Bordeaux Wine Day TourMédoc and Saint-Émilion Tour with Lunch: Three Châteaux in a Day
This Médoc and Saint-Émilion tour with lunch is run by A La Francaise Tourisme and sold on GetYourGuide. It packs both banks of Bordeaux into 8.5 hours: a Classified Growth estate in the Médoc, a picnic lunch at a Saint-Émilion château, a family-run estate with a tasting class and a guided walk through the medieval village. Seven to eight wines are poured, the group is capped at 8 and the price is $223 per person. This page sets out what the price covers, what the day looks like stop by stop and who should book a different Bordeaux wine day tour.
About This Tour
A La Francaise Tourisme runs this full day across the two banks of Bordeaux in an air-conditioned minivan. The morning is a Classified Growth estate in the Médoc operating since 1855, with a walk around the vineyards and cellars before the tasting. After a 75-minute drive across to the right bank you eat a picnic lunch at a private château, then visit a family-run estate, take a tasting class and walk the UNESCO-listed village of Saint-Émilion with a guide.
The price includes the 3 château entrance fees, 7 to 8 wines (2 or 3 per château), the picnic lunch, the village tour, minivan transport and a live English-speaking guide. Tips are the only stated extra. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure.
$223 per person, booked on GetYourGuide with reserve now, pay later
8.5 hours, starting times shown when you check availability
Monument aux Girondins, 2792 Place des Quinconces, Bordeaux. The return is the same spot
Limited to 8 participants with a live English-speaking guide
3 châteaux, 7 to 8 wines tasted, 2 or 3 per château, plus a picnic lunch paired with local wines
Tips only. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund
Check Dates and Availability
The listing does not print fixed departure times and is flagged as likely to sell out. Check dates on GetYourGuide before planning the rest of your day.
Quick answer The short answer
This 8.5-hour Médoc and Saint-Émilion tour with lunch costs $223 per person, covers 3 châteaux, pours 7 to 8 wines and includes a picnic lunch at a private château. The group is limited to 8 and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure.
Key takeaways
- Compare it with Saint-Émilion and Médoc Day with Lunch if you want more than 10 tastings in 9 hours.
- If a picnic plus both banks is the draw, Saint-Émilion and Margaux Full Day is the pick.
- See how the day runs in What the Day Is Really Like before you book.
- On a budget? A Saint-Émilion half day costs $95.
What the Price Actually Covers
The $223 covers the full day as listed, with tips as the only stated extra. Here is each line and where you might still spend.
Included Lines
The Includes list is specific: 3 château entrance fees, 7 to 8 wines tasted (2 or 3 per château), a picnic lunch, a tour of the medieval village of Saint-Émilion, transportation in the minivan and a guide. The lunch is a picnic at a private château in Saint-Émilion, paired with local wines.
One line needs attention. The Includes list also reads pickup and drop-off at the hotel, while the itinerary starts and ends at the Monument aux Girondins. Confirm the pickup with the operator after booking so you know where to stand in the morning.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Château entrance fees | Yes | All 3 estates, the listing does not name them |
| Wine tastings | Yes | 7 to 8 wines, 2 or 3 per château |
| Picnic lunch | Yes | At a private Saint-Émilion château, paired with local wines |
| Village tour | Yes | Guided walk through medieval Saint-Émilion |
| Minivan transport | Yes | About 50 minutes to the Médoc, 75 minutes across, 50 minutes back |
| Hotel pickup | Unclear | Listed in Includes but the itinerary starts at the Monument aux Girondins, confirm with the operator |
| Tips | No | Not included |
| Extra wine purchases | No | Buying bottles at the châteaux is optional and paid on the day |
Sources: Saint-Émilion Tourist Office, Bordeaux wine, Wikipedia
Château Beychevelle on the D2 in Saint-Julien. Photo: PA, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The listing gives the shape of the day and the time at each stop, not clock times. The starting times appear when you check availability.
Meet and Drive Out
You meet at the Monument aux Girondins on Place des Quinconces, the 54-metre monument on one of the largest city squares in Europe. The van leaves Bordeaux and drives about 50 minutes to the Médoc, with the guide covering Bordeaux wines during the journey. Eat a real breakfast, because the first tasting is the only pour before lunch.
| Stop | Time on site | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Monument aux Girondins | Start | Meet the guide and board the minivan |
| Drive to the Médoc | 50 minutes | Introduction to Bordeaux wines on the way |
| Médoc Classified Growth estate | 1 hour | Vineyards, cellars, wine making and a tasting |
| Drive to Saint-Émilion | 75 minutes | Cross the river to the right bank |
| Picnic lunch | 1.5 hours | At a private château, paired with local wines |
| Family-run estate | 1 hour | Vat room, cellar and a tasting class |
| Village of Saint-Émilion | 1 hour | Guided walk through the medieval streets |
| Return to Bordeaux | 50 minutes | Arrive back at the Monument aux Girondins |
The Médoc Tasting
The first stop is a prestigious Classified Growth estate operating since 1855. You walk the vineyards and cellars, hear how the wine is made and finish with 2 or 3 wines. That is a short pour on an empty stomach, so the picnic lunch matters.
