The Médoc in 5 days
The Médoc is a peninsula with two faces. On the estuary side, the château road links Margaux, Saint-Julien and Pauillac, home to three of the five first growths of 1855. On the ocean side come endless beaches from Lacanau to Soulac, the great lakes of Hourtin and Lacanau, and the Cordouan lighthouse offshore.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
The château roadfree · half a dayThe D2 runs up the left bank of the Gironde through Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe, past châteaux of the 1855 classification.
Day 2
- Morning
Pauillacfree · half a dayThe small estuary town at the heart of the wine Médoc, with three first growths: Lafite Rothschild, Latour and Mouton Rothschild.
Day 3
- Morning
Margauxfree · half a dayAbout 1,500 hectares over four communes, with 21 classified growths of 1855, more than any other Médoc appellation.
- Late afternoon
Lac d'Hourtin-Carcansfree · 2 to 3 hThe largest natural freshwater lake entirely within France, 18 km long and shallow, so it warms up quickly in summer.
Day 4
- Morning
Lacanau-Océanfree · 2 to 3 hBordeaux's beach, an hour from the city, and a centre of French surfing, host of the Lacanau Pro international competition in summer.
- Afternoon
Montalivet beachesfree · 2 to 3 hA dozen kilometres of Atlantic beach backed by dunes and pines, with a big summer market and one of the oldest naturist centres in Europe.
- Late afternoon
Soulac-sur-Merfree · 2 to 3 hA late 19th-century resort of brick villas, and a 12th-century basilica buried by sand then dug out, UNESCO-listed as part of the Santiago routes.
Day 5
- Morning
Cordouan Lighthousehalf a dayFinished in 1611 on a rocky shelf some seven kilometres out at the mouth of the Gironde, raised in the 18th century to 68 metres.
Where to sleep in the Médoc
- Hôtel la Dame de Coeur · €85 a night
- Hôtel Michelet · €90 a night
- Hôtel Des Pins · €115 a night
- Hôtel Côte d'Argent · €120 a night
- Vitalparc Hôtel · €120 a night
- COMO Cordeillan-Bages · €320 a night
- Hôtel de Margaux · €200 a night
Plan this trip
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