shadow
Fontane - FRANCE OFF THE BEATEN PATH™
Bordeaux old town with FRANCE OFF THE BEATEN PATH™ tours
Christy Destremau
Wine corks in the pot
Woman in the grape fields holding wine glass, and enjoing her FRANCE OFF THE BEATEN PATH™ tour

Bordeaux Tour Itinerary : 6 Day Tour

Best Adventures in Bordeaux

Detailed Day-by-Day Bordeaux Tour Itinerary

RATED EXCELLENT WITH 500+ REVIEWS

2019 WINNER!! 3RD CONSECUTIVE YEAR!

RECOMMENDED BY FROMMER’S FRANCE!

A group of happy people are toasting with raised glasses. Check our Bordeaux Tour ItineraryDay 1 –Bordeaux tour itinerary begins – D

 

ARRIVAL IN BORDEAUX. Meet and greet by your tour guides at 3 pm at Bordeaux St. Jean Rail Station. We transfer to our boutique hotel in the historic center of Bordeaux. Our boutique hotel serves as our home base for the entire tour (NO Hotel Hopping – Unpack once for the entire tour).

Enjoy luxury accommodations at either Hotel de Seze or Grand Hotel de Bordeaux in the historic center of Bordeaux.

DINNER: Welcome aperitif (cocktail hour) and dinner, a first taste of local “Bordelaise” gourmet cuisine together at one of the best kept secrets in Bordeaux.

Roundtrip transfers on Day 1 and Day 6 of the tour :

Day 1 – Transfer provided from Bordeaux St. Jean rail station at 3 pm.

Day 6 – Transfer provided to Bordeaux St. Jean Rail station for 11:30 am arrival.

 

 


 

A Group of people is wine tasting withing the Bordeaux Tour ItineraryDay 2 – Walking in the vineyards of saint emilion, winery tours & tasting today, privately hosted lunch at a winery, guided cultural tour of saint emilion village & 12th century monolithic church – B, L

 

BREAKFAST.

Bordeaux Tour Itinerary features a day in SAINT EMILION : Viticulture was introduced to this fertile region of Aquitaine by the Romans, and intensified in the Middle Ages. The Saint Emilion area benefited from its location on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Many churches, monasteries and hospices were built from the 11th century onwards. It was granted the special status of a “jurisdiction” during the period of English rule in the 12th century. It is an exceptional landscape devoted entirely to wine-growing, with many fine historic monuments, artisan, craft and wine shops and a photogenic pedestrian village to discover.

Group of happy people are walking thought vineyard within the Bordeaux Tour ItineraryEmbark on guided walk through the historic vineyards of the Saint Emilion jurisdiction discovering cultural highlights of this magical wine growing area and enjoying a winery tour and wine tasting during our walk.

LUNCH – Privately hosted lunch together at one of our favorite wine producers of Saint Emilion.

AFTERNOON: Following lunch Enjoy a guided cultural & historical tour of Saint Emilion village & the underground monolithic church.

We’ll also partake in a WINERY TOUR & TASTING at a Classified GROWTH PRODUCER followed by leisure time to explore and discover Saint Emilion, as well as visit local artisan and wine boutiques.

Late afternoon return to our hotel in Bordeaux.

DINNER: Independently in Bordeaux dining at one of the fabulous restaurants in town or along the river bank.

 

 


 

 

Group of happy people with aprons, attending cooking class within the Bordeaux Tour ItineraryDay 3 – Cooking class at home with friend & chef antoine, sauternes wine school, winery tour & tasting – B, L

 

BREAKFAST.

Morning – fun, hands-on french cooking/bread baking class at home with life long, family friend and renowned chef antoine

Group of people posing with raised glasses - Bordeaux Tour ItineraryBordeaux Tour Itinerary features a day in Sauternes. This morning we head to the Sauternes area south of Bordeaux for a full day of foodie experiences! Learn to make French bread specialties and pastries using an 18th century, historical wood-fired bread oven. Under the guidance of our life long friend, Celebrity Master Chef and Cookbook Author Antoine , we’ll prepare a multi-course meal of “Bordelaise” recipes. Afterwards, enjoy the mid-day “aperitif” also known as pre-lunch cocktails with Antoine and his family followed by a sumptuous gourmet lunch of the recipes that we’ve prepared together during class. We will prepare our recipes using many different cooking mediums including Antoine’s custom-designed outdoor wood-fired baking oven.

LUNCH: A traditional Bordelais lunch with our Chef and his family. Lunch is accompanied by Antoine’s professional selection of classified wines from his cellar and the vineyards of his local friends.

AFTERNOON – A WINERY TOUR & TASTING OUR SELECT GRAND CRU PRODUCER. Private Winery Tour and wine tasting at the famous French Oenology school (Wine School) in Sauternes; an 1855 classified growth wine producer and teaching school. There is a sunny magic in these bottles, and the more the wine ages, the more golden its appearance and sweeter its flavors. It is wondrous that such prized wine comes from grapes that in any other appellation would be considered only fit for discarding.

