BEST OF BORDEAUX BIKE TOUR

Day 1 of your Bordeaux Bike Tour: Arrival in Pauillac - Welcome to the Medoc!

A taxi will be waiting for you at the Pauillac train station upon your arrival to transfer you to your first hotel. At the end of the afternoon, our Trip Manager will meet with you for your Trip Orientation, to answer questions, and to check your bike fitting, before your first dinner.

Day 2 of your Bordeaux Bike Tour: Loop around Pauillac and Ste Estephe 52 km / 32 Miles 

Today’s very pretty ride is a great introduction to the region, as it gives you a variety of sites and scenery: shady forest and groves, fields of wheat and sunflowers, trickling streams, and little villages of the lovely golden stone of the Garonne Estuary. And let’s not forget the renowned vineyards! You’ll get opportunities to photograph a couple of the big names of the Medoc today, as you pass the grand chateaux of Pontet Canet, Lafite Rothschild, and Cos d’Estournel. You can also explore several villages, and the beautiful 10^th century abbey of Vertheuil. A visit and tasting is organized for you today to fit in with your ride.

Day 3 of your Bordeaux Bike Tour: Pauillac to Margaux 44 km / 27 Miles 

Today’s ride takes you southwards along the Estuary, passing by more great names from the Medoc wine world (Pichon Longueville Baron, Gruaud Larose, and Beychevelle, for example). But you’ll also enjoy a stop at the impressive Fort Medoc fortification, built by the war engineer and architect Vaubun, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them in the 1600s under King Louis XIV. The ride isn’t too long, so you can consider catching a ferry at Lamarque to cross over the estuary into the town of Blaye, and visit the UNESCO-listed Citadel there. The end of your ride brings you in to Margaux, your home for two evenings.

Day 4 of your Bordeaux Bike Tour: the Route des Chateaux around Margaux 43 km / 27 Miles 

A great loop ride awaits you today, replete with great Chateaux names, as well as tranquil countryside and small villages. Lots of photo opportunities, as you pass by Chateaux such as Giscours, Dauzac, Kirwan, Prieure Lichine, Palmer, and Chateau Margaux. Even for those who aren’t wine fanatics, the beauty and grandeur of the extraordinary architecture will not leave you unmoved! And of course, another organized visit and tasting awaits you near the end of your ride. Take some time to pull your thoughts away from the wine to enjoy a stop at the artisanal chocolate factory in Margaux as well, or perhaps the pull of the great names will be too much, in which case you can stop at a local wine bar for an end-of-the-day drink.

Day 5 of your Bordeaux Bike Tour: A day in Bordeaux

The Lonely Planet voted Bordeaux the best city to visit in 2017, and we agree! So today, we give you time to explore this vibrant regional capital. After breakfast, hop (with your bike) on the local train from Margaux into the heart of Bordeaux. Bordeaux is extremely bike-friendly, so you may well decide to use your wheels to explore; otherwise you can park your bike at your hotel. You won’t want to miss the city’s new wine-themed visitor experience, the Cité du Vin, as well as the grand Place de la Bourse with its Water Mirror, or simply walk the lovely esplanade along the banks of the Garonne. Lunch and dinner are a challenge only because of the plethora of great gourmet opportunities – fresh and simple to very very chic!

​* For those that wish, we offer a bike route into Bordeaux instead, of 50 km / 31 Miles 

Day 6 of your Bordeaux Bike Tour: Bordeaux to St Emilion 55 Km / 34 Miles

Ride out of Bordeaux along the Garonne, passing in front some magnificent 17^th and 18^th century manor houses, before joining the Roger Labeypie bike path in the village of Latresne (the path is named after a local winner of the Tour de France bike race). This fabulous path winds you through the countryside of the Entre Deux Mers region (literally, between two seas). We recommend leaving it by the medieval village of Creon, for explorations and perhaps to find some lunch, before continuing on. Leave the path near the village of Guilac, to wend your way up towards, and then over, the Dordogne River at the bridge of Branne. It isn’t very far from there, riding through vineyards, until you see your goal in the distance: St Emilion.

Day 7 of your Bordeaux Bike Tour: Loop ride from St Emilion 40 km / 25 Miles 

Your final day’s ride is one of the prettiest, as our route takes you through the tiny villages and lush vineyards surrounding St Emilion, on tiny, un-trafficked roads. More great chateaux names await you today, such as Ausone and Petrus, and we have organized a final visit and tasting for you at the end of your day today. The ride isn’t too long, in order for you to have time for that, as well as time for explorations of UNESCO-listed Saint Emilion itself. You don’t want to miss the extraordinary underground monuments, including the monolithic church (carved in one piece out of the regional soft stone!

Day 8 of your Bordeaux Bike Tour: Departure

After your final breakfast, catch the little Tacot shuttle from the centre of the village to the Saint Emilion train station, on the outskirts of town – Bon Voyage!