Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is among France's most exciting, vibrant and dynamic cities. Visionary city mayor Alain Juppé has pedestrianised boulevards, restored neoclassical architecture, created a high-tech public transport system and reclaimed Bordeaux's former industrial wet docks at Bassin à Flots. Half the city (18 sq km) is Unesco-listed, making it the largest urban World Heritage Site.
Bolstered by its high-spirited university-student population and 5.5 million visitors annually, La Belle Bordeaux scarcely sleeps: think barista-run coffee shops, super-food food trucks, an exceptional dining scene and more fine wine than you could ever possibly drink. Santé!
Bordeaux in Two Days
Begin with coffee at Black List then explore the cathedral and its belfry. Visit the Musée d'Aquitaine then walk south to Marché des Capucins for an early oyster lunch. Devote the afternoon to La Cité du Vin. Day two, consider one of the tourist office's exceptional themed tours and a tasting workshop at the École du Vin de Bordeaux.
Bordeaux in Four Days
Head out of the city day three to either St-Émilion or the Médoc; reserve your lunch table well in advance. Day four, consider a day trip to the Dune du Pilat; pack your beach gear and cycling legs.
Arriving in Bordeaux
Aéroport de Bordeaux Hourly shuttle bus (www.navetteaeroport-bordeaux.com; €7.20, 30 minutes) to the train station, place Gambetta and Esplanade des Quinconces. Otherwise, urban bus line 1 every 10 minutes to the train station; journey time is 40 minutes (longer at rush hour) and a ticket costs €1.50. Taxi to the city centre: around €50.
Sleeping
Accommodation options are plentiful across all categories, with several delightful options sitting splendidly in the town centre around the cathedral. Another charming area is the atmospheric wine-merchant district of Chartrons, midway between the cathedral and the rejuvenated wet-dock area, Bassin à Flots. For chic B&B accommodation between vines, head out of town into Bordeaux's lush wine regions.
TOP EXPERIENCE
La Cité du Vin
The complex world of wine is explored in depth in Bordeaux's ground-breaking La Cité du Vin, a stunning piece of contemporary architecture resembling a swirling wine decanter of sorts on the banks of the River Garonne.
Great For…
yDon't Miss
One-hour architecture tours (€6) of the building inside and out, departing at 3pm daily.
8Need to Know
La Cité du Vin (
%05 56 81 38 47; www.laciteduvin.com; 1 Esplanade de Pontac; adult/child €20/free; 
h9.30am-7.30pm Apr-Oct, Tue-Sun Nov-Mar)
5Take a Break
Reserve a table at Le 7 Restaurant (www.le7restaurant.com), on the 7th floor.
oTop Tip
Arrive by boat, a 20-minute voyage (€1.50) from Esplanade des Quinconces, downtown Bordeaux.
Iconic Architecture
A wine decanter? The swirl of white wine in a glass? A gnarled and knotted vine? Precisely what the shimmering gold creation of Paris-based architects Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazières, built at a cost of €81 million, is meant to be is unclear. One thing is certain: the curvaceous riverside building that glitters gold in the sun is enticing, seductive and a brilliant photo op thanks to the thousands of silk-screen printed glass and aluminium panels tiling its façade. The best shots are from the road and foot bridge, Pont Chaban-Delmas.
Voyage of Discovery
La Cité du Vin has no permanent exhibition: with the aid of a digital companion visitors follow a tour through 20 different themed zones covering everything from vine cultivation, grape varieties and wine production to ancient wine trade, 21st-century wine trends and celebrated wine personalities.
Le Belvédère
Tours end with a complimentary glass of wine in Le Belvédère, a panoramic tasting space on the 8th floor with a huge 30m-long oak bar, monumental chandelier made out of hundreds of recycled wine bottles, and a magnificent 360-degree panorama of Bordeaux city laid out at your feet. Interject sensational river and city views with a dégustation of 20 different Bordeaux wines; kids taste grape juices.
Digital-Smart Tasting
It's been dubbed the 'Guggenheim of wine' for good reason: the multi-sensory workshops whereby visitors can pair virtual food with real wines in a fully immersive space (think smells, sounds, 360-degree imagery) are sensational.
Vineyard Siestas
In hot, south-of-France style, visitors can indulge in an afternoon vineyard siesta in July and August. Film screenings focusing on vineyards and winemakers in Bordeaux and the world; non-alcoholic tasting workshops for families; and creative cork workshops and wine-label decoding sessions for kids are other appealing experiential activities.