LATE AFTERNOON – Enjoy some leisure time on return to the hotel.

DINNER: Independently in Bordeaux this evening.

Cooking at Home with friend, Master Chef Antoine:

 

 


 

 

Chrity waving with her quest, beautiful scenery with sand, sky and water- Bordeaux Tour ItineraryDay 4 – Arcachon basin, french pinasse cruise to cap ferret, foodie tastings, gourmet lunch overlooking the pilat dune, cultural walk of ville d’hiver – B, L

 

BREAKFAST.

Bordeaux Tour Itinerary features a FULL DAY IN ARCACHON – Arcachon is a seaside town in south of Bordeaux known for oyster harvesting. Its 4 districts are named after the seasons of the year — The Ville d’Été (summer quarter) is home to shopping streets, the town’s sandy main beach and a casino in the 19th-century Château Deganne. Ville d’Hiver (winter quarter) has extravagant 19th-century villas of spectacular architecture and a unique history.

Happy people drinking wine, enjoying sun, on a beach restaurant, Bordeaux Tour ItineraryMORNING: We’ll enjoy a leisure excursion on a French Pinasse along the Arcachon Basin exploring the coast on a guided nature excursion along the Arcachon Basin featuring oyster, charcuterie and cheese tasting with Champagne, followed by a cultural walk of Arcachon and a visit at the Dune de Pilat. The Arcachon Basin vistas and Pilat Dune will leave you speechless!

WALKING RATING : For WALKERS: The Arcachon cultural walk is rated easy. Ideal for those who walk for on a regular basis. Walking on a defined path. The walk distance is 2 miles – approximately 1 hour of walking with pauses for photo-ops. For NON-WALKERS: Shuttle to/from all activities, excursions, meals and visits. Non-walker rating = EASY.

PILAT DUNE – At its southern entrance from the Atlantic Ocean, Arcachon Bay is crowned by Europe’s largest sand dune that is nearly 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) long, 500 meters (1,600 feet) wide, stands 110 meters (360 feet) in height, and is moving inland at a rate of about 5 meters (16 feet) a year.

At the begining of the 19th century Arcachon was still just a small fishing village. The ville d’été started growing up principally as a place of healing where sick people could take in the sea air as part of their recovery process. From 1860 the Ville d’hiver with improved transport developed train links to Bordeaux and Paris. The sea air and the pine forests were found to as beneficial as the mountain air and as Arcachon is in a bay it is protected from the strong winds of the rest of the Atlantic coast. A group of business men, and in particular the Pereire brothers, and the owners of the railway line between Bordeaux and La Teste came up with the idea of extending the line to Arcachon and developing Arcachon as a winter resort. When Napolean III came to visit, Arcachon’s success was assured. Alexandre Dumas lived in Arcachon for a while and Toulouse-Lautrec had a house on the sea-front.

LUNCH: A gourmet lunch overlooking the coast!

AFTERNOON – Culturual Walk of Ville d’Hiver followed by leisure time to explore Arcachon.

before our RETURN TO THE HOTEL.

DINNER: Independent dinner this evening.

 


 

 

Happy People in old town - Bordeaux Tour ItineraryDay 5 – Guided cultural discovery walk of bordeaux, sensational history, foodie tastings, farewell dinner together – B, D

 

BREAKFAST.

MORNING – Enjoy a city walking tour of the history, monuments, and our favorite artisan food boutiques of Bordeaux. Our walk features savory and sweet foodie tastings throughout this unique and personalized experience. Considered one of the most beautiful cities in France, you’ll learn what makes Bordeaux so magical! We will visit one of the oldest and most famous shops in Bordeaux.

People wine and cheese tasting in rustic basement of an old castle - Bordeaux Tour ItineraryWe will learn about the history of the caneles, a traditional signature dessert of the region, and how its creation in Bordeaux is related to wine! Finally we get to taste the famous “la Dune Blanche” which has a surprise story that will be revealed during our walk. Following our walking tour and tasting experiences, set off on your own to enjoy lunch at the waterfront or one of the city’s traditional bistros.

WALKING RATING : For WALKERS and NON-WALKERS: The Bordeaux city cultural and foodie experience walk is rated easy. Ideal for those who walk for on a regular basis. Walking through the city. We spend time at each tasting location, and enjoy pauses for photo-ops.

LUNCH: Independently in Bordeaux.

AFTERNOON – At leisure to pursue personal interests and to finish any souvenir shopping.

DINNER: Farewell gourmet Dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, recently featured as one of the BEST restaurants in Bordeaux, to celebrate a wonderful week together.

