Cluny's vast abbey church, built between 1088 and 1130, once extended from the map table in front of the Palais Jean de Bourbon to the trees near the octagonal Clocher de l'Eau Bénite (Tower of the Holy Water) and the adjoining square Tour de l'Horloge (Clock Tower) – a staggering 187m! A short film (multilingual headsets available) helps modern-day visitors envision the grandeur of the medieval abbey while exploring its scant ruins. English-language audioguides (€3) and self-guided tour booklets are available.
Abbey visitors also have access to the grounds of the adjacent École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers, an institute for training mechanical and industrial engineers that's centred on an 18th-century cloister. At the far edge of the grounds, don't miss the 13th-century Farinier (flour storehouse), under whose soaring wood-framed roof a series of eight finely carved capitals from the abbey's choir are now housed.
