Saint Emilion – Inside France’s Enchanting Medieval Wine City

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Discover the enchanting beauty of Saint-Émilion, a medieval wine city nestled in the heart of Bordeaux, France. This UNESCO World Heritage site is not only renowned for its spectacular vineyards and exquisite Saint-Émilion wine but also for its rich history and stunning architecture. Join us as we explore the charming streets of this medieval city, uncovering its secrets and stories that date back centuries. From picturesque vineyards to historic churches, Saint-Émilion offers a unique blend of culture, history, and world-class wine. Whether you’re planning a trip to Bordeaux or simply dreaming of France travel, this video will take you on an unforgettable journey through one of the most captivating French cities. Don’t miss out on the ultimate Saint-Émilion wine tour experience! Dive into the charm of St Emilion and learn why this medieval gem is a must-visit destination in France.

We Will Visit:
Saint-Emilion’s Catholic Collegiate Church
Cloitre de Corelliers
The King’s Tower
Monolithic Cathedral

JP has dedicated his life to traveling. He is a digital nomad who creates travel vlogs about interesting places all over the world. His travel videos teach viewers all about amazing destinations in a travel documentary type format. JP is a professional travel guide who seeks to educate and inspire you to check off all the items on your bucket list. He not only provides the viewer with travel essentials, but also educates on off the beaten path locations that you wouldn’t think to visit. Check out his travel vlog and be inspired to explore your world!

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[Music] today we are exploring the fascinatingly beautiful medieval city of santon France located in the Bordeaux region this small city is a UNESCO world heritage site and is known for its worldclass delectable wines and story book like enchanting streets join me on a journey as we explore the best things to do and see in this quaint City and find out what makes it one of the best villages to visit in France hey everyone welcome back to another episode of project Gaia JP here and today we are in son emilion France now a lot of people haven’t heard of this city um it’s this amazingly maintained medieval city in the Bordeaux wine region of France so it’s about uh 20 mes or so uh east of Bordeaux the main city um and what so special about it well it the entire city is a UNESCO world heritage site right so the entire city is um it has amazing Beauty and it’s filled with Vineyards all around and lots of wine shops and if you’re into wine you’re really going to enjoy song and it’s just an amazingly beautiful city I mean just the city in itself is just an open air medieval Museum so it’s really cool to see um also what we’re going to do is I’m going to to show you some of the best sites to see while you’re here in s milon there’s not too many sites most of the allore is you know the shopping the wine uh just the beautiful scenery but there are some so let’s begin so the first thing how to get to Santa milon so it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere um you’ll probably get it from Bordeaux and we are now here in bordeaux’s sanin station which is like the main station you can connect to all parts of France from this very station it’s a huge station and um the train you want to get is towards sarot um but you’re not going to go all the way to sarlot you’re going to go about two stops to Sal M so um the Train’s about 10 to20 depending on when you buy it and demand um but it gets you there in about 30 minutes so this is the way to [Music] go now when you get off the train at this s milon station it’s going to drop you off here so you’re in the middle of French Wine Country in Bordeaux right so you’re going to see bunch of wine vineyards everywhere chatos it’s really cool um it is about a 10 to 15 minute walk to the actual medieval town of St milon um there are little uh shuttles that can take you there they’re called jjes or Juck jucks or tuck tuck something like that and it’s like a little golf cart that’ll take you there uh for like 5 but the walk is pretty short um and you get this amazing scenery once you get off the train you are greeted by Rolling Hills in beautifully picturesque wine vineyards it is a welcoming introduction to the city and helps you connect to santon’s Rich wine making Heritage when you approach the city you will be a struck by the quaint and enchanting streets as well as the old world centuries old architecture I encourage you to arrive early when the tourists are still asleep and you can basically have the whole city to yourself wander the medieval lanes and take it all in before the crowds as you will see later it can get quite busy and is actually one of the most popular tourist destinations in France so having an early start will allow you to back ask in the ambience in a more reflective [Music] manner first check out s a milon’s Catholic Collegiate Church this remarkable Testament to Medieval architecture and religious devotion is a mustsee when visiting constructed between the 12th and 15th centuries this Grand Gothic and Romanesque church is one of the largest monastic structures in France the church’s cloysters with their Serene and elegant arches once served as a place of contemplation and prayer for augustinian monks inside the church boasts a stunning mixture of architecture Styles including soaring vaed ceilings that draw the eye heavenward the church’s stained glass windows illuminate the Sacred Space with vibrant colors telling the stories of Faith which have endured for centuries Beyond its religious significance the church is a symbol of Santa milon’s Rich cultural heritage attracting visitors from around the world who come to admire its beauty connect to their spirituality and to reflect on its historical Legacy [Music] salion is known for its iconic views due to its hilly topography the city is known for its dramatic ascents and descents which produce portrait like Vistas like this one make sure you walk around and get glimpses of the quaint an enchanting Village pushed up against the Lush Countryside that’s what I was doing until it started to pour so figured I’d start the wine tasting tour a little early I guess the rain is necessary to feed the grapes that make this amazingly Supple Bordeaux region [Music] wines now another place that you have to check out when you’re here in Santa melon is the cloysters Le cordelier that’s where we are now so what this is it’s this very cool concept so it’s a 14th century cloysters that has been turned into a wine bar um a lot of people have weddings here and it’s very romantic and very cool and very chic um a lot of people have picnics here and you can you know have some of this fine Bordeaux wine here amongst this these 14th century ruins basically so it really is cool and kind of romantic so definitely check this out [Music] wander through the medieval grounds and Gardens of clo de la cordier and immerse yourself in the history and creative repurposing of this amazing ruin look up and be inspired by the medieval craftsmanship and stop for lunch or a drink in this peaceful and attractive setting but make sure you don’t feed this guy because then he won’t leave you [Music] alone okay so I’ve decided to have lunch in the cloy um I got an amazing basket here it comes with a baguette and I got this soft cheese it was recommended to me I don’t know exactly what it is fromage fresh chevet so looks good and sausage right and then I’m going to wash it all down with a wine from the local region St milon wine called Le champion from 2015 so [Music] cheers I recommend leaving the center of the town and wander its perimeter here is where the real beauty lies as you are greeted by surreal Vistas that seem to pop out of a painting you will be in awe and your sense is invigorated as you see the beauty smell The Vineyards and hear the church bells of this destination Frozen in time so where we’re standing now is one of the Blaster remaining entrances to the city this is called Port brune so this was built this this entrance um in 1200 right so it’s about a little over 800 years and what I find so fascinating about European cities in general is that it’s City like very dense urban city and then once you cross the border of the city it’s rural it’s not something we’re used to in the united states in the United States we have several tens of 20s of 30 miles of suburbs before it turns re Rural right here it’s not the case so it’s either Urban very densely populated or rural so you’ll notice once you exit the City Gate it becomes extremely rural with Rolling Hills and Vineyards and just amazing scenery and then you come up to the city and it’s this densely built Urban population [Music] so one thing you must see when you’re here in son amilon is the King’s Tower which we’re in now we’re in the middle of it um now there’s a lot of debat it’s kind of mystery uh if it was commissioned by Louis the 13th of France or Henry III of England when St Amon was under English control but what I think is fascinating is they know about the time period was in the 1200s probably between the 1200s to 1300s um and look at this stonework I mean it is just perfect it is these Grand formidable just giant Stones stacked on top of the other with the best craftsmanship I mean this will last another thousand years right and houses built today you’re lucky if you’ll have them for 50 years so I think it’s just amazing the uh the craft that’s put into these amazingly beautiful and formidable medieval buildings another thing that’s great about it is you climb your way to the top it’s like I think 118 steps and once you get to the top you get fantastic views of s Aon beautiful views of uh both the city and the countryside so definitely uh make your way up the stairs if you can uh as you can see I cut myself on one of these medieval stairs filming in France a couple days ago so be very careful um but you go up and you get fantastic views and it’s well worth the clim up climbing your way to the top of theill historic King’s Tower offers some of the best views in santon here you can Marvel at the beauty of this enchanting medieval city and reflect on your big journey and contemplate how this may be one of the most beautiful towns you will ever see in your LIF time [Music] so if there’s one site that you absolutely must not miss in sonon it is the iges monol which means monolithic Church uh so what this is is this is the namesake of s meon so Legend has it that the saint came here in the late 700s so the 8th century and came to be a Hermit in a cave right on this location um and he was a miracle worker and was an amazing Saint in this region of France and uh the church was built between the 9th and 12th century so it’s about 1100 to 800 years old so it’s very very interesting also it is the largest underground Church in Europe so it’s very unique it’s very interesting and it has a very unique Vibe so we’re going to head in um you can only do this with a guided tour now you can get a guided tour online or at the tourism office uh they have them a couple tour a day uh they have one in English several in French and some in Spanish as well so uh try to book it in advance and kind of build your day around it because they fill up fast especially in the summertime High season so let’s head in okay so I found out right when I got in that you cannot film or take photos inside the monolithic church I know major fail but I’ll describe it to you um you go down there’s just this really cool Labyrinth of tunnels and it’s a lot cooler down there cuz it’s underground It’s Like a Stone Stone mud floor and then you enter through these Caverns into this big giant medieval church that’s all dug out of rock it’s very large it’s very very interesting um so I definitely recommend taking a look this is just something we’re going to have to leave a mystery you guys will have to check it out when you come [Music] here the beauty and history of Santa milon surround you in every direction one of the best things to do in the city is simply to wander reflect and soak it all in walk its narrow medieval streets smell The Vineyards run your hands along the orchard plants and create a memory that will last [Music] forever now a big part of traveling to S milon is trying the different wines right so there are tons of different wine shops all over the city so they they range from Big Chate on the edge of town they actually have Vineyards to kind of these small little caves to these smaller boutiques uh so I recommend you kind of pop in to a couple of them while you’re here you know don’t get too drunk right hopefully you took the train so you’re not driving um and you know just try the different wines that are available to you I mean it’s that’s pretty much the fun of coming here right is to just sample all the different wines of this amazing region [Music] okay guys this was s milon now I had a fantastic time showing you one of France’s most beautiful cities I mean the entire city is a UNESCO world heritage site so I mean the Rolling Hills the beauty of the architecture the beauty of the surrounding landscape it really is something that you should have on your bucket list when you come to visit France or just in life listen guys if you like this kind of content Please Subscribe if you haven’t already uh like this video share this video and leave me your comment below let me know what you liked uh if there’s anything I missed and what you want to see next time until next time guys take care bye