A TRIP TO BORDEAUX FRANCE

In late September 3 couples will venture to France ~ first visiting the city of Bordeaux.

We arranged the trip using United mileage points ~ no problem arriving thru Bordeaux but there was a problem departing from there or Paris.  To get any normal flight we had to head to Geneva.  So now you will understand our itinerary. 

This makes me a very happy girl... (fille très heureuse) ~ as I sit and search in my French inspired office for destinations to explore, stay and enjoy.

SHORT VERSION  Hotel locations Depart Saturday Sept 21st Day 1 - Bordeaux (Sun 22)  Hôtel de Sèze Day 2 - Bordeaux (Mon 23) Day 3 - St. Emillion (Tues 24) Grand Barrail Day 4 - St. Emillion (Wed 25) Day 5 - St Remy - drive most day (Thurs 26) Le St. Remy Hotel Day 6 - St Remy/ Aix En Provence (Fri 27) Day 7 - St Remy / Arles / Avignon (Sat 28) Day 8 - Chambrey/ Annecy (Sun 29) Day 9 - Geneva (Mon 30) Day 10 - depart (Tues 1)

Sunrise 7:40 am Average 

Sunset 8:00 pm Average

Temp:  High 75,    Low 55

Weather in Bordeaux
it was colder ~ stayed in the low 70's and colder at night

DAY 1
~ Sunday Sept 22 ~ 
 arrive 4pm Bordeaux
at hotel about 6pm check in

Hotel: Hôtel de Sèze

23 allée de Tourny

Bordeaux  33000 FR  +33556141616
2 nights with breakfast

The hotel had been updated a few years prior so it was very pretty, quaint and clean.  Just be prepared the rooms are extremely small ~ however, the bathroom area is quite large.  The toilet has it's separate room which is hard to get in and out of in the dark and my husband had trouble fitting thru the door.   At some point we realized we actually had a balcony outside our window where we could step out and peak over a tall concrete wall ~ sadly we never had a chance to use it.  

Our View

The location of the hotel sits on a corner very centrally located ~ right behind the park and walking distance to everything. 
First things first ~ half a block up,  we all come together for the first time and have some champagne to toast our arrival and our departure from our 14 hour flight.  

DINNER 
La Tupina 
8 PM Sunday
We arrived late so our dinner was also late ~ and thankfully we had made reservations a few days before our departure.  The men walked there while the girl's freshened up and taxied.  It's a dark and historical restaurant on a side street close to the river ~ where the fireplace is the center of attention as you walk in and many of the meals are cooked there.  I wish we had walked home and meander a bit more ~ it was still early enough to stop and soak in the city. Thinking back though ~ I started with a horrendous cold and after the long flight and 2 transfers ~ I may not have had the energy to make it home. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MORE INFO
RESTAURANTS
Where to eat in Bordeaux
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAY 2
~ Monday Sept 23 ~ 
 all day Bordeaux

 Bus tour Route~ we didn't do this, in fact, I never saw it ~ so I'm not sure what this Bus is.  Instead we took a walk along the river and a few streets inward to see a local area of town and cathedral ~ eventually stopping for lunch before the bridge along the river  ~ where several restaurants pull in a good lunch crowd.  

Fountain behind the hotel

Along our walk

Cruise Ship 

PLACES OF INTEREST

You will start to notice a familiar theme in our photos.  A meal and a bottle of wine ~ mostly local Rose ~ Here we are at lunch along the river.   Suggestion: when you order steak~ order it at least Medium.  If you say Medium Rare - it's RAW!  This happened multiple times until we got it right.

After lunch we headed to the Citi du Vin Museum.  It takes about 1.5 hours to get thru it ~ there are headphones, movies, interactive games and some more wine tasting at the finish.

Citi de Vin Museum

I can't drink red wine and only a handful of white wines because of a condition I developed 15 years ago.  So the group was wonderful enough to drink Rose whenever we could and Matt was our beer totaler from Ireland. 

Instead of walking back to the hotel ~ it was easy to take a tram located up the street and stopped close behind the hotel

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ACTIVITIES IN BORDEAUX

Possible nightly river cruise to unwind from the flight. 

Garonne flows through Bordeaux before emptying into the Atlantic. The 90-minute cruise on the 74-passenger, steel-hull Sardane provides expansive views of the grand 18th-century architecture around the Place de la Bourse and its bronze and marble fountain of the Three Graces; the renovated former warehouses of the Quai de Bacalan; the soaring Cité du Vin (City of Wine) museum; and the engineering marvel that is the Jacques Chaban-Delmas vertical-lift bridge, all while you taste two or three local wines and nibble on cheese and charcuterie. Adults 28 euros, or about $31.

