marydT4741XF, Dec 2024

We learned so much about the history of the village, its inhabitants, and the wine of the area from our tour guide, Deni. She was knowledgeable, gracious, and answered all of our many questions. The views of the village and countryside were splendid. We highly recommend this tour.

ALBERTO_P, Dec 2024

Everything was great, we had to move a little the time schechualed for the trip with out a problem, guide very well informed, very good english

Confesso1, Dec 2024

Even though we had been here on a tour last year, this tour was fabulous. Denise was easy to understand, very knowledgeable about both the history and also the wine, and kept the tour off most of the steepest streets. She is the one to ask as your guide.

joseaC6123KO, Dec 2024

A must-see village, very nice and quiet, miles of vineyards very well worked, many wineries and restaurants by the village, a rock church that is wonderful. If you go to Bordeaux you must go, there is a bus that leaves you in the village in 50 minutes and for 4.50 euros round trip and half the tour impress the fields of vineyards. Very good food, we ate at Chai Pascal and it was perfect.

TotalGourmand, Dec 2024

A walking tour St. Emilion City , a World Heritage Site, was really interesting.

The walk down the cobbled steep streets of this ancient village with great St. Emilion vineyard houses lining the streets and vending their wines ranging from £50 to £5000 a bottle – it was like a child drooling in a sweet shop. We headed for the square above the church of the Monolithé, the heart of the city and a market place.

The first village was founded in the hollow of the valley and then moved up the hill to reach the top of the plateau in the 12th century. So the two St. Emilions ended up being linked by a number of stairways. The Place du Clocher now offers one of the most beautiful views of the two arms of the village with monolithic church below and its bell tower beside you. Place du Clocher was the level of the ramparts but with the level was raised as the tombs were layered on top of the original ground level; in the 12th C it was 4 m (13 ft) lower then today. Of all the steep passageways two are most important located at either side of the bell tower. Tertre (mounds) is on the east side. The paving stones are said to be the ballast stones of ships coming in to collect wine from St. Emilion. Beyond the lower village lie the views of Dordogne valley and hills of Entre-deux- Mers on the Horizon.

Walking down this uneven and at times narrow steep ancient path we arrive at the Place de l’eglise, the square at bottom of the bell tower where the original church was hewn from soft limestone. From here we gained access, this is only available with a local guide, to the crypt of St. Émilion called ‘ermitage’, catacombs and the church. St. Émilion was a Breton who arrived here in mid-8th C. At the start of 11thC the underground sanctuary was carved out of the rock. Entrance to the church is via an amazing Rotunda with a light shaft round which ran a spiral staircase carved out of stone –traces are still visible. To the side is more stone was carved out to make catacombs. In 12thC the bell tower was added. Today the bell tower has to be supported by reinforced steelwork. Like many medieval buildings, the church probably had a rich décor of painted murals; however, only a few bits of frescoes remain; depictions of lions, serpents, centaurs, and cherubim, can be seen on the walls and ceilings. Finally in 13thC a burial crypt with Trinity Chapel was built to rehouse St. Émilion remains which were removed from the main church.

Beside the Monolithé there is the Collegiate Church with its Apocalypse fresco in the cloisters.

After lunch walk down to the lower town of Saint-Emilion , to see the Grande Fontaine, which holds a special place in the history of Saint-Emilion since the water that feeds it comes from the same source as the one where the miracles took place. Going up by a small picturesque staircase in an escalette (sloping pedestrian passage) heading towards the Madeleine district , which was one of the suburbs adjoining the inner city. There is still the little chapel of the Madeleine . Continue on the Rue des Douves. The underground quarry here has more than 100 km of underground tunnels. Tons of stone were quarried for buildings.

A visit to Saint-Emilion would not be complete without tasting the famous and delicious Macarons of Saint-Emilion . Made since 1620 (with the same recipe) by the nuns of the Convent of the Ursulines . They are made every day being prepared with almonds and egg white, they are light and soft , a little crunchy.