![]() When Maria Josepha of Saxony, Dauphine of France, decided to visit the vineyard producing the wine that was the most sought after at the time, the regal house was built in order to welcome her. The château itself was quite literally built for royalty. Visitors without a car can even rent a bicycle and bike the short 3.5 kilometers from Libourne to Château de la Dauphine. Fronsac is the the Libournais appellation with a wine producing château located closest to Libourne. You simply can’t leave Libourne without visiting one of the nearby Libournais appellations. But you can do that easily from Libourne later in the afternoon with a short 5-minute train ride to Vayres.Ĭhâteau de la Dauphine was built in 1750 for the visit of Maria Josepha of Saxony, Dauphine of France 3PM | Wine Tour of Château de La Dauphine Unfortunately, there’s not a dock (at least for now – it’s in future plans) that visitors can disembark to visit Château de Vayres. Visible from the river are the gardens of Château de Vayres, and the cruise briefly stops to admire the sort of Versailles of the Nouvelle Aquitaine and tell guests a bit about the château. Magnificent French gardens were designed by landscape architect Louis-Ferdinand Duprat in 1938. It’s still owned and occupied privately today, but was classified as a historical monument in 2001. After being badly damaged in the Hundred Years War, then inherited by Henry IV, it was finally restored in the 18th century style by Jacques-Joseph de Gourgue, Bishop of Bazas. Though nothing remains of the original fortress, it was rebuilt under the order of King Eward II of England as a fortress. Dominating the Dordogne River, Château de Vayres was built in the 11th century to protect the city of Bordeaux. The boat cruises down the Dordogne River to Château de Vayres, one of the most prestigious castles in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region. ![]() With a glass of wine in hand, you can sit back and relax as you cruise past the châteaux and vineyards of Fronsac situated along the Dordogne. But if you only have a day to visit Libourne during your Bordeaux itinerary, there’s a few must-dos for the perfect summer day out in Libourne.Ī glass of wine and macarons de Saint-Émilion or a canelé de Bordeaux is offered to guestsĭeparting from the quais of Libourne, guests are offered a canelé or a macarons de Saint-Émilion – both local specialties of the Gironde – and a glass of wine to enjoy onboard. From wine tasting at one of the many Libournais châteaux to discovering the Aquitaine culture and gastronomy, there’s actually so many things to do in Libourne that you could easily spend a week there. Today Libourne remains a destination in its own right and it’s well-worth devoting at least a day to discovering it. Even a glassworks set up in Libourne, and the wealth the town enjoyed thanks to the wine trade funded the construction of high quality buildings in the 17th and 18th centuries. Growing from a single country house that established Libourne as a new city in the 13th century, the unique location on the Gironde Estuary was soon attracting many to settle there.īy the time the Hundred Years War ended, the splendid Town Hall had been built on Place Abel Surchamp, there were two churches, and a convent for the Cordeliers. In fact, Libourne was the very first maritime navigation port on the Dordogne. This waterway is heavily under-used compared to other parts of the Dordogne/Vezere region.Libourne sits on the confluence of the Dordogne and Isle riversįounded in 1270 by Sir Roger de Leyburn, Libourne’s long history as a trading port for not only wine, but wool, wood and salt allowed it to flourish. We couldn't believe we had the river to ourselves for most of the time. Luckily we didn't have much further to go, so it didn't mar an otherwise enjoyable trip. There are some hefty rocks in the water, so grazing and cuts are almost unavoidable if you go in in a fast section. The current was strong there and it took quite a while to get him back in his kayak. One of us hit it but stayed upright, but the other hit it and over-turned. However, on one section very near the end, two of us were pushed towards a tree stump in the water by the current. Mostly the river is very wide and very lazy, making kayaking a leisurely way to get about There are some brief shallower and faster parts, but most are easy to navigate. It turned out that we didn't need it, as the only other people we saw (a family in a canoe) passed us as we were eating, and had already called for the transport when we got to our destination. We had his phone number for him to come and pick us up when we arrived. With this stop, it took us nearly four hours. This was billed as a three-hour trip, but the man working there asked if we were stopping somewhere for lunch. We took four one-person kayaks from Terrasson to Condat.
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