03
Bordeaux excursions, sorted by where you dock
The first three cards assume the city quay; the rest leave from Le Verdon. Each is ranked by one question: how much of your call does it spend on the thing you came for, rather than the road?
Berth, tram and entry detail lives on our Bordeaux cruise port guide. If the same sailing calls in Normandy, our Le Havre shore excursion guide covers that day.
If your ship ties up downtown, the strongest tour in Bordeaux is the one you walk yourself.
Place de la Bourse sits on the riverfront next to the berth. From there, the Saint-Pierre quarter, the cathedral area and the pedestrian Rue Sainte-Catherine are all inside a loop of about 4.5 km (2.8 miles).
CruiseMapper suggests 3 to 5 hours for the riverfront, the Bourse, Saint-Pierre and the cathedral — plenty for a morning, with lunch.
Add Chartrons, north along the river, if you have another hour or two — CruiseMapper suggests 1½ to 3 hours there.
- Time commitment
- About 3 to 5 hours with stops, per CruiseMapper.
- Getting there
- Walk off the ship. Downtown is about 200 m from the city quay.
- Suits
- First-timers, couples and budget days.
- Ship or independent
- Independent.
Why it's worth considering
It costs nothing, and the ship stays a short walk away — handy when the rain comes in.
You set the pace, and you can duck onto a tram when your feet give out.
The catch
It only works from the city quay — Bassens and Le Verdon need transport first.
Shops generally close on Sundays, Princess notes, so a Sunday walk is about the architecture, not the boutiques.
Verify before you book
- Your berth on the final itinerary
- Whether your call falls on a Sunday or holiday
Wine museum · tram B
The Cité du Vin by tram
The Cité du Vin is the city’s big modern draw, and the tram takes you almost to the door.
It’s at 134 quai de Bacalan, on line B. Le Bonbon put a single TBM ticket at €1.90 in September 2026.
Guides put the permanent exhibition at 2 to 3 hours. The standard ticket includes a glass at the eighth-floor Belvédère, with a view over the city.
Routard puts the adult ticket for the permanent exhibition and the Belvédère at about €23; another guide says €22. We couldn’t open the museum’s own site, so check the price there for your date.
- Time commitment
- About 2 to 3 hours, plus the tram.
- Getting there
- Tram line B from the center to the La Cité du Vin stop.
- Suits
- Couples, wine-curious first-timers and rainy days.
- Ship or independent
- Independent from the city quay. From Le Verdon, Princess packages it with free time.
Why it's worth considering
You get wine history and a tasting without leaving the city — a fair trade on a single-day call.
It’s indoors — useful on a wet Atlantic day.
The catch
It’s a museum about wine, not a vineyard. If you want vines and cellars, go to Saint-Émilion.
One guide gives a 17:15 last entry, so don’t leave it for the end of the day.
Verify before you book
- Opening hours and ticket price on the day
- Last entry time
Saint-Émilion is the wine village most people picture when they book Bordeaux, and from the city quay it fits in half a day.
The village is about 45 km (28 miles) east, around an hour by road, and UNESCO-listed. Its monolithic church was carved out of the rock from the 12th century.
Ophorus sells a 4-hour private half day from €90, with pickup at Quai Louis XVIII, a Grand Cru winery visit and the tasting fee included. Tastings are for guests 18 and over.
For a slower day, byFood lists an 8-hour private Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion tour from $951.73 per group of up to eight. Tasting fees, €25 to €45 per person per visit, are extra on that one.
Ophorus spells out the trap plainly — the ship has to dock in Bordeaux city center, not Le Verdon, and it won’t refund a booking made by mistake.
- Time commitment
- 4 hours half-day, or 8 hours full-day, on the operators’ listings.
- Getting there
- Private car from the city quay.
- Suits
- Couples, wine lovers and repeat visitors.
- Ship or independent
- Independent, from the city quay.
Why it's worth considering
It’s the classic Right Bank village, and half a day leaves you the afternoon in the city.
Split four ways, a private car’s price looks very different than for two — read the group-size terms.
The catch
Pickup is from the city quay only. From Le Verdon, these tours won’t work.
The listings don’t say how much walking the village involves — ask before you book for anyone with limited mobility.
Verify before you book
- That your ship docks downtown
- What the per-person price assumes about group size
From Le Verdon, the Médoc sits on the road toward the city, so you see wine country without riding all the way in. That makes this the sensible half-day.
Princess sells Médoc Château & Wine Tasting at 4 hours, rated Moderate, from $164.95. A pricier version at Château Rousseau de Sipian runs 4.25 hours from $394.95.
The listing we read doesn’t name the estate on the cheaper tour — ask the shore desk which one you’ll visit.
If you’d rather see several estates, Ophorus sells a private Médoc day from Le Verdon of about 8 hours, from €260, through Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux or Saint-Estèphe. Lunch isn’t included.
- Time commitment
- 4 to 4¼ hours on Princess, about 8 hours private.
- Getting there
- Coach or private car from the Le Verdon pier.
- Suits
- Wine lovers, short calls and anyone who’d rather skip the full ride into the city.
- Ship or independent
- Either.
Why it's worth considering
It uses where you actually are, since the Médoc lies along the road from Le Verdon toward the city.
Four hours leaves part of the day for the ship, or a slow lunch.
The catch
You won’t see Bordeaux itself, which can sting on a first visit — unless you’re overnighting.
The two Princess tours are about the same length at very different prices — read what the dearer one adds.
Verify before you book
- Which château the tour visits
- Tasting age rules for teens in your party
This is the transfer, sold as a tour: you ride in, you get time in the city, and you ride back — that’s the whole product.
