Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône (Centre historique de Chalon-sur-Saône)
Half-timbered houses, riverside quays and an island in the Saône, explored on a signed walking trail.
- Heritage site
- 35 min from Beaune
- Allow 2 hours
- Chalon-sur-Saône
€125one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Official website
- achalon.com
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 35 min by road (35 km), €125 one way for the whole car.
Or add it to our half-day wine tour plus one hour, €360.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
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.
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.
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.
Planning your visit
Tips for 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.
Around here
What to combine with Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône on the same day, nearest first.
- Abbey or church
Saint-Vincent Cathedral, Chalon-sur-Saône Cathédrale Saint-Vincent de Chalon-sur-Saône
1 km away
Questions
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.
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.
Sources
Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône with a private driver
€125 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests