Bordeaux Active Discovery

You’ll collect your hire car from the airport or Bordeaux rail station and drive to your luxury guest house where you’ll enjoy an evening meal of delicious local produce.

AM
Meet your guide in Saint Emilion where you'll collect your bikes for a 3h/20km bike tour around the historic vineyards of the area.

The tour offers great viewpoints over the vineyards and of the prestigious wine-producing chateaux estates of the Saint Emilion area.

At the end of the tour you’ll have a tasting session of some of the wines that are produced here before enjoying lunch at our recommended restaurant in the village.

PM
On a guided visit in English you’ll discover the largest underground church in Europe and learn the story of Saint Emilion himself.

Finish the day by buying some traditional macarons, canelés or other regional biscuits from one of the artisanal shops in the village.

AM
This morning you’ll head to a beautiful chateau estate near Saint Emilion where you’ll enjoy a vineyard and cellar visit followed by a fascinating ‘introduction to oenology’ workshop

You’ll learn about the art of wine tasting (colours, nose, taste), pick up specific wine vocabulary and then taste 5 of the property’s wines paired with chocolates by artisan chocolate maker Denis Daubos.

PM
Just a few steps away from the medieval city of Saint-Émilion, an unusual walking experience awaits as you have a guided tour to explore the 7 hectares (17 acres) of underground quarries which are on four different levels below a chateau Grand Cru Classé wine estate.

This is where the chateau’s wines are aged and the unusual sound and light tour is sure to capture your imagination!

The tour ends with a tasting of 2 of the chateau’s wines.

On this full day trip from Bordeaux you’ll explore the vineyards of the Médoc and Pauillac areas of Bordeaux in a great fun convertible buggy.

This small electric vehicle is equipped with a GPS multimedia tablet guide which will highlight 50 points of interest along the way. You are fully guided by the device but free to make as many stops or detours as and when you please.

Enjoy the drive along small roads alongside the Gironde river, following the “Route des Châteaux”. Along the way you'll pass many small family wine estates as well as prestigious chateaux estates such as Margaux, Pauillac and Saint-Julien appellations.

You’ll stop at two châteaux en route, one an 1855 Grand Cru Classé estate which is also a charming family property. There, you'll have the opportunity to taste their wine as well as enjoy a tour of the property, wine storehouses and fermenting room.

This full day is great fun and will enable you to discover the secrets of how some of Bordeaux’s finest wines are produced.

A change of area today as you leave the Saint Emilion area and head a little to the South to discover the Entre Deux Mers and Sauternes wine producing areas.

Take your time and follow our recommendations on places to visit en route.

Discover fortified hilltop villages, Medieval castles and abbeys in an area that is rich in history.

AM
This morning you’ll enjoy a highly unusual wine tasting experience at a 1er Grand Cru Classé vineyard estate in the Entre Deux Mers vineyards

Roped up and fitted out with a climbing harness, a climbing professional will belay you as you climb 11m up into the canopy of a 200 yr old cedar tree.

There, around a perched table, enjoy a unique wine tasting experience with a panoramic view of the Sauterne vineyards and beautiful Ciron Valley

It’s not an experience you’ll forget in a hurry!

PM
For lunch (included), we’ve got a wonderful, classically French picnic experience in line for you.

You’ll head to the magnificent Chateau de Cerons, a listed family owned historical monument and vineyard estate where you can enjoy a fabulous picnic lunch in an exceptional setting.

Take a seat at your beautifully laid garden table complete with quality crockery, and enjoy your lunch under the shade of the magnolia trees.

After lunch, a 1h tour of the magnificent 17th century manor house surrounded by vines, as well as the old barrel cellar and new winemaking facility.

At the end of the visit, a tasting of the 3 wines will be offered in the dining room.

AM
A visit to another vineyard estate this morning, but this time for a totally exceptional experience.

Join the estate owner or one of his pilot colleagues for a flight in a 2 seater plane over the vineyards of Bordeaux to the spectacular Arcachon Bay.

Marvel at the largest sand dunes in Europe, the Dunes du Pilat and see the oyster farms and stilted Cabanes Tchanquees from a unique perspective.

PM
Back on terra firma, in the afternoon it’s your chance to learn about the work of the wine grower as you visit the chateau's vineyard and learn about their terroir and ways of working the vines.

Then you’ll be invited to discover 4 of the chateau’s delicious wines, 1 dry White Graves and 3 Red Graves

Hire a hybrid or electric bike for a day of cycling on the cycle paths and quiet back roads of this historic area.

You’ll be kitted out with everything you need including maps and itineraries giving details information and suggestions for where to stop for lunch

After an action-packed week it’s time to leave the Bordeaux area for your onwards travels. Bon voyage!