Where you sleep decides how you start the day. The shared wine days meet at a handful of kerbs in the centre, and the private days collect you from your door. Pick the area first, then make your Bordeaux France reservation for the tour that starts nearest.
| Area | Tour starts within a walk | Getting around | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quinconces and the Allées | Monument aux Girondins, 18 Place des Quinconces, the tourist office | Bus 304 to Saint-Émilion | Shared half days and the office walk |
| Comédie and Grand Théâtre | Place de la Comédie, 2ter Rue Mably | On foot to the Quinconces | Shared full days and the Cognac day |
| Old town and Pey-Berland | Cathédrale Saint-André, Place de la Bourse | On foot to the quays | The city walks and the night walk |
| Saint-Michel | Basilique Saint-Michel | On foot along the quays | The bakery walk |
| The Chartrons | 16 Rue Notre-Dame, the Colonnes rostrales | On foot along the quays | The e-bike days |
| Bacalan | La Cité du Vin | Tram B | The half day at an organic winery |
| Saint-Émilion village | None; tours come to you | TER to Saint-Émilion or Libourne | Slow evenings in the vines |
The pattern is simple. Stay in the centre and every shared start is a short walk away. Stay further out and a private day that collects you makes more sense. The kerbs are all on the wine tours map.
This is the area that suits the most tours. The half day with a Grand Cru Classé meets at the Monument aux Girondins on Place des Quinconces. The half day with eight wines meets at 18 Place des Quinconces, on the same square. The tourist office at 12 Cours du 30 Juillet is a few minutes away, and one small-group Saint-Émilion day leaves from it.
A little further, 2ter Rue Mably is the start for the Saint-Émilion day with lunch and the day that adds Margaux. The Cognac day and the premium sedan meet at Place de la Comédie, in front of the Grand Théâtre. Bus 304 to Saint-Émilion leaves from Quinconces too, if you want a day on your own.
South of the Comédie lies the old town. The daytime history walks meet at the Cathédrale Saint-André on Place Pey-Berland. The night walk meets at the fountain in Place de la Bourse. The bakery walk starts by the Basilique Saint-Michel.
Stay here if the city is your main reason to come. The wine starts are a walk north, through the old streets.
The Chartrons, north of the centre, is the old wine merchants' quarter, with Rue Notre-Dame and its antique shops, and the Sunday market on the quays. The e-bike ride to Saint-Émilion starts at 16 Rue Notre-Dame and runs all the way to the village.
The e-bike day with a minivan transfer meets at the Colonnes rostrales on Quai Louis XVIII, between the Chartrons and the centre. A minivan takes you out to the vines, and brings you back.
Further north, Bacalan has the Cité du Vin at 134 Quai de Bacalan, on tram B. The half day at an organic winery meets outside it. So a base up here gives you the museum and one wine day on your doorstep.
For the other starts you take the tram back into the centre. That is fine for a morning tour, but it adds time before an early departure.
| Kind of day | Where it starts | The pickup rule |
|---|---|---|
| Shared half and full days | A kerb in the centre | Meet the van; no hotel pickup |
| Private Olala days | Your address | Pickup and drop-off within about 3 km of Bordeaux |
| Private Ophorus and Entre Vides days | Your address | Pickup in Bordeaux; set after booking |
| The 2CV day | Hotel, flat or cruise ship | Otherwise 42 Allées d'Orléans |
| The cruise-port Médoc day | The cruise terminal | Port pickup and return |
| The Cognac day | Place de la Comédie | A fixed meeting point |
Almost every private day collects you, and the Olala private days set a limit: your address must be within about 3 km of Bordeaux. If you are staying further out, say so when you book. Shared days never collect you, so a hotel near the meeting point saves an early taxi.
Private days run $286 to $878 per person, or $673 a car for up to three, and nearly all come to your door.
Sleeping in the village gives you its lanes after the day visitors leave. But no tour starts there: every one leaves from Bordeaux. So stay a night here after a Bordeaux wine day, not before one.
Without a car, take TER line 33 from Bordeaux to Saint-Émilion station, then walk about 20 minutes uphill; tickets start at EUR 9.50. Libourne, 7 km away, has more trains. In high season, bus 304 from Quinconces stops about 100 m from the centre. The Chartrons e-bike ride ends here, so you could ride in and stay the night.
Some wine days are built around a ship. The cruise-port Médoc day collects you at the terminal and brings you back. The 2CV day picks up from a cruise ship, a hotel or a flat. One private Saint-Émilion day collects from a river boat.
Give the operator your ship and berth when you book, and allow time to get back on board. If your ship docks outside the city, check the pickup point again the day before.
Meeting points and pickup rules come from each tour's own listing. The trains, the bus and the village distances come from the Saint-Émilion tourist office, and the Chartrons from the Bordeaux tourist office.
A private nine-and-a-half-hour day from your Bordeaux accommodation to the Basque coast, with about three hours between Biarritz and Espelette. The driver-guide and an air-conditioned vehicle are in the fare; lunch and any visits are paid on the day.
From $462 per person
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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
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A private eight-hour Saint-Émilion day with a wine-expert driver-guide and the village walk, collected at your accommodation. The wineries' entrance fees and lunch are paid on the day.
From $336 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: see where each tour meets on the visitor guide, compare the rides on Bordeaux bike tours, or compare every tour on Bordeaux France Tours.