The Roche de Solutré is a spectacular limestone escarpment amid the vineyards of the Mâconnais, reaching a height of 493 metres. Solutré-Pouilly combines this distinctive landform with a cultural focus: alongside the climb to the Roche, the Musée de préhistoire and the Maison du Grand Site offer different ways to explore the area. When planning a stay, you can choose how to balance outdoor activity around the rock, prehistoric collections and an exhibition about the Grand Site.
Walking trail and paths at the Grand Site
The climb to the Roche de Solutré follows a four-kilometre circular route with an elevation gain of 100 metres. Allow about an hour for the round trip; several information panels along the way provide additional details. The route is accessible to everyone, but the many steps make it unsuitable for strollers and bicycles. This limitation is important when choosing the route, especially if you are travelling with a stroller or would like to reach the destination by bicycle.
Walking routes and educational trails have also been created around the Grand Site de France Solutré Pouilly Vergisson to improve access for visitors. So, alongside the circular route with its specified distance, the Grand Site area also offers a wider choice of paths and trails.
Prehistoric collections and exhibition
The Musée de préhistoire de Solutré displays collections from a prehistoric site at the foot of the Roche. The site has been inhabited for at least 55,000 years. The museum exhibits nearly 600 original prehistoric objects, including fossils, hunted animals, tools, human remains and works of art. The long history of habitation and the variety of objects give a visit to the museum a clear archaeological focus.
The Maison du Grand Site is located at the foot of the Roche de Solutré. It features a permanent interactive exhibition, free and open to everyone, presenting key aspects of the Grand Site de France Solutré Pouilly Vergisson. The Maison also offers a café, an interpretation centre and tourist information. Unlike the prehistoric collections at the Musée, its focus is on presenting the Grand Site. The two venues therefore have different emphases: the archaeological site and its objects at one, and the interactive exhibition about the Grand Site at the other.
Rocky landscape and Natura 2000 site
The Roche de Solutré lies amid the vineyards of the Mâconnais. The Roche de Solutré unit in Solutré-Pouilly covers 31.96 hectares within the “Pelouses calcicoles du Mâconnais” Natura 2000 site. In addition to its limestone formations and vineyard setting, it therefore has a specified area and is part of a named Natura 2000 site.
Choose the focus of your stay
If you are looking for a hotel in Solutré-Pouilly, you can plan your stay around your interests. For a walk, the circular route offers a specific distance, elevation gain and approximate duration. If you are particularly interested in prehistory, the Musée has collections from the archaeological site; the Maison focuses on the Grand Site through its free interactive exhibition. This makes it easy to decide in advance whether outdoor activity, archaeology or learning about the landscape should be the focus of your stay.
Discover more destinations: Cronat, Saint-Sernin-Du-Plain, Prissé, Vitry-En-Charollais, Sancé, La Chapelle-Saint-Sauveur, Davayé, Thil-Sur-Arroux
For the overview of the wider region: Saône-Et-Loire.
