Saint-Émilion

Saint-Émilion is one of France's most celebrated wine towns, a UNESCO World Heritage site east of Bordeaux where vines climb the limestone slopes right up to the medieval walls. The town itself is a maze of steep cobbled streets, Romanesque churches and honey-coloured stone houses. Its most remarkable monument is the Église Monolithique — a vast church carved directly into the limestone cliff in the 12th century, accessible by guided tour. The surrounding plateau and côtes produce some of Bordeaux's finest Merlot-based wines, and the dozens of châteaux ranging from grand estates to small family producers welcome visitors year-round for tastings and cellar tours. It is a compact, walkable town that rewards slow exploration.

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Things to Do

• •Visit the Église Monolithique — the vast underground church carved into limestone, with guided tours
• •Walk the Clos de la Madeleine trail through vineyards above the town for views over the Dordogne valley
• •Tour Château Ausone or Château Pavie for a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru tasting experience
• •Explore the Catacombs and the Hermitage cave of Saint-Émilion, where the town's founding monk lived
• •Browse the cobbled streets for local Canelé pastries, macarons and wine merchants

Nearby Attractions

• Bordeaux — a UNESCO world heritage city with outstanding wine culture, museums and riverfront architecture, 40 km west
• Château Pichon Baron — a grand Médoc château with a moated palace open for tours
• Les Eyzies-de-Tayac — the prehistoric capital of France, with the Lascaux cave paintings region nearby
• Bergerac — a relaxed market town on the Dordogne with its own wine appellation and historic old town
• Dune du Pilat — the tallest sand dune in Europe, a short drive from Bordeaux