I have a somewhat unique relationship with the city of Bordeaux, as I lived there for a year many years ago now. Obviously, when I return there now (which is quite rare, ultimately), I feel a mix of familiarity (it brings back quite a few memories) and, at the same time, I also have the impression of exploring a city that I don’t know, or no longer know. A funny feeling. Anyway, it was with pleasure that I took my favorite photographer to discover the city for a weekend in October 2024 (and I continue to regularly update the article). A historic city of stone and wine, Bordeaux is also a destination renowned for its urban atmosphere, its gastronomy, and its cultural effervescence.
Practical Information
- Getting there by train: You can get there very easily from Paris, as Bordeaux is one of those cities that is about 2 hours away—much like Nantes or even Lyon—from the Paris Montparnasse station (and what’s more, you have ouigo at very affordable prices!)
- Getting around locally: Don’t hesitate to use the city’s public transport, TBM (Transports Bordeaux Métropole), which are very convenient with buses and tram lines as well
- The CityPass: There is also a CityPass which offers free entry to 20 of the city’s iconic museums and monuments, as well as unlimited use of public transport.
Bordeaux Tourist Office
Table of Contents
What to see and do in Bordeaux?
There is a lot that could be said about the activities to do in Bordeaux, which are numerous and varied. Unfortunately, as we didn’t have much time on site, I only have a few suggestions for you below, but I will try to flesh them out during my future visits to the city. Below, as is my habit, I therefore offer you a mini selection of things to do and see if you come for a stay in Bordeaux.
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Discover Bordeaux with a Civitatis Free Tour
If you are looking for a friendly and economical way to explore the historic center of Bordeaux, I recommend testing the “Free tours” by Civitatis. The concept of this platform is nice: you book your spot for free and, at the end of the tour, you give the guide the amount of your choice based on your satisfaction. It’s the ideal insider tip to soak up the history of the city without breaking the bank!
Free tour in Bordeaux by Civitatis
Duration: 2h
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Visit the Cité du Vin
We took advantage of a rainy afternoon to visit the Cité du Vin, a cultural venue entirely dedicated to wine cultures around the world in their cultural, civilizational, heritage, and universal dimensions. On the program: a museum with an interactive permanent exhibition that relies on digital technologies, tasting experiences, events, and a living space with shops and restaurants. The Cité is housed in a contemporary building built specifically to host it, and its curved glass and metallic architecture evokes wine swirling in a glass and the ripples of the Garonne river, close to the construction.
We only spent one hour in the permanent exhibition (because we had a train to catch), but we could have stayed much longer, as it is so rich with no less than 18 different spaces to explore. You can discover the history of wine throughout time, watch numerous videos and interviews, challenge yourself to identify wine aromas, learn more about viticulture, and there is also a section dedicated to the history of Bordeaux wine. In short, we’ll have to come back and spend a full day there! We finished the visit with a wine tasting (included in the price of the permanent exhibition visit) from around the world; we notably tested a wine from Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Belvédère right at the top of the Cité du Vin (on the 8th floor at a height of 35 meters), which also offers a beautiful view over Bordeaux.
Cité du Vin – Foundation for Wine Culture and Civilizations
1, esplanade de Pontac, 33300 Bordeaux
Permanent exhibition + Belvedere prices: 22 € / 9 € children (between 6 and 17 years old) / free -6 years old
Open every day from 10 am
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Visit the Museum of Aquitaine
The museum has been housed since 1987 in the former building constructed at the end of the 19th century to accommodate the Faculty of Sciences and Letters of Bordeaux. Its collections retrace the history of Bordeaux and Aquitaine, from prehistory to the 21st century, across 400,000 years explained through a journey rich in numerous tactile stations for a fun and multisensory discovery over 2 floors.
