Bordeaux France wine tours leave the city for Saint-Émilion on the right bank, the Médoc's châteaux road on the left, or Pessac-Léognan to the south. Before you compare fares, check who pays the tasting fees: the fare, or you at each château.
Four hours from the Monument aux Girondins: a guided visit of a Grand Cru Classé château, three or four Saint-Émilion wines, an aperitif platter and a guided walk in the village, all in the fare.
From $97 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Seven hours from 2ter Rue Mably: three wineries, eight wines, a picnic lunch at a château with a glass, and a guided walk in Saint-Émilion. Every tasting is in the fare, in a van of eight.
From $178 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A 1973 Citroën DS convertible and a chauffeur-guide for a half or full day on the Médoc's châteaux road. You choose the tastings and pay each château on the day, typically EUR 10 to 60 a person.
From $333 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The lowest fare into the vineyards, from the Cité du Vin: an organic winery with three red wines, a guided walk in Saint-Émilion and a taste of its macarons. Water and lunch are not included.
From $86 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Eight wines in four and a half hours, from 18 Place des Quinconces: a guided winery visit with its entry ticket, then a guided walk in Saint-Émilion. Eight people at most, and everything poured is in the fare.
From $109 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Both banks in nine hours from Rue Mably: three wineries between Saint-Émilion and Margaux, at least eight wines, a picnic at a château and the village walk. Tastings and lunch are in the fare.
From $206 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Ride an e-bike from the Chartrons through the Entre-deux-Mers to Saint-Émilion in seven hours, with a picnic lunch in the fare. The winery tasting costs from EUR 15 extra, and the trip back to Bordeaux is yours to arrange.
From $286 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Six people at most from the tourist office on Cours du 30 Juillet, with the château visits, the tastings and the guided underground Monolithic Church all in the fare. Adults only, and it cannot be refunded once booked.
From $292 per person
Non-refundable: this fare cannot be cancelled or changed once booked.
A minivan from the Colonnes rostrales to Saint-Émilion, meeting between 10:30 and 10:45, then e-bikes among the vines. Every château fee, the wine and lunch are in the fare. Adults only, and you must know how to ride.
From $350 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
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. Pickup at your hotel, your flat or your cruise ship.
From $286 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
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; entrance and tasting fees at each château, and lunch, are extra.
From $336 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A private eight-hour Saint-Émilion day with a wine-expert driver-guide and a guided walk in the village. Pickup at your Bordeaux accommodation; the wineries' entrance fees and lunch are paid on the day.
From $336 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Four private hours in Saint-Émilion from your hotel: one winery with its tasting in the fare and a guided walk in the village. Two people minimum; it does not run on 25 December, 1 January or 1 May.
From $398 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A private four-hour Médoc half day from your hotel, with two wineries chosen ahead and their tasting fees in the fare. It needs two people and does not run on 25 December, 1 January or 1 May.
From $480 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A private day of six to seven hours among Saint-Émilion's Grands Crus Classés, with a WSET-certified guide and hotel pickup. Visits and tastings are in the fare, lunch is not, and children can come on a child ticket.
From $573 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Both banks in one private eight-hour day, Saint-Émilion and the Médoc, with a WSET guide and about ten to twelve wines at private château visits, all in the fare. Pickup in Bordeaux; lunch is extra.
From $573 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A tailor-made private day in Saint-Émilion from about 9 am to 6:30 pm, collected at your hotel or river boat. Château visits and tastings are in the fare; lunch runs about EUR 25 in a brasserie. Two people minimum.
From $632 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A private day of about nine hours among the Médoc's châteaux, collected at your Bordeaux hotel. The tastings are in the fare; lunch is not, and runs about EUR 25 a person in a local brasserie. Two people minimum.
From $643 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Eight hours in the Médoc from the Bordeaux cruise terminal and back, with two wineries booked ahead and an English-speaking guide. Two people minimum. Ask which tasting fees the fare covers before you book.
