In the heart of the wine region of Burgundy, there is a lovely town by the Saône, where the buffed roofs and timber rimmed skyscrapers replaced flat-fronted pastel houses of the south travelers you will feel the breeze of the Mediterranean and admire your footprints in Mâcon.
Despite being small it has some amazing hot spots to grab your attention. Historical sites, nature’s landmarks, and a lot more await you. Mâcon is where a lot of Burgundy’s promising chardonnays come from. Wine-lovers won’t be short of motivation for days out with a huge list of wineries close by. So grab your bags and head on to some fun things to do in Mâcon, France.
Location Of Tourism Office Macon: TOURIST OFFICE OF MÂCON, 1 Pl. Saint-Pierre, 71000 Mâcon, France
Visit South of France & Explore These Things to Do in Mâcon:
Musée des Ursulines
Musée des Ursulines is set up in an enchanting Château which used to be the Ursuline convent. It shines a light on Mâcon’s history. An era-themed museum has been in place since the 1960s in the town. Here, tourists will learn about statues and bas-reliefs from Medieval times along with weapons, furnishings, and ceramics from Mâcon’s Gallo-Roman era.
The ground level is devoted to archaeology, you’ll uncover treasures from Roman and prehistoric times. Go up a floor for the ethnography department, which demonstrates the mastery of local potters, winemakers, and fishers on the Saône. And then you have the art exhibits, sprinting from the 1500s up to the present day, stopping by Titian, Charles le Brun, and Monet en route.
The sculptures from the 16th century up to the modern-day, including French and Dutch endeavors from the 17th century, Symbolist geographies from the 19th century, and Post-Cubist and rehash art from the 20th century. The museum contains an impressive collection and displays paintings in its amazing phase.
Location: 5 Rue de la Préfecture, 71000 Mâcon, France
Website: www.macon.fr/
Église Saint-Pierre de Mâcon
Like many French towns, Mâcon has no starvation of ancient churches and cathedrals that are worth a visit. This Byzantine church served as the seat of the Bishop of Mâcon until 1801 and today is considered an emblematic contour of the city. A church was built in the town hall area in the year 1860 called Saint-Pierre.
The Romanesque-style building illustrates a façade with three floors. Three portals of a raised semicircular style with tympanums illuminated with stone bas-relief give access to the interior.
To gaze at its towers and portal you may not realize that the church of Saint-Pierre is certainly quite new, and not another of Burgundy’s medieval romanesque marvels. It was finished in 1865 and was the work of André Berthier, a disciple of Viollet-le-Duc, the architect, and historian who renovated many of France’s medieval monuments in the 19th century.
Explore the murals, organ, rose windows, and a striking pulpit with two stairways. Other outstanding places of worship are the Church of Saint-Vincent, a neo-classic church that replaced the Old Cathedral following its abolishment, and the neo-Roman Church of Saint-Pierre. It’s perfect for worship.
Location: 11 Pl. Saint-Pierre, 71000 Mâcon, France
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Chapelle des Moines
Chapelle des Moines is another incredible spot in south France. Between Cluny and Mâcon, the priory of Berzé-la-Ville was founded by the abbot of Cluny, Hugues de Semur. Disconnected from the difficult life of the abbey of Cluny, he amassed distinguished guests there.
The chapel is a solitary – nave, barrel-vaulted foyer with a choir and apse with a shrine-like downward church. The veneer is structured by pilaster lines and arched friezes.
In 1887, the layers of white paint coating the interior of this former priory chapel flaked away to uncover three astonishing Romanesque frescoes from the initial 12th century. The paintings, pertained in five layers, are curtailed to a seven-color palette: smoky black, white lead, green, blue, yellow, red ocher, and vermilion. Moderate shades resulted from the multi-layer application of paint and the mixing of colors.
The central theme in the apse calotte is the “vision of Christ among the apostles’. Likewise, there are characterizations of saints and martyrs, and the relationship between the Cluniacs and the Pope and the Roman Church is also a theme. It’s a wonderful place to visit in Mâcon.
Location: Rue de la Chapelle, 71960 Berzé-la-Ville, France
Website: www.chapelle-des-moines.fr
Château Berzé le Châtel
Treasure of southern Burgundy, this fortress overseeing the Lamartinien valley is the unmissable place in the area. The initial fortress on this perch was created in the 900s, and renovations were made three times up to the 1800s. The enormous modifications were made during the time of Louis XI in the 15th century when the fortress was acknowledged to be unconquerable.
