Things to do in

Saint-Émilion

Depart from Bordeaux at 9:30 AM and drive to the beautiful town of Saint-Émilion, known for its vineyards and beautiful hills scattered with 1,000 castles. Learn what makes Bordeaux wines so special as you drive through vineyards and wine estates where bold contemporary cellars compete with 18th-century classical buildings. Take a walking tour of the village and enjoy a tasting of authentic handmade Saint-Emilion macarons. Visit 2 wineries on the same site, taste their wines, and take a short break with a fresh picnic lunch at the Château. Enjoy another guided tour at a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru property and have a lively tasting of the wines. Return to Bordeaux around 3:30 PM.

Visit Saint-Émilion on a half-day tour from Bordeaux, and explore the vineyards and wines of the region. Meet your guide at Olala Bordeaux wine shop (located at 2 rue Mably in Bordeaux center), and relax on the drive to Saint-Émilion. Enjoy a wine tasting session at a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Château, where the passionate staff will explain their story and introduce you to the art of wine production and tasting. After this, your guide will lead you on a walking tour through the center of Saint-Émilion. Explore this well-preserved medieval city, with its steep winding alleys and maze of hidden passages. Afterward, drive back to Bordeaux.

Take a half-day tour to the charming village of St. Emilion, and sample a selection of wines. The history of the village goes back to medieval times, and the whole jurisdiction is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its natural landscape. You will be traveling in small groups and on arrival will take a tour of the village, made up of fascinating Romanesque churches and ruins that stretch along the steep and narrow streets. It was the Romans that introduced wine making to the village as far back as the 2nd century. Reminders of the Roman techniques of wine planting can be seen in some of the estates, such as Chateau Bellevue, owned by the world famous Angelus winery. The village was named after the monk Émilian, a traveling confessor, who settled in a hermitage carved into the rock in the 8th-Century. Follow your guide for a walking tour of the village to discover all the main attractions.  Then, enjoy a visit and wine tasting session in a Classified Growth Chateau of the Saint Emilion wine region. During the visit, you will learn all there is to know about the estate as well as the techniques used to produce this world-famous wine. From here return to Bordeaux.

During this tour. you will see 2 different winery styles. First, discover a traditional winery with an authentic cellar and typical architecture of Saint Emilion, producing a traditional style of wine for the region. The second winery is a forward-looking one with modern cellar on the cutting edge of technology. Discover how the winemakers use cutting-edge technology and viticulture techniques to perfect the winemaking process and produce a different, innovate style of wine. Learn all about the winemaking process from the vines, the varietals, the aging, and everything around it. The visit will be followed by the tasting of 3 Saint Emilion Grand Cru wines, from the different estates with an introduction to wine tasting technics.

Take a scenic drive to the beautiful wine region of Saint-Emilion and tour this World Heritage Site. Experience the intimacy of the private chateau, and learn the secrets of wine production and taste some of the finest wines. Depart Bordeaux at 13:45, and visit a charming family-run wine estate on the right bank of the Dordogne River. Tour the traditional vat room and cellar of this private chateau. Learn the steps of proper wine tasting at a tasting class. Train your nose to identify wine aromas before enjoying some fine wines. Next, visit a "Great Classified Growth" (Grand Cru) wine estate overlooking the Saint-Emilion vineyards. Hear about the wine-making process and reward yourself with an aperitif served with quality fresh bread and cheese.   Then, take a guided tour of the medieval village of Saint-Emilion in the early evening, and discover why it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Return to Bordeaux for a drop-off at the end of the tour services.      

Journey from Bordeaux to Saint-Émilion, a beautifully-preserved historical town dating back to the Middle Ages. Enjoy a half-day tour of this UNESCO-listed village, including an organic wine tasting. Take a stroll through the village's narrow streets, and explore its old market square and famous monuments. Climb to the top of the King's Tower for panoramic views of the town. Learn all about the wine-making history of this quintessential French village and its surrounding vineyards. Visit an organic winery where the winemaker shares his winery's environmental approach. Take a tour of the vineyard and beautiful cellar before sitting down for a delectable wine tasting. Return to Bordeaux at the end of the excursion.

