A Travelers Ultimate Guide to Bordeaux

My favorite wine bar, fountain and Niçoise Salad are all in Bordeaux!

One of the things that I love the most about France is how easy it is to travel through the country by train. Some of the most magical, dreamy, and might I say “ethereal” places on earth, are only a couple hours from Paris via the SNCF inter city trains. Why drive when you can sip on some wine and stare out the window at the roaming fields, vineyards, castles, and les vaches blanches? One such place (and one of my most favorite places on earth) is Bordeaux. A bold statement, I know. But if you go, when you go, you will understand.

Getting to Bordeaux from Paris is pretty simple. There are several trains to Bordeaux leaving each day from Montparnasse station. It’s also very easy to get to Montparnasse via the Paris Metro from just about anywhere in Paris. Lines 4, 6, 12, and 13 will get you there or close. I use google maps to find out which metro line to take and where to catch it. There are many apps for navigating the metro and I’ve used many of them, but google maps is my “go to”. I highly recommend downloading the SNCF app onto your phone if you are going to travel in and out of Paris. In the app you can find train departure times as well as prices and even purchase mobile tickets. When booking, look for the direct trains taking just over two hours to Bordeaux. Some trains are not direct and take a little longer. Saint-Jean is the train station in Bordeaux where you disembark. It is about a mile and a half to the downtown core from here. You could walk, and it is a pleasant walk, but I wouldn’t walk it at night. Especially if you’re alone. Sometimes there can be petty crime around the train stations. I’ve walked it several times, during the day though. There is a taxi stand right out front where you can easily get a ride into town. If you’re doing this as a day trip, ask the taxi driver to drop you off at Place de la Bourse. This will put you in the perfect spot to see all of my favorite things in Bordeaux. If you want to stay a night or two, I highly recommend the Quality Hotel. I’ve stayed here many times, including on my most recent visit to Bordeaux. I absolutely love this hotel. The location couldn’t be more perfect. It is a quaint little hotel (and not expensive) that is not far from the port and right behind the Place du Parlement square. It is also only steps away from the famed Rue Sainte-Catherine, and only a couple blocks from my favorite wine bar. It is the perfect location for exploring everything Bordeaux has to offer.

Bordeaux itself is a UNESCO world heritage site. The city was granted UNESCO status in 2007. The first time I went to Bordeaux, I understood. A visual masterpiece. A photographer’s oasis. You will definitely need some time to take it all in. The entire city is made up of historic monuments, buildings, churches, bridges, and statues (my favorite statue in France, the monument aux Girondins is here). Since the Middle Ages, the port in Bordeaux has been known as the Port of the Moon. This is due to the crescent shape that the river makes on the water in front of the city. You can see the crescent on the coat of arms of Bordeaux.

The geographic area that encircles all of my favorite things in Bordeaux is flanked by two bridges. The one to the south, the Pont de Pierre – or the “stone bridge” – just celebrated its 200^th birthday in 2022. Further to the north is the other bridge known as Le Pont Ba-Ba, short for Bacalan-Bastide. Bacalan being the area on the left bank, and Bastide being the area on the right bank. This bridge’s official name is Pont Jacques Chaban Delmas, named after a former French Prime Minister and mayor of Bordeaux. But the locals just call it the Ba-Ba bridge.

If you like to run or walk it is about 5 miles round trip across the two bridges and up each side of the river. Turn left after you cross Pont de Pierre and travel along the river to the other bridge, and then back up the left bank of the river. On the right bank there is a botanical garden, as well as many other beautiful outdoor spaces. The Ba-Ba features a pedestrian footbridge under the car bridge. It’s exhilarating to walk across it. From this bridge you can look back at the city and get some amazing photos of Bordeaux. Coming back toward the port on the left bank is one of the most amazing pedestrian walking paths I’ve ever walked on. It is quite wide, and follows the river to Place de la Bourse and continues all the way back up to Pont de Pierre. There are little cafes and brasseries along here, and plenty of places to sit and watch all the runners, walkers, bicyclists, and roller bladers. I found it to be slightly less touristy than the area near the center of the port. You will likely see many river boats docked along the bank here, such as Viking and AmaWaterways.