Musée du Vin et du Négoce
Too hi-tech? From futuristic La Cité du Vin stroll back in time, along the river south, to the ancient wine-trading district of Chartrons. Here, hidden in one of the city's oldest buildings – an Irish merchant's house dating to 1720 – this small Wine and Trade Museum offers a more traditional insight into the historic origins of Bordeaux's wine trade and the importance of the négociant (merchant trader) in the 19th century. Its vaulted cellars, 33m long, display dozens of artefacts, including hand-crafted stave oak barrels and every size of wine bottle from an Avion to a Melchior.
TOP EXPERIENCE
Bordeaux Wine Trail
Thirsty? The 1000-sq-km wine-growing area around the city of Bordeaux is, along with Burgundy, France's most important producer of top-quality wines. Wine aficionados, be prepared to enter viticulture heaven.
Great For…
yDon't Miss
A glass of wine on the stunning roof-top terrace of luxurious 18th-century Le Grand Hôtel (
GOOGLE MAP
; %05 57 30 44 44; www.ghbordeaux.com; 2-5 place de la Comédie; d from €350).
8Need to Know
In downtown Bordeaux, shop for wine at specialty wine shop Bordeaux Magnum.
5Take a Break
The ultimate gourmet address with unforgettable wine list: historic Le Chapon Fin.
oTop Tip
Taste 30-odd different Bordeaux wines by the glass at the Bar à Vin.
The Bordeaux region is divided into 57 appellations (production areas) that are grouped into seven familles (families), and subdivided into a hierarchy of designations (eg premier grand cru classé, the most prestigious) that vary from appellation to appellation. Most Bordeaux wines have earned the right to include the abbreviation AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) on their labels, indicating that the contents have been grown, fermented and aged according to strict regulations that govern such viticultural matters as the number of vines permitted per hectare and acceptable pruning methods.
Bordeaux has over 5000 châteaux (also called domaines or clos), referring not to palatial residences but to the estates where grapes are raised, picked, fermented and then matured as wine. Some accept walk-in visitors; most require a reservation. Many close during the vendange (grape harvest) in October.
Tours & Tastings
Whet your palate with the tourist office's city tour, a two-hour session (€14) starting at 10am daily, which includes wine tasting. Or go for the Urban Wine Tour (€49) which introduces wine-lovers to châteaux and bars à vin (wine bars) in the city, or a 1½-hour river cruise with oysters and wine tasting (€15).
École du Vin de BordeauxWine
(Bordeaux Wine School;
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %05 56 00 22 85; www.bordeaux.com; 3 cours du 30 juillet)
Serious students of the grape can enrol at this highly regarded wine school inside the Maison du Vin de Bordeaux (Bordeaux House of Wine). It hosts introductory two-hour workshops the last Saturday of each month and daily July to September (€39), and more complex two- to three-day courses (€350 to €600) from May to October. Food-lovers will appreciate the two-day 'Practical Level' course which includes food pairings and a cooking session.
Cooking Courses
There are a couple of courses open to tourists and, this being Bordeaux, most involve food and wine.
Le Saint JamesCooking
(%05 57 97 06 00; www.saintjames-bouliac.com; 3 place Camille Hostein, Bouliac)
Memorable cooking courses are organised at Côté Cours, the prestigious but highly accessible cooking school of chic lifestyle hotel Le Saint James, a stunning piece of architecture by Jean Nouvel, between vines in the village of Bouliac, 10km southeast of Bordeaux. Themed classes last three to 3½ hours and cost €75 to €155 per person. Afterwards indulge in a drink at Café de l'Esperance, Bouliac's uber-cool village cafe also run by Le Saint James.
TOP EXPERIENCE
Dune du Pilat
This colossal sand dune is Europe's largest. Scampering up and along its near-hallucinatory golden sands is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, making the easy 70km day trip from Bordeaux an absolute essential.
Great For…
yDon't Miss
The pine-scented cycle path linking Dune du Pilat with Arcachon, 8km south.
8Need to Know
Parking costs €4/6 per four hours/day in July and August ( €1/2 September to June).
5Take a Break
Picnic on the sand or see and be seen over lunch at chic La Co(o)rniche.
oTop Tip
Take care swimming: powerful currents swirl out to sea from deceptively tranquil little bays.
Sometimes referred to as the Dune de Pyla because of its location 4km from the bijou seaside town of Pyla-sur-Mer, this gargantuan sand dune stretches from the mouth of the Bassin d'Arcachon southwards for 2.7km. Already Europe's largest, the dune is growing eastwards 1.5m a year – it has swallowed trees, a road junction and even a hotel, so local lore claims.
