Marché de Tournus (Saturday Market)
Every Saturday morning the streets around the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville fill with the colours and scents of one of southern Burgundy's most authentic weekly markets. This is not a tourist showcase — it is where local farmers, cheese-makers and winemakers from the Mâconnais and Bresse sell to their neighbours.
What to Buy and Where to Look
Arrive before 9 am to catch the best of the Bresse poultry stalls — the region's famous AOC chickens, plump and pale, sit alongside duck confit, smoked saucissons and terrines of wild boar. The cheese corner is equally serious: look for aged Époisses, fresh chèvre logs rolled in ash, and slabs of Comté cut to order.
The fruit and vegetable stalls reflect the season with almost theatrical honesty. In summer, mirabelle plums from nearby orchards pile up in golden heaps; in autumn, ceps and chanterelles appear in wicker baskets that smell like a forest floor after rain.
Wine, Honey and a Coffee Break
Several small domaines from the Mâcon-Villages and Saint-Véran appellations set up tasting tables at the market's southern edge. Producers are happy to pour a glass and talk about their vineyards — this is a far more relaxed introduction to Burgundy wine than any formal cave visit.
After your rounds, settle at one of the café terraces on the square for a café crème and a slice of tarte aux pralines. The market winds down by noon, so plan your morning around it rather than after it.
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