Fontaines-sur-Saône: Paths, Art and the Saône Riverbank

Fontaines-sur-Saône is best explored through its riverside paths and public art. For planning, short riverside walks and a longer circular hike with specified route details are available, alongside historic buildings and recurring events. You can shape your stay around a walk by the Saône, a longer hike or a cultural event.

Paths along the Saône

As part of the Rives de Saône project, a 1.7-kilometre promenade was created along the riverbanks in Fontaines-sur-Saône. The Rives de Saône paths connect the town centre to the river via the Rives paths and Clos du Maquis. From there, they continue on foot along the riverbank to the neighbouring municipality. This lets you distinguish a route focused on connecting the centre to the Saône from a longer stretch along the river.

The 400-metre-long Chemin Nature offers a shorter option. This walking path runs between the banks of the Saône and the agricultural land of the neighbouring municipalities. The Métropole de Lyon has designated it an “Espace Naturel Sensible”. At 400 metres, it is clearly shorter than the 1.7-kilometre promenade; both distances can help you choose a riverside walk to suit your preferred route length.

Circular hike and landscape

The circular hike “De Fontaines-sur-Saône à Sathonay-Camp” is 9.6 kilometres long, takes 2 hours and 50 minutes, and has 151 metres of elevation gain. It starts at Place Carnot. The route passes through the Côtière of Fontaines-sur-Saône and the Vallon du Ravin. On the return, it follows the left bank of the Saône alongside Île Roy and its riparian forest. There, the wild woodland is home to the European beaver, the kingfisher and the collared dove.

The route length, stated duration and elevation gain provide different points of reference for planning your day: you can take the time and distance into account without treating these figures as an indication of difficulty. Compared with the 400-metre Chemin Nature, the circular hike is a much longer outing. Which route best suits your plans therefore depends first on how much distance you want to cover.

Art along the promenade

La Tour belvédère, a public artwork by Tadashi Kawamata, stands on the Promenade de Fontaines. From there, you can take in the surrounding landscape. Also on the promenade is “Souvenir du monde inversé” by Le Gentil Garçon: a tree whose branches bear fish-shaped weather vanes from the last flood. The two works create different impressions—one offers a view of the landscape, while the other makes an unusual connection between a tree and fish-shaped weather vanes.

“Les Cercles logiques” consists of cast-aluminium stumps that form a mysterious trail of discovery. “La Sucrerie” is an artwork on the promenade and a distinctive replica of the industrial landscape on the opposite bank of the Saône. Together with the works by Kawamata and Le Gentil Garçon, these pieces showcase different forms and themes: from a viewpoint to a trail of discovery and an artistic reference to the riverside landscape.

Church and events

The present-day Eglise Saint Louis Roi was built in 1835. A chapel dating from the 9th century is preserved in its right aisle. The fully renovated church is classified as “rustique flamboyant” in style and recalls churches in Savoy and Piedmont. For a visit focused on architectural history, two distinct periods are therefore represented in the same building: the 19th-century church and the older chapel.

Events can also play a part in planning your trip. The Fontaines-sur-Saône Carnival takes place every year at the end of March and features numerous music and costumed groups. In spring, the Village Fant’artistique takes place every two years, with numerous street activities for children.

Getting around and finding a hotel

Place Carnot is the stated starting point for the circular hike. The Pont de Fontaines stop is served by TCL lines 40, 70 and 77. The Collonges-Fontaines railway station is also located near Fontaines-sur-Saône, in Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or. It has bicycle parking, individual bicycle lockers, Vélo’v, car parking, carpooling facilities and connections to the TCL network. As station services and connections may change, check the latest information before travelling.

When looking for a hotel in Fontaines-sur-Saône, you can first consider whether you’d like to focus your stay on the riverside paths, the longer hike, the art or an event. Then check the location and details of a specific listing against your own plans.

Discover more destinations: Ampuis, Lamure-sur-Azergues, Ville-Sur-Jarnioux, Lozanne, Bully, Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise, Taponas, Vauxrenard

For the main travel overview: Rhône.