The view from the top – approximately 115m above sea level – is magnificent. To the west you see the sandy shoals at the mouth of the Bassin d'Arcachon, including Cap Ferret and the Banc d'Arguin bird reserve where up to 6000 couples of Sandwich terns nest each spring. Dense dark-green forests of maritime pines, oaks, ferns and strawberry trees (whose wood is traditionally used to build oyster-farmer shacks) stretch from the base of the dune eastwards almost as far as the eye can see.
Dune Panorama
Snack bars and touristy restaurants abound next to the Dune du Pilat car park – although on warm, sunny days with no wind, you might prefer to picnic on the sand. Before leaving Bordeaux, stock up with traditional Bordelais supplies at gourmet food store, Le Comptoir Bordelaise.
For an unforgettable meal with golden dune view, there is only one address: La Co(o)rniche (%05 56 22 72 11; www.lacoorniche-pyla.com; 46 av Louis Gaume, Pyla-sur-Mer; 2-/3-course lunch menu €53/58, seafood platters €40-85) is a glamorous 1930s hunting lodge, reinvented by French designer Philippe Starck. Perfectly placed for a meal or tapas-fuelled drink after a sandy walk on the dune, this sensational seaside address is beach chic at its best. Snag a table by the infinity pool to feast on the chef's modern French cuisine. Or, should you prefer a cheaper or lighter meal (€12 to €20), stop for a cocktail and seafood tapas in the bar. If you fall madly in love with the place and find yourself unable to leave, doubles in the designer five-star hotel start at €255.
Sunset Walks
The helpful Espace Accueil (%05 56 22 12 85; www.ladunedupilat.com; Dune du Pilat, Pyla-sur-Mer; h9.30am-6pm Jul & Aug, to 5.30pm rest of year) has information on the dune and runs fascinating guided walks on the sand, including at sunset. Be warned that it can be desperately windy atop the dune: swirling, whip-lashing sand can be particularly unpleasant for younger children.
Bordeaux City Pass
Consider investing in a Bordeaux City Pass (www.bordeauxcitypass.com). A one-/two-/three-day card costs €26/33/40 and covers admission to many museums and monuments, unlimited public transport and various other discounts. The tourist office sells it.
1Sights
Miroir d'EauFountain
(Water Mirror;
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; place de la Bourse; h10am-10pm summer)
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 the imposing Palais de la Bourse, the 'water mirror' provides hours of entertainment on warm sunny days when the reflections in its thin slick of water – drained and refilled every half-hour – are stunning. Every 23 minutes a dense fog-like vapor is ejected for three minutes to add to the fun (and photo opportunities).
Bordeaux
1Sights
2Activities, Courses & Tours
7Shopping
Cathédrale St-AndréCathedral
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; www.cathedrale-bordeaux.fr; place Jean Moulin; h2-6pm Mon, 10am-noon & 2-6pm Tue-Sun)
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. Enjoy exceptional masonry carvings in the north portal.
Even more imposing than the cathedral itself is the gargoyled, 50m-high Gothic belfry, Tour Pey-Berland (
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; place Jean Moulin; adult/child €5.50/free; h10am-1.15pm & 2-6pm Jun-Sep, 10am-12.30pm & 2-5.30pm Oct-May), erected between 1440 and 1466.
Musée d'AquitaineMuseum
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %05 56 01 51 00; www.musee-aquitaine-bordeaux.fr; 20 cours Pasteur; adult/child €4/2; h11am-6pm Tue-Sun)
Gallo-Roman statues and relics dating back 25,000 years are among the highlights at this bright and spacious, well-curated history and art museum. Grab a bilingual floor plan at the entrance and borrow an English-language catalogue to better appreciate the exhibits that span prehistory through to 18th-century Atlantic trade and slavery, world cultures and the emergence of Bordeaux as a world port in the 19th century.
Musée des Beaux-ArtsGallery
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %05 56 96 51 60; www.musba-bordeaux.fr; 20 cours d'Albret; adult/child €4/2; h11am-6pm mid-Jul–mid-Aug, closed Tue rest of year)
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 1770s-built Hôtel de Ville, either side of elegant city park Jardin de la Mairie. 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 (
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; place du Colonel Raynal; adult/child €6.50/3.50; h11am-6pm mid-Jul–mid-Aug, closed Tue rest of year).
