Saint-Émilion
A medieval wine village on a limestone slope, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the largest monolithic church in Europe carved underground.
Saint-Émilion lies about 40 km northeast of Bordeaux, on the right bank of the Dordogne. It is famous for its Merlot-based red wines, and the Saint-Émilion wine region was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, the first vineyard cultural landscape to be listed. The village is built into a limestone slope, with steep cobbled streets winding between golden stone houses. Its greatest attraction is the Monolithic Church (Église monolithe), an underground church carved out of a single block of rock in the 11th and 12th centuries. It is about 38 m long and 11 m high. It can only be visited on a tour organized by the tourist office, which lasts about 45 minutes and includes the hermit's caves and underground catacombs. Book ahead, as some sessions offer English commentary. Climbing the bell tower beside it, about 68 m high (paid), gives views over the vineyards and rooftops. The village has many wine shops and an old macaron shop, said to use a 17th-century recipe from nuns. Famous nearby estates such as Cheval Blanc, Ausone and Angélus are mostly open only to professional appointments. General visitors can join the tourist office's winery tours, or explore the vineyards by bike or tourist train. Getting there: take the TER from Bordeaux Saint-Jean station to Saint-Émilion station, about 35 to 40 minutes, then walk about 20 minutes uphill. Driving takes about 50 minutes.
Opening hours
Town open all day; tourist office tours several times daily, approx. 10:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Sauternes & Château d'Yquem
- La Cité du Vin
- Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas
- Darwin Ecosystème
- Bassins des Lumières
- Pont de Pierre
- Basilica of Saint-Michel
- Musée du Vin et du Négoce