Home » All our cycling trips » Bordeaux - Gironde » Bordeaux – The Great Vineyard Crossing

Bordeaux – The Great Vineyard Crossing

Price per person

From 1525€

Type of stay

Voyage à vélo

Location

Bordeaux - France

Duration

8 to 9 days

Difficulty

Departures

Daily from April to October

Capacity

2 people minimum

Reference

Cyclo 50

Your stay

Self-guided cycling tour in the heart of Bordeaux Vineyards.

Immerse yourself in the heart of the world’s greatest wines. Discover all the prestigious Bordeaux appellations in one unique journey. A mosaic of terroirs and exceptional wine estates with historic and boldly modern architecture. Unique landscapes shaped for centuries by man on the banks of the Gironde, Garonne and Dordogne rivers. 6 wine-growing stages and 6 atmospheres for cyclists, punctuated by remarkable natural and historical sites listed as World Heritage Sites.

From the world-famous wine city of Bordeaux, drive along the estuary and discover some of the world’s most renowned châteaux, including Château Margaux, Mouton Rothschild (Pauillac) and Cos d’Estourmel (Saint-Estèphe). Cross the “Petite Camargue” in the Nord Médoc, then follow the Atlantic beaches before crossing the entrance to the Gironde by ferry to Royan, a seaside resort that leaves no one indifferent.
Follow the limestone cliffs lined with carrelets and dotted with charming little fishing ports. You can then continue along the marshes, populated by migratory birds of all kinds, before reaching the Blaye and Bourg coasts. Be sure to visit the imposing Vauban Citadel at Blaye and the picturesque village of Bourg-sur-Gironde.
Leave the banks of the Gironde and reach the hillsides of the Dordogne via the Fronsac vineyards. Soon, Château Petrus, Cheval Blanc and Angelus will be your new reference points before the medieval city of Saint-Emilion.

From Saint-Emilion to Sauternes, the Entre-deux-Mers region presents rolling green landscapes dotted with châteaux, villages and bastides such as Rauzan, Sauveterre-de-Guyenne and Saint-Macaire. You then enter the territory of sweet and liquorous white wines as you approach the Garonne, home of Château Yquem and others. Just keep following the winding lanes lined with low dry-stone walls that mark the boundaries of the Barsac vineyards. A few pedal strokes further on, and you’re off to Graves and Pessac Léognan. Don’t miss the Château Smith Haut Laffite site at Sources de Caudalie before a final night in the historic city center of Bordeaux.

You'll enjoy :

The wine route : Margaux, Pauillac, Pomerol, Saint Emilion, Sauternes, Graves
Crossing Western Europe’s largest estuary by boat
Vauban’s Citadel of Blaye
Medieval city of Saint-Emilion
The picturesque villages of Entre-deux-Mers
Bordeaux, and its majestic quays, historic downtown, the Cité du Vin…

Back to travel

Daily program

Day 1 - Welcome to Bordeaux

Arrive at your hotel in the very heart of Bordeaux, UNESCO World Heritage city and voted best European destination of 2015.
You’ll receive your bikes, documentation on the region and a road book indicating your itinerary.

Day 2 - From Bordeaux to Pauillac

Your cycling itinerary begins at Place des Quinconces, one of Europe’s largest squares, and continues along the quays of Bordeaux to discover the Garonne River. You’ll then be quickly immersed in the viticultural world as you discover the world-renowned Châteaux emblematic of Bordeaux’s vineyards, such as Château Margaux and Château Latour.

You’ll then make your way to Pauillac, where you’ll enjoy a breathtaking view of the harmony between Grands Crus and flora that will make both wine amateurs and wine connoisseurs dream.

Day 3 - From Pauillac to Royan

Departing from Pauillac, after passing Châteaux Mouton Rothschild, ranked among the world’s top 50, and Cos d’Estournel, you’ll head up the left bank of the Gironde Estuary into the natural Médoc region.
Here, you’ll discover the “Petite Camargue” and its wet meadows, and join the coastline and its iodized sea spray, home to some of the most dazzling vineyards and châteaux.

You’ll pass through several towns, each with its own special features, such as Saint Estèphe, considered by some to be the wine tourism capital of the Médoc, with its 60-plus wine estates. On the last few kilometers of this stage, along the ocean coast, you’ll also find Soulac-sur-Mer, with the Basilique NotreDame-de-la-Fin-des-Terres, which had been almost completely silted up for hundreds of years, and the Phare de la Pointe de Grave, a listed historic monument.
To reach the destination of your day, you’ll embark on a boat providing views of the Cordouan lighthouse offshore and the Meschers cliff before arriving at the wonderful town of Royan, a seaside resort for almost two centuries.