7 PM - 8:30 PM - From Thursday to Sunday - From June to September

River Cruise

ARTICLE from the NY Times

36 hours in Bordeaux

BORDEAUX IN A WEEKEND ~ BLOG
places to see and eat

BLOG on Bordeaux and St Emillion to Toulouse

beautifully written and photographed by 
the honey print
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That evening we wandered down the shopping streets  ~ purely by chance ~ several blocks up from the hotel towards the water and found a wonderful Piazze ~ stopping at an Italian outdoor restaurant.  Food was good ~ and the evening was perfect. 

DAY 3
~ Tuesday Sept 24 ~ 

It poured that morning in Bordeaux ~ so several headed to get the van while the rest finished breakfast and checked out.  
Our next stop is Saint Emilion.

Urban areas: 50 km/h (31 mph)

4-lane expressways (rural areas): 110 km/h (68 mph)

Rural areas: 90 km/h (55 mph)

Motorways: 130 km/h (80 mph)

ALWAYS ask for an automatic ~ otherwise you'll get stick shift.  Luck was on our side with the automatic available.  The drive is only 35 minutes ~ so by lunch time we were at the next destination. 

Hotel:  Chateau Hotel & Spa Grand Barrail 
rating 9.2
Booked with Breakfast
 website: Grande Barrail

The hotel is located among the vineyards with breathtaking views.  It's a 5 star hotel/spa /pool with rooms that are huge and so are the beds ~ and a little something extra was waiting in our rooms when we arrived.  There is ample parking. 

Only 36 minutes from Hotel de Seze to Chateau Hotel.

our view

3.8 km 6 minutes to Saint-Emillion from Hotel 

The hotel is about a mile up the street from the quaint village of St Emillion~ so we drove and parked and searched for a late lunch cafe.  Many close early to get ready for the dinner crowd.  

This is a wonderful town to take your time and stroll ~ but be prepared for crowds.
The streets wind up and down ~ don't miss any or you'll missed half the village.  

Our Lunch Stop

Secret Garden

That evening we ate at La Terrasse Rouge ~ A Michelin star restaurant.

This looks like an Agatha Christie set... having chocolate and wine and more joking around.

DAY 4
~ Wednesday Sept 25 ~

St Emillion

  Hotel: Chateau Hotel & Spa Grand Barrail 
********************
WINE TOUR this day
********************

Booked with Breakfast

This is the amazing decor  at the Hotel with stained glass windows surrounding the restaurant.  We ate at the formal dining our 2nd night. Extremely slow service ~ so they favored us with some limoncello and pastries before paying the bill. Libourne is only 15 minutes away ~ so if you are looking for a more affordable meal ~ I'm sure you can find something located along the riverbanks. 

The hotel Concierge helped us book a driver for the day ~ who conducted our wine tour.  We visited 3 very different wineries ~ one in the village and 2 in the countryside ~ all 3 unique.  The cost for the day was $450 Euro. 

 It was raining on and off all day ~ but NEVER when we were outdoors.  The countryside is gorgeous and so were the people.  And no, we did not get into Petrus which can be $2000 a bottle & upward. 

Here's a man that has been in the wine making business for more than 4 generations.  His name is Petra ~ after the expensive vineyard family ~ which he was part of until he split off on his own.  He and his sons now run this vineyard located in the village.  What a delightful morning with them in their tree lined courtyard. 

Lunch

underground barrels

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ARTICLES:
about the 10 most beautiful wine chateaus in France.   Many are in the Bordeaux region.  Chateaux Kirin was added to the Map. 

The Culture Trip

Many wineries can be a day trip

The chateaus to the north are about an hour drive. 

The ones to the south are between 20 - 30 minutes. 

St. Emillion is 45 minutes to the east

LEFT BANK

Bordeaux's Left Bank takes charge in the 2016 vintage, following the Right Bank's dominance in 2015. 

Superb reds of the upper Medoc. 

Medoc ~ Pessac ~ Leognan

RIGHT BANK

Pomerol ~ St. Emillion ~ Satellites

The Bordeaux region is a very exciting area with its long, fascinating history, beautiful, lonely, powder sand Atlantic beaches, the graceful, cool, vibrant capital city of Bordeaux, medieval towns like the UNESCO-World Heritage listed Saint-Emilion, and its glorious vine-ribboned countryside where some of the world’s best wines come from. 

