ITINERARY | HIGHLIGHTS | WEATHER | ACCOMMODATION and ADDITIONAL INFO
FRANCE 2012 - The Fine Wines of Bordeaux
A self-guided walking tour in the region of some of the most famous vineyards in the world. This is a real mixture of beautiful landscapes, pleasures of the flesh and cultural discoveries. From the vineyards of St Emilion, perhaps the most famous of all, to the Sauternes, similarly famous for its high-class wines, you also cross the Entre-Deux-Mers area, with its immaculate villages and châteaux and wineries. You will cordially be accommodated each evening in charming guesthouses, hotels***, and châteaux in the heart of the vineyards. Choice of six or seven nights.
PRICE
7 nights - £795 per person based on 2 people sharing.
Single room supplement: £270
6 nights (excluding 2nd day in St. Emilion) - £710 per person. Single room supplement: £230
Reduced prices if dinner omitted on 2 nights in case of 7 night version, or 1 dinner in case of 6 night version.
BORDEAUX - We can book a 3 star hotel in the historic centre in front of the Grand Theatre for £62 per person.
INCLUDED
6 or 7 nights accommodation on half board (breakfast and dinner)
Route notes
Luggage transfer between stops on walking days
Taxi transfer from Bordeaux and 2 transfers on relevant walking days
Drinks at dinner (wine and coffee)
Guided visit and tasting lesson in Saint Emilion (on 7 night tour)
Wine tasting in Châteaux, except in Chateau Clos de la Madeleine: 5 €
NOT INCLUDED
Meals not mentioned above, transport to/from home, anything not specifically mentioned above.
DEPARTURE DATESDaily April to October according to accommodation availability.
To book, contact
worldwalks at:
email:
info@worldwalks.comTel: (44)(0)1242 254353
N.B. If doing the 6 night version (omitting the tour and wine appreciation lesson in St Emilion), at the end of Day 2 a taxi will collect you at 6 PM to take you to Saint-Martin de Lerm (guest house La Lezardière) or Camiran (Guesthouse la Camiranaise)
Day 1: Arrival in Bordeaux and transfer to St Emilion. Arrival in the train station or Bordeaux Airport. Taxi transfer to the “Moulin de Palat” [or the “Logis de la Cadène” in St Emilion. Or the “Maison d’Aline”]. The owner will welcome you to your accommodation, located at the heart of one of the most prestigious vineyards of the world. Dinner in a restaurant in the medieval town in a lovely XIV century house with excellent local food.
Day 2: The Saint Emilion vineyards 2 options : 10 or 15 kms – 70 metres level variationYou begin your week walking in the area of St-Emilion. All around the city are vines: Petrus or Château La Clotte or Beau Séjour and many others. Walk through the characteristic landscape of the area, a sort of coombe, and of course the vineyards themselves. This was the first “non-architectural” site classified by UNESCO. If you wish, you can visit and taste the wines at the Château du Clos de la Madeleine (classified vintage), located on your route.
Return to your accommodation and dinner in a restaurant located in the heart of the village.
Day 3: Saint Emilion: Exceptional medieval village. This morning, a guided tour (about 1 hour) of the underground monuments of the city. Built in an amphitheatre and really an open-air museum, the town of Saint-Emilion is more than just a wine town. There is its troglodyte tradition – more than 70 hectares of underground galleries dug in the calcareous rock. In the afternoon, a wine tasting initiation in English. An oenologist will show you the technical and specific characteristics of the vineyard of St. Emilion, as well as the principles of development of the wine. About 2h00. At the end of the afternoon, taxi transfer to Camiran, in the “Entre-Deux-Mers” vineyard. Dinner and overnight Camiran, at hotel with pool.
Day 4: The Entre-deux-Mers area: From St Martin de Lerm to Caudrot 15 Kms – 100 metres level variation The Entre-Deux-Mers area, between the Dordogne and the Garonne rivers, is where earth, water and stone meet, an area of great cultural variety on a site on the slopes dominating the valley of the Garonne. In the morning, you pass along the Domaine de Bouillerot (Bordeaux, Red Bordeaux supérieur, Côtes of Bordeaux Blanc and St-Macaire, sweetened white wines and red wines) and, if you wish, you will be welcomed by the producer for a visit and a tasting. At the end of the afternoon, arrive at an entirely restored old house for overnight, in the heart of a pretty village at the edge of the Garonne. Dinner in your accommodation 'Le Clos du Ter'
Day 5: From Caudrot to St Macaire 10 Kms – 25 metres level variationToday's walk takes you into a green landscape, among the vines at the estuary of the Gironde, an area of castles and of fishermen's huts. Pause at the little port that marks the departure of the famous “Canal du Midi”, linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. The footpath leads you directly to one of the gates of the medieval city of St Macaire. Dinner and overnight in hotel*** in the heart of the town.
Day 6: Loop from St Macaire to Sainte Croix du Mont 8 or 16 km according to option – 100 metres level variation
Above Saint-Macaire, the hills offer splendid scenic views. In this landscape of hills and small valleys, vines succeed meadows and thickets of leafy trees. Today you will reach the “Domaine de Malagar”, residence of the writer François Mauriac (open to public), and the tomb of the painter Toulouse Lautrec. You can visit Château Laurette (sweet white wine producer) or Château Loubens, before reaching the village of Sainte Croix du Mont, perched on a slope, offering a spectacular view over the Garonne Valley and remarkable for its wines and caves, and interesting church. At the end of the afternoon, return to the hotel at St Macaire and transfer by taxi to Sauternes.Accommodation in the Château d’Arche****. Wine tasting. Dinner in a restaurant.Day 7: The Famous Sauternes – From Sauternes to Barsac 15 Kms – 60 metres level variationA walk among well-known wine producers like Château La Tour Blanche and Château Rayne Vigneau but also a varied natural inheritance: landscapes of vine, forest, as well as the Ciron, a small, unruly river formerly used for logging. Finish the day with an “aperitif tasting” in the Château Gravas. Like other high-class wines of Sauternes, the fame of the Château Gravas dates from the time of Richard Coeur de Lion (XII century).
Lodging and dinner in Camperos Castle, which has preserved elegance of the XVIII century and the Neo-Renaissance charm of the XIXth century. Make use of the jacuzzi – after a week’s hiking, it is a real pleasure.
« Le Château de Camperos »
Day 8: Breakfast and transfer to the Train station of Barsac or Langon
BACK TO TOPCharming and characterful accommodation and, of course, the great wines and food of Bordeaux
GETTING THERE
Train via Paris
Direct flights to Bordeaux airport
ACCOMMODATION
Here are the websites of some of the hotels we use:
www.logisdelacadene.com
www.alinebb.com
www.lacamiranaise.com
www.feuilles-dacanthe.com
WHAT TO TAKEComfortable, well aerated clothes in keeping with the season. Always bring a pullover, good walking boots (already worn-in) and several pairs of cotton or wool socks. For your daily needs, you are advised to have a plastic bag to line your day-pack (to protect the contents from rain), rainwear, a sun-hat, sun glasses, sun block, a water bottle, plastic picnic boxes (for transporting your lunches), first-aid kit, camera and film, torch/flashlight.
WHEN TO GO
Daily April to October. July and August can be busy.
INSURANCE
We recommend that you take out appropriate holiday insurance covering you against illness, injury, and loss or damage to luggage. This insurance should also cover the possibility of your having to cancel your holiday for whatever reason.
To book, contact
worldwalks at:
email:
info@worldwalks.comT: (44)
(0)1242 254353