Day 4 - From Royan to Blaye

As soon as you start pedaling, you’ll appreciate the contrast between the immensity of the sea and the architecture of the city, contrasting and complementing each other.
You’ll ride along the Grande Conche beach, overlooking the largest estuary in Western Europe. White stone cliffs blend with the sand to create a unique landscape. Historically, these cliffs were once the haunts of pirates and smugglers, before becoming places of refuge, surveillance and defense to protect the entrance to the Gironde.
Along the way, you’ll come across the carrelets, a typical feature of the Charente postcard. Scattered along the coastline next to the cliffs, they grew in importance after the Second World War, more precisely around 1950, when they became small second homes, representing the ideal of seaside vacations to enjoy life and fish for pleasure.

Afterwards, you’ll pass through the typical port of Meschers. Once a fishing village, Meschers has been a marina since the 19th century. Enjoy the unique setting of this small town, ideally situated between the sea and the pine forest.
The pretty village of Talmont-sur-Gironde was built in the 13th century by the English to lock down the Gironde Estuary and give King Edward I control over access to the port of Bordeaux. It takes the form of an elaborate fortification with perpendicular lanes, designed to simplify the movement of military troops.
In the village, you’ll find the 12th-century Romanesque church of Sainte-Radegonde, dedicated to the guardian of sailors, and listed as a Historic Monument in 1890. Its central chevet is adorned with modillions depicting animals, faces and even a wine barrel.
The soft and salt marshes will also be an integral part of your trip. They are home to a wide variety of interesting habitats and protected animal species: bats, mammals, butterflies, birds, dunes, etc…

Finally, you’ll pass by the perfectly preserved Vauban Citadel, offering a unique panoramic view of the Estuary, before stopping at Blaye, formerly known as the “lock of the Estuary” and currently a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you’ll be immersed in the history of France and its vineyards, planted since earliest antiquity.

Day 5 - From Blaye to St Emilion

From Blaye, you’ll head towards Bourg, along the Route de la Corniche, also known as the “Corniche Fleurie” or the “Route des Capitaines”, where you’ll find numerous troglodyte dwellings nestled in the cliffs. These dwellings, most of which are still inhabited, were built by former sailors who brought back exotic species from their journeys, which can still be seen in the gardens. The 10km route is marked by architectural installations known as “windows on the estuary”, designed to reveal all the stories and give a detailed insight into the area.

Nestled on a large cliff, the ancient Gallo-Roman village of Bourg is famous for its 13th-century medieval ramparts and for the many crowned heads who have resided here, including Edward 1st and Louis XIV. The village will surprise you when you discover that it has developed on two levels linked by a maze of staircases and alleyways: the upper part, with its shops, arts and crafts and former citadel, and the lower part, with its port, washhouse and water sports activities.

You’ll pass through the Fronsadais vineyards overlooking the Dordogne River, where you’ll find yourself in a natural landscape of vines, trees, rivers and flowers that will give you a feeling of wellbeing. Finally, as you continue on your way to Saint-Emilion, you’ll pass Château Petrus in Pomerol, a wine highly prized by collectors and considered one of the world’s finest.

Day 6 (optional) - Loop of Castillon-la-Bataille + visit of the village

Just ten kilometers from Saint-Emilion, you’ll find Castillon-la-Bataille, on the banks of the Dordogne River, famous for the battle between the French and English that ended the 100 Years’ War in 1453. However, it was not until 500 years later that the town took on its present name.

Today, thanks to its history, Castillon-la-Bataille is rich in architectural and natural heritage. The Dordogne River, with its fish-filled waters, offers the local gastronomy a wide variety of species, wisely accompanied by wines from the surrounding vineyards.

Day 6 or 7 - From Saint-Emilion to Sauternes (or Langon)

Your day begins in the famous town of Saint-Emilion, a hilly vineyard landscape renowned for its medieval city, a wine-lover’s paradise offering visitors some of the world’s most prestigious vineyards.
It is also home to the first wine-growing landscape to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the title of “cultural landscape”.

Continuing your journey, you’ll also discover the Entre-deux-Mers, an area with a greater variety of vineyards than any other region of the Gironde, and distinguished by its green, undulating landscape; Rauzan, a small medieval village whose castle, built between the 14th and 16th centuries, attracted a large population of people seeking protection in the houses surrounding the farmyard. Today, the château is one of the most important fortresses in the Gironde.

