Has anyone done the wine tours from Bordeaux using a train to get to the various regions? If so, how was your experience? Is it easy to grab an Uber from your destination? We are staying three nights in the town of Bordeaux.
Posted by
Panguitch, Utah
2702 posts
Take the train to either Bordeaux or Libourne. From there I would recommend you engage a guide who will get you access to properties others cannot:
https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/vineyards-wines
You might try here:
Posted by
29 posts
Hi David,
I have done it many times. The experience has always been great. Remember to book your visits in advance. There are a couple of wineries in Bordeaux you can take an uber to (Chateau Pape Clement and Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion). You can take the train to Saint-Emilion, and several wineries are accessible by foot.
I would strongly recommend that you take a look at this website: https://sauvistication.com/planning-chateaux-visits/
Sauvistication is an online travel and wine guide to Bordeaux. It was started by connoisseurs for this very purpose.
Safe Travels,
Stefan
Posted by
Seattle, WA & Bordeaux, France
319 posts
Hi davidsudzy,
You have a lot of options here. If you prefer to plan on your own using public transport I'd suggest St. Émilion (easy to get to by train) and Pessac-Léognan (tram from center of town takes you to a few big Châteaux). For the greater Médoc (left bank--margot, st. julian, etc.) it's better to take a car, hire a driver or take a tour as the public transport gets complicated. Regarding tours, we have used (and have had our visitors use) Rustic Vines Tours (https://rusticvinestours.com/). You can either take the tour from Bordeaux Centre or from St. Émilion. They offer tours of Left and/or Right bank, bike tours, group van tours or private tours. As someone who was in the wine industry, I've always been super happy with their service and their choices. I have also heard great things about Merlot et Moi though I have not personally used her services.
If you plan your own winery visits (easy to do if you feel so inclined) remember to prebook a reservation (almost all have websites where you can do just that, even the smaller wineries). Ubers are plentiful in the City of Bordeaux but not really in the outskirts. While taxis do exist in the St. Émilion area, I never really see them unless they have been prebooked by a hotel or a winery. I will say, it is a relatively easy walk from the St. Émilion train station to town and easy to access a number of wineries by foot. For Pessac-Léognan area (Château Pape-Clément, etc.) it's easy to access this area by tram.