Musée d’Aquitaine
30 cours Pasteur 33000 Bordeaux
Open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Mondays and public holidays
Rates: 8 € / 4,50 € reduced / free for under 18s
My favorite gourmet spots in Bordeaux
As usual, you will find below my selection of gourmet spots in Bordeaux (restaurant, bar, tea room…) that we had the opportunity to test during our stay with the favorite photographer. These addresses often offer the chance to discover local products and some regional specialties to taste if you come to Aquitaine.
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A tea room in Bordeaux? Le Boudoir de Léa
This tea room, attached to the Intercontinental Hotel, opened its doors in July 2024, in the heart of Bordeaux’s Golden Triangle. It is managed by Chef Gaëtan Fiard, 2014 World Champion of Sweet Arts and Pastry Chef of the Pressoir d’Argent Gordon Ramsay (2 Michelin stars), who is the executive pastry chef for all the addresses of the Intercontinental Hotel in Bordeaux. In this boudoir, you’ll find a chic and cozy tea room serving top-tier pastries.
Its specialty is the variation of small cakes in the shape of a boudoir (about 10 or 12 kinds of pastries available in the window). In addition to the “star product,” Le Boudoir de Léa also offers a selection of classics revisited by the Chef and his teams. Its name is a tribute to Léa, a modern, distinguished, and epicurean woman (Léa is also the name of the hotel’s Spa). Le Boudoir de Léa also features a boutique area where you can buy the place’s divine pastries to go.
Le Boudoir de Léa
7 Cours de l’Intendance, 33000 Bordeaux
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Price: signature boudoirs 9.50 € / classic pastries 9 €
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A Swedish café in Bordeaux? Suzzi kafé
This eco-table labeled restaurant offers Nordic and specifically Swedish cuisine, ideal for a quick lunch. It was the favorite photographer who discovered this address a bit by chance.
Suzzi Kafé
46 Rue des Trois-Conils, 33000 Bordeaux
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A chic brasserie in Bordeaux? Restaurant Le Bordeaux
This brasserie is the one from the Intercontinental Hotel that I mention below in the “accommodation” section. You eat there in a cozy atmosphere with a very beautiful view of the Bordeaux Opera. This chic brasserie menu is developed with the use of local products in a resolutely locavore approach. The establishment also offers a very nice wine list with, of course, an interesting selection of local wines, and there is plenty to choose from in the region!
We tasted: for starters, we shared oysters from Cap-Ferret from “La Kabane de Yoan et Chloé” (19 € for 6 oysters); the gazpacho of the moment (13 €); for the main course, we had the vitello tonnato (24 €) as well as the duck breast with seasonal fruits (26 €); for desserts, we found the creations of Gaëtan Fiard and this time we tasted his lemon tart.
Restaurant Le Bordeaux
2-5 Place de la Comédie, 33000 Bordeaux
Rates: à la carte starters between 12 € and 35 € / main courses between 21 € and 28 € / desserts 10 € / wines by the glass between 9 € and 28 €
The good deal: market menu (Monday to Saturday for lunch) 25 € with starter + main or main + dessert / 30 € starter + main + dessert
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Where to have an accessible gourmet lunch in Bordeaux? Le 1544
I warmly recommend you go for lunch at the annex of the starred restaurant Le Gabriel, at the bistro le 1544. Indeed, the lunch menu is particularly accessible and everything is truly delicious with a level of cuisine that approaches the gourmet restaurant. We had a very beautiful lunch there to celebrate my birthday.
Restaurant le 1544
10 Place de la Bourse 33000 Bordeaux
Price: weekday lunch menu with starter + main or main + dessert at 27 € and starter + main + dessert at 34 €
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Dinner tapas & cocktails in Bordeaux? Tigermilk Bordeaux
We are never disappointed by this group, which we have tested at several addresses in Paris, but also in Lille or even in Brussels! This South American-inspired restaurant chain offers Latin, Mexican, or even Peruvian flavors. On the menu: Latin American dishes and some cocktails with always very reasonable prices. The place is perfect for an appetizer/dinner with friends.
To taste: we tested a local beer from the Mascaret brewery; the guacamole caliente with chili (6.50 €); the quesadillas (between 13.50 € and 15.90 €) and the ceviches (between 14.50 € and 16 €).
