Lamartine, the nineteenth-century French Romantic poet , was born here in 1790 and his name is much in evidence. He is remembered in the handsome eighteenth-century mansion, the HA?tel SenecA© in rue Sigorgne, which houses the MusA©e Lamartine (Mon & Wed-Sat 10am-noon & 2-6pm, Sun 2-6pm; 15F/a?¬2.28), part of which is dedicated to documents and other memorabilia to do with his personal, political and poetic lives. Nearby, on the corner of place des Herbes where a summertime fruit and veg market is held, stands the town's main tourist curiosity, an extraordinary wooden house built around 1500 and known as the Maison du Bois DorA© , with a wonderful bar/cafA© downstairs that serves cocktails until 2 or 3am. The town also has a medieval art and Gallo-Roman archeological museum, the MusA©e des Ursulines , at 5 rue des Ursulines (Mon & Wed-Sat 10am-noon & 2-6pm, Sun 2-6pm; 15F/a?¬2.28), housed in a seventeenth-century convent.

The most affordable, enjoyable and educational way to bone up on the MA?con, Beaujolais and Chalonnais wines is to visit the Maison MA?connaise des Vins , 484 av Lattre-de-Tassigny (daily 8am-9pm; tel 03.85.38.62.22), where the N6 comes into town along the riverside from Chalon - a ten-minute walk from the centre of town. Aside from the usual wine-tasting routine, you can also sample vintages by the glass (from 12F/a?¬1.83), accompanied by regional dishes such as andouillette , petit salA© and goat's cheese (from 45F/a?¬6.86), on the large shady balcony of the restaurant, where food is available all day.