Tourist Attractions & Monuments en Bourgogne

The tourist information office in Charnay-lès-Mâcon is an important player in the green tourist offer in this area. Located in the old station of Charnay-Condemine, it is at the start of many hiking routes. For example, this office offers a 23 km safe route on the greenway that can be taken by bike or on foot. The office also offers "all-inclusive" packages including visits and tastings, culture and sport.

The Macon City Hall is found in the former Montrevel hotel, built between 1746 and 1751 by Abel-Michel Chesnard de Layé who passed it on to his son in 1753, who himself defeated it in 1767 in favour of Comte Melchior de Labaume de Montrevel. Rich owner in Bresse and in Macon, he then undertook major expansion. He built the great Comedie hall (now the Council Chambers), hosting a stall, an orchestra and a stage surrounded by two sets of boxes. There he played many parts that please the nobles and bourgeois of Macon. Comedie was destroyed by fire on the night of 8 to 9 February 1907. Before being guillotined during the French Revolution, the count of Montrevel sold his hotel to the city of Macon on March 8, 1793. You can admire the lavish woodwork in the marriage hall, a library housing the medallion portraits of ancient philosophers. In the entrance hall, you will find the stairs with its wrought iron railing as well as the large living room for weddings and the boardroom that are worth seeing.

It was in this chapel that Jesus would have appeared to St. Margaret Mary in 1673 and 1675. Also called Chapel of Apparitions, this chapel situated at the Visitation Street was built around 1633 and was rebuilt in the late nineteenth century to accommodate large number of pilgrims. The sessionnists are also many to come here every summer and discover this sacred place.  A fresco painted in 1966 and 1973 represents the second appearance in which Christ presents its wounds of the Passion. To the right of the choir, a small chapel houses the shrine of Sainte-Marguerite-Marie Alacoque where a molding wax covering her bones rests.This shrine dates from the beatification of the nun in 1864 before being canonized in 1920.

The passion for dolls in a former barn converted into a charming small museum. Here, reconstruction rhymes with passion! Not less than 900 dolls are exposed for the pleasure of the owner, but also for the visitor. Porcelain models of the 19th century in Barbie form, it is a whole scenography that retraces the history of toys from the bedrooms to the music rooms, schools and other places. Accessories with wallpapers, detail has its importance. The small furniture is the work of craftsmen and partners. An annual exhibition traces a piece of the history of these dolls.

Let yourself be told about the riches of the city, and go aboard the Swallow II, for a cruise from 1 to 2 hours, or for a 3-hour lunch or dinner (reservation). The captain and his team will welcome you in this large glass boat, offering a breathtaking view of Auxerre. With 75 passengers on cruise cruise and 42 cruise passengers, the company also offers personalized and turnkey cruises for family meetings for example.

The current castle dates back to about 1560, and on one side, a three-storey façade overlooking the Armançon River retains its defensive appearance. On the other hand, a lawn and a porch on the first floor were added in the following centuries. Inside, the decor is contemporary with the great-great-grandparents of the current owner. To see: the chimneys in the lower rooms and on the main floor are impressive for their large coats. The wide flights of stairs, whose ramp comes from the Buffon forges, replaced a narrow central staircase at the end of the 17th century. The panelling added in the 18th century in the dining room, the octagonal room fitted out to receive Marshal Davout with dignity, or the billiard room (with its magnificent lion-headed pool table) are just a few examples of the many interior installations that have transformed, over the centuries, this bastion of religious wars into a pleasure residence. The objects date from the 16th century to 1910 and all come from the castle. Also interesting is the venerable room (with old crew clothing), an inner well, a bread oven and a room dedicated to Buffon, who stayed here several times.

This door to the east of the city was, from the first century, the eastern outlet of the largest west-east route of the city  : The. Maximus. Like the other three main doors, it was once surrounded by two semicircular towers, one of which is still conserved and houses the Protestant temple Saint-André. It presents two large arcades (the passage of vehicles is now prohibited) and two small ones for pedestrians. It is topped by a gallery of ten stoneware arcades dating from late antiquity, whose vaults were restored by Viollet-le-Duc in the th century. It is near this door that tradition situates the martyrdom of Saint-Symphorien.

In the north of the city, this door Senonica (Porte de Sens) gave access to Cardo Maximus. Entirely built in the sandstone of Mont Saint-Jean, in the th century it is almost complete campaign side, while the city side only remains the two central bays and a lateral bay. Decorated with pilasters cannelés with corinthians capitals, the upper gallery date of the era augustéenne (th century). The doors of Autun must not be confused with arches of triumph, since they are never included in the ramparts.

Pavillon de l'Industrie is a center of interpretation on the industry of Creusot. It is installed in the room of Jeu de Paume, old outbuilding of the castle of the Glassmaking built between 1908 and 1910, and which sheltered a covered tennis court formerly. Fully renovated in 2015, the room of Jeu de Paume, presents to the public a very new scenography. It discovers the industrial adventure of Creusot there, while starting with the two great reliefs plans of the city and its factories realized for the World Fair of 1900. Models testify to the great achievements left the workshops creusotins and illustrate all know-how of the factories. The industry of today and the dynamism of the local companies are evoked by various rooms currently produced. The visit is done using a tactile shelf which comes to enrich the course by its contents (videos, games, entertainments 3D, increased reality). A film shown on giant screen punctuates the whole.

Directly connected to the downtown, skirted by the Voie Verte, the marina of Mâcon is a true breath of fresh air in the heart of the downtown and a direct access on the Saône for the walker. With its 420 rings being able to accommodate rental boats of passage or long stay that can measure up to 25 m, the marina of Mâcon offers a wealth of services and equipment. In addition to sanitary facilities and showers, the port offers bike Pénichette rental service, a snack, two upper works shops, repair and sale of boats, electric terminals, a system of sewage pumping, boat ramp, CCTV and night lighting.

Do not forget the access on foot or by bike in a few minutes to the shops of the downtown, the restaurants, the nautical centre or the multiplexes cinema, the whole within a green setting. With all its advantages, the marina of Mâcon was awarded the prizeport de plaisance exemplaire which rewards the ports which are searching for new capacities and environmental integration.

At first sight, the terms "hydroelectric production" and "clearing pond" do not resonate as incentives to walk. Yet this is where nature has chosen to evolve peacefully, at the small Pannecière lake. Great willows have grown there, and are home to the birds and amphibians that elected them. In this mysterious decor, a discovery trail was built on pilgrimages. Punctuated with explanatory panels and enigmas, he leads to a ornithological observatory where, well hidden, you can observe the surrounding fauna following the course of his life. Think of the binoculars!

Tariff: free.

Duration: 30 min.

Difficulty: easy.