5 Best Sights in St-Émilion, Bordeaux and the Wine Country

Named for the prayer-signaling church bells that can be heard from its vineyards, this fabled château is a premier grand cru property.

Just south of the town walls, Château Ausone is an estate that is ranked with Château Angelus as a producer of St-Émilion's finest wines.

A stroll along the 13th-century ramparts takes you to the Château du Roi. To this day nobody knows whether it was Henry III of England or King Louis VIII of France who chose the site and ordered its building.

One of Europe's largest underground churches, the Église Monolithe was hewn out of the rock face between the 9th and 12th centuries by monks faithful to the memory of St-Émilion, an 8th-century hermit and miracle worker. Its spire-top clocher (bell tower) rises out of the bedrock, dominating the center of town. The church can only be visited on a guided tour reserved online in advance via the tourist office website. The visit includes the catacombs and the underground cell of St-Émilion.

From the castle ramparts, cobbled steps lead down to Place du Marché, a leafy square where cafés remain open late into the balmy summer night—just be prepared for the inflated prices they charge.