MÂCON
is a lively, prosperous place on the banks of the River Saône, 58km
south of Chalon and 68km north of Lyon, with excellent transport
connections between the two. It's a centre for the wine trade and
numerous light industries, with a surprisingly sunny southern seaside
feel, thanks to its long café-lined river bank
. There are no great sights here, but it's worth finding the time for a
riverside drink or a stroll through its pedestrian quarter. If you're
visiting in late July-early August, look out for the free outdoor jazz
concerts.
Lamartine,
the nineteenth-century French Romantic poet , was born here in 1790 and
his name is much in evidence. He is remembered in the handsome
eighteenth-century mansion, the Hôtel Senecé in rue Sigorgne, which
houses the Musée Lamartine
(Mon & Wed-Sat 10am-noon & 2-6pm, Sun 2-6pm; €2.28), part of
which is dedicated to documents and other memorabilia to do with his
personal, political and poetic lives. Nearby, on the corner of place
des Herbes where a summertime fruit and veg market is held, stands the
town's main tourist curiosity, an extraordinary wooden house built
around 1500 and known as the Maison du Bois Doré
, with a wonderful bar/café downstairs that serves cocktails until 2 or
3am. The town also has a medieval art and Gallo-Roman archeological
museum, the Musée des Ursulines , at 5 rue des Ursulines (Mon & Wed-Sat 10am-noon & 2-6pm, Sun 2-6pm; €2.28), housed in a seventeenth-century convent.
The most affordable, enjoyable and educational way to bone up on the Mâcon, Beaujolais and Chalonnais wines is to visit the
Maison Mâconnaise des Vins
, 484 av Lattre-de-Tassigny (daily 8am-9pm; tel 03.85.38.62.22), where
the N6 comes into town along the riverside from Chalon - a ten-minute
walk from the centre of town. Aside from the usual wine-tasting
routine, you can also sample vintages by the glass (from €1.83),
accompanied by regional dishes such as andouillette , petit salé and
goat's cheese (from €6.86), on the large shady balcony of the
restaurant, where food is available all day.
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