--- title: "Musée des Ursulines, Mâcon: Art, Archaeology and Lamartine" description: "Mâcon's museum in a 17th-century convent: Solutré finds, Dutch and French painting and Lamartine rooms. Closed Mondays. Private driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-des-ursulines-macon lang: en updated: 2026-09-30 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/musee-des-ursulines-macon.png --- # Ursulines Museum, Mâcon (Musée des Ursulines) > Ursulines Museum, Mâcon: Mâcon's museum of art and archaeology, in a 17th-century convent, with rooms devoted to Lamartine. Ursulines Museum, Mâcon is in Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire), 1 h 16 by road (103 km) from Beaune. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours · Private driver from Beaune: €275 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The Musée des Ursulines occupies a former convent in the heart of Mâcon. Its collections run from prehistory to the 20th century: finds from Solutré, regional archaeology, Dutch and French painting and modern art. Since 2019, new rooms have been devoted to the poet and politician Alphonse de Lamartine, born in Mâcon in 1790. ## Key facts - Type: Museums - Where: Mâcon · Saône-et-Loire - Location: 80 km south of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.3070, 4.8331 - 1 h 16 from Beaune - Allow 1.5 to 2 hours - Mâcon - Official website: [destination-saone-et-loire.fr](https://www.destination-saone-et-loire.fr/fr/patrimoine-culturel/musee-des-ursulines.html) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 16 · 103 km - €275 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 1 h 16 by road (103 km), €275 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 Ursuline nuns came to Mâcon in 1615 to educate girls, and the present convent was built between 1675 and 1680. At the Revolution it became a prison in 1793, where Lamartine's father was held, together with many priests who had refused the oath to the new constitution. From 1796 the building served as a barracks, until it was taken out of use in 1929 and returned to the town. After restoration work between 1963 and 1967, the museum opened in June 1968. It was renovated in 1992 and holds the Musée de France label. New spaces on Lamartine and on the regional landscape painters of the 19th century opened in 2019, and the archaeology route was renewed in 2022. The cloister, the grand staircase and the chapel are protected as historic monuments. ## What you will see On the ground floor, archaeology rooms trace the region from the Celts to the Middle Ages, and a large collection from Solutré shows the tools and bones left by Ice Age hunters. The Lamartine rooms present his poetry, his travels and his political career. The fine arts section ranges from a portrait of a doge attributed to Titian to 19th-century landscapes and 20th-century abstract art. ## Planning your visit The museum is in the old town, a few minutes' walk from the Saône quays and the twin towers of the Vieux Saint-Vincent, the former cathedral. Allow one and a half to two hours. It is closed on Mondays; check the official website for opening times. A free investigation game for families keeps children busy. ## Did you know? During the Revolution, Lamartine's father was imprisoned in this convent. It is said that his wife managed to show him their young son through the attic of the building. ## Around Ursulines Museum, Mâcon What to combine with Ursulines Museum, Mâcon on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Pouilly-Fuissé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/pouilly-fuisse) (8 km away): Burgundy's great southern white, grown beneath the limestone cliffs of Solutré and Vergisson. - [Saint-Véran](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-veran) (10 km away): Fresh Chardonnay from villages that wrap around Pouilly-Fuissé, beneath the Roche de Solutré. - [Viré-Clessé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vire-clesse) (16 km away): Two neighbouring villages of the Haut-Mâconnais, joined in one appellation for generous Chardonnay. ### Châteaux - [Château de Chazoux](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chazoux) (4 km away): A modest wine estate house near Mâcon that hides richly painted rooms and a landscaped park. - [Château de Vinzelles](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-vinzelles) (7 km away): Two neighbouring castles above Vinzelles, linked by a vat house with great wooden wine presses. - [Château de Fuissé](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-fuisse) (8 km away): The Vincent family's historic estate in Pouilly-Fuissé, home of the appellation's only monopole premier cru. ### Things to do - [Église Saint-Pierre de Mâcon](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-saint-pierre-macon) (1 km away): Mâcon's largest church, a neo-Romanesque landmark whose twin spires rise above the Saône. - [Pont Saint-Laurent](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/pont-saint-laurent-macon) (1 km away): The oldest bridge across the Saône, joining Mâcon to the Ain on twelve stone arches. - [Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne, Mâcon](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/cite-des-climats-et-vins-macon) (1 km away): The Mâcon site of Burgundy's wine discovery centre, marked by a tower shaped like a wine-press screw. ### Restaurants - [La Huchette](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-huchette-replonges) (4 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Bresse produce with a Mediterranean accent, just across the Saône from Mâcon. - [L’O des Vignes](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/l-o-des-vignes-fuisse) (7 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A Meilleur Ouvrier de France cooking in the heart of Pouilly-Fuissé. - [La Table de Chaintré](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-table-de-chaintre) (8 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): One menu a week, one husband-and-wife team, in a former village grocery near Mâcon. ### Events - **Tuesday 3 – Sunday 15 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Les Symphonies d’Automne](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/symphonies-d-automne-macon): Mâcon's festival of the voice, built around an international competition for young opera singers. (Music · Mâcon) - **Friday, 4 December 2026 – Sunday, 3 January 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Contes & Lumières](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/contes-et-lumieres-macon): Mâcon's month of Christmas lights, parades, tales and concerts, free and open to all. (Christmas · Mâcon) - **A Friday and Saturday evening in late May; in 2026, Friday 29 and Saturday 30 May, from 6 pm to 1 am.** · [Les Mâcon Wine Note](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/macon-wine-note): Two evenings of Mâcon wines and live music at a pop-up wine bar on the banks of the Saône. (Wine festival · Mâcon) - **A weekend in mid-June; the 2026 ride was on 13 and 14 June.** · [La Vélo Gourmande en Sud Bourgogne](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/velo-gourmande-en-sud-bourgogne): A gourmet cycle ride through the Mâconnais, with tastings and chefs' dishes at every stop. (Food & markets · Mâcon) - **From late June to late August; the town's programme for 2026 ran from 24 June to 30 August.** · [L’Été Frappé](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/l-ete-frappe-macon): A free summer-long festival of concerts and shows in the streets and parks of Mâcon. (Music · Mâcon) ## Questions about Ursulines Museum, Mâcon ### How far is Ursulines Museum, Mâcon from Beaune? Ursulines Museum, Mâcon is about 1 h 16 from Beaune by road (103 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €275 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Ursulines Museum, Mâcon take? For the visit, allow 1.5 to 2 hours. ### When is Ursulines Museum, Mâcon open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (destination-saone-et-loire.fr) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Ursulines Museum, Mâcon? 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. → [Full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:ursulines): €275 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - --- Canonical page: