The Médoc List

Years ago, my husband and I bought a house project in the tiny town of Saint-Yzans-de-Médoc, about an hour and 15 minutes north of Bordeaux, close to the Gironde River and roughly a 30-minute ride to the closest Atlantic beach. (I wrote about it a bit in this post.) It’s such a beautiful and relatively untouched area, but doesn’t have the quintessential charming villages that so many equate with France. It is much more wild, with miles of empty beaches, pine forests and vineyards. For first-time visitors, I recommend visiting in the summer, when there are many more options for things to do, as many places are closed for the rest of the year. Another summer highlight is the night market concept—marche nocturne—which many villages have weekly on certain nights in July and August. Size and vibe depends on the town (ours in Maréchale on Sunday nights has a DJ or band and lots of food trucks, whereas the St. Christoly one on Wednesdays is supposed to be a bit more chic), but they’re fun and a great way to see the local community let loose. If you’re in the area on a weekend (or, frankly, anywhere in the French countryside on a weekend), check out the Vide Grenier app to see if there is an “empty the attic” happening. I’ve found some real treasures over the years! Lastly, if you’re renting a house, don’t forget to look up the farmer’s markets near you, and what days they happen—they are incredible, and they are held year round.

I’ve broken this list into sections since, if you’re coming this way, you’re likely doing a road trip and will want to experience different areas. Consider that the Médoc is a peninsula that is 80 km long and 10 km across. On one side of the peninsula—the east side—close to the Gironde Estuary, you’ll find most of the grand châteaux. On the west side, you have the Atlantic and a much more casual beach culture—from surfer to old-world beach vibes. My list below goes from south to north in a loop, beginning north of Bordeaux (my Bordeaux List is here) in the wine country, continuing north to the top of the peninsula, and then looping south on the west (ocean) side. Before you go anywhere, be sure to check the hours and opening days! (Most recent update July 31, 2025)