If you like to get active during your holiday, the Pays des Vins offers plenty of possibilities:

For cycling there are numerous tracks which enable you to safely see the countryside. One of the best is a disused railway line running between Sauveterre-de-Guyenne and Bordeaux. At a distance of 55 kms each way, this is not for the beginner although the route is mostly flat. You can pick the trail up about half-way at Créon, where the Créon Station Velos at the station can help with bike hire and equipment. An on-line map of the route is available from the Gironde Tourist Board cycling web page. There are hire shops in the major towns listed opposite.

Horse-riding – there are opportunities for horse-riding throughout the region, including in the Médoc vineyards, through forest at Belin-Beliet south of Bordeaux, and in the Entre-deux-Mers countryside at Sadirac (nr Créon) and Monségur (near Duras). A map of trails around Belin-Beliet is available form the Gironde Tourist Board's walking and horse-riding web page: .

Walking – the Gironde tourist board (link as above) publishes 19 walkers’ routes in the department, including many in the Pays des Vins, covering the areas around St Emilion, Créon, Sauveterre-de-Guyenne, Langon and Cadillac. Many of these routes are also suitable for bikes.

Marathon-running! The annual Marathon du Médoc takes place each year on the second Saturday in September.

Canoeing is available on local rivers - this is a fantastically different way of seeing the landscape, with over 40 miles of circuits nearby, on the River Leyre at Belin-Beliet, the Ciron at Villandraut and the Dordogne close to St Emilion and its tributary, the L’Isle.

Golf – there are 11 courses in the Pays des Vins, most in a cluster in a 30-40 minute drive of Bordeaux, all shown on Touradour's map of Gironde golf courses.

Water sports: waterskiing, windsurfing, boat rides, etc, are available at lakes in and close to the Pays des Vins at Hostens (southern Gironde), Blasimon (nr Creon) and Lac de Clarens nr Casteljaloux.

Spa day - Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa is in the middle of the Château Smith Haut Lafitte vineyards, just south of Bordeaux. The spa offers unique beauty treatments derived from grand cru grapes of the Graves appelation renowned for their anti-ageing and micro-circulation improving properties - in short, visitors apparently come out feeling good! Combine it with a vineyard visit (by appointment) too.

Wine-tasting courses – The Bordeaux Ecole du Vin offers 2 hour, 1 day and weekend courses on discovering and testing the wines of the region.

Cookery classes – learn how to cook like a Michelin-starred Aquitaine chef! Several establishments offer courses in the region, including: Les Sources de Caudalie about 25 kms south west of Bordeaux, and Chapon Fin cookery school in Bordeaux itself.

Medoc red wine (Chateau Maucaillou)


Grand Theatre, Bordeaux


Market day, Castillon-la-Bataille


Canoeing on the Dordogne river

As well as offering a wealth of places of interest of its own, the Pays des Vins is also located such that highlights of the Aquitaine coast and even the Dordogne are within a 60-90 minute drive.

Starting within the region itself:

Markets – markets are a must-do of any trip to this region, for the quality and colour of the produce, and the lively atmosphere. To the east of the region are the markets of Bergerac, Ste-Foy-la-Grande. Eymet, Miramont, Duras & Monsegur. To the west there’s Cadillac, Créon, La Réole, Libourne, Langon, plus Bazas, Salles and St Symphorien to the south. Owners know the days!

Châteaux & vineyard visits – where to start?! If tasting & learning is your aim, to help over 650 wine-making properties are members of the ‘Vignobles & Chaisin Bordeaux’, a scheme under which producers offer guided tours and assisted tastings. Many of our owners in the region know local wine-makers (one or two are winemakers themselves) who will give you a highly personalised tour of their vineyards and cellars – it adds another dimension to a wine’s taste when you’ve visited the terroir and met the viticulteur who bottled it!

If you simply want to gaze at the more sumptuous châteaux, a good option is the route des vins in the Médoc, the D2 road just south of Lesparre-Médoc to Macau, which takes you past the most famous and prestigious properties: Château Cos d’Estournel, Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Latour and Château Margaux.

Many of the major châteaux only offer tours and tastings by appointment, simply because they are very popular! (Follow the links above for contatc details.) However there are a few which are open to casual visitors, for example: Château Siran, Labarde (Médoc); Château de Rouillac (Pessac-Léognan); Château de Malle (Sauternes, highly recommended - afternoons only without appointment); Château Le Luc Regula (Entre-Deux-Mers); Château de Roques (St Emilion).

Historic villages and towns – in the Pays des Vins you are spoilt for choice. St Emilion is the one most people head for, but go early in the day, or out of season, to avoid the crowds. Equally historic, but smaller, are Sauve-Majeure and La Réole, definitely worth a visit. Many other of the region’s towns boast character and history – Libourne, Créon, Duras, Sainte Foy-la-Grande are all very enjoyable places to lunch and then stroll afterwards.

Literary-minded visitors might enjoy visiting writers’ châteaux, including those of Montaigne (Chateau de la Brede, approx. 20 kms south of Bordeaux) and Francois Mauriac's country house at Saint Maixant (another 20 kms south-west from La Brede)

City culture in Bordeaux – these days Bordeaux is a transformed city: smartened-up buildings, extensively pedestrianised and a 21st century tram system, the combination of historic and new makes Bordeaux the epitome of a modern European city. The city centre around the Grand Théatre and Cours de l’Intendance is a marvel – it’s not difficult to appreciate the wealth and vision of the city’s planners of its hey-days, over two centuries ago. Extensive shopping on the Rue Ste Catherine, a vast choice of cafés and restaurants, the stunning Cathédrale St-André, make Bordeaux an excellent day or two out. The Bordeaux tourist office by the Grand Théatre offers walking guides.

We can also the following trips slightly further afield:

Days by the lake. There are inland lakes at Hostens (southern Gironde), Lac de Clarens nr Casteljaloux (south-west part of the Pays des Vins, on the Lot-et-Garonne border) and at Blasimon (Entre-Deux-Mers) All have sandy beaches, and bathing is usually supervised in July & August. With a picnic it’s a very pleasant and relaxing day.

Days at the seaside. The endless expanses of golden sand and rolling waves characteristic of the Atlantic coast's beaches - Le Grand Crohot, about 10 km due west of Lège-Cap Ferret is particularly recommended, you can always find a quiet spot to yourself. Alternatively, there's the very family-friendly resorts of Lacanau-Océan and Arcachon. Or try the oyster-farming villages and pine-and-sand-dune landscape of La Presqu'Ile de Cap Ferret, a very different world from the Pays des Vins.

Explore the Dordogne – to the north and east is the rich gastronomic and cultural heritage of the Dordogne - its truffles, many caves (eg at Sarlat, Lascaux, Font-de-Gaume) and fortified towns are within an hour and a half's drive.