Saône-et-Loire is a French département, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.

It is located in the south of the Burgundy region, and is surrounded by 7 departments, Rhône, Ain, Jura, Côte d’Or, Nièvre, Allier and Loire.

When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new département combined parts of the provinces of southern Burgundy and Bresse, uniting pays that had no previous common history nor political unity and which have no true geographical unity. Thus its history is that of Burgundy, and is especially to be found in the local histories of Autun, Mâcon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Charolles and Louhan

THINGS TO DO AND SEE

Southern Burgundy provides a most harmonious setting for both open space and a diversity of landscapes. Here you can enjoy 18-hole golf courses, a wide array of hiking and riding opportunities on numerous marked trails, waterway navigation, fishing and canoeing on the department's 300 km of rivers and canals, and excursions on the "Voie Verte" path with a bicycle or roller skates. The area also offers air ballooning, hang gliding, and climbing.

The charter governing signs and signage for nature hikes and excursions goes by the name of "Balades Vertes", and has been introduced throughout Southern Burgundy.  The aim of this is to standardise trail markings and signs, to design high-quality itineraries that combine pedestrian safety with discovery of the Saône-&-Loire's architectural treasures, and to adapt these routes to all types of use, i.e. hiking, mountain biking and horse riding.  The series of walks can be initiated from the towns of Hurigny, Mazille, Cluny and Givry.