Bordeaux, France (5/7-11/2013) – Bordeaux is
considered by many to be France’s most beautiful city. We loved it!
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Grand Theatre & Modern Tram
in Place de la Comerre - Bordeaux, France |
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| Shopping Avenue in Old Town - Bordeaux, France |
Having gone
through a recent make over, Bordeaux is truly a European gem blending Old World
elegance with modern city design. The Old Town has a Paris-like feeling with
beautiful architecture and a lively young feel to it.
There is music in streets
and wonderful restaurants with good value meals (fixed fare with options). Bordeaux also has beautiful gardens with trees, clean efficient trams, and it is safe
to wander at night. For the shoppers, Pat says there are beautiful windows to
view.
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| Old Town Street - Bordeaux |
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| Bordeaux Monumental |
Most of
Bordeaux’s interesting attractions are in the relatively small eighteenth-century center Old Town that
can be easily explored by walking its pedestrian-only streets. The narrow
streets of the eighteenth-century city are lined with grand mansions from
Bordeaux's glory days. The whole city center was awarded UNESCO World Heritage
status, the largest urban site in the world.
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| Grand Hotel de Bordeaux |
Some good
things to do in Bordeaux’s old town center is to walk along the Sainte-Catherine
street and enjoy the scenery. There is a beautiful square by the Grand Theatre (see photo) where you can sit, have a drink, and
watch the world go by. The Cathedrale
St-Andre dates back to 1096 and lords over the city where you can climb the
tower’s 231 steps for a spectacular view of the city.
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French Restaurant Off St Pierre Square
- Bordeaux, France |
Travel tip... For several nights in a row we went
to area around the street Rue Pt St
Pierre, St Pierre Square, and the attached streets that is a very active
area for bars and many nice restaurants.
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| Jardin Public Park - Bordeaux, France |
Located just
north of Bordeaux’s old town center, Jardin
Public Park is a very nice refuse from the city noise with gardens, bridges,
and small lakes (see photo). Built in 1855, the botanical garden is the perfect
place to take a walk around its many paths, or just sit and relax.
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| Wonderful French Food! |
As the
capital of the region, the city of Bordeaux is both the commercial and cultural
center of southwest France. Bordeaux is also in the middle of one of the great wine regions of the world (click here to see) - Médoc to the
northwest, Sauternes lies to the south, and Pomerol and St-Émilion to the east.
With over 5,000 chateaux (wineries) in 57 wine appellations to choose from,
it’s a wine lovers dream.
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Pat at L'Entrecote Restaurant
- Bordeaux, France |
A unique experience we
had was on a
day we returned from visiting a famous Bordeaux wine region in the area. People were
starting to line up in front of a restaurant so we got in line. It was then
that we met a man from Belgium who was visiting his daughter. He told us that
this restaurant was all the rage in Bordeaux. And we liked it. The L’Entrecote,
located near the Grand Opera House in the center of the town, serves only steak
with a delicious secret sauce with an abundance of perfectly crisp fries and
nice simple salad. The wine (only one choice) is very good. Get there early
because the line can wrap around the block.
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| Monument Aux Girondins - Bordeaux, France |
Travel tips when
visiting Bordeaux city and wine region... The lack of public transportation to most of the
chateaux (wineries) means that it is best to explore the region in your own car
or sign up for tours that can be arranged in the tourist office in Bordeaux. Make
sure you have good directions north out of Bordeaux to the Medoc D2 wine route
– it is easy to get lost.
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| Bordeaux Map |
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| Lobby of Grand Hotel de Bordeaux |
Where to stay... You can use Bordeaux city as a base
to explore the famous wine regions that surround it. Hotels, called Chambres d’hôtel
in the wine regions, although very quaint, are more expensive and there is not
much to do at night. To save money on hotels and parking-hassles, we recommend staying
in the La Bastide area across the
river with easy-to-find free parking. You can walk to the old town of Bordeaux
in about 20 minutes or take a boat or tram ride to the old town. If you need
information or a hotel reservation, drop by the friendly Tourist Center. They
were very helpful to us.
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| French Flag |
Some history... Bordeaux was under English rule
from 1154 to 1453 and was the seat of the French government in 1914 and again
in 1940. Bordeaux is the trading center of a notable wine-producing region.
Please see our other travel posts on beautiful France (click on these links)...
Avignon and Provence Villages, France
Bordeaux Wine Country, Saint Emilion, Paulliac, & Cognac, France
Paris, France
Loire Valley, France
Mont Saint Michel & Saint Malo, France
Strasbourg in Alsace, France
Alsace Wine Villages, France
Burgundy & Cote d'Or Wine Country, France
Chablis, Dijon, & Vezelay, France
Champagne Route, France
Reims (Champagne Capital), France
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