Bordeaux is the second largest wine growing area in the world with close to 300,000 acres under vine. To understand “Bordeaux” means to appreciate its unique geographical location and the importance of water: the rain from above, the Gulf stream of the Atlantic Ocean, and the protective influence of the Gironde estuary with the two rivers Garonne and Dordogne that form the Gironde. 

Conditions in the Bordeaux region create wines that are unique, beautifully interwoven with a solid body and integrated elegance on the palate. Bordeaux wines are copied around the world, but never achieve perfection elsewhere. 

There are so many great producers with wonderful people at the helm that it is very difficult to choose which one to visit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DAY 5
If we had gone the Northern Route: it is very family oriented with lakes and outdoor activities so we felt it would be too busy and headed southeast to Provence. 

In Dordogne, while the scenery is majestic, the true beauty lies in the rich history preserved throughout the area. Dordogne is in the same location as the ancient country of Perigord.. Exploring the honey-coloured mediaeval towns, villages and châteaux of the Périgord, from the vineyards of Bergerac and St-Émilion to markets full of truffle stalls of Périgueux, through to the tiny villages of Sarlat, Brantome, Tremolat (I can only find hotels in this Tremolat area ~ 1 hour from Perigord and 2 hours from St Emillion), this ancient part of France is a magnificent area to tour and savour. Families and couples alike will find something to suit every taste whether you plan a week of canoeing, exploring, biking and adventure or a gastronomic trip through some of the prettiest villages in France. Don’t forget that Dordogne boasts over 1500 castles to visit, then there are churches, fabulous architecture, historical points of interest, and, in general, more history than one holiday could possibly cover. With everything Dordogne has to offer, this is definitely a place to visit and then visit again.

DAY 5
Actual
~ Thursday Sept 26 ~ 

5.5 to 6 hours to St Remy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is only 2 hours drive from Bordeaux to Toulouse. But there are many areas of the Graves region just south of Bordeaux to explore...and the delicious sweet wines of Barsac and Sauternes. The area is slightly more rustic and rural compared to the Medoc and Saint Emilion.

The area around Buzet is full of fruit trees and orchards.....you will be travelling during the grape and fruit harvest.

You can follow the Canal to Toulouse and meandre through lovely towns bordering the Dordogne region.

4 hours gets us to Narbonne France along the coastline.

 Narbonne
If we leave about 9am - 4 hours is 1pm for lunch in Narbonne.   Then another 2 hours to St Remy. We can arrive to Avignon around 5pm. Problem is that Narbonne is not that close to the highway - so we kept driving. 

Montpellier at a glance

Ecusson –  the historic center and France's largest pedestrianized zone, a maze of medieval alleys that open out onto large plazas like Place de la Comédie, Place de la Canourgue and Place du Peyrou

Cathédrale Saint-Pierre – a former Benedictine chapel, built in the 14th century

Faculté de Médecine – the oldest still-active medical school in the Western world, with an anatomy museum and the first botanical garden in France 

WINES

Les Grès de Montpellier – a wine with deep red color and an aromas of red fruits

Coteaux du Languedoc AOC wines — the biggest vineyard in France with a large number of grape varieties

Trio of nearby towns: Sète (situated on the Thau lagoon, famous for its oysters), Pezenas (the hometown of Molière) and Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert (one of the most beautiful medieval villages in the country)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOW ~ WHAT WE DID
Sadly, we didn't stop along the way.  Because of some local traffic it did takes us 5.5 hours.  Departing at 11:30 and arriving at about 5pm to St Remy. This town is so charming and built around a circle.  A carnival was set up the weekend before at the opening of the village which did cause some traffic problems and the town was booked. 
One of my favorites storybook places.

DAY 6
~ Friday Sept 27 ~

Weather in Avignon

Before heading to Avignon ~ we went the other direction to Arles.  The weekend market was happening.

We wore the French scarf every day... well maybe not the men.  But these were purchased at the market for me to wear. Oolala...

Things to do in Avignon
The Crazy Tourist

Palais des Papes

Pont Saint-Bénézet

Place du Palais

Collection Lambert

Place de l’Horloge

Basilique Saint-Pierre d’Avignon

Petite Train

Île de la Barthelasse:

Musée Calvet

Rue des Teinturiers

Musée du Petit Palais

Musée Angladon

Avignon Les Halles

Pont du Gard

Les Baux de Provence

PLACE CRILLON

Find public open parking away from the town ~ there's a free bus that takes you back and forth.
Avignon is another larger 'village' to explore and people watch.  By the front gate we stopped for lunch before the touring and then set off to explore the large cathedral. 