Restaurant Tigermilk Bordeaux
1 rue des Lauriers 33000 Bordeaux
Drinks price: cocktails between 8 € and 9.50 € / mocktails between 4.50 € and 6.50 €
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Where to have a cocktail in Bordeaux? Bar du Marty Hôtel
Nestled in the heart of the dynamic Mériadeck district, Hôtel Le Marty, Bordeaux, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, opened its doors in 2023. The place, with its truly stunning decor, features a bar with a menu of creative cocktails. We tasted a pear and white cocoa sour cocktail, as well as another, more wintry one with Verjus and Blanche d’Armagnac called “Winter in Armagnac”. The team is young and laid-back, making it a great spot for a trendy happy hour.
Bar du Marty Hôtel
153 Rue Georges Bonnac, 33000 Bordeaux
Cocktail prices : signature cocktails 14 € / mocktails 10 € / classic cocktails between 10 € and 16 €
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Where to drink another cocktail in Bordeaux? Bar du Firstname Bordeaux, Le Bada
The cocktail bar at FirstName Bordeaux, where we stayed during this trip (and which I’ll tell you about below), is also a very good spot to drink a cocktail in a trendy, urban setting. And the bar is, of course, accessible even if you aren’t a hotel guest.
Le Bada, FirstName Bordeaux
14, rue Claude Bonnier 33 000 Bordeaux
My recommendations for accommodation in Bordeaux
As usual, you’ll find below a quick overview of my selection of good accommodation addresses in Bordeaux (from 3 to 5 stars) that we had the opportunity to test or visit during our 2024 trip with my favorite photographer.
→ To find our full reviews, more photos, and all our tips neighborhood by neighborhood, check out our complete guide: Where to sleep in Bordeaux? My hotel recommendations
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The Intercontinental Hotel
This legendary 5-star Bordeaux hotel occupies a historic building from 1789 designed by architect Victor Louis, which faces the Opéra de Bordeaux in a perfect mirror effect. While we haven’t slept there yet, our visit guided by decorator Jacques Garcia charmed us. The establishment houses the sumptuous Spa Guerlain, the two-Michelin-starred Le Pressoir d’Argent Gordon Ramsay, and a magnificent rooftop offering an unobstructed view of the entire city, ideal for an aperitif at sunset.
Hôtel InterContinental Bordeaux ☆☆☆☆☆
2-5 Place de la Comédie, 33000 Bordeaux
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FirstName Bordeaux
Installed in the modernist Mériadeck district, this first 4-star hotel of the brand offers a colorful and “feel good” universe imagined by Nicolas Adnet (Studio MHNA). We loved staying in their Cockpit room, which offers a superb panorama of the city. The address features 137 rooms and a friendly bar, Le Bada. The top tip: there is a self-service kitchenette on every floor of the hotel, an original and very practical idea!
FirstName Bordeaux ☆☆☆☆
14, rue Claude Bonnier 33 000 Bordeaux
Rates: room from 131 €
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The Mama Shelter Bordeaux
You probably know how much I love the 3-star Mama Shelter brand and its characteristic festive atmosphere. Ideally located on the Place Saint-Christoly in the heart of the historic center, this hotel offers everything that makes it a signature: excellent bedding, a trendy bar animated by DJ sets on weekends, and an essential rooftop with a panoramic view over the city roofs. It’s the perfect address for a dynamic and laid-back stay in Bordeaux.
Hôtel Mama Shelter Bordeaux ☆☆☆
19 Rue Poquelin Molière, 33000 Bordeaux
Hotel rates: from 112 € per night
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Thanks to the addresses (Hôtel Intercontinental, Mama Shelter, Hôtel FirstName…) that welcomed us during this stay in Bordeaux.
I hope that with all this, I’ve made you want to visit Bordeaux, and if you also have your own favorite addresses and tips for this destination, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments below!
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos are not royalty-free, photographer's authorization required before any use
