Saint-Émilion, a church beneath the square and vines to the doorstep.

What is Saint-Émilion like?

A small village of pale limestone built on a hillside, with steep, cobbled streets that run down from the collegiate church, at the top, to the market square, at the bottom of a hollow. All around there are only vines: the former jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion, with its villages and châteaux, has been a World Heritage Site since 1999 as a living wine-growing landscape.

What you can't see from the street is the most curious part: much of the village is hollowed out underneath. Galleries remain from the quarries that supplied the stone, and a hermitage, catacombs and an entire church were carved into the rock. The village can be seen in two or three hours; to understand the wine, add an afternoon.

How do you visit the monolithic church?

Only with a guided tour; you can't go in on your own. The church was carved in the early 12th century into the rock beneath the square: it is about 38 m long and 12 m high. The Saint-Émilion Souterrain tour takes in four underground monuments: the hermitage of Émilion, the monk who gave the village its name; the chapel of the Trinity, with medieval paintings; the catacombs, and the monolithic church. It lasts from 45 minutes to an hour, leaves from the square of the monolithic church and is booked in the tourist office's online shop. The guide speaks French, but at the office they give you a printed translation in Spanish if you ask beforehand. Under-6s go in free, with a ticket, and from 6 to 17 there is a reduced rate.

Above the church rises the bell tower, 68 m high. You climb 196 steps and it costs €2 more, with a ticket from the tourist office. You must go up at least in twos. At the top you see the whole village, the roofs and the vines to the horizon.

What else is there to see on foot?

• The collegiate church and its cloister, at the top of the village, next to the tourist office.
• The Tour du Roy, the medieval keep from which the wine festivals are proclaimed.
• The Market square, below, with terraces facing the entrance to the monolithic church.
• The Porte de la Cadène, an arch over one of the most photographed streets.
• The ruins of the Cordeliers, a convent with an open-air cloister.

For something sweet, the macarons of Saint-Émilion are almond biscuits from a convent recipe, different from the coloured macarons of Paris.

How do I visit a winery?

Many châteaux in the surrounding area open for visits and tastings, almost always by prior booking and with a price per person. The tourist office organises visits and wine tours and guides you according to what you are after: a classified grand cru or a small family estate. Without a car you can cycle along the roads between the vines, which are narrow but quiet. If you are going to taste, don't drive: the alcohol limit in France is 0.5 g per litre of blood.

How do you get there?

From Bordeaux, on the TER regional train on the Bordeaux–Sarlat line, with tickets from about €9.50. Saint-Émilion station is 1.5 km south of the village: about twenty minutes' walk uphill, with pavements for only part of the way, or by taxi or tuk-tuk. Bus 304 of the regional network leaves from Quinconces and in high season drops you about 100 m from the centre; the rest of the year it goes to Libourne, 7 km away. By car, the N89 from Bordeaux to Libourne; the Libourne exit of the A89 is 12 km away.

From Spain, on the A63 from Irún to Bordeaux, or by train to Bordeaux and then the regional.

Where do you park?

At the top, next to the collegiate church, and below, in place Bouqueyre, there are paid car parks at €2 an hour, up to 5 hours. The Gendarmerie one is free. Motorhomes can spend the night free of charge in the Parc Guadet, without services, or in the station car park, with paid toilets.