TTours
The tourist office runs a packed program of city tours in English, including gourmet and wine tours, river cruises in the warmer months, and child-friendly tours. All tours take a limited number of participants; reserve ahead on the tourist office website or in situ.
7Shopping
Europe's longest pedestrian shopping street, rue Ste-Catherine, stretches north from place de la Victoire to place de la Comédie, with 19th-century shopping arcade Galerie Bordelaise ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; rue de la Porte Dijeaux & rue Ste-Catherine) nearby. Trendy independent boutiques are concentrated on hip rue St-James in the St-Pierre quarter and rue Notre-Dame in Chartrons.
Les Dock des ÉpicesFood
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; http://dockdesepices.com; 20 rue St-James; h10am-7pm Tue-Sat)
For red Sauternes- or Syrah-flavoured rock salt, fleur de sel from Île de Ré and Bordeaux tea look no further than this incredible spice shop and upmarket épicerie (grocery).
Le Comptoir BordelaiseFood & Drinks
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; www.lecomptoirbordelais.com; 1 rue Piliers de Tutelle; h9am-7.30pm)
Rev up your taste buds in this gourmet boutique selling local and regional food and drink specialities. Be tempted by local cheese, canalés (sandcastle-shaped cakes from Bordeaux), bouchons de Bordeaux (cork-shaped pastries filled with almonds), raisins au Sauternes (chocolate-enrobed raisins soaked in Sauternes wine), salted caramels, chocolate sardines, olive oils, sauces and condiments, artisan beers, the list is endless. Then, of course, there is wine...
BeillevaireFood
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %09 54 86 80 03; www.fromagerie-beillevaire.com; 8 rue Michel Montaigne; h8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sat)
This artisan fromager and crémier is a sheer delight for local foodies who shop here for boutique cheeses and creamy yellow butter hand-moulded in fat curvaceous patties near Nantes. Don't miss the demi-sel croquant butter, studded with crunchy crystals of rock salt. If you want to take some cheese home with you, ask for it to be vacuum-packed.
Bordeaux MagnumWine
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %05 56 48 00 06; 3 rue Gobineau; h9am-8pm Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun)
Speciality wine shop with rack upon rack of Bordeaux's gift to the world.
Detour: The Médoc
Northwest of Bordeaux, along the western shore of the Gironde Estuary lie some of Bordeaux's most celebrated vineyards.
On the riverbanks of the muddy Gironde, Pauillac (population 1300) is at the heart of the wine country, surrounded by the distinguished Haut-Médoc, Margaux and St-Julien appellations. Extraordinary châteaux pepper these parts, from world-famous Château Ducru-Braucailllou on its southeast fringe to Château Margaux, with striking cellars designed by Lord Norman Foster. The Pauillac wine appellation encompasses 18 crus classés, including the world-renowned Mouton Rothschild, Latour and Lafite Rothschild.
Pauillac tourist office houses the Maison du Tourisme et du Vin (%05 56 59 03 08; www.pauillac-medoc.com; La Verrerie, Pauillac; h9.30am-7pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm & 2-6pm Sun), with information on visiting châteaux, colour-coded maps of production areas and driving itineraries along Les Routes des Vins de Bordeaux.
In the gold-stone hamlet of Bages, near Pauillac, lunch on the picture-postcard village square at 1930s-styled Café Lavinal (www.jmcazes.com/en/cafe-lavinal; Passage du Desquet, Bages; menus €28 & €38, mains €12-25; h8am-2pm & 7.30-9pm; 
a
W). With twin Michelin-starred chef Jean-Luc Rocha from neighbouring Château Cordeillan-Bages overseeing the menu and 120 wines on the carte de vin, a brilliant bistro dining experience is guaranteed. The menu features French classics (veal kidneys, magret de canard, fish stew), burgers, salads and charcuterie platters.
5Eating
Magasin GénéralInternational€
(%05 56 77 88 35; www.magasingeneral.camp; 87 quai des Queyries; 2-/3-course menu €14/18, mains €9-19; h8.30am-6pm Wed-Fri, 8.30am-midnight Sat, 10am-midnight Sun, kitchen noon-2.15pm & 7-10pm; W)
Follow the hip crowd across the river to this huge industrial hangar on the right bank, France's biggest and best organic restaurant with gargantuan terrace complete with vintage sofa seating, ping-pong table and table football. Everything here, from the vegan burgers and super-food salads to smoothies, pizzas, wine and French bistro fare, is bio (organic) and sourced locally. Sunday brunch (€24) is a bottomless feast.
