We will be spending 4 days in Bordeaux in early October and want to visit a few vineries. Any recommendations on where to stay? I would like to visit St. Emilion but wonder if we should be headquartered in the Medoc Region. My friend does not want to stay in the city of Bordeaux. Any hotel/wineries/restaurants\ recommendations appreciated. Thanks!
Posted by
Seattle, WA & Bordeaux, France
765 posts
The whole of Bordeaux is a beautiful area. It's too bad your travel partner does not want to stay in the city of Bordeaux as it is beautiful with so much to see/do. The Médoc and St. Émilion are about 1.5 hrs by car from each other (btw both areas are much easier to navigate by car than public transport.) If wine tasting is your primary reason for visiting the area--and you do not want to stay in the city of Bordeaux--you could spend 2 nights in the Médoc region and 2 nights in St. Émilion area. As a general rule, you will need reservations to taste at any winery. Some exceptions are Portes Ouvertes (open houses) or, sometimes, the Tourist Office(s) have a list of wineries that allow drop ins for a particular day. The town of St. Émilion is charming! I go often and never tire of it. You will have no shortage of wonderful wines (and wineries) in both of these areas, as well as amazing food. A great website to check out is Lost in Bordeaux (https://www.lostinbordeaux.com/). She is a fantastic resource for everything Bordeaux and it's environs.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you. This is very helpful information.
Posted by
SoCal
2571 posts
We had excellent experiences with the wine tour specialist Ophorus. They (and their competitors) could be a good resource to allow you ready access to some interesting chateaux.