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Guide · Private tours
Saint-Émilion private wine tour options
A whole day from Bordeaux with your own guide, or a short sidecar ride through the vines from the village itself: what each private option gives you, and when a shared tour does the job just as well.
Check availabilityfrom $96 · cancel for free
Editorial team, saintemilionwinetasting.comUpdated October 18, 2026about 6 min to read3 sources
At a glance
- 01Private day
- A 9-hour private tour from Bordeaux, from $662, rated 4.98 from 19 reviews.
- 02Pickup
- Your guide can collect you from your Bordeaux address within about 3 km.
- 03Sidecar ride
- A private ride through the vineyards from the village, 1 to 2.5 hours, from $185.
- 04Children
- Some shared days exclude under-16s; the half day sold here is closed only to under-4s.
- 05Bigger groups
- More than 8 people? The private tour asks you to get in touch first.
What going private changes
A Saint-Émilion private wine tour swaps a fixed program for one built around your own group. The private tour from Bordeaux listed on GetYourGuide lasts 9 hours, with guides speaking English, French or Spanish, and after you reserve, the operator contacts you to finalize the program to your preferences. It starts from $662 and is rated 4.98 from 19 reviews.
The first practical difference is where your day begins. Shared tours meet at fixed points in central Bordeaux, while the private listing includes pickup and offers to collect you from your place of residence in Bordeaux within about 3 km. For a family with tired legs, or a group of friends who would rather not cross town early in the morning, that alone can be worth a good part of the difference in price.
Private also means the rhythm is yours. On a shared outing the group moves on when the schedule says so; with your own guide you can linger in a cellar, skip a tasting or add an hour in the village lanes. Visiting conditions vary from one estate to another, and some can only be visited by reservation.1 A program agreed with the operator before the day settles those bookings for you.
The sidecar ride
A private loop through the vines
-
Start
10 Rue Guadet
You meet the driver in the village of Saint-Émilion.
-
40 min
Into the vineyard
Photo stops and a guided ride through the vines.
-
20 min
Winery stop
A short guided visit with a tasting.
-
End
Back to the village
The ride ends where it began, at 10 Rue Guadet.
The private day from Bordeaux in detail
The listing keeps its fixed details short, leaving the program to be shaped with you. What it does state is clear: the group is private, pickup is included, the guides speak English, French and Spanish, and the day lasts 9 hours. Cancelling costs nothing until 24 hours ahead, and payment can wait until later, handy while the rest of your trip is still taking shape.
Behind the 4.98 average from 19 reviews sit sub-scores of 5 on guiding, 4.4 on value for money and 4.9 on the ride itself. Read the value score next to the price, and the guide score as a hint of how the day feels. A small number of reviews still says something, but it carries less weight than the 1,733 reviews behind the shared half day sold on this site.
Prepare a few questions for when the operator calls. Which estates are open on your date, whether a lunch can be added, how long you will have in the village, and whether a guest who does not drink can still join the visits. Write the agreed program down and share it with your group before the day, so nobody is surprised by an early start or a long drive between two estates.
Guest ratings
How the options score
rating
Private and shared
What each format includes
| Option | Group | Pickup | Length | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private day from Bordeaux | Private | Included | 9 hrs | from $662 |
| Sidecar ride | Private | Starts in the village | 1-2.5 hrs | from $185 |
| Half day sold here | Small group available | Not included | 4-4.5 hrs | from $96 |
| Day with tastings and lunch | Up to 8 | Meeting point | 7 hrs | from $179 |
| Saint-Émilion and Pomerol | Up to 8 | Meeting point | 5 hrs | from $122 |
From-prices, not exact quotes; formats as each listing states them.
Your own pace
Private, short or shared
Fully private
Short and private
Sold on this siteDecision helper
Should you go private?
Match the format to the people coming with you.
Private day
Pickup from your address within about 3 km.
Private day
The program is set with you; confirm the ages when the operator calls.
Sidecar ride
A private ride with one winery stop, from $185.
The half day sold here
Shared, from $96, rated 4.77.
Contact the private operator
Groups over 8 are asked to get in touch.
Some wine estates offer family-friendly tours and activities. However, children’s admission and facilities vary from one estate to another.
A private sidecar ride from the village
If you are already staying in Saint-Émilion, a much shorter private option starts from 10 Rue Guadet in the village. It is a ride through the vineyards by sidecar: 40 minutes in the vines with photo stops, then 20 minutes at a winery with a tasting, before you are brought back to where you started. The listing gives 1 to 2.5 hours in all and a starting price of $185.
A sidecar carries two people, one in the basket and one behind the driver, and you can swap places along the way. The ride is rated 5.00 from 15 reviews, listed as wheelchair accessible, and guided in French and English. If your party is larger than a couple, ask the operator how the group is split between machines before you confirm.
