2 Nights 2 Couples Near Bordeaux in July - What Town?

We will be couples travelling south to see the Tour de France in early July but want to spend a couple of nights near Bourdeaux tasting wine and having a couple of good dinners. What town would be recommeded? I have read good reviews of Sarlat and St. Emilion.

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Both Sarlat and Saint-Emilion are two great places for enjoying good food and great wines; both are medieval towns and both have great ambience. However, %26quot;near Bordeaux%26quot; tilts the scales towards Saint-Emilion.

Based on the 2008 Tour program, Sarlat would be the closest of the two towns to the race itinerary, but is still some distance from Bordeaux; Saint-Emilion is actually in the Bordeaux region itself. (Sarlat is about 75-90 minutes further east in the neighboring Dordogne valley.)

If you want to simply taste wines in the context of a fine meal in a good restaurant, Sarlat has much to offer, but if you wish to taste wines at the châteaux themselves, then Saint-Emilion is where you want to be.

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I agree. Sarlat is picturesque and nice restaurants. Very booked in the summer, lots of English and it would take 3 hours to Medoc.

St. E doesn%26#39;t have great restaurants (Hostellerie du Plaisance is great and expensive but many others are overpriced and outdated). If you are returning to Paris from Bordeaux, you might even want to stay in Bordeaux city, particularly if you want to visit Medoc or Graves wineries. Lots of interesting restaurants at night (at all price points) and none of the great chateaux are more than a half hour.

But given the tour route, I%26#39;d opt to do wine in Cahors region, not far from Sarlat or the route and see how those malbecs compare to Argentina%26#39;s. Six 1 star michelins in this region known as Quercy.

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