Bordeaux — The Wine Capital
Bordeaux is the wine capital of the world — but reduce it to wine alone and you miss one of France's most beautiful and liveable cities. Strung along a crescent bend of the Garonne river, its 18th-century limestone centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — a vast ensemble of neoclassical facades, grand squares, and elegant avenues that earned it the nickname
Les Chartrons
The former wine-merchant district along the river has reinvented itself as Bordeaux's trendiest neighbourhood — antique dealers, natural wine bars, concept stores, and the excellent Marché des Chartrons on Sunday mornings.
La Cité du Vin
The landmark wine museum (opened 2016) is Bordeaux's architectural statement — a curving, golden tower on the riverbank designed to evoke wine swirling in a glass. Interactive, immersive, and ending with a tasting in the panoramic belvedere.
Bordeaux Wine — Left Bank, Right Bank, 1855 classification, and everything you need to know about the world's most famous wine region — on La Table.
Food & Drink
Bordeaux's food scene matches its wine.
Where to Eat
- Marché des Capucins — "the belly of Bordeaux," a covered market dating to 1749
- Le Petit Commerce — superb seafood bistro
- Bar à Vin — the wine bar of the Bordeaux Wine Council, offering 30+ wines by the glass at cost price
Day Trips
- Saint-Émilion — UNESCO wine village, 40 mins east
- Arcachon Bay & Dune du Pilat — Europe's tallest sand dune, 60 mins west
- Médoc wine châteaux — Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, 45 mins north
When to Visit
- June: Bordeaux Fête le Vin (biennial wine festival on the quays)
- September–October: Harvest season in the vineyards — golden light and grape-picking
- Year-round: The mild Atlantic climate makes Bordeaux pleasant in every season