guesthouses and 1 to 3* hotels. The type of accommodation may change depending on availability. PLEASE NOTE: rooms will only be available from 5 pm.

In France, more and more hotels and guesthouses are choosing not to have an official star rating, including establishments that were still rated a year or two ago. This does not mean their quality has declined—far from it. Many of the guesthouses offer charming rooms.
If we indicate, for example, a comfort level of “2* or equivalent”, this means that the establishment may not have an official rating, but offers a level of comfort comparable to a 2* hotel.

Half-board accommodation, from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 7. Some accommodation providers offer packed lunches if booked 24 hours in advance. Guide price: 8 to 15 €, payable locally. Please note that this service is not available everywhere. For food supplies, prioritise larger towns, as options along the way may be limited. Detailed information will be provided in your travel notes.

Please let us know about any food allergies or special dietary requirements when booking; we will do our best to adapt your meals.

Day 1 in the afternoon in Vézelay.

Day 7 after breakfast in Autun.

Extra nights are available in Vézelay and Autun.

You can extend the trip by adding an extra walking stage at the beginning of your stay (on request). This stage starts in Avallon and finishes in Vézelay (18km, approximately 5 hours of walking).

The town of Avallon is perched on a rocky spur marking the boundary between the granite of the Morvan and the limestone plateau of the Tonnerrois. It overlooks the picturesque Cousin valley, a haven of greenery and cool shade.

By train

To plan your journey and check transport options, timetables and journey times, visit www.mobigo-bourgogne.com (regional transport) or the SNCF website for departures from other stations.

From Paris:

• Bercy station: TER line “Paris Bercy - Corbigny” to Sermizelles-Vézelay station (10km from Vézelay). Transfers: taxi (booking required) or year-round shuttle bus (timetables on the TER Bourgogne website).
• Gare de Lyon: TGV towards Dijon, stopping at Montbard (63km from Vézelay). Transfers: taxi (booking required).

From Sermizelles station: TER shuttle to Vézelay (10 minutes) or taxis.

By car

We suggest planning your route using these websites: [www.viamichelin.fr or](http://www.viamichelin.fr ou) www.mappy.fr

• From Paris: 220km, with a driving time of 2 hours 45 minutes. Take the A6 motorway towards Lyon and exit at “Nitry” (29km from Vézelay). Then take the D11, followed by the N6 and the N151
• From Lyon: 270km, with a driving time of 2 hours 50 minutes. Take the A6 motorway towards Paris and exit at Avallon. In Avallon (24km from Vézelay), take the D957

Parking your car

We recommend the Clos and Ruesses car parks (the latter offers quick pedestrian access to Place du Champ de Foire). From April to September, a free electric shuttle takes you up to the basilica (information available from the town hall or tourist office), but walking is recommended to explore the village. All car parks in Vézelay charge for parking (9am–7pm):

• Rates: 2 €/hour or 4 €/day (subject to change).
• Long-stay parking: A pass for 7 days costs 10 € and is available from the town hall (rue Saint-Pierre, tel. 0386332462).

Please note: The car parks are unattended.

Returning to your car

SNCF bus from Autun to Avallon (1 hour 35 minutes), then SBCF bus from Avallon station to Vézelay (30 minutes).

Timetables & information at: www.mobigo-bourgogne.com and https://www.ter.sncf.com/bourgogne/

*Please check bus and train services on Sundays and public holidays.

By taxi: A transfer from Autun to Vézelay can be booked. Price on request.

Several of our trips offer opportunities to swim during a day’s route or at the end of the day. It would be a shame to miss out. However, we emphasise that you alone must judge whether it is appropriate to swim; you therefore swim under your own responsibility and at your own risk.