This fortified castle with its fourteen towers and its vestibule gatehouse conserves in its three chambers a set of medieval compartments and a Carolingian chapel. The two exterior rings of towers and curtain walls exemplify this resilience and command astonishing views, while the elegant interior was remodeled in the 19th century after having been evacuated in 1591 when the castle became outworn.
The grasslands that were reclaimed at the same time are sublime, with terraced vegetable patches, orchards, and a French parterre. A true gem of this region, it would be a great list to leave this one out.
Location: 71960 Berzé-le-Châtel, France
Website: berze.fr
The Rock of Solutré
A quick tour to the west and the immense Rock of Solutré hoves into view. This rugged limestone escarpment 8 km west of Mâcon, France, is an iconic site in the of Saône-et-Loire. The rock is an adored site, not just for its extraordinary geology but for what it represented to prehistoric cultures.
You’ll also love Solutré for its “3 rocks” marked circuit formulating a discovery expedition of the two prominent local escarpments. The Vergisson Rock: less well known than its splendid neighbor yet very breathtaking to discover and fantastic to climb. The incredible panoramic views will enchant your mind.
The base of the site: An excellent spot for a picnic on the spur of the duration. The prehistory Museum: Huddled at the ground of the Roche de Solutré, adjacent to one of Europe’s wealthiest prehistoric deposits, the Prehistory Museum gives a sensational perspective of a period laying over some 25,000 years through its enormous collections, varieties, sound, and audio-visual animations.
After getting to know the outlying history of the rock at the museum you can copy François Mitterrand, who used to climb the rock once a year during his term as French president in the 80s. The gorgeous site and the panoramic views are enough to fly your heart and must add to your Things to do in Mâcon Guide.
Location: 71960 Solutré-Pouilly, France
Château de Pierreclos
Château de Pierreclos is another outstanding spot in the burgundy region of the south of France. Château de Pierreclos is an exceptional choice for travelers visiting Pierreclos. A castle that can shade its origins to the 1200s and is nestled in vineyards. The castle does a wonderful job of piquing the attention of adults, with cellars where you can sample the five different wines produced by the vineyard.
The vineyard of Château de Pierreclos is made of eight hectares of vines tracked down on high-quality parcels. Grape combinations include Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. After alcoholic fermentation, the white wines are ripened on fine lees for a fuller body and affluent aromas. Then, the wines are bottled without filtration.
You can take the wine tour and taste this high-quality wine. Also, the children aren’t neglected either thanks to the explicit reproductions of chivalric life: They can be confined in the dungeon and then try on chainmail and armor in the castle’s weapons room.
You can take advantage of some of the amenities including a gift shop, a pool with a view during their visit, and many other helpful amenities designed to improvise your stay. Be sure to add Château de Pierreclos to your list of must-do things in Mâcon.
Location: 144 Le Château, 71960 Pierreclos, France
Website: www.chateaudepierreclos.com
Cluny Abbey
A short detour to the west of Mâcon takes you to one of the medieval era’s incredible monasteries. The abbey of Cluny the first church was a considerably simple barn-like structure. Though, Cluny rapidly developed to be home to the largest church in Christendom—a crown it would hold for over 200 years.
With high barrel-vaulted naves, an elevation on three floors, and historiated capitals, Cluny created and spread its Cluny style throughout Europe. The abbey broadened its prominence in the fields of music, painting, and especially architecture, and all this in the service of an unprecedented ceremony. During the Revolution, the abbey’s significance made it a victim of the mobs, and most of the complex was demolished.
The abbey’s transept endured the ransacking and the 13th-century ensemble capitals are intact, while a new 3D presentation shows the entire treasure of the complex in its prime. The visit is remarkable and history buffs will love it. Reinforced reality screens spewed throughout the abbey and the 3D film “Major Ecclesia” mean you can visualize what has today faded away; “Clunyvision” demonstrates the past of the town center. It’s a magnificent place that you must visit when you tour the South of France, and I haven’t kept myself away from including this place in my Things to Do in Mâcon Guide.
