29 Best things to see & do in Bordeaux

A must-see for wine lovers from around the world, Bordeaux’s fabled wine estates are fascinating to explore.

There’s plenty to discover (and taste): the region is divided into 57 appellations, with over 8,500 wineries (or châteaux) producing some 800 million bottles a year.

Some 89 percent of these are red wines, including the legendary, stratospherically priced Grands Crus or ‘First Growths’ of the Médoc, Graves and Saint-Emilion. Meanwhile, the sweet, golden Sauternes rules the whites.

Known as the ‘Sistine Chapel’ of Palaeolithic art, the Lascaux Caves were painted around 17,000 BC. The breathtakingly sophisticated polychrome paintings of bison, horses, reindeer and aurochs demonstrate a keen eye for perspective and movement.

Sadly, the cave had to be closed in 1963 because of the damage caused by carbon dioxide in visitors’ breath. A partial replica, Lascaux II, opened in 1983, and in 2016 a complete replica, Lascaux IV, opened as part of Montignac’s high-tech International Centre of Parietal Art.

Bordeaux has some 347 listed buildings – only surpassed, in France, by Paris – such that UNESCO designated the entire city as World Heritage site in 2007.

The ‘old’ style architecture falls into two main periods. The Quartier Saint-Pierre and the city’s great churches recall the Middle Ages, when Bordeaux was the main port of English Aquitaine.

The harmonious riverfront façade and majestic Quartier des Grands Hommes was built around the 18th-century Enlightenment – much of it funded by the massive wealth generated by the slave trade. Recent years has seen Bordeaux graced with striking new architecturally-interesting buildings.

Laid out in the 18th century, the wide streets of the Golden Triangle are home to some of Bordeaux’s best buildings. The Place de la Comedie, houses the majestic Grand Theatre and nearby, there’s the wonderfully overblown Monument aux Girondins in the enormous Place des Quinconces, dedicated to Bordeaux’s revolutionaries. Inside its grand Medieval gates, the Porte Cailhau and the Grosse Cloche, you’ll discover old Bordeaux – a maze of streets filled with intimate boutiques.

Many of the city’s monuments are beautifully illuminated at night and open late, making it a great time to see the sights during the hot summer months.

Bordeaux is where all the famous specialities of southwest France come together accompany: tender lamb from Pauillac, beef from Bazas, ceps (boletus mushrooms) from the Landes, duck, geese, foie gras and truffles from the Dordogne, oysters and other seafood from Arcachon and the increasingly acclaimed Aquitaine caviar from the Garonne and Dordogne rivers.

The traditional cuisine of the city is very bourgeoise and a bit heavy; food was meant to go with a bottle of wine rather than vice versa.

Designed by Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazieres, Bordeaux’s spectacular Cite du Vin opened in 2016 – its curvaceous, spiralling 55m glass tower evoking wine swirling in a glass. Far more than simply a wine museum, it offers a total, immersive wine experience, packed with 19 permanent exhibits that tickle all five senses.

This fascinating, in-depth, high-tech history of winemaking around the world culminates in the building’s spectacular rooftop belvedere, where guests can join in with a wine tasting. The frequent, changing exhibits make the Cite du Vin just as popular with the Bordelais locals as with visitors to the city.

The architecturally-striking building, designed by architects XTU, ‘does not resemble any recognizable shape because it is an evocation of the soul of wine between the river and the city.’

Europe’s biggest sand pile, the Dune du Pilat (or ‘du Pyla’) towers near the mouth of Arcachon Bay.

Standing 107m high, stretching 6km in length and with a volume of 20 million cubic metres of sand, it’s an extraordinary sight.

The view from the top is breathtaking, too – on a clear day you can see all the way to the Pyrenees. After, cool off on Pyla-sur-Mer’s golden-sand beach.

Set in a striking, 19th-century vaulted warehouse, the groundbreaking CAPC houses one of France’s most important collections of modern and contemporary art, collected from around the world.

The museum’s diverse program features temporary exhibitions, installations, performances, and multimedia works, fostering a vibrant and ever-evolving cultural dialogue. The CAPC’s Permanent Collection features a diverse range of artworks from renowned artists. The collection spans various mediums and styles, providing insight into the evolution of contemporary art over time. It also hosts temporary exhibitions on specific themes.

With a focus on promoting emerging artists and pushing the boundaries of artistic practices, CAPC offers a thought-provoking and immersive experience that celebrates the evolving nature of contemporary art.

This beautiful hill town produces some of France’s finest red wines, in rolling hills so well-tended over the centuries – a region deliminated by Edward I in 1289 and unchanged to this day.

In 1999 UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site as ‘an outstanding example of a historic vineyard landscape that has survived intact and in activity until the present day.’

Besides Saint-Emilion’s pale stone beauty, its vines and its wines, there’s plenty to see: historic churches and cloisters, town walls and towers, and lovely squares – not to mention a fine array of boutiques, wine bars and restaurants.

Some of its star attractions are underground – from wine cellars to a unique 12th-century church.

Although it only opened in 2017, this vast new food hall by Wine City has become one of the most popular foodie hangouts in the city, with a mix of stalls run by farmers, chefs and producers.

The southernmost base of Hitler’s ‘Atlantic Wall’, built for U-boats to attack the Allies’ fleets, these enormous submarine pens (bassins des lumieres) in Bordeaux’s old port were built by prisoners of war – in 5m thick reinforced concrete walls.

