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Bucket list trip:

Last updated: 20 June, 2023
Expert travel writer: Dana Facaros

Where to go and what to see in Bordeaux to get the most from your trip – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Dana Facaros.

Editor note – Dana has not included specific recommendations of where to stay each day unless it’s necessary. Instead, see the ‘Where to stay’ section in our Bordeaux destination guide.

Day 1

7

Begin in Bordeaux’s medieval and 18th-century core, with a look at the cathedral, Grand Theatre, Porte Cailhau and Porte de la Lune – famous for its massive mirror of water.

Then catch the Bat3 catamaran up the Garonne to the Halles de Bacalan for lunch before visiting Cite du Vin (Wine City) – which will inspire your wine tasting at Max Bordeaux.

Have dinner at the charming, old-fashioned Brasserie Le Noailles.

Bordeaux Cathedral

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

The exterior of the cathedral and its two spires

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.

Best for ages 18+

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Grand Theatre of Bordeaux

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

The grand theatre in Bordeaux, a building with many pillars.

Designed by the great Parisian architect Victor Louis (1731-1800), this neo-classical beauty features 12 columns with twelves statues, representing the nine muses and three goddesses. It’s equally grand inside, with heart-stopping frescoes and a grand staircase. First inaugurated in 1780, today’s it’s home to the National Opera of Bordeaux.

Best for ages 18+

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La Porte de la Lune

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Exterior of Palace de la Bourse, doubled in the reflection of a puddle

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.

Best for ages 18+

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Porte Cailhau

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Porte Cailhau, a castle-like monument that used to be the gate to the city

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.

Best for ages 18+

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Halles de Bacalan

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Exterior view of the building, with slatted wooden roof and the Wine City Tower behind

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.

Best for ages 18+

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Max Bordeaux Wine Gallery

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Inside the gallery, where there are racks of wine bottles

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.

Min age 18

Best for ages 18+

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Wine City

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

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Bucket List Experience
Exterior of Wine City building on a sunny day

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

Adult price: £18

Best for ages 18+

Day 2

2

Spring for a full-day tour of the Medoc, the most prestigious of Bordeaux’s wine areas – or hire a car to do it on your own, although note you often need to book visits in advance. The Cafe Lavinal in Pauillac has a good set lunch menu.

Top the day off with dinner at Bordeaux’s fabulous rococo Chapon Fin, founded in 1825.

Le Chapon Fin

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Interior of a large restaurant with classic decor

Since 1825, the ornate rococo dining room and glassed-in garden have welcomed the beau monde of Bordeaux and the world, with a formidable wine list to choose from, famous for classic cuisine and over 200 wines by the glass.

Best for ages 18+

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Bordeaux Wine Region

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

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Bucket List Experience
Close up of grapes hanging from a tree

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.

Adult price: £40

Min age 18

Best for ages 18+

Day 3

7

Head to the ocean, with a half-day tour to the Dune de Pilat, Europe’s biggest sand dune and oyster tasting around Arcachon.

In the afternoon, visit one or two of Bordeaux’s museums – Aquitaine history, Fine Arts, Decorative Arts or Contemporary Art, before aperos at the Bar du Vin and dinner nearby at Le Quatrieme Mur, next to the Grand Theatre (reservations essential).

Dune of Pilat

La Teste-de-Buch, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

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Bucket List Experience
A large dune with greenery on one side and the sea on the other

Climb to the summit of Europe’s largest and most spectacular sand dune, 60 km southwest of Bordeaux.

Best for ages 4+

Aquitaine Museum

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

A statue of a figure reclining

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.

Adult price: £4

Best for ages 18+

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National Customs Museum

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Exterior of a beautiful building

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.

Adult price: £3

Best for ages 13+

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Museum of Contemporary Art (CAPC)

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Visitors walk around the inside gallery of the museum

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.

Adult price: £6

Best for ages 18+

Museum of Decorative Arts, Bordeaux

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

The exterior of the museum on a sunny day

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.

Adult price: £4

Best for ages 18+

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Le Bar a Vin

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Red wine being poured into a glass

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.

Min age 18

Best for ages 18+

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