A day from Bordeaux
Bordeaux to the Médoc, the loop
Most day trips from Bordeaux go up one bank and back down the same one. The ferry lets you go up the right bank, cross, and come home down the Route des Châteaux.
The Gironde has no road bridge below Bordeaux. For a visitor that sounds like a nuisance, but it is the reason this day works: the only crossing is a 20 minute ferry, and it turns an out-and-back drive into a circuit.
Go clockwise. Blaye in the morning needs no booking and costs nothing to enter. The Médoc in the afternoon needs an appointment and rewards you for arriving unhurried. The ferry sits in the middle, at roughly the point where you would otherwise have turned around.
Bordeaux to Blaye, right bank
Head north along the right bank rather than up the motorway. This is Côtes de Bordeaux country, merlot rather than the cabernet you will taste later, and the smaller estates here take visitors far more readily than the classed growths.
The citadel at Blaye
Free to enter, open all year, and lived in rather than roped off. Walk the ramparts for the view over the estuary and Fort Pâté on its island. Two hours is enough; the ferry ramp is directly below.
The crossing
20 minutes across the widest estuary in western Europe, on the Sébastien Vauban. Get out of the car and go up on deck: you are crossing the line of fire that once sealed the river to Bordeaux.
Fort Médoc and Lamarque
The ramp lands beside Cussac-Fort-Médoc, the third of Vauban's three forts. Seeing all three in a day is only possible because of the ferry.
The Route des Châteaux
Turn onto the D2. Margaux lies south, Saint-Julien and Pauillac north. Book your château well ahead; the classed growths rarely take anyone who simply turns up.
Back to Bordeaux
The D2 runs all the way down the left bank into the city, so you finish the loop without repeating a single road you drove that morning.
Timing it around the sailings
This is the part that goes wrong. The ferry runs 5 times a day out of season and up to 9 in high summer, and you are asked to be at the ramp 30 minutes before departure. Pick your crossing before you decide what time to leave Bordeaux, not after.
A tasting that runs long is the classic way to miss the last sailing. The fallback is 79 km around Bordeaux, which turns a relaxed evening into an hour and a quarter of driving. Check the timetable for your date.
What it costs
A car with one person is €31 in high season, since the driver pays a foot fare on top of the vehicle. Two adults come to €37. From November to March a car and driver drop to €19. Full fares.
If you are not driving
Blaye is one of the few places on the estuary where crossing on foot makes sense. The ramp is at the foot of the citadel and the town centre is a few minutes' walk, so a half day on the right bank works without a car. On the Médoc side, though, the châteaux are spread along 80 km of the D2, and you will want wheels.
Book the château, not the boat
It is the wrong way round from most ferry trips. The crossing takes no booking and cannot be reserved, while the first growths at Pauillac often need several days' notice and only receive on weekdays. Estates in Haut-Médoc, Listrac and Moulis, around Lamarque, are far easier at short notice. More on the Médoc side.
Questions about the day
Do I need to book the ferry for a day trip?
You cannot. There is no reservation on this line. What you do need to plan is the sailing you want, because there are only six a day out of season and missing one can cost you hours.
Can I do Blaye and a Médoc château in one day from Bordeaux?
Yes, and the ferry is what makes it possible. Without it you would drive up the right bank and back down the left, twice. With it you cross 4.5 km in 20 minutes and turn the day into a loop.
Which direction should I go round?
Right bank first. Blaye's citadel is free and open all year, so it works early with no booking. Château visits need appointments and mostly run late morning and afternoon, which fits the second half of the day.
How much does the crossing add to the cost of the day?
€31 for a car and one person in high season, €37 for two. Out of season it drops to €19 for a car and driver.
Sources
Updated : September 2026