Member of Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable (ATR)

Since 2012, Grand Angle has been a member of ATR, the leading association for more responsible tourism. We design our trips – walking, cycling and on snow – to invite everyone to discover the world differently: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

As a member of the board of directors since 2018, we actively help the sector adopt more meaningful practices. In practical terms, we focus on:

• Transparency in our practices and prices
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Protecting the environment on every trip

We also share the values of the traveller’s ethical charter, which encourages everyone to take simple steps to protect the places they visit and create opportunities for rewarding encounters.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has been recognised as a Travelife Partner, an international label that certifies our responsible practices in environmental protection, ethics and sustainable management, both within our company and in our work with partners and the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a rigorous international certification programme, recognises our practical efforts to support responsible tourism. We are actively working towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in line with our sustainable development policy

In this section, you will find links to products from our partner Alpinstore, a French online retailer specialising in outdoor equipment, based in Annecy.

Carrying your belongings

• A comfortable 30 to 50 L backpack with a hip belt to carry your personal belongings and picnic lunch during the day
• A bag for luggage transfers: a backpack, a travel bag in good condition or a suitcase that is not too bulky. One bag per person, with a 15 kg weight limit

Read our magazine article on how to pack your hiking backpack.

For hiking

For maximum comfort, choose a layered clothing system: warm base layers (leggings and a top) made from fabrics such as “Carline” or “Capilene” (hollow fibres that wick away perspiration), plus a sweatshirt or fleece jacket, plus a mountain jacket and overtrousers with a waterproof, breathable membrane (such as Gore-Tex or equivalent) for bad weather. In general, except in hot climates and countries, avoid cotton, which traps moisture close to your body and takes a long time to dry, and choose suitable synthetic fabrics instead.

• Hiking boots with ankle support, a well-treaded sole, a supportive heel counter and good waterproofing
• Comfortable hiking socks (at least 3 pairs)
• A fleece
• Comfortable walking trousers (quick-drying technical fabric)
• Comfortable technical shorts
• Technical T-shirts or base layers (quick-drying fabric)
• A long-sleeved shirt
• Walking poles (telescopic), which are very important for making walking easier. Discover all the benefits of hiking poles in our dedicated article or how to choose your hiking poles

Please note: synthetic technical clothing performs very well. Merino wool clothing is also now available; it performs very well, is comfortable to wear and has the added advantage of resisting perspiration odours!

For your picnic lunch

• Your eating kit: a plastic bowl, container or plate, and cutlery (spoon, fork and knife)
• 1 or 2 water bottles (a total capacity of at least 1,5 L) – required –; an insulated flask for winter

Protection from sun and rain

• Sunscreen (high protection)
• Sunglasses
• A hat, cap or bucket hat
• A rain poncho or a waterproof jacket such as a softshell or Gore-Tex jacket, and optionally waterproof trousers

After your hike

• A pair of running shoes for the evening
• Spare clothes and underwear
• Toiletry bag and small towel
• Swimwear and a towel for wellness facilities (if specified) or swimming
• A small first-aid kit: personal medication, surgical masks, hand sanitiser, plasters, sterile dressings and a bandage, gauze, disinfectant, arnica pellets and aspirin, etc. (please note that this list is not exhaustive and should be adapted to your own medical needs).

You can find this advice in our article “What to pack for a hike”.

This list is intended as a guide and should be adapted to your trip and the season in which you travel.

France

Travellers, including minors, must carry a national identity card or passport (EU nationals).

Vézelay Tourist Office, 12 Rue Saint-Etienne, 89450 Vézelay, 0386332369.

Autun Tourist Office, 13 Rue du Général Andre Demetz, 71400 Autun, 0385868038.

France: +33.

There may be no mobile reception on some sections of your hike.

No time difference: GMT +1.

The oceanic influence brings frequent rain throughout the year (with the most rainfall in autumn and the least in summer) and changeable weather. The semi-continental influence brings one of the widest monthly temperature ranges in France (18 °C compared with 15 °C in Paris), cold winters with relatively frequent snowfall, and summers that are warmer than on the coast, with occasional severe thunderstorms.

This semi-continental influence is what makes it possible to grow vines in Burgundy.

IGN Top25 maps:

• 2722ET Avallon Vézelay
• 2723ET Château Chinon
• 2825OT Mont Beuvray Haut Folin