Traveling from Bordeaux to St Emilion

[Europe and beyond]

Has anyone done this independently by taking the train rather than an organized tour?

[Harters]

It'll be worth you posting on the France Ports sub-forum to attract a wider readership[

[Europe and beyond]

Thanks. And how do I find this?

[Harters]

Here you go

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/462-france-ports/

[Europe and beyond]

Thank you !

[daydreamer62]

I researched this for our upcoming cruise too. What my research told me was trains seem to go hourly and take about 35 minutes but the station is 1.5km from the village centre which is a 20 minute walk  . I decided that wasn't ideal use of time for us so I decided it would be better use of time to book a tour . Based on the NZ$ terrible exchange rate currently it was much cheaper to book a ship  excursion than a private one. We also could have rented a car for the day,  but we recently spent a month in France driving and my husband wants a driving free holiday this time, especially where vineyards may be involved 

[Europe and beyond]

Thank you !

[pinotlover]

To be a bit more specific on the issue. The train station sets in the bottom of the hill serving Liborne and the village of St. Emilion. . The primary village of St Emilion sets high up on the hilltop. So the issue becomes: how mobile are your guests? If climbing a steep hill, with occasional steps, isn’t a problem, then go for it. Even the tour of the historic church will involve challenging steps for the impaired.

 

What may be thirty minutes walking for me, might be 90 minutes for others. Choose wisely.

[hen302]

We did this independently last year. There is a bus that leaves from the city centre, just around the corner from the tourist information centre. 

We went to the tourist information centre and got excellent advice re taking the bus to St Emillon along with the local bus timetable. 

Much cheaper than a tour. 

Hope you enjoy 

[Europe and beyond]

Thank you !

[Europe and beyond]

Where does the bus leave you off? Is there a lot of walking? I know st Emilion is hilly. 

[hen302]

Bus stop is about 200m from entrance to old city.  Some areas inside old city are very steep.  I managed ok with a new knee but avoided the very steep part as it was raining and saw some people slip on wet cobblestones. 

I imagine if you are doing a tour you still would have to walk as the tourist buses seemed to park near the public bus stop

[Europe and beyond]

Thank you so much!

[edinburgher]

18 hours ago, Europe and beyond said:

Where does the bus leave you off? Is there a lot of walking?

it was some time ago but we took the public bus both ways for a number of reasons.

 

Firstly, the train station in Bordeaux is a bit of a walk from where we were berthed near Place de la Bourse where most, if not all the smaller ships which can sail upriver, dock.  You might want to consider a bus, tram or taxi to take you there.

 

Secondly, we read that the train station at St Emilion was another longish walk from the town centre with part of the walk  uphill.

 

Thirdly, the direct bus only runs in the summer months and was running on the date of our visit.

 

Fourthly, the bus leaves from Quinconces, one of the main transport hubs in Bordeaux  with only a very  few minutes flat walking to reach there from the docking position and to find the dedicated bus stop. You should allow extra time to find the dedicated stop as the transport hub is quite large with a number of stances.

 

And reason #5, the bus goes to a central stop in St Emilion, much closer than the train station so minimal walking from ship to St Emilion from our starting point at Quiconces.. 

 

Unfortunately we didn't enjoy the visit as much as we had expected to as the streets in St Emilion are quite narrow and the place was absolutely rammed with tourists making it difficult to move around and see what we wanted to. and we had to keep watching our feet due to the uneven surfaces. Because of this we arrived back at the bus stop early and found quite a number of folks already waiting, so don't arrive at the last minute and expect to simply walk right onto a bus. You would also have the trains as a fall back for the return to Bordeaux if there was a hiccup with the return bus.  

 

We live in  a city with cobbles just like St Emilion so knew what to expect and dressed appropriately.  Wear really sensible footwear with good gripping soles as the cobbled (and sometimes quite steep) streets can be quite tricky to walk on.

 

You should take a look at the official St Emilion tourism website for how to get there, and perhaps also the official one for Bordeaux as there might also be info on theirs. You could also google something like "direct bus from Bordeaux to St Emilion".

 

Might not work perfectly for everyone all of the time, but on that day and crowds aside, the transport worked for us.

 

You could compare the pros and cons of trains versus buses to help you decide, and importantly you first need to check the bus timetable to see if it will be running on your date.

 

Cheers!😀

Edited January 8 by edinburgher

[Hlitner]

On 1/6/2024 at 8:14 AM, Europe and beyond said:

Has anyone done this independently by taking the train rather than an organized tour?

There are trains about once per hour and the ride is just over 30 minutes.  That being said, we never use the train for this kind of port day since our preference is to rent a car and just drive.  Why?  Yes, a train can get you to St Emillion...but then what?  We really being in France, but visiting wineries and seeing the countryside means having transportation.  A car gives us maximum flexibility and we do not have to waste time sitting around train stations (waiting for the next train) and being concerned with getting to and from stations, etc.  '

 

If you do take the train, St Emillion is a cute village and you do have plenty of tasting places as well as cafes/restaurants.  But many of the wineries in the region are open for visitors (some do require reservations) and we really enjoy visiting multiple wineries.  This can only be achieved with a car or some kind of tour.  

 

Hank

[edinburgher]

22 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

you do have plenty of tasting places

Hlitner, maybe worth pointing out that the drink/driving rules across most of Europe are really quite strict. France is typical with a limit of only 5g/litre , the equivalent (I think) of only a small, light beer, or a teeny tiny partial glass of wine although that would need to be checked. If hiring a car and planning on wine tasting, there should perhaps be a dedicated non-alcohol drinking driver.

 

The limit here in Scotland is the same and responsible designated drivers would usually not risk any alcohol at all as the limit is so low. I think it may be slightly higher in England and Wales, but again, that would need to be checked as I am only certain of limits in Scotland and France (the latter due to frequent visits with car driving local friends)

Edited January 8 by edinburgher

[Hlitner]

5 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

Hlitner, maybe worth pointing out that the drink/driving rules across most of Europe are really quite strict. France is typical with a limit of only 5g/litre , the equivalent (I think) of only a small, light beer, or a teeny tiny partial glass of wine although that would need to be checked.. If hiring a car and planning on wine tasting, there should perhaps be a dedicated non-alcohol drinking driver.

Good point :). When we do wine tasting we truly just taste.  But a non-drinking (or tasting) driver is a good thing.   In a related issue, we were once stopped in England for "drunk bicycle driving" while with a group of Brit friends.  Was an amusing moment and the Police let us off with a warning because of the "guest from the States."  

 

Hank

 

[Europe and beyond]

Thank you everyone. Your comments are very helpful. 

[Redtravel]

Been there. Cute town with lots of wine shops and boutiques.  If you have only one day in Bordeaux, stay in Bordeaux. Bordeaux has lots of interesting venues.