Bordeaux, a trendy destination

An exceptional historical heritage

What strikes you on arriving in Bordeaux is the beauty of its monuments. Inherited from the Middle Ages, then the work of the great Intendants of the King who gave this port province all its nobility in the 18th century, and for many marked by the wine trade, they give the city an inimitable cachet that attracts tourists from all over the world. The city of Bordeaux was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007.

Top 5 must-see monuments in Bordeaux

 Place de la Bourse and its famous water mirror

 Pey Berland Cathedral and Saint-Michel Basilica, which have the unusual feature of ringing their bells in an adjoining tower

 The Grand-Théâtre, designed by Victor Louis

 The monumental gates of the old medieval ramparts: the Grosse Cloche and the Porte Cailhau

 The Place des Quinconces and its famous Girondins fountain (not the football team!). It’s the largest square in Europe!

Bordeaux

Trendy capital of cool-attitude

The 21st century has also seen the emergence of a “New Bordeaux” that is more hype than ever. The city has successfully transformed itself by combining urban development with eco-responsibility. Cycle paths and green spaces breathe life into the city, and its historic monuments coexist wonderfully with new, trendy alternative venues. Stop off at Darwin Écosystème for brunch or a concert. Admire the unusual sculpture garden at Les Vivres de l’Art. Discover the amazing architecture of the Cité du Vin. Take a guided street art tour of the city. And sip a Lillet in a riverside guinguette or perched at the top of a rooftop lounge.

This cool-attitude is also expressed in the city’s gliding spirit. No doubt inspired by its proximity to the Atlantic coast, the city is home to a large community of skateboarders.

Culture, festivals and events

Bordeaux’s cultural melting pot

As the cradle of rock music in the 80s and the spearhead of a new generation of contemporary artists with the SIGMA festival, Bordeaux cultivates its cultural eclecticism, willingly daring to be indisciplined and internationally recognised. Live arts festivals of all kinds are legion, concert halls are plentiful, and creativity is all around you.

History buffs and exhibition enthusiasts will not be left out: the Musée d’Aquitaine, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Design and the CAPC are full of nuggets. More traditional music lovers can enjoy the programme at one of France’s leading opera houses.

The temple of oeno-bistronomy

The hub of a vineyard covering almost 110,000 hectares, with 65 appellations d’origine contrôlée and more than 5,000 winegrowers, Bordeaux is the starting point for your most exciting wine-touring excursions. Major châteaux and family estates are waiting to share their history, expertise and proud innovations with you. With its focus on responsible viticulture, the Gironde is the leading département in France in terms of the area under organic vines.

But wine can also be enjoyed in town! Don’t hesitate to pick up some good tasting advice in one of the many wine bars or during a workshop at the CIVB. The CIVB has also created an immersive map of the Bordeaux vineyards, giving you a 3D view of the vineyard map. You can discover a range of educational content to help you understand our terroirs, production and the Bordeaux PDOs. The application is available here.

You’ll be even better equipped to choose your own food and wine pairings, as the capital of oeno-bistronomy has an epicurean soul, with a concentration of restaurants per capita that’s unique in France! Local markets, creative restaurants, Michelin-starred restaurants, a culinary melting pot inherited from its cosmopolitan past: there’s an abundance of food on offer.

Don’t leave without trying canelé, gratton bordelais, lamprey à la bordelaise, Lillet and guinettes.

The gentle way of life in the South West

Within easy reach

Just two hours from Paris by TGV, Bordeaux is the gateway to the epicurean lifestyle of the South West and its emblematic destinations. In less than an hour from the centre, you can be surfing on the Atlantic Ocean, tasting wine in the middle of a vineyard, climbing the Dune du Pilat for a romantic getaway, breathing in the scent of pine trees in a Landes forest, tasting oysters in an oyster port or mooring on a deserted island in the middle of the Gironde estuary. Between land and ocean, these many influences can be felt in the air around you. The town’s cobbled streets exude a permanent sense of holiday…