Lunch and the Right Bank
The 75-minute crossing takes you to Saint-Émilion, where the lunch stop is described in the listing as a beautiful Growth Classified winery. You taste their wines over a 1.5-hour picnic in the château garden. After lunch comes a family-run estate, with a tour of the traditional vat room and cellar and then a tasting class that teaches the steps of tasting and trains your nose on different aromas.
The Village and the Ride Home
The day ends with a 1-hour guided walk through the medieval village of Saint-Émilion, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1999. Expect steep cobbled alleys. Then it is about 50 minutes back to the Monument aux Girondins, where the tour ends.
The listing gives no return time, so leave a gap before any evening plan.
The Wines of Bordeaux's Right Bank
The Right Bank appellations, grapes and soils. Third-party video by GuildSomm International. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
Who This Tour Rules Out
The listing sets hard limits and the day itself has demands. Check these before booking, and look at an alternative if any of them catches you.
Ages, Access and the Two-person Rule
The tour is not accessible for children under 4 and not wheelchair accessible. Every passenger, including children, needs a ticket to board the van, and an undeclared child cannot be added on the day. Pets are not allowed.
The tour can be cancelled if only 1 person books, because two are legally required to run it, and you get a full refund if that happens. The group cap of 8 keeps it small. If you and a friend booked separately, the listing asks you to contact the operator.
The Day Itself
This is a full day of driving: about 50 minutes out, 75 minutes across and 50 minutes back. There is no hotel pickup in the itinerary, so plan the walk or tram to Place des Quinconces. Saint-Émilion's steep cobbled lanes make the village walk a real walk.
The listing does not name the châteaux, so a specific estate is not guaranteed. With 7 to 8 wines before and after lunch, pace yourself. The listing states no weather rule.
If any of this is too much, Saint-Émilion and Margaux Full Day runs a similar both-banks format meeting at 2ter Rue Mably, also with no hotel pickup, or the Médoc Half-Day Wine Tour keeps the day short. For more tastings, Saint-Émilion and Médoc Day with Lunch lists more than 10 tastings in 9 hours.
| Limit | Detail | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Under 4 | Not accessible, every child needs a ticket | None on this listing |
| Wheelchair | Not accessible | Ask operators before booking |
| Minimum 2 | Tour cancels with 1 booking, full refund | Full refund from the operator |
| Group of 8 | Capped, so no room for a larger party | None stated |
| No lunch | Lunch is included, tips are the only stated extra | None needed |
| Château changes | The listing does not name the estates | Ask the operator |
If You Want a Different Shape
Want the left bank only? The Médoc Full-Day Wine Tour visits 3 classified growth wineries in the Médoc over 8 hours. Want the right bank without the drive?
The Saint-Émilion E-Bike Wine Day covers two châteaux by bike, and you need to be at least 155 cm tall. Browse every Bordeaux wine day tour side by side before you commit.
Sources: GetYourGuide listing
Getting to the Start and the Rest of Your Day
The start and finish are the same spot in central Bordeaux, and the city gives you easy ways to fill the hours before and after.
Reaching the Monument Aux Girondins
The meeting point is the Monument aux Girondins on Place des Quinconces, at 2792 Place des Quinconces, 33000 Bordeaux. The Quinconces tram stop is the city's main hub, served by tram lines B and C, and a single ticket costs €1.90. The network runs from about 04:30 to midnight, seven days a week, so an early start is no problem.
Before and After the Tour
The CIVB Bar à Vin at 3 Cours du 30 Juillet pours glasses of Bordeaux by sommeliers from the wine council and lists 2 glasses for €3, open 11:00 to 22:00 Monday to Saturday except bank holidays. It is a place to compare what you tasted that day. La Cité du Vin sits on tram line B, a direct ride from Quinconces, and its ticket includes a tasting at the Belvedere.
If the day leaves you wanting more of the village, Saint-Émilion is easy to revisit on your own. The train from Bordeaux Saint-Jean takes about 30 minutes by one source and 30 to 35 by another, and the station is a 20 to 30 minute walk uphill to the village, a plan covered in Bordeaux to Saint-Émilion by train.
