Activities at Hotel L’Esperance or nearby

• Gardens & Pool

• Salons, Bars & Terrace

• Meeting Rooms

• Marc Meneau´s Vineyards

• Wine Tasting

Sports activities

The Vézelien region, bordering on Morvan Regional Park, offers many outdoor activities and various tipes of lodging. It is conveniently located half-way between Paris and Lyon.

• Cure river trips: Canoeing, Kayaking and Rafting
• Hiking: Short hikes, GR 13, GR de pays, GR Santiago de Compostela
• Mountain biking excursions: Maintained paths for all levels. Rentals
• Horseback riding: Riding stables, lessons, guided rides, marked trails
• Rock climbing: Boulders and marked climbing routes
• Fishing: Small lakes and rivers. Fishing lessons

The Village of Vèzelay

What other village in France has received such illustrious visitors?.
Kings, architects, poets, writers, painters… the list of those who have come to Vézelay indeed long. No matter what your taste in art, this village –a UNESCO world heritage site—is sure to delight. Marc Meneau has also contributed to its renown by creating an international reference in culinary arts in this area.

The medieval village raises in terraces towards its jewel… the Basilica, an important Christian centre from which pilgrims set out for the second and third Crusades. Wander through the narrow winding streets of Vézelay and you will begin to feel its mystery. Romanesque houses stand beside Renaissance residences and 17th and 18th century manors.

The climb gets easier, the view opens out and visitors discover with delight the church of La Madeleine, “the boat that dropped anchor on the horizon” in P. Claudel`s words. A detour across the terrace of the formers abbot`s castle provides other magnificent views: the ramparts surrounding the town and the vast panorama of the Cure Valley, white buttes to the north and wooded gills of the Morvan to the south. This exceptional site is well worth a little escapade to combine culture with the earthier pleasures that are nonetheless… divine!

Saint-Etienne and Saint-Pierre streets will take you past boutiques, shops, art galleries, restaurants and cafés, while a walk along the ramparts will fill you with the mystery of ancient stone and give you enticing glimpses of villager`s gardens as you mount the narrow steps…

Near Vézelay

• Asquins (1 Km)
Located at the foot of the Vézelay hill, on the route to Santiago de Compostela. The church has 15th and 16th century frescoes, woodwork from the 18th century and a 16th century reliquary bust representing St. James, patron saint of the village. The village also has an 18th century washhouse.

• Asnières-sous-Bois (9 Km)
Saint-Sulpice Church built in Romanesque and 12th century neo-Romanesque style.
Restored in the 17th century.

• Bazoches (10 Km)
The medieval castle of Bazoches, built in the 12th century, has four towers and a keep surrounding a trapezoidal interior courtyard. In 1675 it became the family home of Marshal Vauban, who restored the castle and transformed it into a military garrison.

• Arcy-sur-Cure Cave (Arcy-sur-Cure 20 Km)
Come and admire the great cave, the first French cavern opened to visitors. Wander through rooms filled with fantastic petrified figures.
Contemplate the magnificent concretions, limestone stalagmites and the two lakes, one of which is known as the Fairies` Washhouse--a deep, narrow well with a living, floating stone.
A pleasant 900-meter walk takes you into an underground universe that still holds the memory of primitive man, who lived in the caves of the Chastenay domain at Arcy-sur-Cure over 300,000 years ago.

• Epoisses Castle (Epoisse-35 Km)
Two walls of fortifications surround houses from the 15th century, a church, a dovecote with 3000 compartments and a flowered garden. The castle is flanked with massive towers and surrounded by a moat.
Inside are numerous portraits of illustrious figures such as Madame de Sévigné and the Grand Condé (Prince Louis II de Bourbon) who is well-remembered in Epoisses.

• Fontenay Abbey (Marmagne - 70 Km)
Fontenay Abbey, founded in 1118 by St. Bernard, is still perfectly intact.
The abbey church, which was built in a very short period of time, and the cloisters are perfectly homogeneous and built in pure Cistercian architectural style.
The gardens with their lovely fountains and centuries-old trees make for an enchanting stroll, and here you will find the famous trout that the Abbey friars often served to the Dukes of Burgundy.
Fontenay, 12th century Abbey and a masterpiece of Romanesque Art, just as St. Bernard wanted it to be...