As a UK-based company, the below information is particularly relevent to our UK customers. However, we are able to arrange trips for customers from across the globe! If you have any questions about travelling to your Bordeaux tour, please give us a call on +44 (0) 1920 46 86 66 or send us an e-mail at info@grapeescapes.net.

Self -drive

The drive from St Malo is around 4¾ hours and Caen is around 5½ hours from Bordeaux. Grape Escapes can book your ferry crossing with Brittany Ferries or Condor Ferries if required. In particular, the overnight crossing from Portsmouth to St Malo is recommended.

Eurostar (and onward rail from Paris)

For customers based in central London, travel by Eurostar is a quick way to travel to Bordeaux and for many other customers, the comfort and speed of modern international rail plus the virtues of carbon-neutral travel combine to make travel by Eurostar and onward TGV (French high speed intercity rail) an attractive option. Departures are currently available from London St Pancras and Ebbsfleet and Ashford in Kent. The journey time from London to Paris Nord is around 2 hours 20 minutes and the onward journey from Paris Montparnasse to Bordeaux takes just 2 hours.

We are happy to book your Eurostar and onward TGV at the best available fare and add this fare to the cost of your weekend.  The lowest price for the return journey from London to Bordeaux in standard class is £109 per person; however this fare is, in practice, very hard to achieve and is rarely available for travel at the most popular times (e.g. Fridays and Sunday afternoons / evenings). A more realistic estimate for weekend travel would be between £139 and £199 per person if booked well in advance or up to £309 per person for very busy weekends if booked close to the departure date.

Travel in Standard Premier on the Eurostar and First Class on the onward TGV starts from £229 per person. For this price, guests enjoy wider, more comfortable seating on both trains, a power socket next to their seat, a selection of magazines and newspapers and a complimentary light meal and drinks on the Eurostar in each direction.

The definitive cost of your Eurostar travel can be confirmed 120 days before you travel, when the tickets are released. Please contact us to request some detailed information with hints and tips for obtaining the best-priced tickets.

Fly

Bordeaux serves mainly domestic flights, however there are direct flights from Gatwick (British Airways), Luton (Easyjet), Bristol (Easyjet), Southampton (Flybe) and Dublin (Aer Lingus). Direct flights also operate from Madrid and Amsterdam. There are several flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle each day, therefore this may be practical if you are flying into Paris.

The airport is situated around 20 minutes’ drive from the city centre and there are always taxis waiting at arrivals. Alternatively, a regular shuttle bus will take to the city centre in 45 minutes and costs around 12 Euros per person for return tickets.

Grape Escapes is ATOL registered, number 10831 and we would be happy to book your flights at cost, however a booking fee of £50 per person applies.