--- title: "Chalon-sur-Saône Old Town: Walking Trail and What to See" description: "Half-timbered houses round Place Saint-Vincent, the Saône quays and the Île Saint-Laurent on a signed trail. Two hours on foot. Private driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/centre-historique-chalon-sur-saone lang: en updated: 2026-10-02 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/centre-historique-chalon-sur-saone.png --- # Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône (Centre historique de Chalon-sur-Saône) > Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône: Half-timbered houses, riverside quays and an island in the Saône, explored on a signed walking trail. Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône is in Chalon-sur-Saône (Saône-et-Loire), 35 min by road (35 km) from Beaune. Allow 2 hours · Private driver from Beaune: €125 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Chalon-sur-Saône holds the Ville d'Art et d'Histoire label, and its old centre is best seen on foot. Half-timbered houses, towers, courtyards and paved streets surround Place Saint-Vincent. The signed Chemin de l'Orbandale links about thirty points of interest, from the cathedral quarter to the Saône quays and the Île Saint-Laurent. ## Key facts - Type: Heritage - Where: Chalon-sur-Saône · Saône-et-Loire - Location: 25 km south of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.7812, 4.8567 - 35 min from Beaune - Allow 2 hours - Chalon-sur-Saône - Official website: [achalon.com](https://www.achalon.com/offres/chemin-de-lorbandale-chalon-sur-saone-fr-4436537/) - From Beaune: ≈ 35 min · 35 km - €125 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [half-day wine tour plus one hour, €360](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 35 min by road (35 km), €125 one way for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## History Chalon grew from Cabillonum, a Gallo-Roman town on the banks of the Saône, and the river has shaped its life ever since. The Espace Patrimoine, the town's heritage centre, traces how the city developed from Roman times to today. Around the cathedral, a group of timber-framed houses survives, several of them protected as historic monuments, including the house known as the Trois-Greniers. The Île Saint-Laurent, linked to the town by bridges, has its own chapter of history. In 1449 and 1450 the Burgundian knight Jacques de Lalaing held a famous passage of arms there, the Pas de la Fontaine des Pleurs, challenging all comers. At the downstream tip of the island stands the Tour du Doyenné, a 16th-century tower listed as a historic monument in 1948. ## What you will see Follow the Chemin de l'Orbandale at your own pace, with an audio guide from the tourist office, past towers, turrets, bastions and hidden courtyards. Linger on Place Saint-Vincent, then walk down to the quays and cross the Pont Saint-Laurent to the island, where rue de Strasbourg is lined with restaurants. The route passes the Musée Nicéphore Niépce and the Musée Denon, so museum stops fit in easily. ## Planning your visit The old centre is compact and largely pedestrian, so your driver can drop you near Place Saint-Vincent. Allow two hours for the trail, more with a museum stop. The tourist office runs guided visits that sometimes open buildings usually closed to the public, and families can ask for the Orbidule, a version of the trail for children. ## Did you know? When Jacques de Lalaing issued his challenge on the Île Saint-Laurent in 1449, nobody took it up until 1 February 1450, when a Burgundian squire, Pierre de Chandio, finally faced him. ## Around Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône What to combine with Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Givry](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/givry) (8 km away): A small wine town of 18th-century monuments, whose red wine is linked by legend to Henri IV. - [Mercurey](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/mercurey) (12 km away): The largest vineyard of the Côte Chalonnaise, known above all for its reds. - [Rully](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/rully) (14 km away): Crisp whites, supple reds and a cradle of Burgundy's sparkling wine, below a medieval château. ### Châteaux - [Château de Taisey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-taisey) (3 km away): A graceful house of the 1680s beside an old square tower, on a terrace above the Saône. - [Château de Germolles](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-germolles) (8 km away): The best-preserved residence of the Valois dukes of Burgundy, a country palace made for a duchess. - [Château de Saint-Germain-lès-Buxy](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-saint-germain-les-buxy) (10 km away): A moated medieval castle reinvented in the romantic troubadour style by Viollet-le-Duc's son-in-law. ### Things to do - [Nicéphore Niépce Museum (Musée Nicéphore Niépce)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-nicephore-niepce), 1 km away: A museum of photography in the home town of its inventor, from the first cameras to digital images. - [Chalon-sur-Saône Market (Marché de Chalon-sur-Saône)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/marche-de-chalon-sur-saone), 1 km away: A Friday and Sunday morning food market on Place Saint-Vincent, in front of the cathedral. - [Saint-Vincent Cathedral, Chalon-sur-Saône (Cathédrale Saint-Vincent de Chalon-sur-Saône)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/cathedrale-saint-vincent-chalon-sur-saone), 1 km away: A Romanesque and Gothic cathedral, newly reopened, beside the region's only surviving canons' cloister. ### Restaurants - [Cédric Burtin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/cedric-burtin-saint-remy) (4 km away · 2 MICHELIN stars): Two stars in a converted mill on the southern edge of Chalon-sur-Saône. ### Events - **Friday 16 – Sunday 18 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Paulée de la Côte Chalonnaise](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/paulee-de-la-cote-chalonnaise): Chalon celebrates the end of the harvest with a weekend of tastings, confréries and photography. (Wine festival · Chalon-sur-Saône) - **Friday 26 February – Sunday 7 March 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Carnaval de Chalon-sur-Saône](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/carnaval-de-chalon-sur-saone): Ten days of parades, brass bands and the burlesque Gôniots, ending with the burning of Old Carnival. (Tradition · Chalon-sur-Saône) - **Four days in the second half of July; the 2026 festival ran from 23 to 26 July.** · [Chalon dans la Rue](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/chalon-dans-la-rue): Four days of street theatre, circus and dance that take over the centre of Chalon every July. (Culture · Chalon-sur-Saône) ## Questions about Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône ### How far is Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône from Beaune? Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône is about 35 min from Beaune by road (35 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €125 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône take? For the visit, allow 2 hours. ### When is Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (achalon.com) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Half-day wine tour plus one hour, €360](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:oldchalon): €125 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - --- Canonical page: