A One Week Wine and Food Lover’s Guide to Bordeaux: Left Bank, Right Bank and Everything In Between!

We recommend you start in Bordeaux itself as this is where your Bordeaux immersion starts. Check into your hotel and take an afternoon walking tour to get the lay of the land, checking out some key landmarks such as the Place de la Bourse, Grosse Cloche, and Porte Cailhau.

As you might be tired from your travels, tonight you’ll have low key nibbles (charcuterie, cheese, foie gras) while having your first proper Bordeaux tasting at Bar à Vin, a chic space in an 18th century building known as Hôtel Gobineau. You’ll be able to choose from a rotating selection of 30 glasses that are incredibly affordable. The onsite sommeliers can guide you through a journey throughout Bordeaux’s appellations.

Hop on the tram (they are clean, efficient and affordable in Bordeaux) to the Cité du Vin, a boldly curvaceous modernistic structure on the bank of the Garonne River. This interactive museum will take you through the history of wine, wine around the world, viticulture, and then immerse you in Bordeaux winemaking itself. At the end, you’ll have a glass of wine on the rooftop terrace with panoramic views of Bordeaux.

Pick up a quick bite to eat at Les Halles de Bacalan, a food market right across the street from the Cité du Vin. Its 22 resident farmers, artisans, and chefs were chosen for the quality of their products, 85 percent of which were produced in Bordeaux’s southwest region of France.

In the afternoon, take a stroll through Chartrons, our favorite neighborhood in Bordeaux. Start your visit in the soul of Chartrons, Notre Dame Street. Here you will find wine merchants, antique dealers, cafes, and trendy boutiques. End your explorations with an apéro in Chartrons’ main square, the Place du Marché Chartrons.

Tonight, we’ve reserved a special dinner experience for you at Le Pressoir d’Argent. This two Michelin-star restaurant from Gordon Ramsay has something special, one of only six solid silver Christofle lobster presses in the world. It’s also the only restaurant in the world that uses the lobster press at every meal service. Yes, there is a surcharge for this experience, but trust us, the signature dish of Breton lobster with Eysines potato and Caviar d’aquitaine from Maison Sturia is worth it. And there’s nothing quite like tableside service, where your lobster shells will be crushed by the press and turned into the most delicious lobster sauce.

Before you leave Bordeaux center, there’s one must-do wine experience, a visit to Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, which is actually located within Bordeaux’s boundaries, creating a unique microclimate. The Philippe Starck-designed cellar is in itself a reason to visit, but you will also be enchanted by the concrete eggs painted by artists as well as, of course, a tasting of the château’s first and second wines. We are huge fans of the new winemaker here who is using whole bunch fermentation.

Now that you’ve had your first château experience, head out to the Left Bank, where Bordeaux’s iconic First Growth châteaux are located. The entire drive through the Left Bank is lined with stunning historic architecture, a site within itself.

Stop for lunch at Au Marquis de Terme, enjoying the outdoor patio of the Château Marquis de Terme. After lunch, take a cellar tour of the château before heading to your overnight accommodation.

Lucky for you, we’ve set you up at La Maison d’Estournel, where you will get to enjoy glasses of Cos D’Estournel’s range of wines while sitting on the back patio. At night, enjoy a multi-course meal at the in-house restaurant, which pays tribute to the local ingredients of the Gascony region.

Enjoy breakfast at La Maison d’Estournel. Afterwards, take one of the complimentary bikes for a ride through the vines to Château Cos d’Estournel. There’s simply no other Bordeaux estate like it, with decor from India, a stunning designer cellar, and manicured elephant bushes at the exterior.

Head back to your hotel for check-out. Stop in at Café Lavinal for a traditional yet upmarket bistro lunch. You will need to fortify yourself for your final iconic stop in the Left Bank, a visit to First Growth Château Margaux. You will tour its historic grounds and modern underground cellar before being treated to a tasting of its wines, a tasting most could never imagine securing.

Afterwards, make the one-hour drive to Saint-Emilion, where you will check in to the Hôtel de Pavie, sister property of the Premier Grand Cru Classé “A” Château Pavie.

Tonight dine at the in-house restaurant, the two Michelin-Star La Table de Pavie, supervised by one of our favorite chefs, Yannick Alléno.

In the morning, take a tour of Château Pavie, followed by a tasting. Afterwards, take a walking tour of Saint-Emilion, including a visit to the underground 12th century Monolithic Church, its structure carved out of a single block of stone (booking in advance is essential).

Next, head to Les Belles Perdrix de Troplong Mondot for a late lunch, overlooking the sloping vineyards of Château Troplong Mondot. The tasting menu is as divine as the setting. Satiated, enjoy a visit and tasting at the château. If you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of the horses working in the vineyards.

As you’ve had a big meal at lunch, tonight we recommend relaxing at a local hangout, Sous La Robe. Its co-owners are sommeliers, and their gem of a wine bar will serve up charcuterie boards with your drinks.

After breakfast, your visit to the Right Bank wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t send you off to something a bit less traditional. Rising out of the vines you’ll find the eclectic Le Dôme, a winery designed by Lord Norman Foster and owned by the legendary Jonathan Maltus. This is special terroir – its neighbors are Château Angelus, Château Canon, and Château Beau-Séjour Bécot. But Le Dôme is bold in more ways than its architecture – its flagship wine is an 80% Cabernet Franc/20% Merlot blend (in a region completely dominated by Merlot).

Your foray into the Right Bank complete, head back closer to Bordeaux to Les Sources de Caudalie, a spa hotel partnered with Château Smith Haut Lafitte. You’ll arrive in time for lunch at the in-house bistro, La Table du Lavoir.

In the late afternoon, take a relaxing “forest bath” stroll, where you will walk through the shade of a forest punctuated with interesting pieces of art.

Tonight, you will have one final star-struck meal at the on-site La Grand’Vigne, a two Michelin-star restaurant.

After breakfast, walk across the street to tour and taste the marvels of Château Smith Haut Lafitte, a Grand Cru Classé de Graves. You’ll get to see its barrel maker in action and explore its underground cellars.

Afterwards, grab a quick snack at Rouge, Les Sources de Caudalie’s gourmet wine bar.

This afternoon it’s finally time to relax. Enjoy a full afternoon spa ritual at the Spa Vinothérapie, featuring Caudalie’s signature grape vine-based treatments. In between treatments you will enjoy access to the hammam, relaxation rooms, and natural hot water bath with jacuzzi. We highly recommend the grand facial treatment and the crushed cabernet scrub.

Tonight continue your relaxation with a cocktail at the French Paradox before dinner at your new favorite on-site restaurant. We like returning to La Table du Lavoir for its casual ambience and its changing daily specials.

Sadly, this tour of Bordeaux wine country has come to an end. After breakfast you are a quick 20-minute drive from either the Bordeaux airport or main train station for your onward travels.

Want to focus in on just one area of Bordeaux instead? We have extensively explored the best winery, dining, and hotel experiences in the region and can customize an itinerary to suit your needs!