Getting to the Wedding Venue: The Chateau de Laubardemont, Abzac France

The wedding venue is a private estate a little under 1 hr drive east from downtown Bordeaux city (50-55 mins without traffic), in the St Emilion wine region.

Libourne, a larger regional town, is 20 mins south of the venue and has a train station with trains to Bordeaux and Paris. And the closest small town to the venue is Coutras (5 mins drive), which has a commuter train to/from the downtown Bordeaux train station.

Bordeaux has an international airport and large train station. You will likely arrive through Bordeaux if flying. However, there is another option of flying into Bergerac, which has a smaller airport with flights from the UK and is about 1hr drive east of the venue in the Dordogne valley.

Saturday and Sunday festivities will be at the Chateau de Laubardemont and the venue has parking on-site for those driving.

On Saturday, depending on where guests are staying and interest, we can organize shuttle transportation between the venue and major lodging areas (Bordeaux-center, Libourne, Coutras). Please indicate in your RSVP or reach out to us.

For Sunday brunch, you can park on-site, take a taxi/uber or arrive via train to the nearby Coutas train station and we can pick you up.

For those coming from abroad joining us on Friday afternoon: you can drive, take a taxi/uber, or carpool with us/other guests. Please let us know in the RSVP if you need transportation assistance.

Bordeaux Overview

Bordeaux is the largest city just west of where Aurelie’s parents retired (they are about 2hrs east, in the Lot valley, just south of the well-known Dordogne valley). We’ve spent many trips enjoying the region’s history, natural beauty, and food and felt that it would be a wonderful opportunity to share this spot with those closest to us.

On paper, Bordeaux is a charming city in southwest France known for its wine region and beautiful 18th-century architecture. The historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is easily accessible by plane and high-speed train. Bordeaux is a great jumping off point to beaches, medieval villages, wine country and more.

Check out the “Things to Do” page for attractions in the area.

Getting Here - Plane

The Bordeaux-Merignac Airport (BOD) has direct flights from Paris (1h25) and other national and international airports (London, Madrid, Dublin, Barcelona, Amsterdam etc).

The smaller Bergerac airport has some flights, including on Ryan Air from the UK.

Getting Here – Train

Bordeaux is very easy to get to by train from Paris. The TGV trains run throughout the day from Paris and it’s a short trip – under 2.5hrs. You can catch most trains from Gare Montparnasse in Paris and there are a couple daily options direct from the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). The Bordeaux train station is in the downtown area and close to sights & hotels.

If you’re coming to Bordeaux just for the wedding and want to make it a short trip, you could travel down Friday or Saturday morning and come back late Sunday or Monday morning.

Another option is to take the train to/from Libourne. There are 2-3 daily trains that run direct between Libourne and Paris Gare Montparnasse. Other train options include a stop and change.

Getting Here – Car

Bordeaux is about a 6 hr drive from Paris and you can drive almost entirely by highway (A10). There are some cool places to stop along the way – Chartres, Loire Valley, Zoo Parc de Beauval, Cognac brandy region etc.

Sample Bordeaux Region Itineraries

Given its location, there are many great options for car or train trips.

Bordeaux-French Atlantic: Head north and hit up the coastal Atlantic picturesque destinations of La Rochelle & Ile de Re (French Nantucket) and surrounding beaches. Check out Puy du Fou medieval theme park and end in St Malo and Mont St Michel before heading back to Paris.

Bordeaux-South West: Head east into the Dordogne valley, where you’ll find river/lake sports, perched medieval villages and several famous caves with prehistoric paintings, including the Lascaux Caves. We also really like the Peche-Merle Caves.

Bordeaux-South/Spain: Head south into Basque country and travel along the Atlantic coast to famous beach towns Arcachon, Biarritz, San Sebastien (Spain) and Bilboa (Spain). You can keep going west across Spain & into Portugal or veer east into the Pyrenees mountains.

Bordeaux-South East/Spain: Head south east through the Dordogne and Lot Valleys, visiting the pink city of Toulouse and fortified medieval city of Carcassonne before crossing the Pyrenees into Spain, ending in Barcelona.