Bordeaux France in Three Days: The City, Saint-Émilion and the Médoc

Three days is the right length for a first visit to Bordeaux: one for the city, one for Saint-Émilion and one for the Médoc. This plan tells you what to do each morning, afternoon and evening, where each tour meets, and what to book before you land. Keep it beside your Bordeaux France reservation.

Is three days enough for Bordeaux?

For the highlights, yes. The old city is compact, and a guided walk covers its centre in two hours. Each wine bank takes a day, or a half day if you would rather keep your afternoons.

With less time, cut the Médoc and keep Saint-Émilion. With more, add Pessac-Léognan at the city's edge, or a day trip to Cognac or the Basque coast. We give the two-day and four-day versions at the end.

Day one morning: the old city on foot

Start with a guided walk. It gives you your bearings for the rest of the stay, and it is the cheapest guided outing here, from $16.

The history walk and the small-group walk leave from Cathédrale Saint-André and take two hours. Both routes pass Porte Cailhau and Place de la Bourse, and the small-group walk climbs past the Pey-Berland tower first. The tourist office's own walk leaves its door on Cours du 30 Juillet and takes 1 hour 45 minutes, in French and English in the morning.

On the way, stop at the Grosse Cloche at 45 Rue Saint-James, a 15th-century belfry. Its bell, cast in 1775, weighs 7,750 kg, and it rings at noon on the first Sunday of each month. A guided visit of the bell chamber costs EUR 6.

After the walk, climb the Saint-Michel spire, 114 metres and 230 steps. It opens daily from April to October, 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 18:00, for EUR 7.

Where do the walks start?

• Cathédrale Saint-André, Place Pey-Berland: the history walk with a wine coupon, and the small-group walk for fifteen people at most.
• The tourist office, 12 Cours du 30 Juillet: the office's own walk, which needs 48 hours' notice to cancel.
• The fountain on Place de la Bourse: the night walk.
• The Basilique Saint-Michel, by the green door: the bakery walk, three hours of pastries.

All of them are on the Bordeaux walking tours page, with fares and times.

Day one afternoon: the Chartrons and the Cité du Vin

Walk north along the quays to the Chartrons, the old wine merchants' quarter, with its antique and design shops on Rue Notre-Dame. On Sundays about 60 stalls fill the market on the quays.

Carry on to the Cité du Vin at 134 Quai de Bacalan, or take tram B to the stop of the same name. It opens at 10:00 every day and closes between 18:00 and 19:00 by season. The permanent tour costs EUR 23, including a tasting at the Belvédère. It is good background before your first day in the vines.

Day one evening: the quays after dark

At dusk, go back to Place de la Bourse. The water mirror in front of it, a granite slab under two centimetres of water, runs from 10:00 to 22:00 outside the winter months, and the façades reflect in it after dark.

Or join the night walk from the fountain in the middle of the square. It takes two hours through the lit squares and monuments, with one canelé on the way, for $31.

Day two: Saint-Émilion

Give your second day to Saint-Émilion, the bank with a village. You have two choices: a half day that leaves you the rest of the day in the city, or a full day with three wineries and lunch.

The Saint-Émilion day with lunch leaves 2ter Rue Mably for seven hours, with eight wines and a picnic at a château. The shared half days leave the Monument aux Girondins, 18 Place des Quinconces or the Cité du Vin, and include a guided walk in the village.

In the village, the underground Monolithic Church is visited only with a guide from the tourist office. The bell tower climb costs EUR 2 at the office, for two people at least.

Morning or afternoon half day?

In summer, take the morning. Highs at Mérignac average 27.6 °C in August, with about 9 days a month above 30 °C, and guides move the village walk into the shade on the hottest afternoons.

In spring and autumn, the afternoon works well. You can walk in the morning, drive out after lunch and be back for dinner. On the Saint-Émilion half day from the Monument aux Girondins, the aperitif platter comes with the tasting; our half day with a platter gives the full hour-by-hour plan.

Day three: the Médoc

The Médoc days are private, so your third day is the one to plan with your own guide. The Ophorus half day collects you at your hotel for four hours and two wineries, with the tasting fees paid. The 2CV takes three people, open-topped, to two châteaux.

For a whole day, Olala's private Médoc day takes nine hours with a wine-expert guide; the château fees and lunch are extra. The DS convertible drives the châteaux road in a 1973 Citroën and stops at Château Margaux.

Would you rather not pay a private fare? Take the shared Saint-Émilion and Margaux day instead, and do both banks on day two.

Swapping a day for Cognac or Biarritz

If three days of wine is too much, swap day three for a trip beyond the vineyards.

• Cognac: a private day of eight to nine hours from Place de la Comédie, $790 for the car and up to three people. The cognac houses' visits and tastings are extra.
• The Basque coast: a private day of nine and a half hours to Biarritz and Espelette, $462 a person, with pickup at your accommodation. Lunch and visits are extra.

What should you book before you arrive?

• The wine days first: the shared vans take six to eight people, and private operators book each château ahead.
• Check the no-run days: the Ophorus private days do not run on 25 December, 1 January or 1 May.
• Read the refund rule: most tours refund in full up to 24 hours ahead, but the small-group day from the tourist office cannot be refunded, and the office's walk needs 48 hours.
• Keep the city sights flexible: fit the Saint-Michel spire and the Cité du Vin around the weather, and put the Grosse Cloche on the day you walk.

Where should you stay for three days?

In the centre, near the kerbs. The shared wine days meet at Place des Quinconces, Rue Mably, the tourist office on Cours du 30 Juillet and the Cité du Vin, all within the old city or on the tram. The walks start at the cathedral, the tourist office, Place de la Bourse and Saint-Michel.

The private days collect you, so for those your address matters less. The e-bike ride starts in the Chartrons, which is also a good base for the Cité du Vin. Our page on where to stay compares the areas, kerb by kerb.

A two-day and a four-day version

Two days: the old city walk and the Cité du Vin on day one. On day two, take the Saint-Émilion and Margaux day, which puts both banks into nine hours.

Four days: keep the three days above, and add Pessac-Léognan on the fourth. Its estates begin at the city's edge, and several can be reached by tram and bus. Our guide to Saint-Émilion without a tour lists the stops. Or add a bike: the Bordeaux bike tours ride from the Chartrons to Saint-Émilion.

The three days in one table

Move the days around the weather, not the other way round: put the walk on the sunny day and the cellars on the wet one.

Frequently asked questions

Tours that fit three days

Bordeaux: Small group - Guided Walking Tour

Two hours on foot from the cathedral door past the Pey-Berland tower, Porte Cailhau and the river front, fifteen people at most, with a guide who is also a sommelier and hands out restaurant tips.

From $28 per person

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From Bordeaux: Half Day Saint-Emilion Wine Tasting & Snack

Four hours from the Monument aux Girondins, morning or afternoon: a Grand Cru Classé visit, three or four wines, an aperitif platter and a guided walk in the village, all in the fare.

From $97 per person

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Medoc Private Half Day Wine Tour from Bordeaux

A private four-hour Médoc half day from your hotel, with two wineries chosen ahead and their tasting fees in the fare. Two people minimum; it does not run on 25 December, 1 January or 1 May.

From $480 per person

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