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
[edit]Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]- 1 Le Puy–Loudes Airport (LPY IATA) (near Loudes, 12 km away), ☏ +33 4 71 086228, toll-free: +33 8 10 182292. Two daily services from Paris on Twinjet (1 hr 5 min).
Way more flight destinations are served by the airport of Lyon. From the Lyon airport to Le Puy there are direct bus rides by TOTOOM. Otherwise take a train from the city of Lyon to Saint-Étienne and then a train to Le Puy. There are also direct rides by Blablacar Bus from the city of Lyon to Le Puy.
The airport of Clermont Ferrand offers a few destinations. From Clermont Ferrand take a train or Blablacar Bus to Le Puy.
The airports of Montpellier and Marseille are not far away, but from these cities you need to take a (high speed) train to Lyon first and continue from there to Le Puy.
By bus
[edit]- 2 Le Puy Bus Station.
TOTOOM and Blablacar Bus stop here.
By train
[edit]There are several daily services from Saint-Étienne and some from Clermont-Ferrand.
- 3 Gare du Puy-en-Velay, Place Maréchal Leclerc.
By car
[edit]Le Puy is on two national roads:
- N88 from Lyon via Saint-Étienne (from the north-east) or from Lozère (from the south)
- N102 from Clermont-Ferrand and Puy-de-Dôme (from the north-west)
Regional road D130 follows the Loire valley from Saint-Étienne.
Get around
[edit]
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.
- 4 Tudip, Agence commerciale, 6 rue Pierret, ☏ +33 4 71 026011.
See
[edit]- 1 Le Puy Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation). 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.
- 2 Statue de Notre-Dame de France.
- 3 Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe. Chapel on a 85 m (279 ft) high volcanic plug.
- 4 Église du Collége.
- 5 Église Saint-Laurent.
- 6 Château de Chavaniac, Chavaniac-Lafayette (some 25 km to the north-west, towards Brioude and Clermont-Ferrand). Birthplace of General Lafayette, a centre of philanthropy for people affected by World War I, now a museum open to the public.
Do
[edit]- 1 Musée Crozatier. Art and archaeological artifacts from Velay and the Haute-Loire region.
- 2 Jardin Henri-Vinay. Free.
- 3 Hôtel-Dieu. An historic hospital that began operating around 1140 to receive pilgrims.
Events
[edit]- 1 Festival de la Chaise-Dieu: 20–30 August 2025 (in Chaise-Dieu, a town 50 km north-north-west from Le Puy). A festival dedicated to sacred classical music, held in the old abbey.