Bordeaux

Bordeaux was built on a bend of the River Garonne and has been a major port since pre-Roman times. In the last few years there has been enormous investment in improving the city. Buildings were cleaned, squares re-paved, roads pedestrianised and trees planted. Bordeaux is now emerging as one of France’s more refined cities with its neoclassical architecture, broad avenues and attractive parks. Excellent museums can be found in Bordeaux and places of interest well worth a visit are the Grand Theatre built in 1773-80, the Esplanade des Quinconces, a huge expanse of tree lined esplanades with fountains and statues created in 1827 and the Place de la Bourse, a beautifully balanced square flanked by two magnificent 18th century buildings.

For a large number of visitors to Bordeaux, the main theme of their holiday is wine, and they enjoy titillating their taste buds touring many of the regional vineyards. There is even an ‘Ecole du Vin’, a wine school, where you can enrol on a two hour course learning the techniques and vocabulary of tasting and wine making.

For those of you who want to explore the health giving qualities of wine, a trip to the Spa de Vinotherapie Caudalie is recommended. There you can wallow in a red wine bath, mellow in a Merlot wrap or cleanse with a Cabernet body scrub!

Guided walking tours arranged by the tourist office are available in the city, but from mid-April to mid November tours on Wednesdays and Saturdays are only by bus.