The sidecar suits couples who want the vineyard landscape without a minivan, and anyone who has already walked the village and wants to see the slopes around it. It is not a replacement for a day of tastings, since the itinerary lists one winery stop. Pair it with a château visit you book directly, or with the half-day tour from Bordeaux on another day of your trip.
Checklist
Before you book privately
01
Tell the operator
- Ages of everyone in your group
- Mobility needs
- Dietary needs for any meal
- Your Bordeaux address for pickup
02
Confirm in writing
- Start time and total hours
- Estates on the program
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Cost calculator
Private or shared for your party
Enter how many of you are going to see each starting total.
People
Total from$1,324
from, per person $662
Check availabilityfree cancellationTotals multiply each tour's lowest GetYourGuide rate by your group, shown in your currency at the ECB rate; checkout gives the binding sum.
Video
A sommelier on planning a Bordeaux wine tour
The player loads on your tap, not before.
Wine tours and children
Planning a Saint-Émilion wine tour with kids takes more homework than the tour itself. The Olala Bordeaux full day and half day take no children under 16. The tours from the central tourist office are for adults only, and their listings say you must be 18 to drink alcohol. On a private day the program is agreed with the operator for your own group, and ages are a question to raise when they get in touch.
Other listings draw the line lower. The afternoon tour with two wineries and the Saint-Émilion and Pomerol tour accept no children under 12. The half day sold on this site and the Médoc and Saint-Émilion day are closed to children under 4. On the half day sold here, every passenger needs a ticket, infants and children included.
At the estates themselves, some offer family-friendly tours, but children's admission and facilities vary from one estate to another.2 On a private day you can ask the operator for estates that welcome younger guests, and for a pace with breaks between visits. Pack snacks and water of your own, and plan a stop in the village where children can stretch their legs on the lanes while adults finish their glass.
Private or shared: the real trade-off
Price is the obvious gap. The private day starts from $662, while the shared half day sold here starts from $96 per person and the shared day with tastings and lunch from $179. Check on the booking page whether the private figure applies per person or per group for your party size, and compare the totals rather than the headline numbers.
Shared tours have strengths of their own. They run to set times, they are often small, and their reviews run into the hundreds or thousands. Many are limited to 8 participants. The half day sold here is rated 4.77 from 1,733 reviews, with 4.9 for its guides. If the standard program already matches what you want, a shared seat is the simpler choice.
Choose private when your group has needs a fixed schedule cannot meet: young children, a fixed list of estates, a date the shared tours do not cover, or someone who needs more time between stops. Mobility is worth checking either way. The half day sold here is not wheelchair accessible, while the sidecar ride is listed as wheelchair accessible.
Booking a private day well
Book early if your dates are fixed. A private guide is one person with one calendar, and the estates you hope to see may need a reservation of their own.1 As cancelling is free until 24 hours ahead, you can hold a date while the rest of your plans settle. Once you book, expect the operator to contact you about the program before the day.
Tell the operator about your group in detail: ages, dietary needs, mobility and the language you prefer. The private listing names English, French and Spanish. For groups larger than 8, it asks you to make contact before booking. The more the operator knows in advance, the better the estates and the timing of the day can match the people in the van.
Keep the day realistic. The tourist office notes that a full day lets you add a wine estate to a visit of the village.3 With your own guide you can fit in more, but a couple of estates and an unhurried walk through the village make a rich day; beyond that, tastings tend to blur together. Leave room for a slow lunch, a last photo on the slopes and the drive back.
Book your seats
A village walk and a classified cellar await.
Choose a morning or an afternoon slot; plans can still change until 24 hours ahead.
You ask,we answer.
How much does a private wine day from Bordeaux cost?
From $662. That is the starting price of the private 9-hour tour from Bordeaux.
Is pickup included on the private tour?
Yes. Guides can collect you from your place of residence in Bordeaux within about 3 km.
Can I bring my children on a wine tour?
On some tours. The half day sold here is closed only to children under 4; the Olala Bordeaux days exclude under-16s.
Which languages do the private guides speak?
English, French and Spanish. As listed for the private tour from Bordeaux.
Is there a shorter private option?
The sidecar ride. It starts from 10 Rue Guadet in the village and lasts 1 to 2.5 hours.
How many people fit in a sidecar?
Two. One rides in the basket and the other behind the driver.
Can a large group book the private day?
Ask first. For more than 8 people the operator asks you to get in touch.
Sources
The sources for this guide
- 1Office de Tourisme du Grand Saint-ÉmilionnaisFAQ - Saint-Émilion Tourist Office↩
- 2Office de Tourisme du Grand Saint-ÉmilionnaisFAQ - Saint-Émilion Tourist Office↩
- 3Office de Tourisme du Grand Saint-ÉmilionnaisFAQ - Saint-Émilion Tourist Office↩