Sauveterre-de-Guyenne is a small, quiet village, recognizable by its bastide town founded in 1281 by King Edward 1st and preserved as a commemorative reminder of its eventful past. You’ll also find a 13th-century sundial south of the chevet of the Eglise Notre-Dame, as well as 16th-century timberframed houses.
Next, you’ll pass through Saint-Macaire, a medieval town on the banks of the Garonne, listed as a “Royal Town of England” in 1341, and Langon, whose economic prosperity was based mainly on its vineyards and ports throughout the 17th century.

Finally, you’ll arrive in Sauternes, home to the vines that produce the world’s most famous sweet white wines. Here you’ll find the famous Château d’Yquem, Bordeaux’s only Premier Cru Supérieur.

Day 7 or 8 - From Sauternes (or Langon) to Bordeaux

Leaving Sauternes, you’ll cross the “Graves” appellation and pass through several small villages such as Saint-Michel de Rieufret, with its church on the route to Santiago de Compostela, and La Brède, whose château was the birthplace of the famous writer and thinker Montesquieu in 1689.
Further along the road you’ll reach Martillac, where you’ll find Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Appellation Pessac-Léognan, ranked among the world’s top 10 vineyards. Right in the middle of town, you’ll find the Romanesque church of Sainte Quitterie, built around the 11th century on the foundations of a Roman temple dedicated to Mars, the god of war who was venerated as a protector during Julius Caesar’s wars of conquest of Gaul.

Finally, you’ll be back in Bordeaux, the starting point of your adventure, for a final night or more !

Day 8 or 9 - Departure

Departure or extra days in Bordeaux.

rates

Price per person

	Superior version	Deluxe version
8 days/ 7 nights : 9 days / 8 nights :	1525 € 1640 €	2500 € 2650 €

The price includes

7 or 8 nights and breakfasts (in double/twin room)
2 dinners
Travel book (with traces on maps 1:50000)
1 personalised visual or audio GPS app for smartphone
Luggage transfer
Boat crossing of Gironde’s Estuary
Hotline 7/7

Extra charge

	8 days – 7 nights	9 days – 8 nights
Touring bike Electric bike Gravel	135 € 270 € 260 €	150 € 305 € 290 €

Wine tastings on request

Further information

We take care of transporting your luggage every time you change accommodation, so you can travel light and enjoy your day’s hiking.

Leave your luggage at the reception desk of your accommodation before departure.

At the end of the afternoon, you’ll meet them at the reception desk of your new accommodation or directly in your room.

Luggage accepted per person: 1 suitcase or travel bag (maximum 23 kg) + 1 carry-on.

Your travel file corresponds to the documents or files you receive prior to your trip (generally one month before) and/or on arrival at your first accommodation.

It includes :

A welcome letter with key practical information:

Baggage transport times
Details of delivery and collection of rental bikes if required
Your local contact and emergency telephone number(s)
Any additional information

Travel logbook including map with route (at the appropriate scale) and directional, tourist and practical information
Any necessary vouchers to be given to the service provider(s)

On request and depending on the tour:

Download the “Evazio” application onto your smartphone for GPS navigation with visual (reading the route on your smartphone screen) and/or spoken guidance. The application also contains practical and tourist information. Once the trip has been downloaded, no Internet connection is required.
Loan of a GPS device with pre-recorded tracks
Send GPX tracks of each stage for use with your own navigation device

On this tour, we can provide you with a choice of the following, upon reservation:

A VTC bike adapted to the ride and the route

An electric bike adapted to the route

A gravel bike adapted to the course

With equipment :

Sacoche 1

Sacoche guidon

Kit reparation

Antivol

Casque

- - 1 rear bag
- 1 handlebar bag
- 1 repair kit
- 1 helmet (on request)
- 1 anti-theft device
- 1 charger (for electric bike)

For younger children, depending on age and size, we can offer

Velo enfant

Velo suiveur

Remorque

Remorque bis

A child’s bike
A baby seat
A trailer
A follower bike

The bike is adjusted to your size and delivered to the first accommodation.

At the end of the tour, the bike must be left at the last accommodation with its equipment. We’ll take care of collecting them.

This tour is offered in the “superior” or “luxury”category

Hotel categories :

Comfort: The tour features mainly 2 and 3-star hotels (or equivalent comfort level) and bed & breakfasts.
Superior: The tour features mainly 3- and 4-star hotels (or equivalent level of comfort) and charming bed & breakfasts.
Luxury: The tour features mainly 4- and 5-star hotels (or equivalent level of comfort).

For the duration of your stay, our telephone assistance service is available: