Things to do in Bordeaux
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Absolut Lounge
Absolut Lounge is a sophisticated joint serving good food and yummy cocktails along with plenty of room to chill to the electro-jazz wafting out of the sound system. Don't wear turquoise and red or you'll blend in with the decor.
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Parks
Landscaping is artistic as well as informative at the Jardin Public. Established in 1755 and laid out in the English style a century later, the grounds incorporate the meticulously catalogued Jardin Botanique founded in 1629 and at this site since 1855.
At the vast square esplanade des Quinconces, laid out in 1820, you'll see the fountain Girondins monument, a group of moderate, bourgeois National Assembly deputies during the French Revolution, 22 of whom were executed in 1793 after being convicted of counter-revolutionary activities.
The recently completed facelift of the 4km-long riverfront esplanade incorporates playgrounds, bicycle paths and, everyone's favourite, a waf…
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Basilique Saint-Seurin
Austere and imposing, the Basilique Saint-Seurin is an architectural treasure, classed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site. The basilica's style is predominantly Romanesque, but many Gothic elements pertain - the result of successive additions to the structure over the centuries. Its history goes back as far as the beginning of Christendom in the 6th century.
On the western façade of the building, superb columns form two archways allowing access to the nave, whose beautiful Romanesque capitals date from the 12th-century. The southern portal recounts the Last Judgement, while, inside the basilica, the massive pillars in the nave have a striking countenance. To the left of t…
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Cathédrale Saint-André
Lording it over Bordeaux is Cathédrale St-André. A Unesco World Heritage Site, the cathedral's oldest section dates from 1096; most of what you see today was built in the 13th and 14th centuries. Exceptional masonry carvings can be seen in the north portal.
Even more imposing than the cathedral itself is the 50m gargoyled, gothic belfry, Tour Pey-Berland. Erected between 1440 and 1466, its spire was added in the 19th century, and in 1863 it was topped off with the statue of Notre Dame of Aquitaine (Our Lady of Aquitaine). Scaling the tower's 232 steep, narrow steps rewards you with an unfolding panorama of the city.
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Cathédrale St-André
Lording over the city, and a Unesco World Heritage Site prior to the city's classification, the cathedral's oldest section dates from 1096; most of what you see today was built in the 13th and 14th centuries. Exceptional masonry carvings can be seen in the north portal. Even more imposing than the cathedral itself is the gargoyled, 50m-high Gothic belfry, Tour Pey-Berland, erected between 1440 and 1466. Its spire was added in the 19th century, and in 1863 it was topped off with the statue of Notre Dame de l'Aquitaine (Our Lady of Aquitaine). Scaling the tower's 232 narrow steps rewards you with a spectacular panorama of the city.
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Esplanade des Quinconces
The most prominent feature of esplanade des Quinconces, a vast square laid out in 1820, is the fountain monument to the Girondins, a group of moderate, bourgeois National Assembly deputies during the French Revolution, 22 of whom were executed in 1793 after being convicted of Counter-Revolutionary activities.
The entire 50m-high ensemble, completed in 1902, was dismantled in 1943 by the Germans so the statues could be melted down for their 52 tonnes of bronze. Restoration took years and was not completed until 1983.
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La Tupina
Filled with the aroma of soup simmering inside an old tupina ('kettle' in Basque) over an open fire, this white-tableclothed place is feted far and wide for its seasonal southwestern French specialities such as a minicasserole of foie gras and eggs, milk-fed lamb or goose wings with potatoes and parsley. A €16 lunch menu is available on weekdays. La Tupina is a 10-minute walk upriver from the city centre and on a small side street. Any local can point you in the right direction.
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École du Vin
Serious students of the grape can enrol at the École du Vin, within the Maison du Vin de Bordeaux (Bordeaux House of Wine), across the street from the tourist office. Introductory two-hour courses are held Monday to Saturday from 10am to noon between June and September (adult €25). To really develop your nose (and your dinner-party skills), sign up for one of three progressively more complex two- to three-day courses (€335 to €600) scheduled between May and October, including châteaux visits.
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Musée d'Histoire Naturelle
There's something delightfully old-fashioned about this natural history museum, which dates back to the period after the French Revolution when French society began to embrace the benefits of science. There is one section devoted to housing an exhibition of regional fauna and lots of bugs on pins and quality taxidermy.
The mansion that houses the museum, the Hôtel de Lisleferme, is an impressive sight even if the museum is a little old-school.
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Musée des Beaux-Arts
The evolution of Occidental art from the Renaissance to the mid-20th century is on view at Bordeaux’ Musée des Beaux-Arts. Occupying two wings of the 1770s-built Hôtel de Ville, either side of the Jardin de la Mairie (an elegant public park), the museum was established in 1801; highlights include 17th-century Flemish, Dutch and Italian paintings. Temporary exhibitions are regularly hosted at its nearby annexe, Galerie des Beaux-Arts.
