Bordeaux, the fifth largest city of France, and the largest in the southwest of the country, is famous for its wines. The city on the Garonne river deserves to be equally famous for its magnificent neo-classical waterfront and old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Bordeaux and the whole province of Aquitaine came under English rule for 300 years from 1154, when Eleanor of Aquitaine married the future King Henry II. The English rulers enjoyed drinking the wines of Bordeaux, but they enjoyed the profits even more – trade with Bordeaux was their largest source of income. Most wine came from the Graves region just upriver from the city, and this was a clear, deep rosé called clairet, still produced today. The English came to call any Bordeaux red wine “claret”.
In 1453 France took control of Aquitaine and cut off the supply to England, who ceased to drink wine for the next 500 years, turning to beer and gin. This caused a slump in Bordeaux, which only revived from the 16th century through trans-Atlantic trade. The city then prospered through the 18th century, when most of its fine buildings were erected, and it provided the model for Baron Haussmann's 19th-century remodelling of Paris. Bordeaux also came to eclipse other French Atlantic ports such as Bayonne and La Rochelle. Much of the wealth was based on the triangular slave trade: sugar, rum and other plantation products were shipped to France from the Americas and Caribbean, France shipped industrial wares to Africa, whence the slaves were sent west to work those plantations.
Bordeaux suffered a human cost in later turmoils: the French Revolution, Napoleonic wars, and First and Second World Wars. But the damage to buildings was small enough to be repaired, rather than needing whole-scale rebuilding. The 18th-century grandeur was thus preserved. It helped that the limestone and gravel subsoil wouldn't take the weight of high-rise buildings. Credit is also due to the Mayor of Bordeaux (and former French prime minister) Alain Juppé, for keeping out modern intrusions while revitalising the inner city, with pedestrian precincts and a revamped transport system.
Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (IATA: BOD), 44.828336°, -0.715556°. There are domestic flights from Paris Orly & CDG, Lyon, Lille, Marseille, Montpellier, Nice and Strasbourg. International connections include Agadir, Alicante, Amsterdam Schiphol, Barcelona El Prat, Basel, Belfast,Berlin, Bristol, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Casablanca, Copenhagen, Cologne, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva, Lisbon, London (Gatwick, Luton, and Stansted), Luxembourg, Madrid Barajas, Malaga, Manchester, Marrakesh, Milan, Montreal, Moscow, Naples, Oslo, Porto, Prague, Rome, Tangier, Tel Aviv, Tunis, Vienna, Venice, and Zurich.
There are in effect 2½ terminals, side by side. Air France uses Terminal B, the budget airlines use Terminal "Billi" which is the half: an add-on to B. Other flights use A and B - these two are modern spacious terminals with the usual land- & air-side facilities. "Billi" has a poky, cramped check-in area, but shops & restaurants once you get airside. 2018-02-17
Lianes bus 1+ runs downtown from Terminal B Arrivals every 10 minutes, via Mérignac town centre and Bordeaux city centre to the main railway station of Bordeaux St-Jean. It's a flat fare of €1.70, pay on the bus and the driver gives change within reason. The complete journey generally takes an hour. The bus runs from 05:00 to past 00:00 and connects with the tram system at Mérignac. It can get very crowded, and it stops like the regular city bus it is.
The "Keolis" express bus runs every 30-60 minutes non-stop between the airport and the main railway station. The fare is €8 (concessions €7) and you can pay on the bus. The bus generally runs between 08:00 and 20:00. So although it's quicker, you may spend longer waiting for the next bus, and if you're really in such a desperate hurry you need a taxi.
The main train station Gare Saint-Jean 📍 is located about four km south-east of the city centre. The main entrance faces west down Cours de la Marne; buses, trams and taxis leave from the forecourt here. Take Tram C to get downtown if you are going to the more northern part, or a bus if you are going to the central area around Place de la Victoire.
The main ticket hall is at the north end of the station building, under the big network map and vast vaulting ceiling. Most of the self-service ticket machines are also here, plus (usefully) a piano. There's a selection of fast food places around the hall. The lower floor is a shopping mall and subway access to platforms.
TGV trains speed hourly from Paris Montparnasse, with the quickest taking just over two hours. A couple of trains per day run direct from Paris CDG airport, though the travel time of about 3 hr 30 min is no quicker than changing at Montparnasse between TGV and RER. Alternate TGVs from Paris continue south along the coast to Bayonne, Biarritz, and the Spanish border at Hendaye. Regional (cheaper) TER trains also run this route south, as well as north to La Rochelle and inland to Périgueux and Clermont-Ferrand. Fast Intercité trains connect to Toulouse, Montpellier and Marseille.
From the north (Paris, Tours, Poitier) follow the A10. From Toulouse to the SW take A62, from Bayonne take A63.
A beltway A630/N230 encircles the city. It's usually congested and slow-moving in the rush hours.
