If one stays in St Emillion which other towns nearby are also worth staying in?
We're trying to avoid staying in large cities, but love smaller towns with a lot to offer (wineries, town life, etc.)
Thank you!
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
Having just visited St Emilion, it was a little disappointing. Many Americans there. Many shops all selling the same wines.
Saintes is more interesting and less of a tourist haunt - Cognac can be covered easily from here.
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
How close do you consider nearby? I went through St. Emilion last June as part of a swing from Languedoc to Bordeaux (for the wine festival last year). I love St. Emilion. The monolithic church is much more than I expected from a small town. I also loved how if you ask to climb the clock tower at the TI, they hand you the key.
Towns I visited, and my thoughts, in the area include:
Brantome - billed as the "Venice" of the area. There are a couple nice views but the town wasn't special.
Perigueux - Some nice historic buildings but generally doesn't show well considering it's historical importance. I liked the churches with a similar design to St. Marks in Venice (Venice twice in a France post?)
Bordeaux - I enjoyed the wine festival. I dropped my car when I arrived and took a train back to Paris when I was done. Bordeaux has some good sights in the center but it's lacking in public transportation. If you go, stay right downtown close to the river.
Arcachon - I wasn't impressed at all. Just a regular town - a ghost town in June apparently becomes party central for vacationers in the summer. I camped at the beach south of here and you could see preparation for the summer crowds everywhere.
Sauternes - Didn't visit because it didn't fit my itinerary. Might be good to look into.
Other nearby sights were more in the Dordogne Valley area:
Favorites were Sarlat and Domme. Stayed near La Roque Gageac and enjoyed the nearby castles Beynac and Castelnaud.