Hand Luggage Only ~ Lovely photos and places to meander. 

24 hours in Avignon

Footsteps of Van Gogh takes you to Arles, Les Baux de Provence and Saint Remy de Provence.

Saint-Remy-de-Provence is a beautiful place with a picturesque countryside scented by fields of lavender, and Provencal charm. Saint-Remy-de-Provence is a landmark of ancient Roman culture, as well as the home of art that has been spreading through the city since the dawn of time. Head to the city where the famous Van Gogh once lived, and many others artists spent their days

Le Saint Remy Hotel
Reservations for 3 nights with breakfast
Sept 26 - 29th
The rooms are not this large.  Great hotel, but very pricey. 

Hotel

We walked around the block and found a nice Italian Restaurant and sat outside on a rustic table. We were never short of conversation or Rose.

side street 

We visited the sanitarium late in the day where Van Gogh had checked himself in and had accomplished hundreds of paintings while there.  Unfortunately~ none of them are there. 

Things to do in Saint Remy and Area

Trip Advisor

Lonely Planet

DAY 7
~ Saturday Sept 28 ~
PS ~ I actually switched the days we went but it's too hard to rework the blog to show it correctly. 

day in Aix-En-Provence 1 hour

After looking for gas for almost an hour ~ we happened upon a parking spot very close to the old section.  That was PURE LUCK!!!  By then we were all stressed from the traffic.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
It's too congested and spread out so you need to give yourself a full day ~ slowly.  All the items listed below are not near the parking. We made it to the old square Cours Mirabeau only.  

I was itching to get to the museum ~  I'm very sorry we missed it.  Provence is not just about the wine ~ it's also about the art.    In short, we didn't spend enough time there to find everything there was to see.  

It is on the list of one of the most beautiful cities in Provence ~ one reason I chose it. 

14 places to visit in Provence

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Don’t resist the urge to see every nook and cranny of Aix’ old centre, north of Cours Mirabeau (another beautiful avenue), for its gorgeous architecture, charming markets, unexpected historical flourishes and the constant feeling that you’re walking in the shoes of great artists and writers.  

Go to Rue Jacques de la Roque to see the old ramparts, take a coffee in Place de l’Hôtel de ville to study the Old Belfry, and its ancient Roman stonework at the base.

Surrounded by olive groves and fig orchards on the Lauves Hill is Paul Cézanne’s studio where he worked for the last four years of his life.

In the old priory buildings of the Église Saint-Jean-de-Malte, the Musée Granet has a collection of almost 12,000 paintings, sculptures and historic artefacts.  And, you guessed it, one of the must-sees is the room dedicated to Cézanne, with nine oil paintings by the post-impressionist.

WINE

Aix-en-Provence is in the second-largest wine-appellation in Provence, growing Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cinsaut grapes, and mostly producing reds but with a third of output taken up by rosés, which are fabulous in the summer.  If you’re pressed for time Château la Coste is moments north of the city and puts on tours educating you about the grapes used in each bottle of wine and every step of how they’re fermented and aged

Because it is early Fall ~ it's no longer Lavender season.  With all the countryside car driving we did ~ there was no lavender fields to be found. What a major disappointment.

The day was frustrating ~ not what you want to experience on vacation ~  I find out I need to do more investigation when planning the trips.  I also need to take the time and read the blog when I arrive at the destination to have a full understanding of the time needed and the area to cover.  But to top it off, my phone battery was dying most of the time because I was also navigating...and of course I also use it to take photos....  There just wasn't enough juice that day for an old version phone.   We didn't give the time needed to enjoy the city and to see it's full potential.  Sometimes it's ok just to call it a day ~ or find a area that is not as congested as this city was.   

We stayed close to the hotel for dinner ~ by visiting a Vietnamese restaurant next door. To make sure it was authentic ~ my husband went to the back kitchen.  The owner was the cook and a true delight by coming to the table, taking away our menus, and saying he would make us a meal with his leftovers.  It was absolutely amazing and a nice change from our other evenings.  Remember - 4 of us have lived in Hong Kong for close to 20 years. 

DAY 8
~ Sunday Sept 29  ~
Article on ANNECY

We decided to bypass Chambray where Matt's cousin lives ~ because she was able to visit a friend in Annecy and join us afterwards.  She has lived in the area for more than 20 years where her children grew up.  Annecy is a gorgeous lake community oozing with charm.   

CHAMBERY

Great for skiing and hiking.

HOTEL Les Tresoms Resort

We didn't know we were headed here until the day before and since this is a weekend resort for the area, including Geneva, much of it was booked.  This was a beautiful hotel from the outside but the rooms we were given were extremely! Tiny!

