Solutré-Pouilly: Nature and Prehistory

For a trip to Solutré-Pouilly, the landscape and prehistory stand out as two distinct themes. The Roche de Solutré is a striking limestone escarpment; at its foot is the Musée de préhistoire. The Maison du Grand Site presents an interactive exhibition on key aspects of the Grand Site de France Solutré Pouilly Vergisson. Walking trails and educational paths have been created around the Grand Site.

Roche de Solutré and trails

The Roche de Solutré is a spectacular limestone escarpment amid the vineyards of the Mâconnais, reaching an elevation of 493 metres. The climb to the Roche de Solutré is a 4-kilometre circular trail with 100 metres of elevation gain; there are several information boards along the way. Allow about an hour for the round trip. The trail is accessible to everyone, but its many steps make it unsuitable for pushchairs and bicycles.

When planning your day, you can use the approximate duration as a guide and take the steps into account when choosing your route. Walking trails and educational paths have also been created around the Grand Site de France Solutré Pouilly Vergisson to improve visitor access. This means that the circular trail to the Roche and the other walking and educational paths around the Grand Site offer different ways to explore the landscape.

Prehistoric collections

The Musée de préhistoire de Solutré displays collections from a prehistoric site at the foot of the Roche de Solutré, which 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 date refers to the settlement of the site and provides a timeframe for the collection; the variety of objects brings different aspects of prehistoric history to life. If you are interested in the history of the place, you will find both its long period of habitation and tangible artefacts here.

Maison du Grand Site

The Maison du Grand Site is in Solutré-Pouilly, at the foot of the Roche de Solutré. It offers a café, an interpretation centre and tourist information. Its interactive exhibition is permanent and free for everyone to visit. It presents key aspects of the Grand Site de France Solutré Pouilly Vergisson. The Maison therefore combines visitor information with an exhibition that is permanent and free to access.

The two cultural attractions differ in their subject matter: the Musée focuses on prehistoric collections and objects, while the Maison uses its interactive exhibition to present key aspects of the Grand Site. When planning your visit, you can therefore choose to focus on tangible artefacts or on the exhibition about the Grand Site.

Landscape and Natura 2000

The land designation is also part of the description of the area: the Roche de Solutré unit in Solutré-Pouilly lies within the Natura 2000 site “Pelouses calcicoles du Mâconnais” and covers 31.96 hectares. Alongside the limestone profile and the rock’s elevation, this is another aspect that helps define the landscape of Solutré-Pouilly.

Discover more destinations: Morlet, Bissy-Sous-Uxelles, Saint-Amour-Bellevue, Cussy-En-Morvan, La Boulaye, Vergisson, Beaurepaire-En-Bresse, La Vineuse.

For the regional travel overview: Saône-Et-Loire.