Hotels near Saint-Emilion

The Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion was inscribed by UNESCO in 1999 as the first vineyard landscape ever listed, covering 7,847 hectares across eight communes. Start with the Saint-Emilion Souterrain tour from the tourist office, which takes you into the monolithic church carved out of solid limestone, the Trinity Chapel and the catacombs: 15 EUR for adults, 12 EUR reduced, 8 EUR for children 6 to 17, running 45 minutes to an hour.

Two flat warnings about that tour: it is conducted in French only, with paper translations in 11 languages on request, and photography underground is banned. Booking is required and latecomers are refused with no refund. For the wine, the village itself has the most walkable Grand Cru Classe estates in Bordeaux. Chateau Villemaurine runs a heritage tour of its underground quarries at 25 EUR including two wines, though it closes every Wednesday and offers that tour at weekends only in high season. Chateau Franc Mayne charges 13 to 18 EUR for a classic visit or 22 EUR for its Asteries underground route, by appointment only. Chateau Soutard starts at 23 EUR.

Pro Tip: Take an early TER and book the underground tour for late morning, before the day-trip coaches land. Then walk to Chateau Franc Mayne on the RD 243 rather than driving, because Villemaurine has no visitor parking at all and village parking is close to impossible in peak season.