Hotels in Chalon-sur-Saône

Chalon-sur-Saône is a working southern-Burgundy river town with a better story than its size suggests: Nicéphore Niépce made the world's first photograph here, and the museum bearing his name holds an excellent collection of early cameras.

The old town and the Île Saint-Laurent in the middle of the Saône are pleasant for an evening, and the Côte Chalonnaise wine villages of Mercurey, Givry and Rully start just west of town. Tour de France stages suit it well; it is a practical, well-connected stop rather than a showpiece. Stay on or near the Île Saint-Laurent for restaurants, or by the station for an early getaway.