After exploring the waterfront between the two bridges, head away from the river on Rue Saint- Rémi from Place de la Bourse and you will run into Rue Sainte-Catherine, which is considered to be the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe. Here, I recommend taking a left onto Rue Sainte-Catherine and walking to the end, and then turning around and heading back down the other side. That way, you can see all that this spectacular street has to offer. An abundance of cafes, boulangeries and boutique shops line each side. Not to mention the absolutely phenomenal people watching. Once you reach the end, turn around and head back in the other direction. You will see the Quality Hotel on your right as you near the conclusion of your walk. Their entrance is just off Rue-Saint-Catherine on Rue du Parlement. Rue Sainte-Catherine ends at the tram tracks and turns into Place de la Comedie. Cross the street here and go a little further and you will run right into my favorite wine bar – Le Bar à Vin.

It’s slightly off the beaten path, but definitely the holy grail of wine bars. Inside is a long, wooden tasting bar with a large, colorful mural on the wall behind it. A beautiful stained-glass window takes up one entire wall, and the other walls hold wine maps and other educational materials. Needless to say, I was in wine heaven. What really sets this wine bar apart for me is the quality and quantity of Premier Cru and Grand Cru Classé wines that they have by the glass. Reds, whites and Crémants, all from Bordeaux. Not only is their selection amazing, but the prices were surprisingly reasonable. Pours of AOC Margaux, AOC Saint-Estephe, and AOC Saint-Julien for only €8. A very robust cheese board with delicious sourdough bread is only €10. Le Bar à Vin is part of the Bordeaux Wine School, or L’École du Vins de Bordeaux, which is in the same building. I think this is why the prices are so reasonable; they are educating people on the wines of Bordeaux. Low prices in the name of education? I’m on board! There are always a lot of wine industry people in here from all over the world. My first time here I ordered six wines that I was interested in tasting. Prices ranged between €2 and €10, so I assumed they were tasting pours of one or two ounces each. When our server returned, he brought six very large glasses of wine. Luckily my friend and I were sharing! This place is very popular. If you can, avoid going on a Friday or Saturday. Plan to arrive early before they open so you can get in line. This year I was there in March, mid-week and got right in with no line – but the place started filling up fast by 5PM. I was lucky to be able to share a few glasses of wine with my friend Janice, who is a wine educator here in Bordeaux. Janice is also a curator of high-end, custom wine tours around Bordeaux. Check out her Instagram page if you are interested in that!

After having enjoyed some amazing Bordeaux wine, exit the building and turn left to continue north on Cours du 30 Juillet. You will run into Place des Quinconces. This is where you will find the spectacular statue and fountain called the Monument aux Girondins. This is truly one of the most fascinating and dramatic statues I’ve ever seen. There is just so much going on. You will need to spend time examining it from multiple angles in order to take in all that it is trying to convey. Click here to see a video of the fountain. Before leaving Bordeaux, do try to see the fountain in person if you can. The monument was built to commemorate the Girondists of the French Revolution.

If you’re a wine geek, or even if you’re not, you might want to also consider a stop at the Cité du Vin – aka the Bordeaux wine museum. This is a very modern and new museum. The outside of the building was designed to look like wine swirling around in your glass. There are multiple interactive displays where you can watch and listen and touch and smell. After strolling through all of the exhibits, you can go all the way upstairs to the wine bar to enjoy a glass of wine or Champagne.

There are usually one or two trains back to Paris later in the evening. If you’re feeling hungry and want to get lunch or dinner, you could try Le Confidential. It is about a half mile north of the Place de Quinconces. I always get the Niçoise Salad at this place. It is one of the best I’ve ever had. Don’t forget to grab a canelé from one of the little boulangeries before you leave. The canelé is to Bordeaux what the Kouign-Amann is to Brittany. They are sticky, little cone shaped pastries that are made with rum and vanilla. The soft custard center contrasts with its slightly crisp, caramelized outer crust making it taste like pure heaven. Pairs well with a shot of espresso.

A long day, but a very, very good day. I’m all for packing in as much as possible. You can walk back to your hotel, or catch a taxi back to the Gare Saint Jean to head back to Paris.

There is so much more to Bordeaux than what I have written about here; beauty and magic are at every turn. If you are going to France, you should definitely consider a day trip or an overnight to Bordeaux.

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