BORDEAUX – www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk
In Bordeaux, sunrise spills across exceptional 18th-century urban planning and neoclassical architecture at the same time it does the surrounding vineyards. It's a daily awakening that echoes the city's remarkable rise in stature and status after a major restoration and redevelopment program, especially along the banks of the Garonne. What's in store? 350 historical monuments, scores of cultural events, world-class shopping, high-tech public transport and gastronomic wizardry like there is no tomorrow. But the sun will set and with it comes festive evenings. At least we can be confident that the night will only raise Bordeaux's star that much higher.
Fun Facts
Bordeaux is the most extensive urban environment in the world to be honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
22 bottles of wine from Bordeaux are sold every second all over the world.
Significant Site
Vieille Ville: the Old Bordeaux packed with historical monuments (the Big Bell Tower, Place Pey-Berland and its Saint-André Cathedral, the Opera House), elegant architecture and numerous wine bars
Extraordinary Exhibit
Cité du Vin: a state-of-the-art building hosting a unique immersive journey into the discovery of wine cultures
Delectable Delights
entrecôte bordelaise: a quality cut of beef grilled over a wood fire
Bordeaux wine: famous reds and dry, sweet and even sparkling whites
Legendary Local
Jean-Jacques Sempé: a cartoonist known for the Le Petit Nicolas children's books
Daring Developments
Opening in 2018: Musée de la Mer et de la Marine (Maritime and Sea Museum)
Celebrations: the 20th anniversary of the Bordeaux Fête le Vin wine festival
Also in the Area
must-visit chateaux and terroirs: in six large wine-producing regions with very famous names – Bordeaux, Médoc, Graves and Sauternes, Entre-Deux-Mers, Bourg and Blaye, and Saint-Emilion
Bay of Arcachon: like an inland sea boasting oyster ports, sandy beaches, pine forests, the Cap Ferret lighthouse and the highest dune in Europe (Dune du Pilat)
Vauban fortifications: designed to prevent enemies from reaching Bordeaux via the Gironde Estuary (the biggest in Europe), the UNESCO World Heritage Site called “Bolt of the Estuary” consists of Citadel of Blaye, Fort Pâté (on Île Pâté) and Fort Médoc in Cussac-Fort-Médoc
Access from Paris
by road: about 5 h 40 min (363 miles) via the A10 autoroute (L'Aquitaine)
by train: about 2 hours by TGV from the Gare Montparnasse
by plane: about 1 h 15 min to Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport
For more about what to see and do in and around Bordeaux, including on the “From the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Coast" itinerary, visit www.topfrenchcitybreaks.com