Cycling the Vineyards of Bordeaux

This cycling tour is suitable for most regular cyclists. You'll spend most of the day on the saddle and you should be experienced with this to enjoy your holiday.

To get the most out of the tour we recommend a good level of fitness, and it's a good idea to get out on your bike for a couple of consecutive days in the lead up to your tour so you can get used to riding back to back days. However, it’s not all about the cycling. Each day there are plenty opportunities to visit historic sights and sample locally produced food and wine.

The route is undulating, with some longer or steeper ascents and descents.

The terrain is on quiet country roads, cycle paths and easy farm tracks, with the occasional short stretch on busier roads as you approach towns.

This tour is graded moderate. Within the tour, individual days may vary in difficulty, with some rides a little tougher or easier than the overall grade suggests.

Accommodation on this tour is a mix of comfortable hotels and B&Bs, hand-picked to ensure you enjoy every minute of your stay, with a warm welcome, traditional hospitality and delicious local food and drink as standard. We'll always try to use the properties shown in your itinerary, but if limited availability means booking an alternative, it'll be of the same or better standard, and we'll let you know about any supplement in advance.

Unfortunately, this is not available to solo travelers. We can, however, offer single rooms if you are traveling with others. These are available for a supplement.

Breakfast is included each morning - in France this is generally a light continental breakfast. Lunch and dinner aren't included, giving you the freedom to choose from the options around you. If there isn't a restaurant at your accommodation, you'll find options nearby, and you'll also pass through towns and villages en route where you can pick up provisions for a picnic lunch. Most days have suitable lunch stops in towns too, if you'd prefer that. We include recommendations and tips in your tour information.

You can start this tour on any day of the week from April to October. We'd recommend booking well in advance, since accommodation in Blaye and Cadillac is limited and tends to fill up quickly.

From April through to early June, and again from late September into October, expect warm days and cool nights. Weather in this part of France can vary, swinging from hot sunshine to sudden thunderstorms, so it's worth being prepared for all conditions. Summer can get hot, with temperatures around 95-102°F in July and August, so we'd suggest setting off on your bike early in the day during these months to avoid the heat. Spring and autumn are more comfortable for cycling, typically in the high 60s to mid-70s Fahrenheit.

Your bags will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 23kg/50lbs per person.

You can also send a small piece of hand luggage (up to 30 liters, such as a small backpack) with the transfer. Additional pieces of luggage can be added for a charge, and this needs to be pre-booked.

Navigation is straightforward using our app which has maps, tracks and daily route info. Simply download the information and tracks for offline use and follow the route on your phone. Once on the trail you do not need signal for the app to work and follow your progress.

This tour starts and finishes in Bordeaux, and the best gateway airports are Bordeaux or Paris.

Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport is easily connected to the city centre by a regular tram (every 10 minutes) from outside Terminal B - look for Line A. It's a 35-minute journey to the centre and costs €1.70 per person. A taxi rank is located outside Terminal A, costing around €30 during the day and €45 at night, for either direction between the airport and the city.

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is also a good gateway for this tour, with high-speed TGV trains running directly between the two cities. It's a 2 hour 15 minute train journey between Bordeaux St Jean station and Paris Montparnasse station, or around 4 hours if travelling directly to or from the airport. For more information on trains, tickets and prices from Paris, check the SNCF website.

You'll need your standard cycling gear. Bike hire comes with a pannier rack and bag, a pump, lock, a basic repair kit, and handlebar phone. On booking, our Tour Info will give you a complete packing list.

Since you'll have your bike with you, shortening or skipping sections may not be easy. For the best local advice on transport options for cyclists, please consult your accommodation provider or reach out to our local bike partner, where applicable.

We hire bikes suited to the terrain, including e-bikes for a bit of extra assist, in a range of sizes - just let us know your height when booking so we can get your frame right. If you would like to bring your own bike then, in the majority of cases, this is not a problem – please contact us to talk it through. We encourage all cyclists to wear a helmet, and it is law in many countries across Europe. We recommend bringing your own helmet for hygiene and safety reasons, however on most tours you can hire one.

The included bike is a Cube Nature One Allroad hybrid, with an aluminum superlite trekking-cross frame, Shimano drivetrain and disc brakes. An e-bike upgrade is also available: a Trek Verve+ 1, with a low-step frame, 8-speed Shimano drivetrain, Bosch Active Line motor (250W, 40Nm), and an approximate range of 80-150km on a full charge.

Gravel bikes aren't suitable for this tour, and tandems aren't available either. Brand and model may vary depending on availability, and the minimum age for e-bike hire is 16.

On booking, please let us know your height for bike sizing, and your head circumference if you'd like to hire a helmet.

Bike hire includes spare inner tubes, a repair kit and pump, a helmet (though we recommend bringing your own), a pannier bag, a handlebar bag, a lock, a water bottle holder and a phone mount, plus a battery charger for e-bikes.

We highly recommend that you have travel insurance when you book with Macs Adventure. Your policy should cover medical treatment (including repatriation and emergency evacuation by air ambulance or helicopter), injury, death, third-party liability, and trip cancellation