I loved Bordeaux! We sampled some Scotch in Scotland, Champagne in Champagne and now perhaps some bordeaux in Bordeaux?? I’m starting to see a theme emerging! Seriously though, we soon discovered Bordeaux has stunning architecture, gorgeous chateaus and beautifully landscapes to explore.
We arrived in Bordeaux by train from Paris – with a few fortifying vinos under our belt after the dramas of the Paris train station, we were ready to explore!
Things to See and Do in Bordeaux
We were only in Bordeaux for 2 nights, so just scraped the surface of what Bordeaux has to offer. I have outlined the highlights from our short time there and would love to return to this beautiful city and dig a little deeper.
Discover stunning architecture in Bordeaux
Bordeaux City Gates
The first thing that struck me about Bordeaux was how visually stunning it is. The medieval palace and city gates, with turrets and canopies, are like something from a fairytale. We spent some Euros indulging in a little retail therapy, and some time just wandering around the pretty streets and boulevards.
Bordeaux’s Mirrior d’Eau
One of the iconic landmarks in Bordeaux is the water mirror located in front of Place de la Bourse. All the photographs you see, show the beautiful buildings and the Fountain of the Three Graces, mirror reflected in a 2cm deep pool of water. Every 15 minutes mist rolls across the water mirror, as the pool fills and then drains. Don’t get your hopes up, however, of capturing that beautiful mirror reflection. As soon as the mist starts, so do all the people running, riding, standing and playing in it. You might have better luck photographing at night, as the water mirror continues until 10pm, It is still worth watching the whole process though, as it is quite unique and mesmerizing.
Bordeaux’s wine museum, Cite du Vin
The big drawcard for Bordeaux is of course, the wine. We were very excited to discover that Bordeaux even has its own wine museum! We weren’t sure what to expect, but of course we had to discover what all the fuss was about. A short ferry ride along the Garonne, which offered wonderful views of the city, and we arrived at the impressive Cite du Vin, an iconic, golden structure unlike any shape I have seen before.
For me, the building itself was the thing to see, the interior had some exhibits, but they didn’t really excite me. Postscript, others I have spoken to love the exhibits inside Cite du Vin, so maybe I just didn’t give it the time it deserved.
E-bike wine tour of Bordeaux countryside and St Emillion
Ok, so we did the cultural thing at the wine museum, but let’s be honest, what we really wanted, was to get amongst the vineyards and do some wine tasting! We decided to discover the region on two wheels through an e-bike tour with Rustic Vines. What a fantastic day we had! I highly recommend them for a day of fun, food and wine. We met our guide at the tour office in central Bordeaux, then hopped in a mini-van to be transported out of the city to begin our bike riding.
Picturesque Bordeaux countryside and Chateaus
The countryside was stunning, cycling between vineyards and chateaus, stopping every now and then for a photo op.
We stopped at several Chateaus for a tour and some wine tasting. I think my favourite was our lunch stop at Chateau Le Croizille. The view was spectacular, the food delicious and the wine…. well, yum! We tried the local specialty of Caneles – little rum and vanilla sweet treats.
A little Roadside Drama
Our last chateau visit was not without a little drama. We were happily cycling along the quiet country road, and luckily for me, I had drifted over to the left-hand side of the road, as I am inclined to do, being from Australia. Over to my right, the bulk of the group were whizzing along. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a lovely lady from our group literally disappear off the road! Where did she go??
Her husband, or knight in shining armour, abruptly stopped and jumped off his bike to go to her rescue, as she had merrily cycled into a large ditch running parallel to the side of the road. What ensued was a scene from the Tour de France with bicycles strewn across the road as several people crashed into abandoned bikes and others jumped off to render assistance.
There is always one….
Luckily, no-one was injured, although one person from our group – there’s always one – made such a fuss about the whole thing. First, she was fine, then maybe she should see a doctor, no, actually she’s fine…. better get some ice and contact emergency services, actually, no, it’s all good. Sometimes, I think tour guides need a medal…. our guide Thomas, certainly did that day! What a champion he was. He loaded her and her bike into the mini-van and escorted her to our last chateau stop…. where the whining continued.
My friend tried to lighten the mood by regaling the crowd with an amusing story about a time that she fell over – when she was out on the town one night, looking good and feeling fine, she caught the eye of an attractive young man. As she passed by him, and did a double take, for he was THAT good looking, she lost her footing on the stairs and tumbled down them. Move along, nothing to see here!
We were all in stitches…..even our patient on death’s door brightened up and decided she was ok to continue on to Saint Emilion. Of course, she got on the bike and didn’t even make it to the end of the driveway, before she fell off again.
Guided Tour of Saint Emilion
Onto Saint Emilion! A pretty little village with cobblestone streets that you can wander around and with wonderful views over the region. Our E-bike tour ended here and we had lots of free time to explore before we were transported back to Bordeaux.
The mini-van trip back into Bordeaux was fun ….. after we dropped sad sack off at her hotel, we listened to music from home and shared stories with our guide and reflected on a truly magical day.
How do I rate Bordeaux as a Travel Destination?
I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at what Bordeaux had to offer. I wish we had stayed longer there. Yes, try the wine ….. it is amazing, and I am not even a red drinker! But don’t be fooled into thinking there’s not much else to Bordeaux than its’ wine. I love a cobblestone street, a medieval turret and a pretty French village. If you do too, add Bordeaux to your French itinerary, you won’t regret it.
After our brief visit to Bordeaux our next stop was to beautiful Nice on the French Riviera!
This article is also featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Bordeaux.
Deb Morrow is a wife and mum of two in her 50’s, who works in education. She has a passion for travel and through sharing her travel experiences, tips and recommendations, wants to encourage other women her age to start making time for themselves, grab their besties, and go see the world!
