Chalon-sur-Saône

The final stop of our river cruise is Chalon-sur-Saône. We tour the charming village, then take a bus through the Châlonnaise wine country to taste the local Burgundy.

We had one last town to explore on our river cruise, Chalon-sur-Saône. The Saône continues from there — winding hundreds of miles northeast to its source in the mountainous Vosges region — but this town would be our final port of call before heading to Paris.

Chalon-sur-Saône was once a Gallic capital, a nexus for Roman trade, and a hub of the Kingdom of Burgundy. But its most notable citizen was much more recent: Nicéphore Niépce, credited in a handsome statue near port as the inventor of photography. Nicéphore’s groundbreaking achievement wasn’t his first. Working with his brother, Claude, Nicéphore invented one of the earliest internal combustion engines in 1806 and was granted a patent by Napolean himself after the engine — dubbed the Pyréolophore — powered a boat up the Saône.

In 1816, Niépce figured out how to capture images on paper coated with silver chloride. However, these negatives could not be transformed into photographic realism. He then began working with Bitumen of Judea, a tar known since ancient times, and developed a process for capturing photographic images that Niépce called heliography, or “sun drawing.” In 1822, Niépce made what is believed to be the world's first permanent photographic image of Pope Pius VII, but it was destroyed when he attempted to make copies of it. Niépce ‘s earliest surviving photographic image is View from the Window at Le Gras, created between 1822 and 1827 in a process that researchers now believe would have required several days of exposure.

Marianne and I joined a morning tour that began by crossing the Saône to see the Tour du Doyenné, a landmark that housed canons of the local cathedral from medieval times until the French Revolution. It was then sold, abandoned, dismantled, and shipped to a Parisian antique dealer in 1907. After World War I, American businessman Frank Jay Gould — who financed hotels and casinos across France — paid to have the tower returned to the city.

The tower is located on Saint Laurent Island, which features several brief avenues and a protective port. We circled the island before crossing the Saône back into the heart of the city.

The rising sun lit medieval buildings and artifacts in Chalon-sur-Saône’s pedestrian zone. Doors opened for the day, enticing passers-by into shops catering to locals and tourists alike.

We soon came upon Place Saint-Vincent, a small square full of charming restaurants and storefronts in the shadow of Saint-Vincent Cathedral.

Saint-Vincent is actually a former cathedral. It was the seat of the Bishop of Chalon until Napolean abolished the diocese in the Concordat of 1801. The church’s origins date to the 4th and 5th centuries, built atop the ruins of a Gallo-Roman fortification, which itself was the site of a former pagan temple.

Saracens destroyed the original church, which Charlemagne later rebuilt. Parts of that church still remain, but the bulk of the current cathedral is in a Romanesque-Gothic style — a hyphenate that is bound to happen when your construction timeline (1090-1522) spans multiple eras. The grand, neo-Gothic façade that now towers over the church’s namesake square was added between 1822 and 1844.

Marianne and I left our tour group to cross back over to Saint Laurent Island and Rue de Strasbourg, where we had spotted a number of lunch options earlier.

We settled on Restaurant Hong Kong, a simple but highly rated Chinese place with customers arriving early. A gregarious woman who must have been the owner chatted and joked with every table. After sharing some banter with us, she offered to take our photo. I gave her my phone. She sized up the framing and decided the scene could be improved. She then wheeled a large potted plant into the background and was well-satisfied. The food was as pleasant as the proprietor.

Back at the boat, we assembled for our second tour of the day: a bus ride through the Châlonnaise countryside for wine tasting at Château de Garnerot, located in the town of Mercurey just northwest of Chalon-sur-Saône. Co-owner Caroline Fyot gave us a tour of the vineyards and the wine-making facilities before we settled down for a few tastes paired with cheese. The wines of Burgundy are dominated by chardonnay and pinot noir, and many of Château de Garnerot’s vintages are made with 100 percent of either of these grapes. We left wanting more.

On the way back to town, our bus stopped briefly for a view of Château de Germolles, the best preserved residence of the Dukes of Burgundy. The large country estate was built around 1400 and served three dukes until it became a royal possession in 1477.

We spent our last night on the Saône in port. Still waters reflected every bit of light as it dimmed from the day — one final display of elegance and grace from this ancient waterway.

Itching to squeeze in a little more from our cruise experience, Marianne and I skipped dinner on the boat for a bite in town. We looked over our options at length, crisscrossing the city before deciding on an Italian place called Tarmac. Marianne had a burger large enough for three Mariannes, while I chose the pasta alla Norcina, with porcini mushrooms and savory sausage in a velvety cream sauce. These gastronomic delights capped another fine day in France. Now it was time to pack for Paris.

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