Bordeaux. It’s the wine and a whole lot more. During our month-long visit to Bordeaux we rented a car for one week, giving us easy access to some of the beautiful villages outside the city. Even if you visit Bordeaux for only a few days, try to get outside the city. Here are my suggestions for My Favorite Day Trips from Bordeaux France.

Take a Tour

You do not need a car to get outside of the city. There are many tour options, and the train also goes to many locations. If you are short on time, I recommend a day trip with Olala Tours. We joined a tour with Olala early in our visit to Bordeaux that took us to Saint Emilion and to the Margaux Medoc region. This was a great introduction to the nuances of Bordeaux regional wines. We loved the tiny medieval village of Saint Emilion so we chose to go back there later with the car.

My Favorite Day Trips from Bordeaux France

We had the car for a week and we made five trips outside of the city during that time. We had beautiful weather on four of those days. Here are my recommendations;

Saint Emilion

Drive – It is about an hour drive to Saint Emilion, longer depending on traffic. We did not have any problem finding parking at 10am, but the lot was full after lunch.

Train – the train takes less time, but drops you about a mile from town. A walk or bike ride on to Saint Emilion is required.

What to do – Saint Emilion is one of the most famous wine regions in the world, with more than 800 wineries in the small appellation -you can’t possibly visit them all. Bordeaux’s famous red wines are made from a blend of grape varieties, with Merlot being the dominant variety, and also including Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines are known for their rich, full-bodied and complex character, with good aging potential.

Start your visit walking around the beautiful village for amazing views and shopping and coffee or lunch. Book in advance to take a tour of the amazing Monolithic church, only accessible by tour. No photos inside, but take my word for it – it is definitely worth it. If you don’t have a car, enjoy a tasting at one of the many wine shops in the village.

Tastings

With a car you must wander out into the miles and miles of vineyards and experience wine tasting with the wine masters of the Saint Emilion appellation. We visited three wineries and I recommend each one for a completely different experience; Chateau Chauvin (we visited with a tour), and on our own Haut Rocher and Chateau Saint Georges. Booking ahead is recommended.

There are many tours available from Bordeaux to Saint Emilion. This is an absolute not to miss day trip from Bordeaux on your own or with a tour.

Arcachon and Dune du Pilat

Drive – Arcachon is less than an hour by car west to the Atlantic ocean. Plenty of parking available.

Train – The train from Bordeaux will drop you in the center of Arcachon, but to visit Dune du Pilat you need a car or tour.

What to do – We started our visit at the Les Halle des Arcachon to indulge in Arcachon’s world famous oysters. Oysters and seafood are two of the main attractions to the region. If you love them as we do you must visit. We also did a self guided walk along the beach promenade, and hiked up the hill to admire the 19th century mansions and the view back down to the town. If you are interested there are boat tours out to the small outer islands. We did not do this.

The Dune du Pilat is an amazing not to be missed sand dune about 40 minutes to the south of Arcachon. I was blown away by the size of this natural phenomenon that juts up from the sea, Europe’s tallest dune. Learn more about it here. It’s a fun hike, accessible by stairs if you don’t want to crawl up, and the view is worth it. I highly recommend visiting Dune du Pilat if you can. So fascinating.

Bergerac

Drive – a bit further afield is the beautiful medieval village of Bergerac. It took us an hour and half to arrive in Bergerac. We easily found paid parking

Train – the train takes about the same time as driving and it is an easy 1km walk from the station into the historic center.

What to do – Bergerac is in the Perigord region, outside of the Bordeaux region. We visited on a Monday, when many things are closed, but we found some shops and restaurants open for visitors. We did a self guided tour of the village, famous for the ancient timbered buildings, many currently being carefully restored and protected. I really enjoyed the beautiful river walk, and views across the Dordogne river. We sat outside at a tiny cafe (such a French thing to do) and had great food, wine and service.

After lunch we drove about twenty minutes outside town to Chateau Monbazillac An ancient Chateau built in the 16th century with fascinating story you can learn on a self-guided immersive tour. The tour includes a glass of wine (this area is known for sweet whites) in their tasting room. It’s worth it for the views and gardens too. So peaceful.

Although it is farther, I recommend visiting Bergerac. The history was incredible. You could combine Bergerac and Saint Emilion but it would be a very long day.

Cape Ferret

Drive – headed west again Cape Ferret is a beautiful oyster producing region about an hour and twenty minutes drive from Bordeaux.

Train – really not an option

What to do – we were blessed with excellent weather (actually hot) and our Cape Ferret goal was to hike. We started at the end of the road (La Pointe du Cap Ferret) where there was a small parking lot and restroom. We did a loop walk along the ocean hiking through both wooded area and ocean beach for a total of five miles. The Cap Ferret lighthouse (‘phare’ in French) is a beacon in the distance, but was not really our destination although it is open for visitors. We sat on the beach just east of the lighthouse, ate the picnic we had brought from home, and watched many brave souls enjoy a brisk ocean swim. There are many small oyster restaurants as well as places to buy fresh oysters to take home. From this side of the bay you can look back across to Dune du Pilat (see above).

It would be possible to combine Cap Ferret with Arcachon if you had a car and were open to a very full day.

La Reole

Drive – We drove in a rain storm about an hour and twenty minutes. Part of the drive is on highway and part is through pretty little ancient villages and vineyards

Train – the train is faster, about 45 minutes, but drops you a few hundred meters outside of the village

What to do – unfortunately the day we went to La Reole we got caught in a total monsoon. Our goal was to visit the Saturday morning market (8am-1pm), touted as one of the best markets in all of France. We did visit, but in a deluge. There is a big parking lot just west of the market, which is located along the Dordogne river. We made our purchases from a butcher, poulet producer, and fruits and vegetables vendor. Across from the market there is a public elevator that takes you up to the medieval village. We managed to only see a little bit of this ancient town though, as it really was not possible in the storm. What we did see was beautiful though and you should give it a try.

You could combine Le Reole with a Saint Emilion day or a visit to Cadillac.

And There is More

We did visit Margaux Medoc with the tour we took, but I wished we could have had another day exploring the wine region of Medoc because it is more than just Margaux. I also had hoped to visit Blaye and Cadillac…those will need to wait for our next visit.

There are many destinations within easy access from Bordeaux if you wanted to do an overnight trip. We did not, but I would definitely consider this on our next long visit to the region. Toulouse is about two and half hours by car. Cognac is about two hours by car. Spain’s Basque region is less than three hours by car. Everything about this region is historic, delicious and beautiful. I want to live here.

Southwest France

Southwest France and the Bordeaux region are not as well known as some of France’s other destinations, and that of course makes it more desirable for me. Less expensive, less crowded but still interesting, delicious and fun. I learned more about wine during our visit to Bordeaux than I had in all my life. Everyday was fascinating. It’s time to consider the Nouvelle Acquitane region of France for your next travel adventure. J’ai adoré. A bientôt Bordeaux. Merci!

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Thank you for reading my post My Favorite Day Trips from Bordeaux France. See last week’s post Discover Bordeaux France and Bountiful Bordeaux, Eating My Way Through the City here.

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