There are two main kinds of river cruise tours you can take in the immediate area of Bordeaux. One, like Les Bateaux Bordelaise, offers a short few hours just in front of the city of Bordeaux on the Garonne River. The other, more luxurious, is the week long river cruise where you will tour all three local rivers, the Garonne, Dordogne and the Gironde. The week onboard offers lodging, food and wine, plus an itinerary full of fun onboard activities, dancing and plenty of excursions!
I work for UniWorld and really have loved being able to share SE Gironde and Bordeaux with their clients. It’s impressive what clients are able to see in a week. Plus, sharing where I live in SE Gironde is a highlight! You can also try Viking and Alma if you want to do this style of travel.
Many of the tours offered on these cruises will include a bus to get to the destinations, be it Saint Emilion or Cadillac in Southeast Gironde. The tours are given by local guides and often include wine or wine tastings, local food or pastry tastings and plenty of history. Generally, you will have about one full day in Bordeaux, but I’d recommend coming before or staying after to see more of the city. Bordeaux deserves a good few days, and is best enjoyed Tuesday-Saturday when everything is open. Besides, it’s a great way to get over jetlag before going on board.
If you want to add a private tour to your trip, I would be very happy to help and can also advise on what kind of tour to not overlap. There are some of the cruises that offer market tours, some don’t. You will try a canelé, but there is so much more on offer for local and regional cuisine! In addition, while the on board restaurants are wonderful, there are incredible restaurants in Bordeaux and great values as well. I can also suggest other local guides who specialize in everything from Jewish history to WWII, Street-Art to private wine tours. Please feel free to reach out aquitaineguide@gmail.com x Anne
River Cruise operators with Bordeaux tours :
Uniworld / Uniworld River Cruises | World’s Most Renowned River Cruise Line / 2025 | Brilliant Bordeaux | Uniworld River Cruises
Viking / https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/ Chateaux, Rivers & Wine – 2025 Itinerary – Bordeaux to Bordeaux | Viking®
Alma / River Cruises | AmaWaterways™ River Cruise Line / 2025 Taste of Bordeaux | AmaWaterways™
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