If You Love Wine, This Adorable French Village Is the Center of Wine Country That You Need to Visit

ByStephanie Rytting Posted on

Imagine the most rose-colored, idyllic scene in a movie, where characters are strolling through picture-perfect vineyards in a countryside full of rolling hills and charming estates. Something like Russell Crowe’s “A Good Year,” or Amanda Seyfried’s “Letters to Juliet.”

That is seriously what Saint-Emilion is like – just insanely picturesque and surrounded by vineyards and chateaux as far as the eye could see. I’ve visited France 15 times and visited dozens of charming villages and let me tell you, Saint-Emilion is special.

Saint-Emilion is a small village not far from the city of Bordeaux in southwest France, known for being a hotspot of wine production. In fact, the town and surrounding countryside were the first vineyard territory to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Good to Know: A visit to Saint-Emilion almost always includes visits to the vineyards for tours and wine tastings. In the Bordeaux region, a vineyard or winery is referred to as a “chateau.”

While chateau usually just means “castle” in French, here, it refers to the vineyards that belong to the estate, which often have a very beautiful manor house associated with the winery.

9. Top Things to Do in Saint-Emilion

Saint-Emilion is a tiny but super charming village, with cobblestoned lanes, quaint stone buildings, multiple wine shops on every street, and little restaurants spilling out to the sidewalks. 

The town is shaped like a bowl, where a lower section is surrounded on 3 sides by hills. This does mean you’ll have some steep streets to climb as you explore the village, but it also creates some really beautiful vantage points over the village rooftops.

1. Collegiale Church + Cloitres

The Collegiale Church is the large and beautiful main church in Saint-Emilion and dates back to the 1100’s. It has a large, long nave adorned with some paintings and beautiful stained glass.

Just off the side of the church are the cloisters, which have a traditional arched passageway around a courtyard. This is a very lovely and peaceful spot, and we particularly liked the vibrant, colorful mural on one of the cloister walls.

2. Cloitres des Cordeliers

Historically, the Cloitres des Cordeliers was a church and convent that was established in the 14th century. The church was abandoned when the order was banned during the French Revolution, and fell into ruins over the following decades.

In the late 1800’s, the basements and tunnels under the cloisters were converted into a wine cellar – the dark underground tunnels perfect for aging wine.

Today, you can take a tour through the underground cellars and enjoy a wine-tasting (reserve your spot for the tour here)

If you don’t want to do the underground tour, it’s still worth visiting the historic church, which today is actually a wine and gift shop.

You can also walk through the cloisters’ ruins, and back out into a little grassy garden area. There’s a little cafe on site, or you can order picnic baskets for lunch during warmer weather. The whole area is very cute and charming.

3. Monolithic 12th Century Church

The Monolithic Church in Saint-Emilion is part of a complex of four important, historical, religious buildings in Saint-Emilion, which includes the Hermitage, Chapel, Catacombs, and Monolithic church.

You can only visit these sites with a guided tour, but it’s well worth doing. You can make your reservation online or stop in the tourism office to get on the tour for the day (English tour is usually at 2pm).

The tour is one hour long and you’ll visit the four sites, learning about the significant history of each. The hermitage is an underground “cave” where the monk Emilion lived for many years in the area.

He performed several miracles during his lifetime and was known for serving the poor. After his death, he was sainted and the village was named after him.

In the catacombs, you’ll see the underground burial spots for villagers. Finally, you’ll visit the Monolithic Church, which is carved out of one singular piece of rock and is the largest monolithic church in Europe.

The location of the village plus the presence of Saint-Emilion’s hermitage and the monolithic church made the village a major stop for pilgrims on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

No pictures or videos are allowed anywhere inside the complex, so you’ll just have to take my word that this is a very fascinating place to visit in Saint-Emilion.

4. Bell Tower of the Monolithic Church

The bell tower of the Monolithic Church is built on the hill above the church, and is the only part of the church that is not carved from the same stone. This tower stands proudly above the rest of the town and is visible all around the village and countryside.

The tower is free to visit – all you need to do is get the key from the tourist office to climb up and enjoy great town and countryside views. If you somehow come outside the tourist office’s opening hours, the view from the tower base overlook is still incredible.

