Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
11am weekends only. The
St-Émilion Souterrain
(Underground St-Émilion; adult/
child €7/free)
tour takes you beneath the pretty streets and into a fascinating
labyrinth of catacombs - highlights are the hermit saint's famous cave,
Grotte de
l'Ermitage
, and the 11th-century church
Église Monolithe
, carved out of lime-
stone between the 9th and the 12th centuries. Tours in French depart regularly
throughout the day.
The tourist office organises two-hour afternoon
château visits
(adult/child €12/
free; May-Sep)
in French and English. It also runs various events throughout the
year, such as
La Journée Viticole
(Winemakers' Day; minimum 2 people €385;
11am-5pm Jun-Sep)
that combines a vineyard visit, lunch, town tour and wine tasting
course.
Sleeping & Eating
HÔTEL-RESTAURANT DU PALAIS CARDINAL €€
( 05 57 24 72 39;
www.palais-cardinal.com
; place du 11 Novembre 1918; s/d from
€71/88, menus from €28; )
Run by the same family for five generations,
this hotel puts a little more thought into its dress sense than the other 'cheap' St-
Émilion hotels. The heated pool is set in rambling flower-filled gardens and framed
by sections of the original medieval town-wall fortifications, dating from the 13th
century.
Historic Hotel
AUBERGE DE LA COMMANDERIE €€
( 05 57 24 70 19;
www.aubergedelacommanderie.com
; 2 rue Porte Brunet; r from
€76; mid-Feb-mid-Jan; )
Inside this hotel's 13th-century walls, rooms are
modernised with massive murals depicting a Technicolorised pop-art version of an
old black-and-white postcard of the village.
Traditional Hotel
GRAND BARRAIL €€€
( 05 57 55 37 00;
www.grand-barrail.com
;
rte de Libourne/D243; r from €290,
menus from €28; )
Grand doesn't even begin to describe this immense
1850-built château, 3km from the village, with its decadent on-site spa, stone-
flagged heated swimming pool, free state-of-the-art fitness room, wheelchair access
and its own helipad on the front lawns.
Historic Hotel
RESTAURANT HOSTELLERIE DE PLAISANCE €€€
Gastronomic
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