Skip to main content

France - Vineyard Ride in Bordeaux

Join us for a long ride around Bordeaux, the world's wine capital.

Horses and riders take the ferry across the river to see Fort Blaye. The ride continues through the vineyards and you can enjoy long gallops. At lunchtime, you will enjoy some great picnics and wine tasting. This tour takes you past many beautiful castles, and you will stay in hotels or wineries. This trail tastes wonderful!

On this ride you will enjoy the some of the world’s most prestigious wines, including: Medoc, Cote de Blaye, Cote de Bourg Bordeaux Superieur, Lalande Pomerol, St. Emilion, Entre-Deux-Mers, Greaves and Cote de Bordeaux. You will also get to taste sweet concentrated wines such as Cadillac and the famous Sauternes.

You'll visit the citadel of Blaye whose history goes back to ancient times, and remains today a fine example of military architecture. The medieval city of St. Emilion has preserved many of its relics of the past, despite the damage it has received over the centuries through several invasions, including religious wars and the French Revolution. In St Emilion, you can visit Cordeliers Convent and local fortifications. St Emilion has been listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since December 1999.

You'll see Rauzan Castle built in the thirteenth century by the knight Sir Bernard de Rauzan. The castle was an important landmark for the English during the Hundred Years War. You will also visit Cadillac that belonged to the British during the Hundred Years War. Today, Cadillac is a small dynamic city. You can still see the old walls that once protected the city. This is also the castle that belonged to the Duke of Eperon. Both the castle and the church are worth a visit.

The information on this page is specific to this ride. Click here for more information>>

Full text search

The Program

On certain dates, the ride will be in the reverse order to the program below. 

Day 1 - Transfer from Bordaux airport 6.00 p.m, hall B  at the "Brioche Dorée" snack bar. You will be driven then to Chambre d'Hôtes en Vigne in Ruch for your dinner and overnight stay.

Day 2 - This day's hike will take us through the Entre-deux-mers region, with its varied, hilly, wooded landscapes and beautiful vineyards. We pass by the 13th-century Château de Rauzan before arriving at our picnic area. In the
afternoon, we continue through the Bordeaux vineyards, returning to Château du Courros (Bordeaux Supérieur) for a tasting. Built on the grounds of a pre-6th-century religious community dedicated to Saint Vincent (said to be the patron saint of winegrowers), Château du Courros lies a few kilometers south of St. Emilion. Overnight stay and dinner in a B&B in Ruch.

Day 3 - This morning, we drive along the Dordogne to Merlande. Through the vineyards, we head for Saint Emilion, where we have lunch. We see Château de Pavie, Premier Grand Cru classé A. Picnic at Château FrancMayne in Saint Emilion. Franc-Mayne is a Grand Cru Classé. Backing onto the slope of Franc, from which it takes its name, the
château boasts 7 hectares of vines. The ancient Gallo-Roman road runs alongside the vineyard. An old coaching inn bears witness to the passage of pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela. Tasting and discovery of the
2-hectare underground cellars. In the afternoon, we take in the famous estates of Château Pétrus, Cheval Blanc and Château Figeac before arriving in the Pomerol appellation, where we leave the horses behind. Overnight stay and dinner at the hotel.

Day 4 - (horseback riding only in the afternoon) The morning is free. You can enjoy Saint Emilion. This unusual medieval town opens its doors all year round to adventurers, wine lovers and the simply curious. A city
steeped in history, perched on a rocky promontory, SaintÉmilion and its vineyards draw their originality from the
limestone that has shaped their identity. This is evidenced by the 200 km of underground galleries that provided the
limestone needed for the construction of many of the region's buildings, including Bordeaux. We picnic where
we left the horses the day before on the Château Le Gay property. In the afternoon, we drive through vineyards interspersed with small woods to Château MayneVeil (Fronsac), where we leave the horses. Overnight stay and dinner at the hotel in Libourne.

Day 5 - On this day, we head for Mouillac through varied landscapes of vineyards, meadows and forests. Picnic at Mouillac's little Romanesque church, where you'll have time to find the 9 canonic dials. The day continues on to Cubnezais. The landscape here is divided between the vineyards of the "Blaye - Côtes de Bordeaux" appellation and the forest of pines and hardwoods. At the end of the day, we leave the horses at Domaine de la Gravette. Overnight
stay and dinner in a B&B in Civrac de Blaye.

