A self-guided wine 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 – £1,095 per person based on 2 people sharing. Single room supplement: £380
6 nights (excluding 2nd day in St. Emilion) £985 per person – Single room supplement: £330
Supplement of £60 per person for July & August (£70 for single)
Upgrade to 3*+ and 4* hotels where available:
+£25 per person (6 nights), +£40 single
+£55 per person (7 nights), +£60 single
Included:
Not Included:
Departure Dates:
Daily April to October (apart from 18th – 26th June) according to accommodation availability.
7 day version: no departure on Thursdays in July & August.
8 day version: no departure on Wednesdays in July & August.
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 hotel 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.
Day 2: The Saint Emilion vineyards 2 options : 10 or 15 kms – 70 metres level variation
You 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.
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, your guesthouse from the previous night will pick you up and take you back for a second overnight.
Day 5: From Caudrot to St Macaire 10 Kms – 25 metres level variation –
After breakfast you will be transferred to Caudrot. The walk today 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.
Overnight stay in the heart of the medieval town (or hotel in Langon)
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 a bed and breakfast (or nearby) in Barsac/Illats for two nights.
Day 7: The Famous Sauternes – From Sauternes to Barsac 15 Kms – 60 metres level variation
A 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.
Day 8: Breakfast and transfer to the Train station of Barsac or Langon
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard accommodation is in 2* & 3* hotels and charming guesthouses.
Example Accommodation:
Logis des Cordeliers, St. Emilion
La Camiranaiuse, Caminan
L’Abricotier, St Macaire
Château d’Arche, Sauternes
Château de Camperos, Barsac
If these lodgings are not available we liaise with you and book someplace similar.
Upgraded accommodation is in 3*+ and 4* hotels where available.
Optional Extras:
If arrival with your own car, for the taxi transfer the last day: £30 per person.
Additional GPS Application for smartphone: £7 per person
Picnic for the 5 walking days: £115
Additional night in Bordeaux B&B: £90 in double room, £145 in single room
Return to Bordeaux with a taxi: (price per transfer) Week days (up to 3 people): £110, 4 and more: £125
Sunday & public holiday (up to 3 people): £165, 4 and more: £205