Next to impossible to demolish, four of the 11 pens have found a new use in 2018 as an edgy, all-immersive sound and light show, claiming to be the biggest digital displays in the world.

The shows, all family-friendly, are based on art and science themes and change annually. Check out the Bassins des Lumieres website for current listings.

Centred on Bordeaux and the Basque coast, this region is France’s undisputed spa capital, home to 30 of the country’s 170 spa resorts. The region’s unique sub-soils enrich the water with mineral salts and trace elements. Being the world’s biggest region of fine wines, it’s the go-to place for innovative wine-themed treatments.

Inside the elegant Palais Rohan, the museum displays works by some of Europe’s finest painters, including Titian, Perugino, Rubens and Van Dyck, as well as famous local artists from various periods.

The south wing is devoted to art from the 16th to 18th centuries, and the north wing focuses on the 19th and 20th centuries.

Bordeaux’s hip multicultural district, in the shadow of the great Gothic spire of St-Michel, is the place to be on a Saturday morning, when this lively, atmospheric flea market takes over Place Meynard and Place Canteloup.

Set on a crescent-shaped bend in the Garonne, Bordeaux’s riverfront port is a work of art. The kilometre-long, UNESCO-listed façade of 18th-century buildings by Jacques Gabriel is breathtakingly illuminated after nightfall. The stunning Place de la Bourse is reflected in an enormous mirror of water from 900 misting jets.

A maritime museum covering ships, sailors, marine art and science, with model ships and real boats (including the Defi Francais from the America’s Cup). Nearby, seemly crashing into the port, is Suzanne Treister’s flying saucer sculpture, the Vaisseau Spatial.

Bordeaux’s Musee des Arts Decoratifs contains a series of period rooms from different design eras, filled with historic objects and artefacts, offering an insight into aristocratic living in the last two centuries. It’s set in an immaculately-preserved, 18th-century Bordeaux mansion – one of the most beautiful townhouses in Bordeaux.

This compelling history museum is home to over 1.3 million artefacts that document the history of Bordeaux and the entire Aquitaine region, from prehistory (including Paleolithic Art and the Lascaux Cave) to the modern day.

The ‘Belly of Bordeaux’ is the city’s biggest and busiest covered market, offering delicacies from France and around the world. Join the locals for a mid-morning snack – a half dozen oysters on the half shell – at Jean-Mi’s stand.

The Chartrons – Bordeaux’s picturesque 18th-century wine merchants’ quarter – hugs the River Garonne, where sailing ships once docked to load their barrels and bottles. Today, the Quai des Chartrons is a riverside promenade that hosts the Marche des Quais, a lively, extremely popular market, every Sunday morning.

Some 70 stalls sell high-quality, fresh produce to take home for Sunday lunch – or simply tuck into the city’s famous seafood (oysters, mussels, grilled prawns) at outdoor tables. This being Bordeaux, naturally, there is plenty of fine wine on sale to accompany your feast.

This museum is the only one of its kind in France: exhibits cover the history of customs and taxes, including smugglers and counterfeiters. The bizarre mix of fascinating curiosities – including maps, musical instruments and opium pipes – date back to the 18th century.

This beautiful monument was built in 1494 as a triumphal arch to commemorate Charles VIII’s victory at Fornovo. It was later integrated into the city walls and today forms one of the gates to the old city from the port. You can go inside for an exhibition on how it was built, and for views from the tower.

This small museum is a must for those interested in the long history of wine-making in France. Guided visits take you to the wine cellars to see exhibits of wine-making equipment dating from the present back 2,000 years. The tours explain the different grape varieties, how they make Bordeaux’s famous ‘Grand Vins’, and end with a wine tasting.

An army barracks on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, abandoned in 2015, has become a laboratory for the future, where everything is organic, recycled, sustainable and green, with special events, sports, street art, food, and more.

Bordeaux hosts an enormous festival every summer, but alternates the theme between two of its passions: its river, and its wine scene. In even-numbered years it celebrates wine, with a remarkable parade of Bacchus floats, massive wine tastings, visits to vineyards, wine classes in tents, and more. In odd-numbered years, the festival’s focus is on its beloved river with historic boats, regattas and races.

Both festivals feature concerts, sound and light shows, and massive fireworks displays over the Garonne River.

Bordeaux’s enormous Gothic Cathedrale Saint-Andre is the city’s most majestic medieval landmark; the church dates back to 814 AD, but it was predominantly constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries. Don’t miss the sculptures of the Porte Royale and a climb up the Tour Pey-Berland belltower for a bird’s-eye view over the city centre.

Exceptional wine bar in an 18th-century prow-shaped townhouse run by the Bordeaux Wine Council, with 30 wines by the glass served by knowledgeable young wine students, along with cheeses, cold meats and chocolates.

Erected between 1894 and 1902, this wonderfully elaborate 54-meter-tall statue is dedicated to the memory of French Revolutionaries. It’s located in the enormous Place des Quinonces, the largest city square in Europe.

Bordeaux’s world-famous Grands Crus are expensive, so you want to be sure you’re buying a wine you really like. At this high-tech wine gallery, you can sample a sip from 48 of the finest bottles – each of which has been allowed to breathe to perfection.

This pastry shop makes cracking versions of Bordeaux’s famous cinnamon and orange canele pastries; they also do rum-soaked caneles in jars and savoury versions with chorizo, now available in several locations in the city.