From $661 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A driver-guide and a sedan for up to three people, for a full day among Saint-Émilion's châteaux. The fare covers the car; the visit and tasting fees at each château, and your meals, are paid on the day.
From $673 per group, up to 3
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The full Saint-Émilion day for a party of up to six, in a van with wifi. One fare covers the vehicle and the guide; every château's visit and tasting, and your meals, are paid as you go.
From $878 per group, up to 6
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Five to six hours south of the city in Pessac-Léognan, home of the Graves classification. A WSET guide, hotel pickup and private château tours with tastings are in the fare; lunch is extra.
From $878 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Seven to eight hours in Saint-Émilion and Pomerol with a WSET guide, collected in Bordeaux. Private château tours pour about ten to twelve wines, in the fare, with soft drinks for children. Lunch is extra.
From $878 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Olala Bordeaux's seven-hour Saint-Émilion day pours eight wines at three wineries, with lunch at a château and a guided walk in the village.
Check availabilityIt is a day or a half day that takes you out of the city to the estates, which Bordeaux calls châteaux, for a guided visit of the vines and cellars and a tasting. A driver brings you back, so nobody at the table has to stay sober for the road.
Most of the wine days go to Saint-Émilion, on the right bank, where a medieval village sits among its classified estates. The Médoc days follow the left bank's châteaux road through Margaux, Saint-Julien and Pauillac. One private day stays south of the city in Pessac-Léognan, and some days put both banks into one.
The formats run from a four-hour half day to a nine-hour private day. You join a shared van of six to eight, or you book your own car and guide, and you meet at a kerb in the centre or get collected at your hotel.
The Médoc's estates are strung along one road, and Saint-Émilion's are spread over nine communes. A tour puts a driver behind the wheel while you taste. On most days you will taste three to eight wines, and on the private Saint-Émilion-and-Pomerol and two-bank days about ten to twelve.
Most estates receive visitors by appointment. The tour operator books the visits ahead, so you arrive at an open door, with a guide who has been there before.
The Médoc still uses the list of 1855, while Saint-Émilion redraws its own every ten years. Your guide shows you what a Grand Cru Classé means at the estate itself; the WSET-trained guides on the private Grand Cru days go further.
Every shared Saint-Émilion day ends or begins with a guided walk in the UNESCO-listed village. One small-group day adds the guided visit of the underground Monolithic Church, which you cannot enter without a guide.
The first choice is the bank. Here is how the two compare, using each listing's own figures; our guide to Saint-Émilion or the Médoc takes the choice further.
| Saint-Émilion | The Médoc | |
|---|---|---|
| Which bank | The right bank, east of the Dordogne | The left bank, north along the estuary |
| Main grape | Merlot | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| What you see | A UNESCO-listed village among its classified estates | A road of 1855 growths through Margaux, Saint-Julien and Pauillac |
| Shared half days | $86 to $109, tastings in the fare | None; the half days here are private |
| Shared full days | $178 to $292, tastings in the fare | Only paired with Saint-Émilion, $206 |
| Private days, per person | $336 to $878 | $286 to $661 |
| Tasting fees | In the fare on every shared day; extra on some private days | In the fare on some; extra on the DS and the private full day |
If you want a village to walk and the widest choice of shared days, pick Saint-Émilion. If you want the famous names of 1855 and do not mind a private fare, pick the Médoc. Can't decide? The Saint-Émilion and Margaux day from Rue Mably does both.
This is the line that makes two fares incomparable. On every shared small-group day, the château visits and tastings are in the price. On several private days the fare buys the car and the guide, and you pay each château on the day.
Before you compare any two prices, add the château fees to the ones that leave them out. Our guide to what a Bordeaux wine tour costs does the sums.
Bordeaux Classic Cars drives you past Château Margaux and Château Beychevelle in an open Citroën DS, and you choose where to taste.
Check availabilityStill weighing the banks? Every wine day sits beside the walks and the day trips on Bordeaux France Tours.