Why a region on the verge of rennaissance should be at the top of your list to visit next.
I first explored Bordeaux a decade ago as an English language teaching assistant. I vaguely remembered its stunning Miroir d’Eau, proximity to the beautiful medieval town of Saint-Emilion, and the way the wine trade was woven into the very fabric of the place itself. Beyond that, I couldn’t remember much. So when Barton + Guestier invited me to attend their 300th Anniversary Gala at the Palais de la Bourse, I seized the opportunity and returned to a French city that felt both familiar and completely brand new. What resulted was twelve days of unforgettable adventures, some of my new favorite wines, and renewed hope for an industry a lot of naysayers claim has no future.
Here’s everything I recommend checking out on your next trip to Bordeaux.
GETTING IN + AROUND
Bordeaux has its own airport with lots of connecting flights from the U.S. going through Paris (less than an hour away by air), London, or Frankfurt. But in my opinion, the best way to get there is via train. It’s just about two hours direct from Paris on the TGV, and it’s one of my most favorite train rides in all of France. Less expensive, better for the environment – and book a window seat for the view. I always recommend reserving a ticket as soon as you nail down your plans, and to buy tickets directly from the SNCF (the French national railway) website to avoid scammy sites and non-direct train routes. They have a super convenient app you can download, too, which makes traveling a breeze. Plus – everything is available in English nowadays!
Once you get to Bordeaux, getting around the city center is easy as pie. The famous Bordeaux tramway is cheap and convenient to use. You can buy a pass online or via the app for the duration of your stay and you can activate it on trams, buses, and even use it for bikes. I got an unlimited 7-day pass for my time there and used it multiple times a day to get around. Just make sure you look up the construction they’re doing in advance as they’re constantly improving the tramway so some of the stops or routes get skipped or rerouted during certain times of the year.
DRIVING + PARKING IN BORDEAUX
You don’t need to rent a car in Bordeaux if you want to 1) stay within the city center, and/or 2) explore the wine region exclusively through tour operators/providers. Everyone’s different, though, so if you can find a tour provider that gives you access to the producers you’re most interested in, that’s probably the easiest and safest bet. I’m telling you this because there’s no way around it: driving in Bordeaux is not for the faint of heart. Getting out of the city is challenging and the roads getting into the wine region are both highly trafficked and under construction. There are seemingly endless jams and it often takes several hours to get to a winery from the city center. Leave early and give yourself plenty of time to get places (and I mean plenty of time – I was late to a few appointments despite leaving 15-20 minutes earlier than I planned to!). Plan ahead. You’ll need more time than your Maps app thinks you do.
Parking, too, is unfortunately a bit of a nightmare. There are free parking lots within Bordeaux but, per the Google reviews, they’re not a safe place to leave your car overnight as break-ins are common. I got into a bit of a sticky situation with a public (paid and securized) parking lot where I physically could not get my car out of the lot because the city of Bordeaux decided they were only going to accept coins that day (it’s a story that’s funny now but at the time was one of the most frustrating days I’ve ever spent in France. Ever cried from frustration in a public transit corporate office? Can’t say I recommend it). Ultimately, I ended up parking at the Interparking Cité du Vin which is easily the nicest parking lot in the city. Plus, it’s at the edge of town, so it’s easier to get onto the highway and away from the traffic. You’ll pay a pretty penny for it (it’s about 22€ for 24 hours can add up pretty quickly), but for me it was worth the cost. It’s brand new, has plenty of room, and has 24/7 security so I had no qualms about leaving my rental there overnight. Plus, it’s the perfect jumping-off point for visiting the Cité du Vin! For me, a car was necessary because I wanted flexibility to see some very specific producers. I’m glad I had it but I also wish I had made sure I had more time in between visits to account for traffic!
WHERE TO STAY
I split my time between an Airbnb and a hotel so I could review and recommend a couple of options for you here. The Airbnb I rented won in a landslide and I cannot recommend a stay there enough! Located in Bordeaux’s best neighborhood, Chartrons, Chez Jeanne is a stunning apartment in a 19th century building with incredible natural light, a beautiful kitchen, and a wonderfully soft living room. The original fireplace is magnificent (not that you’ll need it in summer!), the bed is super comfortable, and Jeanne is a kind and welcoming host. She even wrote a full book of recommendations for Bordeaux (containing everything from bakeries to day trips out of the city) for her guests to consult during their stay. I absolutely loved her home and hope someday to return!
The other place where I stayed toward the end of my time in the city was Mama Shelter – Bordeaux. It’s a 3-star hotel so if you’re on a budget, it’s a decent option, but it was pretty bare bones and didn’t have a lot of the essentials I was hoping for (there’s no coffee / tea in the room, no drinking water, minimal amounts of soap in the shower, etc.). The location is right downtown, so while it’s convenient to nightlife, shopping, and restaurants, getting a taxi or an Uber can be challenging. Ubers can’t go down many of the streets in the center of Bordeaux because they’re so narrow and pedestrian-only. As someone who walked 10k steps a day during my time in the city, I loved it, but as a traveler with multiple pieces of luggage – inconvenient. You can ask the hotel to call you a professional taxi that will arrive in front of the hotel but it can be a hassle if you have many suitcases and are on an Uber-level budget.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
There is SO much to do and see just within the city of Bordeaux, much less in its immediate environs! From Saint-Emilion to the Bassin d’Arcachon, life in (and out of!) Bordeaux is incredibly fun. I’m honestly jealous of my friends who live there! They really do have everything – sea, sun, mountains, vineyards, and a vibrant city center. Here’s a shortlist of just a few of the places I explored while there.
