Mâcon

Click for town centre plan

Buildings painted burnt sienna, buttermilk and rose – Mâcon has a distinctly Mediterranean feel and looks to the south for inspiration. To get a feel of this town on the River Saône, head for the terrace of the café in the Maison de Bois, a house covered in elaborate, if not grotesque, wooden carvings normally reserved for interiors. There you can people watch: it is on the corner of Rue Dombey and Place aux Herbes where the vegetable market is held daily with the exception of Monday.

Rue Carnot is one of the busiest shopping streets in the town. Here, is the L’Ancien Hospice de la Charité, once a hospital, but now an old people’s home. To the right of the front door is a swivel-gate where new-born babies were abandoned by placing them unseen in a barrel which then swivelled around and when the bell was rung, the nuns rushed to collect the baby. A walk around the town on the Heritage Trail brings you to the Hôtel Dieu, the Old St.Vincent Hospital.

Mâcon was the birthplace of one of France’s greatest writers, the poet Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-1869). He was active politically in the area and the house in Rue Lamartine where he lived until his wedding still stands. Château St-Point, west of Milly where he wrote many of the Méditations Poétiques and Jocelyn, and where he and his English wife are buried, can be visited. There is a Lamartine Heritage Trail which passes through places he lived, loved and found inspiration.

But above all, Mâcon is famous for its wine and the annual wine fair held each May. Two thirds of the wine is white, coming from the Chardonnay grape with Pouilly-Fuissé, St-Véran and Mâcon-Villages Blanc being the most famous. The other third is red or rosé from the Gamay or Pinot Noir grape. Less highly priced than the wines of the Côte d’Or, you can enjoy the wine of Mâcon and Beaujolais with a picnic lunch or dinner without damaging your wallet. To taste the best of the region’s wines visit the Maison des Vins, 520 Maréchal Lattre-de-Tassigny. Part of the building is a museum dedicated to wine, you can eat local specialities there and of course, buy some bottles.
At the Cave de Charnay-Lès-Mâcon, to the west of the town, the cellar is open for tasting and sales Monday-Saturday 9.00-12.00 and 14.00-18.00; Sunday 9.30-12.00 and 15.00-18.00; closed on public holidays

There's a bustle in the air in Mâcon town. All around you can enjoy the beautiful surrounding countryside of the Mâconnais, extending from Tournus between the valley of the Saône and River Grosne.

Market Day

Saturday

burgundy holiday homes direct from owner

• Vinzelles, sleeps 3, ref: 97260
• La Roche, sleeps 12, 10 and 6 ref: 416560
• Montmeland, sleeps 11, ref: 88413
• Charolles, sleeps 6 and 2. ref: 439213

hotels

• Novotel, Mâcon Nord ***
• Chambres d'hôte Rijckaert, Leynes
  
• Inter Hotel de Bourgogne ** Mâcon
• Hotel Balladins Mâcon Sud Péage Express ***
• Hotel des Vignes ** Beaujolais
• Château de la Barge *** Creches sur Saône

Places to eat

• Au P’tit Pierre, 10 Rue Gambetta
• Au Pouilly Fuissé, Fuissé, 9km from Mâcon

Places to visit nearby

• Rock of Solutré
• Grottes d'Azé
• Château de Pierreclos
• Château Berzé le Châtel

car hire

Competitive, comparative car hire prices at a click with Auto Europe

weather in Macon

getting to and from Macon
Mâcon is 400 km from Paris and 75 km from Lyon, the nearest airport.
By train:
TGV services
TER regional trains
By bus:
Travel by bus

Pam Elson ©burgundytoday.com