Season guide · Bordeaux · France
Bordeaux in autumn
September–November: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Harvest season in the vineyards, cèpes on menus and golden vine colours in October; it turns wet by November. Expect highs up to 24°C (75°F) and lows around 6°C (43°F), with about 31 rainy days across September–November. September–October are among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- September–November
- Temperatures
- 6°C (43°F) to 24°C (75°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 31
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Hotel prices
- Average
Weather in autumn
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 24°C (75°F) | 13°C (55°F) | 8 | 12.5 h | 4/5 |
| October | 19°C (66°F) | 10°C (50°F) | 11 | 10.9 h | 3/5 |
| November | 14°C (57°F) | 6°C (43°F) | 12 | 9.5 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 19°C (66°F) against a yearly 19°C (66°F), and 31 of the year's roughly 118 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 3/5 and hotel prices 3/5 on average.
What's on in autumn
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- September: Marathon du Médoc — costumed wine-tasting marathon in Pauillac (usually early September)
- September: European Heritage Days — free entry to normally closed buildings (usually third weekend)
- October: Grape harvest in the surrounding vineyards (usually September to early October)
- November: Christmas market on the Allées de Tourny (usually opens late November)
Good choices for autumn
Experience · Bassins à Flot
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.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Museum · Bassins à Flot
Cap Sciences
Check which exhibition is running; the programme rotates and some are aimed at teenagers rather than toddlers.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · Bassins à Flot
La Cité du Vin
Opened in 2016 in a swirling gold-toned building on the Garonne, the Cité du Vin is a museum of world wine culture rather than a Bordeaux tasting room.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Rainy day
- Views
- Food
- Architecture
Architecture · Triangle d'Or and Quinconces
Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
A ballet or opera ticket in the upper tiers is often the least expensive way to see the auditorium.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
- After dark
Museum · Victoire
Musée d'Aquitaine
The regional history museum runs from prehistory, including the carved Venus of Laussel, through Roman Burdigala to Bordeaux's port trade.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Day trips in autumn
- Arcachon (About 50 minutes by train) — A seaside resort on the Arcachon Bay with a long beach, the Ville d'Hiver quarter of 19th-century villas on the hill and oyster villages around the bay.
- Dune du Pilat (About 1 hour 20 minutes by train and bus) — Europe's tallest sand dune rises more than 100 metres above the Atlantic at the mouth of the Arcachon Bay, with forest on one side and the ocean and Banc d'Arguin sandbanks on the other.
What to pack
- Light layers for the day and a light jacket for the evening
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is autumn a good time to visit Bordeaux?
Yes: September–October are among the best months. Harvest season in the vineyards, cèpes on menus and golden vine colours in October; it turns wet by November.
+What is the weather like in Bordeaux in autumn?
Highs of up to 24°C (75°F) and lows around 6°C (43°F), with about 31 rainy days over the season.