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Bucket list experience:

Tasty oysters on the half shell served flat lay on wooden background directly above view

Last updated: 01 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Dana Facaros

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.

Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience

Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around

When to do it

The market runs every Sunday, all year round, from 7am until 1pm, but the food and wine stands stay open until 3pm, making it a great place for lunch. It’s liveliest from 11 am onwards.

Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Hotel de Seze

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France[1 miles]

An historic, elegant 18th-century hotel ideally located in Bordeaux’s swish Golden Triangle, with a locally-rated spa and restaurant.

Official star rating:

InterContinental Bordeaux Le Grand Hotel

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France[1.1 miles]

The 230-year-old grande dame of Bordeaux’s hotel scene is a neo-classical masterpiece from the outside, and sumptuously restored on the inside. It’s perfectly located too, in the heart of the Golden Triangle.

Official star rating:

Hotel de Tourny

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine , France[1.1 miles]

This stylish but friendly and unfussy boutique hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Bordeaux. Perfect as a base for sightseeing, and great value for the location too.

Official star rating:

Yndo Hotel

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France[1.4 miles]

This small, exquisite, art-filled design hotel combines classic spaces with contemporary interiors, steps away from Bordeaux’s Golden Triangle.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Bordeaux

Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

A vintage wine and culture destination with delicious tastings, grand architecture, gourmet restaurants and a glorious coastline. 

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Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Wine City

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France[1.9 miles]

A museum dedicated to the history of wine and its relationship with Bordeaux, housed in a spectacular modern architectural jewel.

Best for ages: 18+ | £18

Bordeaux Wine Region

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France[14.6 miles]

France’s premier wine-growing region is home to over 8,500 wineries (or chateaux) producing some 800 million bottles a year, 89 percent of which are red wines, including the legendary Grands Crus or ‘First Growths’ of the Medoc.

Best for ages: 18+ | £40

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Overview >

Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

People sit at a table with glasses of wine ready for tasting in front of them
Experience

Bordeaux Wine & Trade Museum

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France[0.3 miles]

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.

Best for ages: 18+ | £35 | 2 hours 30 mins

Website >
Overview >
Visitors walk around the inside gallery of the museum
Experience

Museum of Contemporary Art (CAPC)

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France[0.5 miles]

Set in a striking, 19th-century vaulted warehouse, the groundbreaking CAPC houses one of France’s most important collections of contemporary art, collected from around the world. It also hosts temporary exhibitions on specific themes.

Best for ages: 18+ | £6

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Overview >
Exterior view of a warehouse building with pointed roofs
Experience

Darwin Eco-System

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France[0.7 miles]

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.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free

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Overview >
A 43m high white column monument in an empty square, with grandiose fountain at its base
Experience

Monument aux Girondins

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France[0.8 miles]

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.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Overview >