--- title: "Pont Saint-Laurent: How to Visit and What to See" description: "The Pont Saint-Laurent crosses the Saône between the quays of Mâcon and Saint-Laurent-sur-Saône, on the far bank in the Ain." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/pont-saint-laurent-macon lang: en updated: 2026-10-08 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/pont-saint-laurent-macon.png --- # Pont Saint-Laurent > Pont Saint-Laurent: the oldest bridge across the Saône, joining Mâcon to the Ain on twelve stone arches. Pont Saint-Laurent is in Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire), 1 h 17 by road (104 km) from Beaune. Allow 20 to 30 minutes · Private driver from Beaune: €275 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The Pont Saint-Laurent crosses the Saône between the quays of Mâcon and Saint-Laurent-sur-Saône, on the far bank in the Ain. Recorded as early as 1077, it is the oldest bridge over the river and still carries traffic today. Its twelve stone arches stretch for 215 metres and are at their best seen from the quays at the end of the day. ## Key facts - Type: Heritage - Where: Mâcon · Saône-et-Loire - Location: 80 km south of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.3049, 4.8370 - 1 h 17 from Beaune - Allow 20 to 30 minutes - Mâcon - Official website: [pop.culture.gouv.fr](https://pop.culture.gouv.fr/notice/merimee/PA00113335) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 17 · 104 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 17 by road (104 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 A text of 1077 already mentions the bridge, when an oven at its entrance was given to the chapter of the cathedral of Saint-Vincent in Mâcon. Tolls on the crossing and on river traffic paid for its upkeep, and chains stretched between the arches stopped boats that had not paid. A chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas, patron of boatmen, stood on one of the arches until a flood carried it away in October 1423. The bridge was rebuilt many times on its medieval foundations. Works from 1771 to 1789 widened it, and between 1843 and 1845 the first four arches were rebuilt for steam navigation, while slabs on stone brackets and a light metal railing replaced the heavy parapets. It was classified as a historic monument in 1987, and to spare it, a bypass canal was dug on the Ain side for large barges. A full renovation in 2016 and 2017 renewed its paving stones, railings and lamps. ## What you will see Walk across from the Mâcon quays, where the Saône is wide and slow. In a niche on the third pier stands a statue of Saint Nicholas, placed there in 1958 in memory of the lost chapel. On the downstream side of the western pier, a flood scale records the great floods of the river, including that of 1640. From the Saint-Laurent bank, look back at the arches, the quays of Mâcon and the twin spires of the Église Saint-Pierre. ## Planning your visit The bridge is open to pedestrians at all times and free, with pavements on both sides. It starts from the quays in the centre of Mâcon, a few minutes' walk from the Musée des Ursulines and the Église Saint-Pierre. Allow 20 to 30 minutes to cross and come back. The light is softest in the early morning and the evening, when the arches are reflected in the river. ## Did you know? The Saône under the bridge is the boundary between Burgundy and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, so the far end of the bridge lies in the Ain. ## Around Pont Saint-Laurent What to combine with Pont Saint-Laurent 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) (5 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 - [Ursulines Museum, Mâcon (Musée des Ursulines)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-des-ursulines-macon), 1 km away: Mâcon's museum of art and archaeology, in a 17th-century convent, with rooms devoted to Lamartine. - [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. - [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) (8 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. ## Questions about Pont Saint-Laurent ### How far is Pont Saint-Laurent from Beaune? Pont Saint-Laurent is about 1 h 17 from Beaune by road (104 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 Pont Saint-Laurent take? For the visit, allow 20 to 30 minutes. ### When is Pont Saint-Laurent open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (pop.culture.gouv.fr) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Pont Saint-Laurent? 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:pontsaintlaurent): €275 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - --- Canonical page: