Hostels in Le Puy en Velay, France

Le Puy en Velay is a city in central France, in the region of Auvergne. It is the prefecture of Haute-Loire department. It is about one hundred thirty kilometres from Lyon or Clermont-Ferrand. It is not very big and your options for hostels in Le Puy en Velay are limited (you will be near the city center and its cathedral), but there are also hotels and guesthouses. The train station is about five minutes' walk to the center.

The city is famous for its landscape, its cathedral and chapel, its lentils, its lace-making, and because it's the starting-point for the pilgrim route Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle. The panorama of the municipality is special because of its different rock-hills where houses and monuments have been built. The most famous one is the iron statue of Notre-Dame de France (The Virgin Mary) on the Rocher Corneille, where you can go up and even climb inside the statue itself. It is the highest point where you will overlook the city and the other high points, such as the Rocher and its amazing chapel of Saint-Michel-d'Aiguilhe, a technical and human feat. Some kilometres north, you can drive to the Fortress of Polignac where you can stroll around the rest of the Middle-Age-era buildings and climb to the top of the tower.

You can probably walk from your Le Puy en Velay hostel to one of the main sights -- the cathedral where you can admire our Lady of Le Puy, the black virgin. Next to the edifice, you can visit the Cloister and enjoy its columns and its capitals. Other religious architectures worth the visit are the Basilica and the troglodyte chapel at Saint-Joseph de Bon Espoir in Espaly, a town adjacent to Le Puy en Velay.

Hanging around town, on the paved streets, you will find shops to buy or rent some Middle-Ages-themed costumes. Otherwise, you can buy pieces of lace as presents. You will have to taste the famous green lentils in one of the many restaurants or brasseries, surely not faraway from your Le Puy en Velay hostel. Many people come to Le Puy en Velay to start their pilgrim route to Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle. So you will find lots of hikers and many shell markers along the streets.