Princess lists Bordeaux On Your Own at 8.25 hours from $199.95. Its Highlights & Bordeaux on Your Own adds guiding over 8 hours, from $234.95.
Shore Excursions Group’s Discover Bordeaux with Free Time and Transfers from Le Verdon runs about 8 hours, at $268.99 on sale and $298.99 at list. Food isn’t included, and its wine tasting costs extra.
Do the sums before you book: with about two hours each way, an 8-hour day leaves you roughly four hours in Bordeaux — enough for the old town, not much more.
- Time commitment
- About 8 to 8¼ hours.
- Getting there
- Coach from the Le Verdon pier.
- Suits
- First-timers who came for the city, not the vineyards.
- Ship or independent
- Either. The ship’s version costs less on the listings we saw.
Why it's worth considering
Of the options we found, it’s the simplest way into the city from Le Verdon.
The free time lets you walk the old town at your own pace.
The catch
About half the day is on the road — budget your energy for it.
Shore Excursions Group says the timing may shift with the ship’s schedule — confirm your return in writing.
Verify before you book
- Free time once you subtract the drive
- Drop-off point in the city
If the ship is in long enough, Princess has two 9-hour days that fit more in than the plain transfer.
Best of Bordeaux, from $299.95, stops at a Médoc estate on the Route des Châteaux for about an hour of cellar visit and tasting. Then comes a panoramic drive, about 1½ hours of brasserie lunch and about 60 minutes of free time in the old town.
The listing warns of extensive walking — and the estate isn’t air-conditioned. The tasting is for guests over 18.
Bordeaux on Your Own & Cité du Vin, also 9 hours, from $224.95, swaps the château for the wine museum.
- Time commitment
- 9 hours on both listings.
- Getting there
- Coach from Le Verdon.
- Suits
- First-timers on a long call who want both wine and the city.
- Ship or independent
- Ship.
Why it's worth considering
The Médoc sits on the road between Le Verdon and the city, so the château costs little extra driving.
Lunch is part of the plan, not something to hunt for — on a 9-hour day, that counts.
The catch
An hour of free time in the city is thin — you’ll see the old town, not know it.
Nine hours won’t fit a short call — check your all-aboard time first.
Verify before you book
- Your all-aboard time
- Price on your sailing; Princess’s Australian site showed a higher figure
For history readers, Princess sells a 3-hour Atlantic Wall tour from Le Verdon, from $169.95, rated Moderate.
It’s the shortest tour on the Le Verdon list we read — that makes it the one to book on a short call, or when you’ve done the wine already.
The listing page we read carries no route, so ask the shore desk which sites it visits.
- Time commitment
- About 3 hours on Princess’s listing.
- Getting there
- From the Le Verdon pier.
- Suits
- Repeat visitors, history readers and short calls.
- Ship or independent
- Ship.
Why it's worth considering
At 3 hours, it’s the shortest tour on the list, so you’re back aboard early.
The catch
It isn’t Bordeaux, and it isn’t wine — know what you’re trading.
No route detail on the page we read.
Verify before you book
- Which sites the tour covers
- How much walking is involved
Princess sells a Hennessy Distillery day from Le Verdon at 8.5 hours, from $309.95, rated Moderate.
It’s a different drink and a different region from the Médoc — a pick for brandy fans, or for a second Bordeaux call.
The listing we read gives the length and price, not the drive time, so ask the shore desk how much of the 8½ hours is on the coach.
- Time commitment
- About 8½ hours on Princess’s listing.
- Getting there
- Coach from Le Verdon.
- Suits
- Repeat visitors and spirits fans.
- Ship or independent
- Ship. The distance makes the return guarantee worth having.
Why it's worth considering
It’s a name most travelers know, at its source — and a change from claret.
The catch
Long and pricey for one house. On a first call, the Médoc is closer and cheaper.
You won’t see the city on this one, so pair it with an overnight.
Verify before you book
- Drive time each way
- Tasting age rules
04
Bordeaux with the ship or on your own
From the city quay, do it yourself
The old town starts at the gangway and the tram covers the rest. A ship tour adds little here.
For Saint-Émilion, a private car booked ahead is often the better buy — especially for two to four people.
From Le Verdon, the ship earns its fare
A city day from here means about four hours of driving. On a trip that long, the line’s return guarantee is worth paying for.
Princess’s Bordeaux On Your Own, at $199.95, also undercut Shore Excursions Group’s $268.99 sale price on the listings we compared.
Where the prices sit
Princess’s Le Verdon list runs from $164.95 for a Médoc tasting to $394.95 for Château Rousseau de Sipian.
From the city quay, Ophorus starts at €90 for a private Saint-Émilion half day, and the Cité du Vin costs a tram ticket plus entry.
How each option compares in Bordeaux
| Excursion | Lean ship excursion when… | Independent works when… |
|---|
| Old town on foot | Not needed | Yes — from the city quay |
|---|
| Cité du Vin | You’re at Le Verdon and want it packaged | You’re on the city quay, with a tram ticket |
|---|
| Saint-Émilion | Your line sells it from the city quay | You’re downtown and book a private car ahead |
|---|
| Médoc château | You want the shortest wine stop | A private day fits your hours |
|---|
| Bordeaux from Le Verdon | On most calls, for the return guarantee | The operator confirms Le Verdon pickup and return |
|---|
| Atlantic Wall or Hennessy | Your line sells it | Rarely worth arranging yourself |
|---|
Short answer
From the city quay, walk the old town and add either the Cité du Vin or a Saint-Émilion half day. From Le Verdon, book the ship’s Médoc tasting if the wine matters most, or its Bordeaux On Your Own if the city does. Save Hennessy and the Atlantic Wall for a second call.
