The old street plaques – place Dauphiné and place Nationale – remain firmly on the wall of one building as a reminder of this tree-shaded square's colourful past. Framed by elegant 18th-century buildings, the square fell outside the original city walls – which perhaps makes it all the more ironic that Bordeaux's point zéro, the geographic centre of the city in the 19th century from which all distances from Bordeaux are measured, lies in this square. A stone marker outside 10 place Gambetta marks the exact point.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.1 MILES
The complex world of wine is explored in depth at ground-breaking La Cité du Vin, a stunning piece of contemporary architecture resembling a wine decanter…
0.57 MILES
A fountain of sorts, the Miroir d'Eau is the world's largest reflecting pool. Covering an area of 3450 sq metres of black granite on the quayside opposite…
0.25 MILES
The Cathédrale St-André, a Unesco World Heritage Site prior to the city's classification, lords it over the city. The cathedral's oldest section dates…
2.24 MILES
By far the city's eeriest and most menacing sight, this mammoth hulk of a submarine base (1941–43) was one of five built on the Atlantic Coast by the…
0.89 MILES
This imposing Flamboyant Gothic church lies at the heart of St-Michel. Begun in the 14th century, it took more than 200 years to complete and is best…
0.52 MILES
This is Bordeaux's most iconic square. A mirage of elegance and symmetry, it was laid out by architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel between 1730 and 1775 and…
0.6 MILES
The main entrance into medieval Bordeaux, this grandiose 15th-century city gate was built to celebrate King Charles VII's victory at the Battle of Fornovo…
0.46 MILES
Gallo-Roman statues and relics dating back 25,000 years are among the highlights at this bright and spacious, well-curated history and civilisations…
Nearby Bordeaux attractions
1. Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Design
0.15 MILES
Faience pottery, porcelain, gold, iron, glasswork and furniture are displayed at the small Decorative Arts and Design Museum, at home in an elegant golden…
0.18 MILES
Temporary exhibitions of the nearby Musée des Beaux Arts will be hosted at this annexe once it reopens after extensive renovation work in early 2019. The…
3. Église Notre Dame du Chapelet
0.22 MILES
On 17 April 1828 the funeral of Romantic Spanish painter Francisco Goya (1746–1828) took place in this magnificent French Baroque church, a stone's throw…
4. Site Archéologique de St-Seurin
0.25 MILES
Not to be confused with the small crypt inside Basilique St-Seurin, this archaeological site was uncovered in 1910 when archaeologists excavated part of…
0.25 MILES
The Cathédrale St-André, a Unesco World Heritage Site prior to the city's classification, lords it over the city. The cathedral's oldest section dates…
0.26 MILES
The evolution of Occidental art from the Renaissance to the mid-20th century is on view at Bordeaux’s Museum of Fine Arts, which occupies two wings of the…
0.29 MILES
It was around this vast Romanesque complex that the quartier of Saint-Seurin grew in the 11th century. As early as the 5th century, a church dedicated to…
0.31 MILES
This gargoyled, 50m-high Flamboyant Gothic belfry was built for the adjoining cathedral between 1440 and 1466. Its spire was added in the 19th century,…