Marché de Cluny

The Saturday market in Cluny is a lively weekly event that fills the streets and squares of the town centre, and it is a pleasant way to experience the town apart from its famous abbey. It takes place every Saturday morning, from early in the morning until about one o'clock, and its stalls spread over the Place du Marché, also called the Place du 11 août 1944, and the neighbouring streets, including the Rue Porte-des-Prés. Producers and traders from the surrounding area, the Clunisois, the Mâconnais and the Charolais, bring their goods, so the market is a good guide to what the region eats and drinks.

The range of products is wide. Vegetable and fruit growers sell seasonal produce from the gardens of the Saône valley, and cheese sellers offer the goat's cheeses of the Mâconnais, small, firm rounds that can be eaten fresh or aged, along with cheeses from other regions of France. Butchers and charcuterie vendors sell the beef of the Charolais breed, which is celebrated across France, as well as hams, sausages and pâtés. Bakers offer bread, pastries and cakes, and wine producers sell bottles from the nearby vineyards of Mâcon and the Côte Chalonnaise, including the white wines made from Chardonnay. Other stalls sell flowers, plants, honey, olives, clothing, textiles and craft items. The atmosphere is that of a market where neighbours meet and talk, and visitors are welcome to browse.

Practical points are worth noting. On Saturday mornings, the town centre is closed to traffic from about five o'clock until early afternoon to make space for the stalls, so visitors should plan to park outside and walk in. Several car parks are within a short walk, among them the Rochefort car park and the Prado car park, which is free on Saturdays, and the Place du Champ-de-Foire. Arrive early to find parking and the best selection, and bring bags and cash. The market is accessible to people with reduced mobility, though the cobbled streets are uneven in places.

The market sits in the centre of a town of great historical interest. Cluny is famous for its abbey, founded in 910 and once the head of the largest monastic order in Europe, and the abbey's surviving buildings, with the transept and the Farinier, lie a short walk from the market square. The streets around the market are lined with medieval houses of the twelfth to fourteenth centuries, and the Église Notre-Dame and the Église Saint-Marcel recall the town's religious life. The Haras national, the national stud, is also in the town, and the Parc de l'Abbaye provides green space. A visit to the market can easily be combined with the abbey and a stroll through the old streets.

The market suits food lovers, families and anyone who enjoys local life. A visit takes an hour or so, and a lunch in one of the cafés or restaurants of the town makes a pleasant end. Remember that the market runs only on Saturday mornings, and shops and cafés may have different hours on other days.