Margaux Wine Tours from Bordeaux France: 7 Days Compared
The short answer. Margaux is the first great name on the Médoc's châteaux road, about 25 km north of Bordeaux. The cheapest way in is a shared nine-hour day that pairs it with Saint-Émilion; private days, half or full, collect you from your hotel. Every day can show you Château Margaux from the gate, but none takes you inside: the estate keeps its tastings for the wine trade.
Margaux wine tours at a glance
Each row is a day from Bordeaux that reaches the Margaux appellation, or may. The tastings column is the line a fare comparison hides.
| Tour | In Margaux | Length | From | Tastings | Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Émilion and Margaux, shared | A family winery, a photo stop at Château Margaux, an 1855 growth | 9 hours | $206 per person | In the fare | 2ter Rue Mably |
| The Médoc in a 1973 Citroën DS | A stop at Château Margaux | 4 to 8 hours | $333 per person | Paid at the château, EUR 10 to 60 a person each | Pickup in Bordeaux |
| Private Médoc full day | A Grand Cru Classé and a photo stop at Château Margaux | 9 hours | $336 per person | Paid at the château | Your accommodation |
| The Médoc in a Citroën 2CV | The village of Margaux-Cantenac | 4 h 30 min | $286 per person | In the fare | Hotel or ship pickup, or 42 Allées d'Orléans |
| Saint-Émilion and the Médoc, WSET guide | A château of the 1855 list | 8 hours | $573 per person | In the fare | Pickup in Bordeaux |
| The cruise-port Médoc day | A classified growth in Margaux or Saint-Julien | 8 hours | $661 per person | Ask the operator | The cruise ship terminal |
| Three Médoc châteaux | Possible, not promised | 9 hours | $643 per person | In the fare | Hotel pickup |
Check the shared Margaux day from $206
What you can see in Margaux, and what you cannot
Château Margaux is the name that brings most people here, and it is the one door no tour opens. The estate receives visitors for its cellars by appointment only, Monday to Friday. It is closed at weekends, on public holidays, in August and during the harvest. And its own page is plain about the glass: tasting is only for professionals. So the days here stop at the gates for a photo, then pour at other estates.
Those other estates are no consolation prize. The appellation covers 1,500 hectares and 62 estates across four communes: Arsac, Labarde, Margaux-Cantenac and Soussans. Its wine is all red, led by Cabernet Sauvignon, and the wine council calls it delicate, with smooth tannins and finesse. How the ranks work is set out in Bordeaux wine regions explained and on the Bordeaux vineyards, bank by bank.
The Margaux days, one by one
Saint-Émilion and Margaux in one shared day
The lowest fare, at $206 a person, and the one shared day. A van of eight at most leaves 2ter Rue Mably for 9 hours. The morning is Saint-Émilion: a village walk and a picnic lunch at a château with a glass of wine. The afternoon is Margaux: a family-run winery, a photo stop at Château Margaux, then a winery classified in 1855. Three winery visits and at least eight wines are in the fare. It is rated 4.8 from 717 reviews, and the minimum age is 16.
The Médoc in a 1973 Citroën DS convertible
The Médoc day in a 1973 Citroën DS collects you in Bordeaux and runs half or full day, 4 to 8 hours. It stops at Château Margaux and passes Château Beychevelle; the full day adds Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe. The fare, from $333 a person, covers the car and the driver. The tastings cost EUR 10 to 60 a person per château, paid on the day, and lunch is extra.
A private full day in the Médoc
The private Médoc full day collects you from your accommodation for 9 hours, about six of them in the Médoc: three châteaux, lunch, and a ten-minute photo stop in front of Château Margaux. The last stop can be a Grand Cru Classé in Margaux. Entrance and tasting fees and lunch are excluded, so the fare of $336 a person is the start of the sum, not the end.
Margaux-Cantenac in an open Citroën 2CV
The shortest day here: 4 h 30 min in a convertible 2CV with a private chauffeur, for up to three people. It collects you from a hotel, a flat or a cruise ship in Bordeaux, or meets you at 42 Allées d'Orléans. Visits and tastings at two châteaux are in the fare of $286 a person, with a look at the village of Margaux-Cantenac.
