Vieux Cluny (Old Town)

The old town of Cluny grew up in the shadow of its abbey, and walking its streets today is a good way to see how a medieval monastic town fitted around the great church. Cluny lies in the Saône-et-Loire in southern Burgundy, in a small valley of the river Grosne about halfway between Mâcon and Chalon-sur-Saône. The abbey, founded in 910 by William the Pious, Duke of Aquitaine, controlled the town for centuries, and its walls, gates and towers shaped the layout of the streets. When the abbey church was demolished in the early nineteenth century, the town continued to live in the buildings around it.

The old centre is small and easy to explore on foot. Narrow lanes with names such as Rue d'Avril and Rue Lamartine are lined with houses of different periods, among them medieval stone buildings with arched windows from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Look out for the Romanesque house with its decorated windows, one of the oldest civil buildings in the town, and for the half-timbered houses. The Église Notre-Dame, a thirteenth-century Gothic church, and the Romanesque tower of the Église Saint-Marcel stand in the old quarter, and the remains of the town walls, towers and gates, including the Tour des Fromages and the Tour Fabry, recall the defences that once enclosed the abbey. The Place du Marché, with its fountain, is the centre of local life, and a market is held there on Saturday mornings.

The abbey sits in the middle of the walk, and a visit to the abbey ruins, the farinier granary and the museum of art and archaeology in the Palais Jean de Bourbon gives context to the town. The museum, open daily with hours that vary by season, shows sculpture, architectural fragments and models related to the abbey. A combined ticket gives access to the abbey remains and the museum, and the Parc de l'Abbaye lies beside it. The Crypte de l'Abbaye and the Place de la Mairie are also part of an easy circuit. The Haras national, a national stud founded by Napoleon in 1806, is another local sight, with horses, riding displays and a historic stable building.

Cluny is a quiet town, and most visitors come for the day, though staying overnight allows a calmer evening walk when the day-trippers have gone. The surrounding region has plenty to offer, including the Mâconnais vineyards, the Romanesque churches of the area and the village of Taizé, known for its ecumenical community, which is a short drive away. Guided tours of the town are offered by the tourist office and help to explain how the abbey and the town were linked.

The old town suits history lovers, walkers and travellers touring Burgundy by car.