Montmerle-sur-Saone France
Frequently Asked Questions
At a flower-decked mooring, steps from the shops. This Ain village sits between Lyon and Mâcon on a broad, unhurried Saône lined with willows.
Follow the plane-tree-lined towpath, climb the Minimes hill for the panorama, then walk the centre in a quiet hour. There is no fixed programme: that is the charm of the stop.
It is the former site of a Minim convent above the rooftops, where a chapel and a tower watch over the valley. The climb on foot takes about fifteen minutes from the centre.
The Saône unrolled for kilometres, the bell towers of the Dombes on one side and the Beaujolais hills on the other. On summer evenings, locals climb up simply to watch the light settle on the river.
Yes. The landscaped banks have picnic tables, a children's play area and a summer mini-golf, under tall trees that give the place the air of a quiet riverside guinguette.
Yes. To the west, the slopes line up their rows of gamay around villages of golden stone, and several tasting cellars are within half an hour by road.
It is the region stretching east, home of the white-plumed chicken protected by its own appellation. Montmerle sits exactly on the hinge between these two food regions.
Chicken in cream, fresh frogs' legs, goat cheeses from the neighbouring hills and quenelles inherited from the Lyon tradition. Fried whitebait, served in a cone with a wedge of lemon, remains the classic Sunday terrace order.
Yes, the towpath follows the river in both directions and runs on to neighbouring villages. Anglers and herons share the reed-bed edges along the way.
No. The centre takes an hour to walk: the church with its pointed spire, the market hall, a few old façades and the bridge from which you watch the river convoys pass. Nobody here is playing a part for visitors.