Bordeaux has Flixbus direct services to Paris Bercy Seine (7-8 hours, 4 per day), Toulouse (3 hours, 6 per day), Bayonne (2-3 hours, 3 per day), Lyon (7-8 hours, 2 per day), Nice (one per day, 12 hours) and Nantes (4-5 hours, 4 per day). They also run direct but not daily to Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon. Change in Paris or Lyon for other international routes.
Eurolines run direct to Frankfurt (16 hours, 3 per week), Stuttgart (16 hours, twice a week), Warsaw (35 hours, twice per week) and Przemysl on the Ukraine border (40 hours, twice per week).
The bus stop for Flix and for Eurolines has been moved to rue des Terres de Borde, which is the street paralleling the tracks just east of the station. The bus station is at the southern end of that street.
European Bike Express transports cyclists plus their bikes from UK to various European locations, including Bordeaux on their "Atlantic A & B" routes. They run every couple of weeks in summer and are sure to be booked solid in the weeks around le Tour, il Giro and la Vuelta. The pick up & drop off for Bordeaux is at Lormont, 10 km north of the centre off the A630 ring-road, by the massive Golden-Gate-styled Aquitaine Bridge.
Bordeaux's centrepiece is the elegant riverfront and former port, where fine 18th-century buildings stretch for 3 km (2 mi) along the west bank of the Garonne, from Quinconces in the north to St Croix in the south. The old central districts of St Pierre and St Michel extend inland for about 1 km. Most city sights are in this area. The railway station is south, at the foot of Cours de la Marne. To the north, Quai des Chartrons has been redeveloped as the “City of Wine”, and has the wine museum. The main university campus is in the suburb of Talence, 10 km southwest. The districts east of the river are modern: the main reasons to cross are for the view back west in morning sunshine, and to visit the Botanic Gardens.
Although Bordeaux is a big city, the sights of interest are fairly close together in the old centre, and much of it is pedestrianised. A car here would be a handicap.
All public transport information is posted on the TBM website. Maps and times can also be easily accessed with Google Maps, just select route "By public transport" when getting directions.
The city bus routes fan out from four main hubs:
As well as standard buses, there is a small electric bus, called la navette du centre-ville, operating within pedestrian precincts. There are no bus stops for this one, just wave your hand to the driver to be let on, and tell the driver when you want to get off.
Single tickets (€1.60) can be purchased from the driver on the bus. If you're likely to make 4 or more journeys, buy a package of 5/10 tickets for €6.70/€12.70 or a daily/weekly pass for €4.60/€13.40 from Espace TBC (Feb 2018). They have kiosks at Gare Saint-Jean, Place Gambetta and Quinconces. You can also buy from the automated machines at the tram stops. All machines will accept coins and some of them will accept chip debit/credit cards. All trips are good for one hour of unlimited transfers, including bus and tram - you must validate your ticket each time you change. Try to avoid travelling during rush hours.
There are four tram routes (A, B, C & D) crossing the city. Tickets and fares are the same as for the bus, with unlimited transfers within one hour. A distinctive feature of the tramway is that within the inner city, it has no overhead wires as it uses a ground-level power supply.
The river-bus BAT³ or Batcub runs from Stalingrad/Quai de Queyries on the east bank, northward along the west bank to Quinconces, Les Hangars and Cite du Vins, finally to Lormont (east bank, beneath Pont Aquitaine.) Ferries run every 45 min, 7 days a week, with the complete run taking 40 min. They're part of the TBM city transport system so tickets and tariffs are the same as for bus and tram. Bicycles are carried.
V3 run a bike-share scheme in Bordeaux, as they do in several other European cities. You'll need to register online and put down a €200 deposit. Then pick a hire for one day (€1.60), 7 days (€7), one month (€10) or longer. Each bike usage is free up to 30 minutes, thereafter it's €2 per hour (Feb 2018). There are some 175 docking locations in and around the city, and V3's interactive map shows real-time availability.
Highlights of a walking tour of Bordeaux include:
Have a drink and a dance at one of the many bars or clubs in Les Quais or La Victoire.
Bewildered by the choice in your local supermarket? Prepare to be overwhelmed by what Bordeaux has to offer... but, if you're not sure of your taste, do make use of that supermarket to do your homework beforehand. The very top vineyards start from around €500 a bottle and run up to €50,000 and beyond. This is money down the drain if you only have a €5 palate. But you can easily organise yourself a blind tasting - this cuts through all the marketing, peer pressure and posing. Blind, can you tell a Claret from a Burgundy? Or indeed from a white? But if you find the good stuff speaks to you, calls you, leaves a memory on your palate, then Bordeaux is where it is calling you home.
The appellation system (AOC) of the Bordeaux area is bewildering, with 50 AOCs in eight main regions. Wines mostly use the more specific AOCs where those are applicable, so don't just look for "AOC Bordeaux".
