The Bordeaux vineyards tour

The lower stretch of the Dordogne river is rightly celebrated for the wines produced in its fertile valley, but there is so much more to the area that should not be missed. The rivers here are broad, meandering and majestic, and the hinterland is richly forested. Between the vineyards, fields of sunflowers and maize jostle for space.

“We have just got home today. Had a fantastic time again!”

Claire & Jim, Australia

Man has left his mark on the area from prehistoric times, with notable cave paintings at several grottes along the river valley. Later, the Romans arrived and vestiges of their works are scattered across the region. The region's heyday, however, came in the 12th century when King Henry II of England married Eleanor of Aquitane and gained the Bordeaux region for the English crown.

The marriage led to a rivalry between France and England for control of Aquitane and the enormous English territories in France that would last for three hundred years. From 1154 to 1453, Bordeaux prospered under English rule, whose love of the region's red wine — claret to the English — helped the region gain a worldwide reputation for quality wines. This was the golden era for Bordeaux, and as a result, the region boasts suberb medieval architecture in the form of chateaux, churches, abbeys and monasteries.

As far back as the third century BC, when Bordeaux was founded by the Romans, the region’s wines began enjoying a favourable reputation. The vineyards cover 520 square miles spread over the valleys of the Dordogne and Garonne river system. This treasure chest of viticulture contains some of the most glittering stars of the wine-lover’s firmament: St-Emilion, Pomerol and Fronsac in the Libournais to the east, Graves and Sauternes in the Entre-Deux-Mers region to the south-east, and Pauillac, St-Julien and Margaux in the Medoc peninsular to the north-west. Nestled in these famous appelations are Chateaux bearing some of the most famous (and expensive) names to be found on a wine bottle — Lafite-Rothschild, Latour, Lynch-Bages, Mouton-Rothschild, Margaux, Yquem, Cheval-Blanc, Petrus… the list is endless!

“Great vacation – see you next year!”

Rob, USA

Although there are some hills, we follow the rivers on predominantly easy cycling routes. Our tour will take you on through some of the most famous vineyards in the world, but we will make sure you don't miss the other man-made and natural glories the region has to offer !

2009 Tour Dates

Tour comprises seven days and six nights beginning on Sunday and finishing on Saturday.

Includes transfers.

Start Date	Price* **
10 May	£1445
24 May	£1445
7 June	£1445
16 August	£1445
30 August	£1445
13 September	£1445

*Prices are per person based on 2 sharing. Single room supplement £375.

**A 5% discount will apply to all bookings of 6 persons or more.

Fitness Levels

Easy cycling with fairly low daily distances.

Tour Highlights

• Tranquil cycling alongside the Dordogne.
• Wine tasting at some of France’s greatest chateaux.
• Gourmet food and wine in St-Emilion.
• Idyllic rural landscapes of vines and sunflowers.

Travel

• Pick-ups from Bergerac airport and railway station
• Return to Bordeaux airport and TGV station.

Downloads

• Bordeaux Tour (PDF 490kB)
• Entire brochure (PDF 7.5MB)

Instructions: Right-click (Ctrl-Click on Mac) the link and select ‘Save Target As…’.

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