How to visit Bordeaux wine châteaux

Book, and keep the day small

A château is a working estate, not a museum, so book the visit ahead. The Bordeaux tourist office takes bookings through its own platform, visiter-bordeaux.com.

Many classified growths receive visitors by appointment only, and the appointment is often booked weeks ahead. A few estates and the city's wine bars take walk-ins. The château profiles on this site give each estate's visiting details where known.

The simplest plan is one district a day. On the map, the Médoc (opens in a new tab) lies north of the city along the Gironde, Saint-Émilion (opens in a new tab) east on the Dordogne, and Sauternes (opens in a new tab) south up the Garonne. A day that tries to join the 3 spends its time on the road. For a first trip the tourist office runs afternoon excursions called Un jour, un terroir. Each covers one district: the Médoc, Blaye and Bourg, the Entre-deux-Mers (opens in a new tab), the Graves (opens in a new tab) and Sauternes, or Saint-Émilion. A licensed guide takes the group to 2 estates with tastings, or one in Saint-Émilion. The same office runs a full day in Margaux (opens in a new tab) with 3 château visits and lunch.

Start in the city

The Cité du Vin stands on the river north of the center, at Bassins à flot, quai de Bacalan, at the La Cité du Vin stop on tram line B. It opens daily, with longer hours from April through October; check the hours before you go. The permanent exhibition takes 2 to 3 hours on average, using the handheld guide the Cité provides. The Permanent exhibition + Belvédère ticket ends on the 8th floor with a glass of wine chosen from more than 15. In 2026 an adult ticket for a set date cost 23 euros, and 27 with 2 glasses.

The Bordeaux Wine School, the École du Vin de Bordeaux, was set up by the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB (opens in a new tab)), the Bordeaux wine trade council, in 1989. It teaches at 3 cours du XXX Juillet, in the center. Its classes last from 2 hours to a full day, beginner to advanced, in French and English, and are taught by growers, enologists, and cellar masters. Workshops start at 32 euros.

Getting around

Going to	How	Detail
Saint-Émilion	Train, Bordeaux to Sarlat line	About 30 minutes
Pomerol (opens in a new tab)	Train to Libourne	Lines toward Coutras and Angoulême
The Médoc	Train, Bordeaux to Le Verdon line	Stops at Margaux, Moulis-Listrac, and Pauillac (opens in a new tab)
Pessac-Léognan (opens in a new tab), Graves, and Sauternes	Train, Bordeaux to Langon line	Stops at Cadaujac, Portets (opens in a new tab), Cérons (opens in a new tab), and Preignac
Blaye	Express bus, line 430	About 1 hour 30 minutes
Entre-deux-Mers	The Roger Lapébie cycle path	47 kilometers to Sauveterre-de-Guyenne

Four of the 6 districts are a train ride from the city. From a station an estate may still be a taxi ride away, and whoever drives should not be the one tasting. Cyclists taking the train between June 1 and September 15 need a ticket for the bike as well as their own. Hours, lines, and prices change; check them before you travel.

Fall weekends when a whole appellation opens

The tourist office runs vineyard excursions from the city year-round, and the appellations add open days of their own. Each fall the appellations open their estates over a weekend: the Graves and Fronsac (opens in a new tab) in October; Sauternes and Barsac (opens in a new tab), Sainte-Croix-du-Mont (opens in a new tab), and Loupiac (opens in a new tab) in November; Pessac-Léognan in early December. Bordeaux Tourisme posts the dates each year.

On those weekends the estates of one appellation open together, with tastings. Each is the one-district day, already planned for you.