Location:Rue du 11 Août 1944, 71250 Cluny, France
Website:www.cluny-abbaye.fr
Vieux Saint-Vincent
Vieux Saint-Vincent is an extraordinary place in the south of France. It’s currently being restored. It is a Roman Catholic church located in Mâcon, the cathedral is in the Byzantine architectural tradition. The present church was carved between 1808 and 1818 under the supervision of the designer Alexandre de Gisors. Of its predecessor, known as “Vi eux Saint-Vincent.” Mâcon’s old cathedral was torn down during the Revolution, and the only structures left were the narthex and towers. It has the remains of two towers. The highly remarkable south tower, which is crowned by a belvedere, serves as a symbol of Mâcon. But these alone make the construction worthwhile as they’re stimulating fragments of the town’s romanesque and gothic ancestry. Catch a glimpse if you can fiddle your head through the openings in the facade to glimpse the ancientest remaining part of the church, dating to the 1000s, with sculptures on the capitals. This place is loved by history enthusiasts and one can cherish the glory of France through this overwhelming architecture.
Location: 240 Rue de Strasbourg, 71000 Mâcon, France
Website: www.macon.fr
Brou Monastery
Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy, widow of the Duke of Savoy Philibert II, constructed this pretentious gothic monastery to keep serve her love for her late husband Philibert the Fair alive.
Brou Royal Monasticon is a masterpiece of flamboyant gothic creation. The royal hermitage of Brou is manufactured of monastic buildings, which dangle around a church and three cloisters.
This church is a Flamboyant Gothic masterpiece, remarkable in France. Crowned by a roof of multicolored varnished tiles, its church, a true prince’s mausoleum, comprises the tombs of Philibert II of Savoy, Margaret of Austria, and Margaret of Bourbon in its chancel. Margaret and Philibert’s tombs diverge from the medieval style by demonstrating them alive and in their youth rather than recumbent on their deathbed.
A stunning group with finely carved fragments, created by the best regional and Flemish artists of the time! The monastery buildings also include the town of Bourg-en-Bresse’s art collection, with articles from the 1200s to the 1900s.
You can also think highly of the old stained glass windows in the chancel made by master glassworkers from Lyon, as well as the wooden stalls and stone jube, two magnificently sculpted groups whose magnificence leaves you feeling deliberative.
Location: 63 Bd de Brou, 01000 Bourg-en-Bresse, France
Website: www.monastere-de-brou.fr
Royal Kids Mâcon
Why can’t your kids be allowed to enjoy their trip to the south of France? Royal kids Mâcon is a wonderful amusement park for your toddlers to spend their time and enjoy their own kind of travelogue. This indoor sports and recreation club of Mâcon is founded to serve all varieties of entertainment to kids up to 12 years of age.
This place is excellent for rejoicing their birthdays or bringing them for a fun-filled holiday. The large indoor playground is spread over an immense area, including colorful leisure rides. The kids can reap crazy amidst its slides, football field, monkey bridges, ball pools, and toboggans.
While your kid is amassing the time of their life, you can just grab a snack or browse the internet on their fast wifi in the reserved room for parents. A simple place that gives a lot of fun time to your little ones.
Location: SUIVRE DIRECTION GARE TGV, 66 Rue Pouilly Vinzelles, 71000 Mâcon, France
Website: www.royalkids.fr/parcs/macon
Wines
As Burgundy is a prominent wine region, it only makes sense to taste some of the luscious wines made in the area.
The vineyards of the Mâconnais are praised for their Chardonnay and special ones from Pouilly-Fuissé. With top-notch chardonnays from Saint Véran and Pouilly-Fuissé, Mâcon’s wine has an accomplishment that goes far beyond France. In 7,000 hectares of vineyards is a prosperity of caves, visitable wineries, and cooperatives, all in the thoughtful countryside.
Follow the significant Route des Vins Mâconnais to disclose these vineyards, which propose a more laid-back feel compressed to their prestigious counterparts in the northern part of the region. If you go to savor these outstanding wines, the chardonnays or pinot noirs may be paired with a Mâconnais cheese, which has an AOC label and boasts a soft, smooth texture. It’s time to enjoy the French wines. Cheers!
Find the Region Map here– bourgogne-maps.fr
Mâcon has so many fun things to offer that it’s impossible to describe it all! You can also visit Cannes one night for more amazing views.
