St Emilion
Bordeaux barrels
Bordeaux St Emilion Wine Holiday
This enjoyable short wine break has the delightful wine town of St Emilion as its base, which is undoubtedly the loveliest town in the region.
The picturesque medieval hilltop town of St Emilion has a maze of cobbled streets and ancient buildings – the two dominant monuments are the hilltop spire and the keep, both commanding good views over the rooftops. The famous 8th-12th century Monolithic church is the largest underground church in Europe hewn out of solid limestone. Apart form the numerous wine shops in the village (where you can often taste some wines too) you must try the other local speciality, macaroons. There is also an excellent modern wine-tasting bar, where you can even taste the First Growths by the glass.
There are no wine chateaux to stay in within the town (so that you would be restricted on where to eat in the evening since the only wine chateau in the region has no on the spot dining facilities unless you are a group of 12) so we have chosen to base this weekend in either a 3* family run hotel with outdoor pool or a superb 5*hotel with Michelin double rosette restaurant. This also means that you have free time to explore the town on foot and to take advantage of the excellent bistros and cafes.
Outline itinerary for St Emilion Wine Holiday Weekend
Day One
- You can arrive at Bordeaux airport, Bordeaux train station, Libourne train station (this is the nearest point to St Emilion) or Bergerac airport. Arrange your own taxi on the spot or self-drive car hire arrangements or self-drive from anywhere in France.
- Evening – You are free to dine at your choice of restaurant this evening. We will provide you with the Arblaster & Clarke Wine Tours restaurant list for St Emilion pre-tour so that you can either pre-book or make your choice on the spot, or if you are staying at te superb 5*, we will automatically book you a table tonight in their Michelin star restaurant.
Day Two (this cannot be a Sunday)
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- At 0930/10.00 your local guide will meet you to take you on a tour on foot for a visit and tasting at three chateaux in and near St Emilion (total distance walked will not exceed 3 miles, this is an easy and interesting way to reach the chateaux as the distances are not great)
- You’ll pause for lunch in the village during the day.
- Free evening in St Emilion
Day Three
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- You can arrange for your hotel to book a taxi for you to return to Bordeaux airport, Bordeaux train station, Libourne train station or Bergerac airport.
Price
Based on 8 or 10 participants in standard twin/double share £350 per person.
Based on 6 participants in standard twin/double share £360 per person.
Based on 4 participants in standard twin/double share £450 per person.
Based on 2 participants in standard twin/double share £650 per person.
Includes:
- Two nights in 3* hotel (upgrade to standard room in 5* – £275 per person in twin/double)
- Breakfast on both mornings
- Private day trip on foot to three St Emilion chateaux with tastings (these will normally be of the latest vintage due to the negotiant system).
- Wine notes, maps and local restaurant suggestions for you to use to make your own restaurant bookings before or on the spot.
Dates possible: The price applies to departures throughout the year with bookings made at least 14 weeks in advance, but UK Bank Holiday weekends and Mid-September to the end of October departures incur a 15% supplement. The trip is not possible during French bank holidays or in August.
All prices are NET web prices and not available via third party booking/travel agents.
If the exact itinerary shown here does not suit you, we can design a bespoke tour to your requirements, though this will be significantly more expensive. Please advise us of your requirements and what your higher budget is.
Deposit:
Please provide us with a deposit of £250 per person by debit or credit card (credit cards incur a 1.5% bank charge, but there is no charge for debit cards) at time of booking request.
Price based on standard twin/double and the number of participants as shown