Marché des CapucinsMarket
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; http://marchedescapucins.com; place des Capucins; h6am-1pm Tue-Sun)
A classic Bordeaux experience is a Saturday morning spent slurping oysters and white wine from a seafood stand in the city's legendary covered food market. Stalls overflowing with fruit, veg, cheese, meats, fish and all sorts fill the space to bursting. Walk south down cours Pasteur to place de la Victoire, then turn left onto rue Élie Gintrec.
Potato HeadModern French€€
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; www.potatoheadbordeaux.com; 27 rue Buhan; mains lunch €13, dinner €18-25, 5-course tasting menu €41; h11am-3pm Sun)
With its eclectic mix of seating (bar stool, bistro and armchair), moss-clad vegetal wall and industrial-style lighting, this trendy bistro is a fabulous space to dine in. Throw in a creative kitchen known for surprise combos (foie gras, beetroot, ginger and chocolate, anyone?) and the finest summer garden in the city and, well, you need to reserve well in advance.
Sunday brunch (€24) in the garden is a languid and sensational affair.
Le Petit CommerceSeafood€€
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %05 56 79 76 58; 22 rue Parlement St-Pierre; 2-course lunch menu €14, mains €15-25; hnoon-midnight)
This iconic bistro, with dining rooms both sides of a narrow pedestrian street and former Michelin-starred chef Stéphane Carrade in the kitchen, is the star turn of the trendy St-Pierre quarter. It's best known for its excellent seafood menu that embraces everything from Arcachon sole and oysters to eels, lobsters and chipirons (baby squid) fresh from St Jean de Luz.
End your meal, as locals do, with a bowl of riz au lait à l'orange (orange-perfumed rice pudding).
La TupinaFrench€€€
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %05 56 91 56 37; www.latupina.com; 6 rue Porte de la Monnaie; lunch menu €18, dinner menus €39 & €74; hnoon-2pm & 7-11pm Tue-Sun)
Filled with the aroma of soup simmering inside a tupina ('kettle' in Basque) over an open fire, this iconic bistro is feted for its seasonal southwestern French fare: think foie gras and egg cassoullette (mini casserole), milk-fed lamb, tripe and goose wings. Hopefully nothing will change following the 2016 retirement of the gregarious Jean-Pierre Xiradakis, life and soul of La Tupina since 1968.
Le Chapon FinGastronomy€€€
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %05 56 79 10 10; www.chapon-fin.com; 5 rue Montesquieu; lunch menus €28 & €39, dinner menus €69-99)
A meal at Bordeaux's most historic dining address, open since 1825, is worth it, if only to gawp in astonishment in the extravagant rococo interior: think mountains of fake rock, lush greenery and exuberant furnishings – and relive the grandeur of belle époque Bordeaux. Caviar, foie gras and seasonal asparagus followed by roast pigeon or saddle of lamb features on the very classical, gastronomic menu.
Jardin PublicGardens
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; cours de Verdun)
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 duck ponds, the meticulously catalogued Jardin Botanique dating from 1629, and the city's Musée d'Histoire Naturelle ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 5 place Bardineau) (Natural History Museum), closed for renovation work and slated to open again in late 2017.
Detour: St-Émilion
The medieval village of St-Émilion, 40km east of Bordeaux, perches above vineyards renowned for producing full-bodied, deeply coloured red wines. Named after Émilion, a miracle-working Benedictine monk who lived in a cave here between AD 750 and 767, it soon became a stop on pilgrimage routes, and the village and its vineyards are now Unesco-listed.
For foodies, there is one address: La Terrasse Rouge (%05 57 24 47 05; www.laterrasserouge.com; 1 Château La Dominique; lunch menu €28; hnoon-2.30pm & 7-11pm Jun-Sep, noon-2.30pm & 7-11pm Fri & Sat, noon-2.30pm Sun-Thu Oct-May) is a spectacular vineyard restaurant, borne out of Jean Nouvel's designer revamp of Château La Dominique's wine cellars. Oysters are fresh from Cap Ferret, caviar comes from Neuvic in the neighbouring Dordogne and the iPad mini wine list is naturally extraordinary. Watch for the monthly cooking classes held here, built around lunch and dégustation (tasting) of two St-Émilion wines. Advance reservations essential.
Hiking and cycling circuits loop through the greater World Heritage jurisdiction; St-Émilion tourist office (%05 57 55 28 28; www.saint-emilion-tourisme.com; place des Créneaux; h9.30am-7.30pm Jul & Aug, shorter hours rest of year) has maps and rents bicycles; reserve in advance online.