The Day Step by Step
The listing states the time at each stop, not the clock hour, so the starting time is set at checkout.
-
Start
Meet at the Monument aux Girondins
Meet the guide at the Monument aux Girondins, 2792 Place des Quinconces, and board the air-conditioned minivan.
-
After start
Drive to the Médoc
About 50 minutes out of Bordeaux, with the guide introducing Bordeaux wines on the way.
-
Morning
Classified Growth estate, 1 hour
Walk the vineyards and cellars of a Classified Growth estate operating since 1855, learn the wine making process and taste 2 or 3 wines.
-
75 minutes
Drive across to Saint-Émilion
A 75-minute crossing from the left bank to the right bank.
-
1.5 hours
Picnic lunch, 1.5 hours
Eat a picnic lunch at a private château in Saint-Émilion, paired with local wines.
-
After lunch
Family estate and tasting class, 1 hour
Tour the traditional vat room and cellar of a family-run estate, then learn the steps of tasting and train your nose on wine aromas.
-
1 hour, then 50 minutes
Village walk and return, 1 hour plus 50 minutes
A guided 1-hour walk through the medieval village of Saint-Émilion, then about 50 minutes back to the Monument aux Girondins.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of the listing, with the trade-offs spelled out.
What we genuinely like
- Both banks in one day, so no second booking or second day needed
- Picnic lunch at a private château is included
- Group capped at 8 with a live guide, not audio
- The tasting class at the family estate teaches method, not just pours
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before and reserve now, pay later
The honest downsides
- 7 to 8 wines across 3 châteaux, while another full-day listing shows more than 10 tastings
- The Includes list mentions hotel pickup but the itinerary starts at the Monument aux Girondins, so the pickup must be confirmed with the operator
- The listing does not name the châteaux, so no specific estate is guaranteed
- The listing shows 50 minutes out, 75 minutes across and 50 minutes back
- The tour needs at least 2 bookings to run and can be cancelled if you are the only one
- Not accessible for children under 4 and not wheelchair accessible
Who it's NOT for: Travellers who want a guaranteed named château, hotel pickup in writing, or more than 10 tastings should book Saint-Émilion and Médoc Day with Lunch instead.
Questions About This Tour
Is lunch really included on this Médoc and Saint-Émilion tour with lunch?
Yes. The price includes a picnic lunch at a private château in Saint-Émilion, paired with local wines, and it lasts 1.5 hours. For a lunch day with a vegetarian option at checkout, see Saint-Émilion and Médoc Day with Lunch.
Does the tour pick me up at my hotel?
The Includes list says pickup and drop-off at the hotel, but the itinerary starts and ends at the Monument aux Girondins, so confirm the pickup with the operator after booking. The Saint-Émilion and Margaux Full Day also has no hotel pickup and meets at 2ter Rue Mably.
How many wines do I taste and at how many châteaux?
Seven to eight wines across 3 châteaux, 2 or 3 per château. If that count feels low, Saint-Émilion and Médoc Day with Lunch lists more than 10 tastings in 9 hours.
Can I bring my children?
Not under 4, and every passenger including children needs a paid ticket to board the van. The tour is also not wheelchair accessible. For an adults-only format, Saint-Émilion Day Trip, Three Châteaux is adults only, with no children under 18.
What happens if the tour is cancelled?
You can cancel free up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund. The operator can also cancel if only 1 person books, because a minimum of 2 is legally required, and you get a full refund in that case. Compare terms across the Bordeaux wine day tour.
How do I get to the meeting point?
Take tram lines B or C to Quinconces, the city's main hub, and walk to the Monument aux Girondins on Place des Quinconces. A single tram ticket costs €1.90 and the network runs from about 04:30 to midnight. Other Bordeaux wine day tours meet at different points, so check each listing.
Which châteaux will I visit?
The listing names the estates only as a Classified Growth property in the Médoc operating since 1855, a Growth Classified winery at lunch and a family-run estate on the right bank. The listing does not name the châteaux, so ask the operator. Compare how other Bordeaux wine day tours name their stops.
What Travelers Said
Wonderful lovely chateau Vinca did amazing very knowledgeable
Great wine tour! Our guide was very nice and knew the region very well. The visited wineries were beautiful, and the wines tasted were very good. St-Émilion is simply breathtaking! If you are into wines, you will love this tour. If you are not a wine fan, the scenery is beautiful.
The trip was very well organised all the people we met were very polite and helpful Special thanks must go to Jane our driver and guide It was a great day
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