Le Puy-en-Velay is the prefecture and main town of the Haute-Loire department, in Auvergne, 150 km south-west from Lyon. It is an old town with legendary history, historically an important pilgrimage destination, and still a main starting point for the St. James' Way.
Understand
Get in
By car
Le Puy is on two national roads:
Regional road D130 follows the Loire valley from Saint-Étienne.
By train
There are ten daily services from Saint-Étienne via Retournac, five from Clermont-Ferrand, via Brioude and Arvanc, with transfer from Toulouse
By plane
Two daily services from Paris.
Get around
As a road transportation hub, the town is often congested. Walking is a more practical solution.
There is adequate bus transport. As of 2015 a 1-hr ticket costs €1.30, a 24-hr ticket €3.
See
- Le Puy Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation), 45.0456°, 3.8847°. Parts of the cathedral, probably built on a former pagan site, stem from the 5th century, although most of the present cathedral was built in the 12th century. Charlemagne made the pilgrimage to Le Puy twice. There is a copy (the original is destroyed) of an ivory image of Virgin Mary brought from the Holy Land by Saint Louis, king of France. Each morning pilgrims starting their journey to Santiago de Compostela gather in the cathedral to be blessed. 2019-08-28
- Statue de Notre-Dame de France, 45.0473°, 3.8852°. 2019-08-28
- Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe, 45.0500°, 3.8825°. Chapel on a high volcanic plug. 2019-08-28
- Église du Collége, 45.0436°, 3.8856°. 2019-08-28
- Église Saint-Laurent, 45.0476°, 3.8792°. 2019-08-28
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