A good start is the Musée du Vin et du Négoce, see listing above.
A great variety of tours and tastings are organised by Bordeaux Tourist Agency. These include châteaux and vineyards, city routes, and wine & cookery classes.
You can certainly tour the vineyards independently, but then you probably need a car, and there's a fraught conversation to be had about who's driving afterwards and how much of a shared holiday experience this is turning out to be. Each area has its own Maison du Vin showcasing local products. Several châteaux are open to drop-in visitors, others are by appointment, see Tourist Agency website above. The top châteaux will be snooty if they don't recognise you as a serious buyer: they're fed up with time-wasters seeking a free glug of Grand Cru Kings-Ransom 1896.
Football: FC Girondins de Bordeaux were relegated in 2022, and now play soccer in Ligue 2, the second tier in France. You should have no difficulty buying tickets on the day. Girondins home ground is Nouveau Stade (or "Matmut Atlantique"; capacity 42,115), 20 km west of Bordeaux in the suburb of Le Haillan. Get there on Tram C to Parc des Expositions and walk 400 m, or Tram B to Brandenburg then take the shuttle bus, or bus 7 or 32 from Les Aubiers.
Rugby union: Union Bordeaux Bègles play in the Top 14, the top flight of French rugby. They were formed in 2006 by the merger of Stade Bordelais and Bègles. They usually play at Stade Chaban-Delmas, west of city centre on the inner ring-road. The former Bègles (Andre Moga) stadium is now just a training ground.
Rugby Union World Cup is held in France 8 Sept - 28 Oct 2023, with matches in Bordeaux, Paris, Marseille, Lille, Lyon, Saint-Étienne, Nice, Nantes and Toulouse.
Ice hockey: Boxers de Bordeaux play in Ligue Magnus, the French top professional league. They play at the Meriadeck ice-rink.
Bordeaux Cricket Club play at Château Giscours in Labarde, 25 km north of the city; attendance is free.
Explore the city on wheels as Bordeaux is a good city for roller-skating (or roller-blading) and other "skating sports".
Bordeaux is a great city for learning- to learn a bit about French culture, consider visiting cinemas such as Utopia or going to the city library in Meriadeck.
The Bordeaux University, ten kilometres south-west of the centre, offers a wide variety of courses, from science to humanities, from beginner classes to high-level research. The laboratories are among the best in France. It is possible to take French courses there in the summer, with Erasmus students. The DEFLE (Department for the study of French as a foreign language) is attached to Université Michel de Montaigne – Bordeaux III. It offers both semester and vacation courses in French for foreign students.
Bordeaux has made its wealth out of trade, and the local economic system relies heavily on shops and trading halls. The Pedestrian Centre is full of stores of all kinds, from clothes to art, craftworks, food and wine etc. If you're looking for luxury items, head to Gambetta square and its surroundings.
Buy some local music - Bordeaux music groups are on the rise! Check out Kap Bambino, an electronic music duo formed by singer Caroline Martial and beat-smith boyfriend Orion Bouvier.
Clothing is less expensive than in Paris, so wear comfortable shoes and head to Rue Sainte Catherine, the longest pedestrian precinct in Europe and the best place for shopping. For some cheap second-hand and vintage clothes, check out a shop called KiloChic on 40 Cours de la Somme. There are also a few AMOS second-hand stores in the city that offer a nice selection of second-hand and vintage stuff.
If you buy wine, do it in town (duty paid) to go in checked baggage; the airport's not a good place because of prices, limited selection and carry-on limits. Keep receipts handy, your own country probably has a bigger customs allowance for wine that's duty-paid.
Gastronomy has a very important place in the city, which is full of restaurants of all kinds. French restaurants provide dishes from almost every part of the country, and there are a lot of Asian, African or Arabian restaurants.
See also: #Taste wine
Bordeaux is lively during the day and continues throughout the night. If you're looking for a bar to hang out with friends or to enjoy watching a football match, head for La Victoire, as most of the pubs and bars of the town are here. Virtually, all the shops in the surroundings of this area are bars, and you'll likely be able to find one that suits your needs.
If you prefer dancing or clubbing, most of the night-clubs are on the Quais, near the train station. From rock to disco, dance to techno, you also have a lot of choice.
Most tourist hotels are close to the railway station (that is, close to the Quais). There are some luxury hotels close to Gambetta square and Quinconces square, which are really nice but rather expensive.
As of Sept 2021, Bordeaux has 5G from all French carriers. Wifi is widely available in public places, transport, cafes and so on.
Bordeaux is not a city with a high crime rate. If you respect some simple rules, you shouldn't have any problems.
There are a lot of interesting things to see close to Bordeaux.
Reach them by regional railways (TER), or inter-city bus lines (which often go where trains do not). By car, all these areas are less than an hour from Bordeaux.
The whole region is covered with well organized bike or walking trails which let you discover the countryside.
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