5. Tour du Roy

The Tour du Roy, or The King’s Tower, is actually a misnomer – it never really belonged to the King. Instead, it was the old bell tower of the town, and overlooks the upper part of Saint-Emilion village. From spring to fall you can visit the tower for lovely views over the village.

6. Les Grand Murailles

Les Grandes Murailles (or The Great Walls) is a section of an old 13th-century church that was destroyed during the 100 Year’s War. This wall ruin is located just barely outside the town walls and is surrounded by a vineyard of the same name.

7. La Porte de la Cadène

This city gate is located in the middle of the city, and was an internal gate that separated religious life in the upper town from the secular life in the lower town.

8. Macarons from Nadia Fermigier

Stopping at the Fabrique de Macarons shop is a must-do in the village. The macarons of Nadia Fermigier that are made here are purported to be THE original French macaron (although who had the first-ever recipe certainly does not have a cut-and-dry answer).

The macarons sold here are very different from your typical French macarons – they are a single cookie and are baked on corrugated cardboard that you peel off to eat. They have a light almond flavor and a chewy texture, and I really enjoyed them!

9. Visit the Chateaux For Tours and Wine Tastings

Finally, and what many visitors are most interested in – the wine! There are literally dozens of chateaux around Saint Emilion that offer tours and tastings, but here are a few great options.

A. Do a Wine Tour

Wine tours are great options, because logistics are taken care of, you don’t need to figure out transportation or navigate, worry about drinking and driving, and you’ll go to some of the best wineries around Saint Emilion.

These are 3 great small group wine tours around Saint Emilion:

Option 1: Full-Day Tour with a Picnic Lunch
Entrance to one of Saint-Emilion’s chateaux
Option 2: E-Bike Full-Day Tour through Saint-Emilion
Option 3: Half-Day Wine Tour + Saint-Emilion

B. Visiting Chateaux on Your Own

Alternatively, you can always just visit some chateaux on your own. These are a few wine estates close to Saint Emilion where you can book a slot for a guided tour and tasting:

The Bordeaux-area wine region has a very helpful website, RuedesVignerons.com where you can search for different chateau that offer tours and tastings and make reservations.

Practical Information

Best Time to Visit Saint-Emilion

Saint-Emilion is a great place to visit any time of year, but each season has pros and cons.

Wintertime sees decidedly fewer visitors, but more restaurants and shops around town are closed and the vines are dormant, without leaves or grapes.

Spring is a beautiful time to visit, when the vines are budding, and tourism is picking up.

Summer is wonderful, with full, lush vines heavy with grapes. This is definitely the high season for tourism, and the weather can be quite hot.

Fall is again lovely, when the grapes are being harvested and the leaves turn colors. Weather can be more hit-and-miss as the temperatures start to drop.

Can You Take a Day Trip from Paris to Saint-Emilion?

Yes, you actually could! Despite their far distance from each other, there is a direct, high-speed, 2-hour train that runs between Paris and Bordeaux about every hour throughout the day.

If you choose to do this, I’d take an early train out (between 6-7am), so you have ample time for your day trip. I don’t think I’d mess with a rental car if you’re coming in from Paris, rather, I’d either book a guided tour or take the train from Bordeaux to Saint Emilion.

Is Saint-Emilion a Good Destination with Children?

Even though Saint-Emilion centers around the wine industry, it is still actually a great stop to do with children.

Kids can participate in all of the activities around town, and children are generally welcome at any of the chateaux and can go on the wine tours and tastings. Often, the tours will have grape juice for children to drink (double check with any tours you want to do to confirm).

However, if you want to visit with children, you’ll probably want to choose the train or car option for your day trip, as the guided tours are generally just open to adults.

The Wrap Up

Absolutely. Saint-Emilion is so adorable and the countryside is so picturesque and idyllic. It’s definitely worth popping in when you’re staying in Bordeaux to visit this cute country village.

Stephanie is obsessed with everything having to do with France, and she's visited the country 17 times (including a 3 month stint when she lived in Paris). She draws on her extensive knowledge all things French to bring you detailed and helpful guides, from the perspective of a fellow traveler.