 

 


 

Day 6 – Bordeaux tour itinerary concludes – B

 

Tour Conclusion, Group Departure – B

BREAKFAST.

Transfer to St. Jean Rail Station in downtown Bordeaux for 11:30 am arrival. Earlier and later departures can be organized on request. Please contact us for details.

 

Please note: This tour is not suitable for anyone with mobility issues or walking limitations.

(B) = Breakfast Included, (L) = Lunch Included, (D) = Dinner Included

 


 

  • Have a group of friends or family, and want to make this tour a private departure? Email us at christy@traveloffthebeatenpath.com for details.
  • Dietary Requests & Food Allergies for our Bordeaux Tour Itinerary — We accommodate ALL dietary requests (including vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, etc) and ALL food allergies (gluten, shellfish, etc) while ensuring an amazing foodie experience for all tour guests with restrictions and/or allergies.
  • Review WALKING RATINGS for our Bordeaux Tour.
  • Roundtrip transfers on Day 1 and Day 6 of the tour:  Day 1 – Transfer provided from Bordeaux St. Jean rail station at 3 pm. Day 6 – Transfer provided to Bordeaux St. Jean Rail station for 11:30 am arrival. Earlier and later arrivals and departures can be arranged upon request.

RATED 5 STARS BY HUNDREDS OF HAPPY TOUR GUESTS

OVER 500 VERIFIED FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON TRUSTPILOT

shadow
shadow
shadow

RATED 5 STARS BY HUNDREDS OF HAPPY TOUR GUESTS

OVER 500 VERIFIED FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON TRUSTPILOT

A WORD FROM Our Guests:

Exceeded Our Expectations!

“This trip to the Loire Valley exceeded our expectations! Christy planned unique and interesting excursions and activities that highlighted the beauty of the area and provided in-depth background knowledge about the various chateaux we visited. The cooking classes with renowned chefs, held in their restaurants and homes, were never-to-be forgotten experiences, and the visit to the winery was a highlight. The hotel was delightful and charming, and staying in one location for the entire time was a treat. Every meal or cocktail hour was planned to highlight the delicious specialties of the region. Christy is extremely knowledgeable about the various places we visited and imparted that knowledge in an interesting and entertaining manner. She and Remi took great care to ensure that we were always comfortable and well-looked after. We could not have asked for a better trip!” — Ron Rose & Sharon Matsumoto (Have done Provence tour and Loire Valley tour)

This was my third trip in the same number of years

“This was my third trip in the same number of years with Christy and Off the Beaten Path. While on her trips you can tell how much effort there is on the off season to make every single week perfect. From the pick up at the train station to the teary goodbye at the airport, everything is perfectly planned and executed. The hotel in St. Remy is magical, and the tour guides Philippe and David are exceptional. If you are considering a trip with OTBP, go for it and come home with new friends, a love of Provence and a longing to return as soon as you can!” — Beth Bower (Has done Provence tour twice and Loire Valley tour)

The Best Tour Company!

“I have done two tours – Provence and Loire Valley – and I am already looking forward to booking another. The tours are all perfectly curated and Christy is a wealth of knowledge. She is so kind and takes all of your needs and wants into consideration. I cannot recommend Off the Beaten Path enough!” — Madison Carl (Has done Provence and Loire Valley tours)

“We did the Provence tour. 8/2019. I had taken the tour 2017 & this time my husband came with me. It was just as fabulous this time as it was in 2017. Restaurants, picnic, sights, wine, all of it just delightful, but the frosting on the cake is a the knowledge, insight, humor, & attention to detail from David & Philippe. To us, they make a great trip soooo much fun. (also, 3 of our neighbors joined us this tour). Don’t hesitate, take this tour & enjoy!!!!!” — Jim & Carol Dean (Carol has done Provence tour twice)

Returning to Provence with France Off the Beaten Path

“I wanted to return to Provence as soon as it was open. I had toured with Christy in Loire Valley in 2019 and knew I wanted to travel with her again. For the second time, everything was well organized, personal and definitely off the beaten path. Christy and Phillippe have a wealth of knowledge and are eager to share. The hotel was perfectly located in St Remy, the tours to the lavender and sunflower fields are my favorite memory. The lunches and dinners were like visiting friends. The boat tour in Cassis was another highlight. Even though I had visited Provence, this trip with France Off the Beaten Path brought a new appreciation for the area.” — Susan Gage (Has done Loire Valley tour, Provence tour, Champagne tour)

“We had an excellent tour with Christie and her crew in the Loire valley. We did things that only a true insider would have access to-dinner at a Michelin chefs house, helping/learning to cook at a highly rated restaurant in their kitchen. This was in addition to seeing the sights and touring the castles. A truly unique experience that is off the beaten path. We will use her again when going back to France.” — Karen Berner (Has done Loire Valley tour)

READ MORE REVIEWS