Saint-Émilion and the Médoc with a WSET guide
This private day gives both banks a guide qualified by the WSET. The first stop is a Margaux château of the 1855 list, and you spend about four hours and 45 minutes between Margaux and Saint-Émilion. Private visits with about ten to twelve wines are in the fare, from $573 a person; lunch is not.
The cruise-port Médoc day
Built for a ship's day in port: 8 hours, pickup and drop-off at the cruise terminal, two people at least, adults only. The first stop is a classified growth in Margaux or Saint-Julien, lunch is free time in Pauillac, and a third château follows. Its terms say both that the tasting fees are included and that they are not, so ask the operator before you book. The fare starts at $661 a person.
Three Médoc châteaux with tastings
This private day of 9 hours visits three châteaux in Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac or Saint-Estèphe. That "or" makes Margaux possible, not promised, though the drive passes Château Margaux on the D2. Tastings are in the fare, from $643 a person; lunch is not. Adults only.
Who pays for the tastings in Margaux?
Two fares that look alike can end the day far apart:
- In the fare: the shared Saint-Émilion and Margaux day, the 2CV, the WSET day and the three-châteaux day.
- Paid at the château: the DS convertible, at EUR 10 to 60 a person a château, and the private Médoc full day, which excludes entrance and tasting fees.
- Ask first: the cruise-port day, whose terms say both.
- Lunch: extra on most private days. On the three-châteaux day, a menu in a local brasserie is usually about EUR 25 a person.
The whole-day sums for every wine day are in Bordeaux wine tour prices.
Want the car to be part of the day?
The DS convertible runs from $333 a person, and the WSET day from $573 with its tastings in the fare.
Getting to Margaux without a tour
You can reach the village on your own. By car it is about 45 minutes on the D2. The TER line from Bordeaux to Le Verdon-sur-Mer crosses the Médoc and stops at Margaux Cantenac station, and bus 705 from Bordeaux to Pauillac can stop at Margaux-Cantenac. In the village, the Maison du Vin de Margaux, 7 place de la Trémoille, sells the appellation's wines, gives tourist information and books visits to local châteaux (+33 5 57 88 70 82). The walking distances from the station are in the Médoc by train, without a tour.
Which Margaux day suits you
- The lowest fare, and both banks: the shared Saint-Émilion and Margaux day.
- Two or three who want the car to be the day: the 2CV, for three at most, or the DS.
- The most wines, with an expert: the WSET day.
- Off a cruise ship: the cruise-port day, or the 2CV, which collects you at the ship.
- The whole road to Saint-Estèphe: the full DS day or the three-châteaux day.
Not sure which bank to give your day to? Read Saint-Émilion or the Médoc first. Still deciding between a van and a car of your own? Weigh private or small-group before you book. Every day that reaches a winery is on Bordeaux wine tours, the cars and drivers on private tours in Bordeaux, and the short days on half-day wine tours.
Margaux wine tour questions
Can you visit Château Margaux?
Can you taste wine at Château Margaux on a tour?
How far is Margaux from Bordeaux?
Can you get to Margaux by train?
Are tastings included on Margaux wine tours?
What wine does Margaux make?
More answers on pickup, ages and cancellation are in the Bordeaux wine tour FAQs.
Three private days on the Médoc road
Private Medoc Full-Day tour, from Bordeaux
A private nine-hour Médoc day with a wine-expert driver-guide, collected at your Bordeaux accommodation. The fare covers the car and the guide; each château's entrance and tasting fees, and lunch, are paid on the day.
From $336 per person
Check Availability
Private Médoc 4.5 hours Wine Tour in a Citroën 2CV from Bordeaux
Four and a half hours in the Médoc in an open Citroën 2CV for up to three, with visits and tastings at two châteaux in the fare and pickup at your hotel, flat or cruise ship.
From $286 per person
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Bordeaux Médoc Region Private Wine Lovers Tour with Chateau Visits & Tastings
About nine private hours in the Médoc with hotel pickup and the tastings in the fare. Lunch is extra, usually about EUR 25 in a local brasserie; two people minimum.
From $643 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: See where each day meets on the Bordeaux wine tours map. Every fare sits side by side on Bordeaux France Tours.