3 days in Bordeaux

Day by day

1. Day 1: Place de la Bourse and Miroir d'Eau and Porte Cailhau

   Place de la Bourse and Miroir d'Eau, Porte Cailhau and Grosse Cloche, then Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Place de la Bourse and Miroir d'Eau

      The royal square built between 1730 and 1775 by the Gabriel father and son opens onto the river, with the Three Graces fountain at its centre.

   2. Late morning

      Porte Cailhau

      Photograph it from Place du Palais, then walk five minutes to Place du Parlement for a coffee.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Canelé

      Specialist canelé shops and pâtisseries across the centre, particularly around Rue Sainte-Catherine and Saint-Pierre; mini versions are sold by the bag.

   4. Afternoon

      Grosse Cloche

      The belfry of Bordeaux's former town hall is one of the city's oldest surviving monuments, a pair of round towers framing a large bell and a clock above the arch on Rue Saint-James.

   5. Evening

      Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux

      A ballet or opera ticket in the upper tiers is often the least expensive way to see the auditorium.

2. Day 2: La Cité du Vin and Bassins des Lumières

   La Cité du Vin, Bassins des Lumières and Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas, then Pont de Pierre in the evening.

   1. Morning

      La Cité du Vin

      Allow at least two hours for the permanent tour before heading up to the belvedere, and arrive by tram B (stop La Cité du Vin).

   2. Late morning

      Bassins des Lumières

      Inside the concrete submarine base built during the German occupation in the 1940s, four vast water-filled bays have become a digital art centre.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Entrecôte à la bordelaise

      Classic brasseries around the Triangle d'Or and Allées de Tourny, and wine-country restaurants in Saint-Émilion and the Médoc.

   4. Afternoon

      Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas

      Watch a lift from the Cité du Vin belvedere or the quays if a large ship is due; lifts are announced in advance by the city.

   5. Evening

      Pont de Pierre

      Walk across at sunset and continue along the right-bank Quai des Queyries for the classic panorama of the left bank.

3. Day 3: Cathédrale Saint-André and Tour Pey-Berland and Esplanade des Quinconces

   Cathédrale Saint-André and Tour Pey-Berland, Esplanade des Quinconces and Basilique Saint-Michel, then Saint-Pierre in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Cathédrale Saint-André and Tour Pey-Berland

      Bordeaux's Gothic cathedral, where Eleanor of Aquitaine married the future Louis VII of France in 1137, has a long, single nave and a richly carved north portal.

   2. Late morning

      Esplanade des Quinconces

      Combine it with the Grand Théâtre and the tourist office on Cours du 30 Juillet, all a few minutes apart.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Arcachon oysters

      Oyster bars inside the Marché des Capucins (busiest on Saturday mornings), the Sunday Marché des Quais, and oyster shacks around Arcachon and Cap Ferret.

   4. Afternoon

      Basilique Saint-Michel

      A late-Gothic basilica with a free-standing bell tower, the Flèche Saint-Michel, whose 114-metre spire is the tallest in southern France.

   5. Evening

      Saint-Pierre

      Wine bars and terraces around Place du Parlement and Place Saint-Pierre, busy every evening from spring to autumn.

Before you go

• La Cité du Vin: Timed tickets can sell out on summer weekends and holidays; buy online a few days ahead.
• Bassins des Lumières: Buy timed tickets online for weekends and school holidays.

If it rains

• Swap in Musée d'Aquitaine (Victoire): Start upstairs with the 18th-century port rooms if your time is short; they connect most directly to what you see on the quays.
• Swap in CAPC musée d'art contemporain (Chartrons): Check the programme before you go; the main nave is sometimes closed between exhibitions.
• Swap in Cap Sciences (Bassins à Flot): Check which exhibition is running; the programme rotates and some are aimed at teenagers rather than toddlers.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, Saint-Pierre keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Triangle d'Or and Quinconces ($$$$) suits luxury, shopping, first-timers and couples. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 8–11 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 8.8 hours in December to 15.6 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

More or fewer days

• One day in Bordeaux
• 2 days in Bordeaux
• 5 days in Bordeaux

Questions travellers ask