Bordeaux Wine Country in Winter: Open Châteaux, Hours, Events

In Bordeaux wine country in winter, châteaux in the Médoc, Saint-Émilion and Sauternes still receive visitors, but several switch to weekday-only hours. A few open every day of the year, and the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux stays open daily apart from Christmas Day and one week in late January.

This page covers which estates open from November to March and on which days, what a winter visit costs, how to reach the vineyards when the seasonal coach stops, and the November and December events. For the wider region, see Bordeaux.

Getting there

The direct TGV INOUI from Paris Montparnasse reaches Bordeaux Saint-Jean in 2 hours 4 minutes, with 33 round trips a day. Direct OUIGO low-cost trains take from 2 hours 7 minutes. Tram line C links Saint-Jean station with the city center.

About 16 trains a day run between Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion, with tickets from €9.50 ($10). Saint-Émilion station is about 1.5 km from the village, a walk of about 20 minutes uphill.

The Bordeaux–Paris TGV line also stops at Libourne, 7 km from Saint-Émilion, with tickets from €25 ($27).

For the Médoc, the TER Bordeaux – Le Verdon-sur-Mer line stops at Margaux and Pauillac. By car, take exit 7 or 8 from the Bordeaux ring road (A630), then the D2 toward Blanquefort, Macau and Margaux. Pauillac is 50 minutes by car from Bordeaux.

For timetables and fares, see Paris to Bordeaux by Train, Bordeaux to Saint-Émilion and Bordeaux to the Médoc.

When to go

Bordeaux estates receive visitors all year, but several Médoc châteaux drop Saturday visits in winter. Château Pichon Baron in Pauillac opens every day of the year by appointment, and Château Guiraud in Sauternes opens 7 days a week, public holidays included.

November and December

Château Kirwan in Cantenac opens Monday to Friday from November to April, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Château Beychevelle in Saint-Julien opens Monday to Friday from October to April, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Near Margaux, Château Angludet opens Monday to Friday from November 1, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Château Prieuré-Lichine opens Monday to Saturday after October 31, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Château Giscours, in Labarde, opens Monday to Saturday for the rest of 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

In Saint-Émilion, Château Villemaurine closes from mid-December to mid-January. Its shop closes on Wednesdays, and on Sundays from December to the end of April.

January to March

Château Branaire-Ducru in Saint-Julien opens Monday to Friday from November to the end of March, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Château Lafon-Rochet in Saint-Estèphe keeps the same weekday pattern over the same months, from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Château Phélan Ségur in Saint-Estèphe opens by appointment from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday outside March to October. Château Margaux and Château Mouton Rothschild take visits Monday to Friday only and close on weekends and public holidays.

The Saint-Émilion tourist office opens all year with seasonal hours, may close on certain winter days, and closes on December 25. Its guided village tour runs all year except December 25 and January 1.

The Cité du Vin

From November 1, 2026, to January 3, 2027, the Cité du Vin opens weekdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays and holidays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

From January 3 to April 2, 2027, it opens from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until 7 p.m. on Saturdays in March.

The temporary exhibition Around the World in 50 Wine Regions runs until December 31, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Via Sensoria, the Cité's sensory tasting journey, ends its season on November 1, 2026, and in low season there may be no workshop on weekdays. Tram line B stops at La Cité du Vin, a two-minute walk from the entrance.

November and December events

The Sauternes and Barsac open days take place on November 14 and 15, 2026. Nearly 50 châteaux welcome visitors free and without a reservation, from Barsac to Sauternes via Bommes, Fargues and Preignac, with tastings, meetings with winegrowers, heritage visits, themed workshops and walks. Château Guiraud opens from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both days.

The Bordeaux Christmas market runs from Friday, November 27, to Sunday, December 27, 2026, on Place des Quinconces. It opens every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., including December 25 and 26, and entry is free. Over a hundred stallholders set up in its small wooden chalets.

Visiting the estates

Each estate below takes visitors in winter.