We ate that night in downtown Annecy (being over a mile, we hired a car $50 euro round trip).  

The restaurant had some delicious set meals - mine with escargot,  tuna steak and creme brulee.  

L'Etage

DAY 9
~ Monday Sept 30 ~ 

After checking out ~ what should have been a half hour drive became 1 hour.  We hadn't purchase the auto tag for the car so that we could drive into Switzerland. You can purchase a motor tag at a gas station before entering.  The car rental was from the French side and you do not want to turn it in on the Swiss side ~ HUGE SURCHARGE ~ except it's too difficult to get to without going thru Geneva.  At one check point on the highway we had to turn around.  
We eventually found a small town, turn off and ask the locals how to get from France to Switzerland.  They said to just drive thru the gate up the street because no one is ever there ~ it's too small and entrance.  Happily, they were correct!
We checked into our hotel that was next to the airport and kept the car there.  

IF YOU STAY ON THE SWISS SIDE ~ THE HOTELS GIVE YOU A FREE BUS OR TRAIN PASS TO GET INTO THE CITY.   

return rental car. 

DROP OFF LOCATION  

Geneve Apt Secteur France,GGV

Rue De Geneve, Ferney Voltaire

Geneve, 01212 FR

(41) 22 7983321

Sun 8:00 AM - 10:30 PM; 

Mon - Fri 7:30 AM - 10:30 PM

For car returns, please follow the signs for “Ferney Voltaire”. Shuttles run regularly from 5 am to 11 pm

Airport to City by Train

Geneva airport, located 4 kilometers from the city is easily reachable by public transport: train and bus; taxi or shuttle. Train journey between the Airport and central railway station in the city (Gare Cornavin) takes 6 minutes, bus to downtown takes about 20 minutes.

Bus #10 is the free bus to downtown and back. 

The Geneva Airport railway station (French: Gare de Genève-Aéroport) is a train station located underground next to the terminal building of Geneva InternationalAirport (French: Aéroport international de Genève) (IATA code: GVA), in Grand-Saconnex, Geneva, Switzerland.

CURRENCY

The franc is the only currency accepted everywhere in Geneva. The Euro is the currency in the neighboring countries Germany, France, Italy and Austria, and in many other European countries. ... Therefore, if you pay with Euros, change will be in Swiss francs and the exchange rate is mostly not in your favor.

A full day in Geneva

The best place to get lost while in Geneva is the Old Town. You can easily spend an entire afternoon wandering the winding, cobbled streets and perusing the antique bookshops.  One of the most popular attractions in the Old Town is the Saint Pierre Cathedral.  The area is also home to Place du Bourg-de-Four, the oldest yet liveliest city square in Geneva. With a ton of outdoor restaurants and a quaint fountain, it’s the perfect location for people watching. When you’ve wandered enough, stop for a cup of coffee at Café Papon, open from eight in the morning until 11 in the evening.

But of course ~ we didn't head to Old Town because I forgot to read my own blog when there.  We ended up staying by the water and headed to City Central. 

 DO NOT DO THAT! 
Where we walked ~ I would not return to Geneva.

The beer was was a wonderful change from Rose at the Irish Pub ~ but we were missing the local flavor of the Old City as we headed in the wrong direction after getting off the bus.   The last stop for the bus is on the other side of the river and the Old Town is a short walk from there. Look up ~ you'll see the cathedral. 

 Do we look tired ? 

We eventually found our bus stop...  I'm so glad my husband asks directions. 
Hotel:  

Nash Suite Hotel
LARGE ROOMS and shuttle to the airport.

We weren't in the right area to find a nice restaurant so we headed back to the hotel before dark.  Next door was an Italian Restaurant with no trimmings but had great service and great food.

DAY 10
~ Tuesday Oct 1  ~ 
9:20am flight

Sadly, while 4 of us were taking off early ~ the remaining couple had to return the rental car to the other side.  Finding the rental on the French side was hard enough but getting back into the Swiss side without having a boarding pass proved to be another obstacle ~ but luckily Matt is the nicest Irishman you'll ever meet and can sweet talk anyone. He made his flight and found his wife, whom he left behind with the luggage. 

My office  ~ Home Again, Home Again.

WINES

From Wine Spectator Magazine March 2019

Weather for the week
It was colder than expected but warmer in the southern region ~ cooler at night. 

So we're all home now ~ over the jet lag ~ which hit the hardest on the 2nd day back.  Now to get a sense of normalcy.  I'll always find that on the tennis court.