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Spa de Vinothérapie Caudalie
To immerse yourself, literally, in the local liquid, at the Spa de Vinothérapie Caudalie you can take a red-wine bath, enjoy a Merlot wrap or order a Cabernet body scrub. Apart from the sheer novelty factor, the vine and grape extracts are said to promote blood-strengthening and anti-ageing. The spa is 20 minutes south of Bordeaux next to Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte. It's best reached by your own wheels - exit the A62 at junction 1.
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La Bôite à Huîtres
This rickety, wood-panelled little place feels like an Arcachon fisherman's hut. It's a sensation that's quite appropriate because this is by far the best place in Bordeaux to munch on fresh Arcachon oysters. Traditionally they're served with sausage but you can have them in a number of different forms, including with that other southwest delicacy, foie gras. They'll also pack them up so you can take them away for a riverfront picnic.
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Cadiot-Badie
Bordeaux's greatest chocolate maker offers the gourmand a whole range of delicious specialties to take home: chocolate Bordeaux truffles flavoured with liqueur brandy and grapes, fanchonettes (flaky pastry tartlets filled with pastry cream and covered with meringue) and tourny, a ball of praline. With its crystal chandeliers and carved moulding, the shop itself, which dates from 1826, is worth a visit.
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Marché des Capucins
A classic Bordeaux experience is a Saturday morning spent slurping oysters and white wine from one of the seafood stands to be found at Marché des Capucins. Afterwards you can peruse the stalls while shopping for the freshest ingredients to take on a picnic to one of the city’s parks. To get there, head south down cours Pasteur and once at place de la Victoire turn left onto rue Élie Gintrec.
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Bordeaux Wine Day Trip
9 hours (Departs Bordeaux, France)
by Viator
Explore the vineyards that have made Bordeaux wines famous the world over on this full-day wine tour. You'll discover Bordeaux's extraordinary wine heritage and…Not LP reviewed
from USD$71.47 -
Le Cheverus Café
In a city full of neighbourhood bistros, this one, smack in the city centre, is one of the most impressive. It's friendly, cosy and chaotically busy (be prepared to wait for a table at lunchtime). The food tastes fresh and home-cooked and it dares to veer slightly away from the bistro standards of steak and chips. The lunch menus, which include wine, are an all-out bargain.
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Bordeaux Vineyards Wine Tasting Half-Day Trip
5 hours (Departs Bordeaux, France)
by Viator
Take a guided tour of wine chateaux in the main Bordeaux appellation on any day of the week. The properties visited change every week and are not restricted to …Not LP reviewed
from USD$38.87 -
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Fromagerie Jean D'Alos'
Near the Place des Grands Hommes is this highly respected fromagerie. If you are a lover of cheese in all its forms, soft, hard or blue, made from cow, sheep or goats milk, this shop will delight you. Buy some eye-wateringly aromatic Roquefort or a subtle chévre, a baguette and a bottle of something and retire to a park for a picnic. Vive la France.
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Small-Group Saint-Emilion and Pomerol Day Trip from Bordeaux
8 hours (Departs Bordeaux, France)
by Viator
Join this small-group day trip to Saint-Emilion and Pomerol in the Libournais wine-making region of France. This full-day guided excursion from Bordeaux offers …Not LP reviewed
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Cassolette Café
Extremely popular and great value, this is the place to come for hearty French family-style cooking. You can order the ingredients of your cassolette (casserole cooked on a terracotta plate) using a check-off form and your choices appear promptly. Weekend nights have been known to get a bit rowdy with song-singing students, but it's all good fun.
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L'Estaquade
Set on stilts, this place juts out off the river's eastern bank. The seafood (bass, cod, scampi, scallops etc) and meat dishes (like pigeon with port and blackcurrant sauce) served here even manage to eclipse the magical views of Bordeaux' neoclassical architecture. From place de la Bourse, you'll see the restaurant on the other side of the river.
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Full-Day Small-Group Medoc Wine Tour from Bordeaux
8 hours 30 minutes (Departs Bordeaux, France)
by Viator
Join this small-group wine tour from Bordeaux to the Médoc for a full day of scenic drives and wine tasting. The Médoc produces some of the most renowned red wi…Not LP reviewed
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Jardin Botanique
If you need some respite from the frenetic pace of wine tasting, head to Bordeaux's beautifully landscaped botanical garden. The grounds of the public gardens was established in 1755 and laid out in the English style a century later. The meticulously catalogued Jardin Botanique itself was founded in 1629 and moved to its present site in 1855.
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Tour Pey-Berland
The gargoyled, 50m-high Gothic belfry, Tour Pey-Berland was erected between 1440 and 1466. Its spire was added in the 19th century, and in 1863 it was topped off with the statue of Notre Dame de l’Aquitaine (Our Lady of Aquitaine). Scaling the tower’s 232 narrow steps rewards you with a spectacular panorama of the city.
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