Saint-Émilion: Heritage and Wine Tradition

Saint-Émilion brings together religious monuments, underground sites and wine tradition. This gives you two main areas to focus on when planning your trip: the town’s architecture and the vineyards of the jurisdiction. When looking for a hotel, you can consider whether you want to devote most of your time to underground sights, a wine tour or the Jurade proclamations. The differences between these experiences can help you choose the right priorities for your stay.

Religious buildings and a Romanesque keep

The hermitage, also known as the Grotto of Saint-Émilion, and the monolithic church with its bell tower are among the town’s most important religious buildings. The church is considered the second-largest monolithic church in the world. To visit underground monuments, you can combine this important religious building with other sites: the Saint-Émilion Souterrain tour includes four sights, among them the church and the hermitage.

The Tour du Roy offers a different architectural highlight. This keep was built in 1237 by order of Henry III, who was King of England and Duke of Aquitaine. It is also the only Romanesque keep in the Gironde département. The tower is not only a historic monument in its own right, but also the setting for two Jurade proclamations.

Underground monuments and galleries

The Saint-Émilion Souterrain tour lasts between 45 minutes and one hour. It visits four underground monuments: Émilion’s hermitage, the Chapelle de la Trinité with its medieval paintings, the catacombs and the monolithic church. The underground monuments can only be accessed as part of a guided tour. Take this access requirement into account when planning; the duration and itinerary may change, so it is worth checking the current schedule.

Beyond these monuments, Saint-Émilion has 200 kilometres of underground galleries. The limestone extracted from them was supplied for the construction of several buildings in the region, including in Bordeaux. In this way, the town’s underground history is linked to the use of its limestone in the region’s architectural history.

Wine landscape and Jurade proclamations

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion is characterised by a landscape made up entirely of vineyards, which are still cultivated today. A tour of a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé takes you along small lanes and to viewpoints before visiting a wine estate, and ends with a guided wine tasting. The route thus combines vineyard scenery, viewpoints and a visit to a wine estate.

The Jurade also ties its wine tradition to the Tour du Roy: on the third Sunday in June, it proclaims the verdict on the new wine from there. On the third Sunday in September, the Ban des Vendanges is proclaimed at the same location. The two dates therefore share the same setting but mark different occasions. If one of the proclamations is important to your trip, check the event details in advance; the exact arrangements may change.

Two tours, different focuses

The Saint-Émilion Souterrain tour is clearly defined by its four underground monuments and a duration of 45 minutes to one hour. The Grand Cru Classé tour, by contrast, focuses on small lanes, viewpoints, a wine estate and a guided wine tasting. You can choose according to your interests: explore the buildings beneath the town, or discover the vineyards, visit a wine estate and enjoy a tasting. The route and participating wine estate may change, so check the current schedule before planning.

Discover more destinations: Begadan, Biganos, Lagorce, Saint-Selve, Romagne, Saint-Sauveur-De-Puynormand, Carcans-Plage, Sauveterre-De-Guyenne.

Back to the main travel overview: Gironde.