Ever heard of the Cathars? They were big in this part of the world 800 years ago and they changed…read moreworld history. If you.re interested in them you could read some books about them, or come on one of these week-long tours, or better still do both. Highly recommended Tours. Thrilling history. This really is as good as it gets.

Top rate tours of the Languedoc focusing on Cathar sites and other locations associated with the…read moreAlbigensian Crusade. First rate historical tours.

We took the 9 hour tour that visited the village of Saint-Emilion and a wine tasting in the town,…read moreChateau Bernateau on the right bank where we had lunch at picnic tables, then across the river to Magaux on the left bank to Chateau Prieure-Lichine, and Chateau Siran. We traveled in a tour van and our guide was very friendly and knowledgable. We tasted many wines and got a first hand view on wine making. We were very lucky because the wineries were picking and harvesting the grapes (it was later in September).

My friend and I did the Saint-Emilion Small Group Day Tour with Wine Tastings & Lunch. Our fabulous…read moretour guide, Ed, escorted us to two chateaus before doing a tasting in Saint-Emilion. The experience was absolutely lovely and a great learning experience. We were lucky to have stunning spring weather and enjoyed a picnic lunch with meats and cheese. We also got to visit the stunning sites of Saint-Emilion. I wouldn't hesitate to book another tour with Rustic Vines.

From the owner: Paysages et nectar exceptionnels Introduite par les Romains, la viticulture a été développée au…read moreMoyen Age dans cette région fertile d'Aquitaine. Inscrite au Patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco en 1999, la juridiction de Saint Emilion offre des paysages entièrement consacrés à la vigne. Ses villes et villages comptent de nombreux monuments historiques de qualité. La région produit des vins renommés et appréciés dans le monde entier. Cette juridiction compte 8 communes : Saint-Emilion, Vignonet, Saint-Hippolyte, Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, Saint-Etienne-de-Lisse, Saint-Laurent-des-Combes, Saint-Pey-d'Armens et Saint-Sulpice-de-Faleyrens. Le site est classé au Patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco. Ci-dessous, la liste complète des monuments classés au patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco en France.

Wine tasting among castles in the French countryside? Sign me up! This tour was the highlight of…read moreour Bordeaux trip, specially the Saint-Émilion Afternoon Tour with Quentin. I was able to book easily via their webpage the evening before. Our tour group had 8 people and started at 1:45 PM, lasting 5 hours. The pickup point was in the heart of Bordeaux at the tourist office. Our tour guide Quentin spoke great English and was super personable. He also drove the mini van and used the hour of commute time each way to get to know us and share his knowledge. The first stop was a larger scale winery, Château Soutard, which is a Saint-Émilion Grands cru classés winery (in the top 10% of wineries in Right Bank). They had deep pickets and you could tell by the infrastructure. We rode a gigantic silent glass elevator for transporting barrels underground which they affectionately called "James Bond." Our guide here led us on a thorough tour of the indoor facilities and guided us through a tasting of two reds. Quentin also did a fun smell test with us. We spent 1.5 hours here. The next stop was the charming old town of Saint-Émilion, and the reason I booked the Right Bank tour over the Left Bank one. Over the course of an hour, Quentin led us through the highlights of the city including a wine cave (the oldest wine bottles I've seen!) and an old church. It rained on and off, but Quentin was prepared with umbrellas. Our third and final stop was a relatively smaller winery called Château Côte de Baleau. They had a picturesque castle on property, and the guide here welcomed us with glasses of Bordeaux blanc from another winery. Quentin showed us the grapevines and the traditional concrete aging vats. Then the female guide led us through a vertical tasting of two Saint-Émilion Grand Crus - 2007 and 2014. Compared to the first winery, I enjoyed the more laid-back vibe here, and the wine was almost as good and at a lower price point. We also had some small bites to pair - comté cheese, sausage, dark chocolate, almonds, and bread. I liked how both wineries didn't push buying the wine at all - no mention of sales and no price lists shown during the tasting. The cost of this tour was slightly more than other half day options I found (€94), but I thought it was well worth it for the longer time and included bites. It was also nice to not worry about a rental and driving ourselves an hour out to the wineries from Bordeaux where we stayed. Highly recommend this experience!

Warning for tourists: this is not a party bus and includes minimal wine (see more at bottom)…read more First, Quentin our guide was great! Super knowledgeable and friendly. We appreciated the conversation and him answering all our questions. We appreciated the snacks he brought and the tasting game he facilitated. Definitely continue that going forward! The tour was limited to 8 people. Both vineyards we visited were great. Everything was English friendly and it was an easy, relaxing day. However, as mentioned above, this is NOT a party bus with the wine tasting being extremely limited. You will only have 5 small tasters on the entire trip accounting for less than a full glass of wine. You will not get buzzed. To be fair, I haven't done any other wine tastings in France, but I have done many of them in California. Most in California include three vineyards with 5-6 tastings at each, so you get to try 15+ wines in a day. This has resulted in wine tours in the US becoming more like party buses for birthdays, bachelorette parties, etc. This is absolutely not the same here. You will only taste a small amount of wine so you won't need a designated driver after all. Again, we had a fun time but were surprised at how little wine we actually got to drink. So for us, 90€ turned out to be pretty expensive for a few sips of wine. We are glad we did it once but would not do it again like you would a wine bus in the US.

A pleasant surprise. Josephine Baker's home for 30 years has been brought back to its former glory…read more The grounds and gardens are immaculate, with a troop of gardeners picking up every leaf and planting new flowers near the chapel. A falconry show begins at 11:15, with another at 4. Audioguides in numerous languages are available at the gift shop and start of the tour. The gorgeous chateau has an interesting history beginning in the 15th century, with gargoyles galore. Josephine, resistance fighter, humanitarian, and world renowned singer and dancer from the 1920s to the 60s, installed some amazing bathrooms into the chateau, which has lots of stairs. Great views over the valley and village. Pieces of her music are available on the audio guide. A woman-owned business about an amazing woman. Cafe and toilets are available. Free parking, but tickets are required to enter grounds.

Chateau Milandes was built in the early 15th Century, but it's most famous inhabitant (in my…read moreopinion) was Josephine Baker. She started renting the Château in 1937, then bought it and lived their till the late 1960s. This is where she raised her flock of adopted children (she had 12!). Evicted and swindled in her later years, she spent her final years elsewhere, dying in Paris in 1975. The Château was bought 20 some years ago, and the current owner and her daughter have brought back the Château and gardens in all their glory! The items on display map out Baker's tumultuous life, from her birth in Jim Crow Missouri to her rise to fame on the French entertainment world. Truly fascinating and a must see for any fan of Josephine Baker!