Day 6 - This morning, we drive through the rolling hills of the Côtes de Bourg. Picnic and tasting at Château Lamothe (Côte de Bourg). Departure around 3pm for the Citadelle de Blaye. We enter the 18th-century Vauban citadel on horseback (tour). With its 1.5 km of ramparts, gates and underground passageways, the citadel has preserved intact the defensive system designed by Vauban, as well as the buildings necessary for the proper functioning of a garrison: former convent, prison, barracks and powder magazine. Overnight in hotel and dinner in Blaye.

Day 7 - (riding only in the morning) After breakfast, we cross the Gironde with our mounts on the ferry to Lamarque and the Médoc (duration 40 mins.). We ride through the Médoc vineyards to our picnic at Moulis en Médoc. Afternoon at leisure, tasting at Château Maslescasse (Haut-Médoc). Located in Lamarque, between Margaux and Saint-Julien, Château Malescasse was built in 1824 in the purest neo-classical style. Overnight stay and dinner
in a bed & breakfast in Moulis en Médoc.

Day 8 - Breakfast and transfer to Bordeaux airport. Departure about 9.30 a.m. It takes about 1½ hours to get to the airport.

Travel Information

Travel: Book flight/rental car >>
Flight or train to Bordeaux.

Transfer: Book in advance with HorseXplore. Paid on location.
From Bordeaux airport: 2023 at 6.30 p.m. 2024 at 6.00 p.m. Meeting point at the information counter in hall B  at the "Brioche Dorée" snack bar. Back at the airport at 11.00am. Book a departure flight after 13.00
Price: 20 EUR per person round trip.

Misc.: Entrance fees and some winetastings are not included and is paid on spot, approx 30 EUR.

Dates and prices

DateDaysName of tripPrice from
11/05/20248France - Vineyard Ride in Bordeaux
Fully booked
EUR 2,285Book on request
19/05/20248France - Vineyard Ride in Bordeaux
Fully booked
EUR 2,285Book on request
28/09/20248France - Vineyard Ride in BordeauxEUR 2,285Book on request
06/10/20248France - Vineyard Ride in BordeauxEUR 2,285Book on request
19/10/20248France - Vineyard Ride in BordeauxEUR 2,285Book on request
27/10/20248France - Vineyard Ride in Bordeaux
Fully booked
EUR 2,285Book on request

Similar tours

Italy - Lazio Castle Ride

Italy - Lazio Castle Ride

Welcome to our beautiful eighteenth century castle which is situated in Lazio between the hills of Tuscany and Umbria (barely 200 km / 125 miles) from Rome. The castle was once the residence of a Card...
Croatia, Dalmatia

Croatia, Dalmatia

In the middle of the beautiful Dalmatian countryside, about an hour's drive from Split, you will find this family-owned farm run by the young and driven Stipe. Enjoy a peaceful destination that is eas...
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo

Welcome to our personal equestrian center, a hidden gem on approximately 6 hectares of private forest and pasture, located just 25 kilometers from the pulsating city of Sarajevo. Here, in the shadow o...
France - Lot Valley

France - Lot Valley

This is a small English run business based in a small village in the Aveyron near to the Lot Valley. They offer you the opportunity to horse ride through the beautiful Aveyronese countryside enjoying...
Spain, Mallorca – Dressage, Jumping & Trail Rides

Spain, Mallorca – Dressage, Jumping & Trail Rides

Mallorca has two sides, one that is a tourist resort and one that is a genuinely beautiful Spanish Mediterranean island. There are large national parks and long beautiful stretches of coastline with s...
Netherlands, Terschelling

Netherlands, Terschelling

The Dutch island of Terschelling is located about 15 km off the coast of the Wadden Sea in the North Sea. It belongs to an archipelago called the Frisian Islands, and of course you should ride on beau...
Contact us
Address:
HorseXplore
Norra Catalinagränd 17
183 68 TÄBY
Sweden