6Drinking & Nightlife
Bar à VinWine Bar
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %05 56 00 43 47; http://baravin.bordeaux.com; 3 cours du 30 Juillet; h11am-10pm Mon-Sat)
This ultra-stylish but very accessible wine bar, inside the hallowed halls of the Maison du Vin de Bordeaux, is the designer hot spot to tipple with Bordelais who really know their wine. Lounge between walls of stacked bottles, on armchairs or at the bar, and allow gracious sommeliers to guide you through the choice of 30-odd different Bordeaux wines by the glass (€3 to €8).
SymbioseCocktail Bar
(Old-fashioned Stories;
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %05 56 23 67 15; www.facebook.com/symbiosebordeaux/; 4 quai des Chartrons; hnoon-2.30pm Mon, noon-2.30pm & 6.30pm-2am Tue-Fri, 6.30pm-2am Sat)
There is something eminently inviting about this clandestine address with soft green façade across from the river on the fringe of the Chartrons district. This is the secret speakeasy that introduced good cocktails with gastronomic food pairings to Bordeaux. The chef uses locally sourced, artisan products and cocktails rekindle old-fashioned recipes packed with homemade syrups and 'forgotten', exotic or unusual ingredients.
UtopiaCafe, Bar
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; www.cinemas-utopia.org; 3 place Camille Jullian; h10am-1am summer, to 10.30pm winter)
At home in an old church, this much-venerated art address is a local institution. Art-house cinema, mellow cafe, hot lunch spot and bar rolled into one, it is one of the top addresses in the city to mingle over a drink, tartine (open sandwich, €7) or good-value meal (mains €13 to €15) with local Bordelais at any time of day. Its atmospheric pavement terrace on a car-free square catches the morning sun.
Black ListCoffee
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %06 89 91 82 65; www.facebook.com/blacklistcafe; 27 place Pey Berland; h8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-6pm Sat)
For serious coffee-lovers, nothing beats the beans that arrive at this coffee shop freshly roasted from Paris' Belleville Brûlerie. In a tiny but stylishly retro, ceramic-tiled interior, barista Laurent Pierre serves espresso and filtered grand cru coffee to a discerning Bordelais crowd. Granola breakfasts, veggie-packed salads and creative sandwiches (lunch menus €8.50 to €11.50), and fresh organic juices compliment the fantastic coffee.
I.BoatClub
(%05 56 10 48 35; www.iboat.eu; quai Armand Lalande, Bassins à Flot 1; h7pm-6am)
Hip hop, rock, indie pop, psyche blues rock, punk and hardcore are among the varied sounds that blast out of this fun nightclub and concert venue, afloat a decommissioned ferry moored in the increasingly trendy, industrial Bassins à Flot district in the north of the city. Live music starts at 7pm, with DJ sets kicking in on the club dance floor from 11.30pm.
8Information
Tourist Office (
GOOGLE MAP
; %05 56 00 66 00; www.bordeaux-tourisme.com; 12 cours du 30 Juillet; h9am-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-6.30pm Sun Jul & Aug, shorter hours Sep-Jun) Runs an excellent range of city and regional tours; reserve in advance online or in situ. It also rents pocket modems to hook you up with wi-fi.
8Getting There & Away
Air
Aéroport de Bordeaux (www.bordeaux.aeroport.fr) is in Mérignac, 10km southwest of the city centre, with domestic and increasing numbers of international flights to many western European and North African destinations.
Train
Bordeaux is one of France's major rail-transit points. The station, Gare St-Jean (cours de la Marne), is about 3km from the city centre at the southern terminus of cours de la Marne.
Paris Gare Montparnasse €79, 3¼ hours, at least 16 daily.
8Getting Around
Bicycle
Public bike sharing scheme VCub (www.vcub.fr) has 1700 bicycles available for use at 166 stations all over the city. Pay €1.50 to access a bike for 24 hours, plus €2 per hour after the first 30 minutes (free) is up; you'll need to initially register online or with your credit card at a VCub station.
Bus & Tram
Urban buses and trams are run by TBC (www.infotbc.com). Get timetable information and tickets from its Espace des Quinconces (
GOOGLE MAP
; %05 57 57 88 88; www.infotbc.com; Esplanade des Quinconces; h7am-7.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat) information office on Esplanade des Quinconces, the main bus and tram hub. Tram line C links the latter with the train station via the riverside; tram B cruises north along the river to La Cité du Vin. Single tickets cost €1.50.