The wine region of Libournais encompasses much of what is referred to as the Right Bank. Named after its historical capital, the expression Right Bank typically refers to wines from the Pomerol and St-Emilion areas of the Libournais. There are several villages around the region that share the Saint-Émilion name, such as Montagne-Saint-Émilion and St-Georges-Saint-Émilion that are named the satellite appellations. The area is bordered to the west by Pomerol. Merlot is the dominant grape in this area, followed by Cabernet Franc and a very small quantity of Malbec that is tending to disappear. The climate and damper, cool soils of the area makes it difficult for Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to fully ripen and as such is less often used. Depart for the Saint Emilion wine region and enjoy a visit and wine tasting at a famous classified growth Chateaux of the Pomerol or Saint Emilion appellation. Afterwards, arrive in the village of Saint Emilion and enjoy a guided walking tour with your guide to discover the main monuments of this quaint hilltop village. During your free time for lunch and personal discovery, why not discover the underground monuments of Saint Emilion? In the afternoon experience another visit and wine tasting session in one of the selected Classified Chateaus of Saint Emilion.

During this tour, you'll see 2 different winery styles. First, discover a traditional winery with an authentic cellar and typical architecture of Saint-Emilion, producing a traditional style of wine for the region. The second winery is a forward-looking one with modern cellar and cutting edge technology. Discover how the winemakers use modern technology and viticulture techniques to perfect the winemaking process and produce a different, innovate style of wine. Learn all about the vines, the varietals, the ageing, and everything about it. The visit will be followed by the tasting of 3 Saint Emilion Grand Cru wines, from the different estates with an introduction to wine tasting techniques. The visit and tasting will be followed by a picnic, paired with a glass of wine of your choice.

8:30 am: meeting point in front of the Bordeaux Tourist Office. Your guide will present you the program of your day and you will take the road towards Saint-Emilion. In the morning, we will visit, during a private tour, the underground passages of Saint-Emilion and its incredible monolithic church from the Middle Ages: a masterpiece of architecture. Then your guide will introduce you to the village of Saint-Emilion and lead you through its narrow streets, squares and main monuments. A digest of medieval history in one of the most beautiful villages in France! We will then have lunch in a local restaurant: a fresh menu made of local and seasonal products. Then we will go to an organic winery. The winemaker will tell you about the environmental approach, the land and will show you the cellars, before a wines tasting. We will finish the day with several stops around Saint-Emilion: panorama, places and unusual objects will be there! 5:30 pm: return to Bordeaux.

Ride through the famous vineyards of St-Emilion. Enjoy a day visiting two beautiful chateaux: a charming family run estate and a Great Classified Growth estate. What's more, discover the mythical village of St-Emilion, a UNESCO World Heritage site, while ambling through beautiful medieval streets.          If you like the Merlot grape, you will love the wines of this wine region! The itinerary is as follows:             10:15 am: Be welcomed at Bordovino’s Apartment in the center of Bordeaux. Start the day with a short drive to the St-Emilion region.        11.30 am: Tour the charming medieval village of St-Emilion which has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.            12.30 pm: Jump on your bike and start pedalling through the vineyards. Arrive at the first chateau: a charming family run estate. Discover the property while walking through the vineyards and learning about the estate’s traditional way of making wine. Taste the wines and continue with a nice casual and chic lunch in the gardens (or under an arbour in case of bad weather).          3.00 pm: Back on your bike, enjoy sightseeing through mythical appellations such as Pomerol, Lalande de Pomerol and St-Emilion and pass by prestigious properties of the region.      4.30 pm : Visit a prestigious Classified Growth estate of St-Emilion. Tour in the estate and learn about their winemaking process from the vineyards to the bottle. At the end of the tour taste their wines.           7.15/30 pm: Back in Bordeaux after a 45-minute drive.