Bordeaux Châteaux in 2 days, on foot

This 2-day self-guided walking plan for Bordeaux Châteaux covers 12 narrated sights in an easy day-by-day order. Each day is split into a morning and an afternoon loop, and every stop has a two to three minute audio story in the Gingerguide app.

You set the pace: this is a suggested order, not a schedule. Walk it in 2 days, or stretch it out. Reorder freely; Bordeaux Châteaux rewards a detour.

Day 1

Morning

1. Château Margaux: A Premier Grand Cru Classé of the Médoc with a Greek-temple facade, producing one of the world's most celebrated Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines from 260 hectares of ancient gravelly terroir.
2. Château Latour: A Premier Grand Cru Classé in Pauillac renowned for the extraordinary longevity of its wines, the iconic round tower on the label is the actual medieval pigeonnier that still stands in the vineyard, surrounded by the gravelly soils of the Gironde estuary.
3. Château Mouton Rothschild: The only Bordeaux estate to have been promoted to first growth status after the 1855 Classification, famous for its artist-label series featuring Picasso, Warhol and Chagall, and its exceptional wine museum on the estate.

Afternoon

1. Château Lafite Rothschild: The most prestigious name in wine, a Premier Grand Cru Classé in Pauillac owned by the Rothschild family since 1868, whose bottles regularly command the highest prices at auction of any Bordeaux estate.
2. Château Haut-Brion: The only non-Médoc property in the 1855 first-growth classification, located in the Pessac-Léognan suburb of Bordeaux, producing wines famous for their mineral, tobacco-tinged elegance, and visited by Thomas Jefferson, who ordered its wine while serving as US Minister to France.
3. Château Pichon Longueville Baron: A Deuxième Grand Cru Classé in Pauillac, one of Bordeaux's most romantic and photogenic properties, with its turreted towers reflected in a moat, producing powerful, structured wines that regularly exceed their classification.

Day 2

Morning

1. Château Léoville Barton: A Deuxième Grand Cru Classé in Saint-Julien, Irish-owned by the Barton family since 1826, one of the most consistent and best-value wine estates in Bordeaux, producing classically structured wines prized for their longevity.
2. Château Lynch-Bages: A Fifth Growth in Pauillac that regularly performs at first- or second-growth quality, famous for its richly flavoured, accessible wines and the winemaking village that has grown up around the estate.
3. Château Pétrus: The most expensive wine in Bordeaux, produced from just 11.5 hectares of rare blue clay in the Pomerol appellation, with no official classification but legendary status, producing almost pure Merlot of extraordinary richness and depth.

Afternoon

1. Château Ausone: A Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A carved into the limestone hill above the town, believed to stand on the site of the Roman poet Ausonius's vineyard, producing small quantities of exceptionally concentrated wine from ancient vines.
2. Château Cheval Blanc: A Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A famous for an unusual Cabernet Franc-dominant blend, the 1947 vintage is considered one of the greatest wines ever made, and the estate building was redesigned by Christian de Portzamparc in 2011.
3. Château Angélus: A Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A, promoted to the top tier in 2012, named for the three church bells that can be heard from the vineyard, and famous for its dramatic, instantly recognisable label and the powerful, opulent wines that have made it one of Bordeaux's most celebrated addresses.

Full Bordeaux Châteaux guide and all stops →