Photo spot in Vézelay & the Morvan
The Morvan lakes on the Cure
Wooded reservoir lakes in the granite hills south-east of Vézelay, fed by the same river you look down on from the terrace.
About The Morvan lakes on the Cure
Get directionsThe Morvan is a block of granite and forest south-east of Vézelay, a regional natural park with a chain of reservoir lakes on the Cure and its tributaries. The nearest is the Lac du Crescent, about half an hour away at the confluence of the Cure and the Chalaux, straddling the Yonne and the Nièvre — a long, dark, tree-lined stretch of water with a dam at one end and forest coming down to the shore. The Lac des Settons, an hour further south, is the best known and the busiest.
The register here is completely different from the village: no stone, no architecture, just water, spruce and oak, and a lot of quiet. Morning is the time — still water, mist off the surface in autumn, and light coming across rather than down. By afternoon a breeze usually breaks the reflection.
Autumn is the season. Beech and oak turn through October and the far shore reads as a band of copper against dark conifer; in high summer the greens are heavy and uniform, and in winter it is often grey and the light is gone by four.
This is a drive, not a walk, and it needs the two-hour booking to make sense alongside the village. Shore access is via marked paths and small parking areas; some of the shoreline is private or given over to activity bases, and the water level moves — a beach in August can be under water in spring.
Best time to shoot
Early morning for still water and autumn mist; October for the colour on the far shore
Tips
Half an hour from Vézelay, so it needs the two-hour booking. Use the marked paths and parking areas — parts of the shore are private. The reservoir level moves between seasons.
Other spots in Vézelay & the Morvan
The basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine
A twelfth-century Cluniac pilgrimage church at the top of the hill, with a nave built in alternating pale and dark stone and light running down it from the east.
Rue Saint-Pierre, the village street
The one street of Vézelay, climbing between ochre-rendered houses and carved stone lintels from the lower gate to the basilica.
The château terrace over the Cure valley
A grass belvedere on the site of the abbots' old castle, immediately behind the basilica, looking out over the whole Cure valley.
Ready to book?
Our concierge team will hand-pick 2-3 photographers who know The Morvan lakes on the Cure — free of charge.