Château Pichon Baron, in Pauillac, receives visitors every day of the year by reservation only, booked by phone or email. The tour starts in the vineyard, then covers the winemaking facilities and cellars, and ends with a tasting of three wines.

Château Lynch-Bages, in Pauillac, runs its 1-hour 30-minute cellar visit Monday to Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., in French, English and German depending on availability. Book through the estate's website.

Château Guiraud, in Sauternes, opens from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, public holidays included, with or without a booking.

Château Kirwan, in Cantenac, takes groups of up to 12 people. Book each tour online, and bring warm clothes for the cellar tastings.

Château Beychevelle, in Saint-Julien-Beychevelle, runs tours by appointment only, by phone on +33 5 56 73 38 01, by email or through its online form. Tours are in French and English, with a maximum of 15 guests. The Pairing must be booked at least 7 days ahead with prepayment.

In Saint-Émilion, the tourist office's château-of-the-day list shows 2 to 4 estates open to the public each day, and reservations with each estate are mandatory. Château Villemaurine's Visite Patrimoine, a 1-hour tour of its underground quarries, runs at 11:30 a.m. in French and 4:30 p.m. in English, by appointment only.

The Bordeaux tourist office runs its Châteaux & Terroirs half-day coach tour with a guide, leaving the office at 1:30 p.m. and returning at 6:30 p.m. It visits Bourg and Blaye on Monday, the Médoc on Tuesday and Saturday, Graves and Sauternes on Wednesday, Saint-Émilion on Thursday and Sunday, and Entre-Deux-Mers on Friday.

For lead times and booking methods, see Booking Bordeaux Château Visits.

What it costs

Entry-level winter visits with a tasting cost €15–40 ($16–43). Château Lafon-Rochet's 30-minute Essential Tasting of three wines is €15 ($16), and its 1-hour Tradition Visit €25 ($27).

In Pauillac, Château Duhart-Milon's 30-minute Guided Tasting costs €20 ($22), Monday to Friday, with no reservation needed, subject to availability. The Lynch-Bages cellar visit costs €25 ($27), and its tailored wine activities, 2 hours 30 minutes for at least two people, start at €75 ($81).

In Saint-Julien, Beychevelle's 1-hour 15-minute Amiral tour costs €40 ($43) and The Pairing €80 ($86). Branaire-Ducru's 1-hour Classic, with three wines, costs €40 ($43), and The Epicurean €55 ($59).

Around Margaux, Château Kirwan's 1-hour Prestige tour costs €30 ($32), Sips and Sweets €40 ($43) and the Immersive tour €52 ($56). Château Angludet's tasting tours cost €25 ($27), €40 ($43) and €50 ($54), and Prieuré-Lichine's visits cost €12–35 ($13–38).

In Saint-Émilion, Villemaurine's Visite Patrimoine costs €25 ($27) for adults.

At the Cité du Vin, the permanent exhibition and Belvédère ticket costs €23 ($25) for adults, or €27 ($29) with two glasses, and €9 ($10) for children aged 6 to 17. Children under 6 enter free, and a family pack for 2 adults and 2 children costs €56 ($60). The 1-hour Introduction to Tasting workshop costs €20 ($22), and the Bordeaux 360° workshop in English €22 ($24).

The tourist office's Châteaux & Terroirs half-day tour costs €55 ($59) per person. A TBM tram ticket costs €1.90 ($2) and is valid for one hour. The Sauternes and Barsac open days and the Christmas market are free.

Before you go

• Unless a château clearly announces visits without an appointment, a visit is by reservation, and some estates are booked up for several days. Book as early as possible.
• The direct regional coach from Bordeaux to Saint-Émilion village runs only from August 29 to November 1, 2026, and from April 10 to June 25, 2027. In winter, the year-round coach stop is Libourne, 7 km away.
• The Cité du Vin closes at 4 p.m. on December 24, is closed on December 25, and closes for its maintenance week from January 25 to 31, 2027.
• Spit as you taste, and choose a designated driver if you are driving.

The Bordeaux tourist office opens every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays. In Saint-Émilion, the underground tour lasts 45 minutes to 1 hour, and the temperature underground is around 13°C.