MONUMENTS:
Le Palais de la Bourse / Place de la Bourse – You can’t miss this stunning 18th century marvel! Make sure to walk one day into the center of Bordeaux to see it up close. Today, it serves as a meeting and events venue for gatherings from all over the world and I was lucky enough to attend a black tie gala there!
Le Miroir d’Eau – Just in front of the Palais de la Bourse is the magnificent “Water Mirror”. It’s a beautiful, flat water fountain they turn on at night in the summer. If you look directly at the Palais de la Bourse at night, the water mirror will reflect back the stunning façade, making for a beautiful photo or romantic moment.
Porte Cailhau – This beautiful, unique archway was erected in the 15th century to commemorate a French king’s victory in battle. It was later incorporated into the walls of the city of Bordeaux and today you can walk or bike straight through it to get to one of the city’s largest pedestrian plazas.
La Grosse Cloche – One of the largest bells in France, this beauty dates back to the 18th century and today is rung for special and somber occasions. I walked all around and under it, but sadly didn’t get to hear it ring. Guess I’ll have to go back!
Cathédrale Saint-André – Every French city has some version of a gothic cathedral – and Bordeaux is no exception to the rule. Step inside for a lesson in 13th century architecture, to take a break from the crowds, or escape from the heat.
MUSEUMS, PARKS, SHOPS:
La Cité du Vin – this is a MUST VISIT if you love wine (and if you don’t love wine, how on earth did you end up on my blog?!). I was completely blown away by the museum’s sheer size, design, presentation, and modern approach to wine education. From an immersive “dinner table” that walks you through a whole meal as the history of wine through light and sound to a virtual grape-stomping room, this place is extraordinary. Anyone visiting Bordeaux – even for just a few days – should plan to stop by!
Le Bassin des Lumières – An immersive art and history museum that focuses on bringing culture to life with light and sound. When I went, the focus exhibit was on Egypt and I learned a ton! Great place to bring kids, too.
Jardin Public – This beautiful, expansive park in the middle of Bordeaux has been maintained since the 18th century and remains a favorite among residents today. I posted up here after my museum morning with a sandwich from a local boulangerie to people-watch. It was a quiet, sunny afternoon and the park was welcoming and clean. Don’t miss the Belle Epoque style carousel and bridges!
Librairie Mollat – France’s largest independent bookstore. Covering multiple floors and several city blocks in the center of Bordeaux, you can find books here in dozens of languages covering all kinds of genres and subject matter (including a whole room on wine, food, and spirits). I spent an entire morning in here, bought a few books, a journal, and a calendar, and have zero regrets about it.
RESTAURANTS, BAKERIES, AND WINE BARS
Unsurprisingly, the restaurant scene in Bordeaux is pretty incredible. While I generally don’t think it can quite rival Paris or even Lyon in terms of the diversity of food available, there is a distinct southwestern French feel everywhere you go. I had some of the best pizza I’ve ever had in France here, their unique pastries are delicious, and of course – the wine bars are some of the best in France. Here are the places I loved discovering while there.
Peppone – My husband I have have a running argument about Italian food in France. It’s some of my favorite Italian food in the world (outside of perhaps Italy, the source, of course!), with an emphasis on craftsmanship, exceptional ingredients, and French precision. I always look for the best Italian spot in whatever French city I’m in because it’s a treat (and sorry, New York and New Jersey, but yes it’s better than what we have. Time to step up our game). Peppone is the best in Bordeaux, with a few different locations to hit your Italian cravings no matter where your homebase is. Highly recommend the margherita pizza and a classic salad.
Le Michel’s – This place is an institution. Located right smack dab in the center of Bordeaux, it has a bustling terrace that’s the perfect spot for people watching. Here, you’ll find classic French food and a great wine list. Worth a visit for lunch or dinner.
Les Halles de Bacalan – Located just across from the Cité du Vin, les Halles de Bacalan is a new food hall with nearly two dozen stands and plenty of tables (both indoors and outside overlooking the canal). Almost all the food on offer here is sourced locally, so you’re really getting a taste of Southwest France when you grab a drink, a meal, or a snack to go. It’s located in an area of Bordeaux where the locals live, so you’ll hear a lot of French and find yourself immersed in the social scene.
Tchanqué – New restaurant with a stunning rooftop located in the Chartrons district. You’ll find expansive views of the city and the river, great cocktails (especially the spritzes!), and modern, fresh cuisine. The service is pretty terrible (even my French friends commented, so don’t be shocked!) but if you’ve got a free night and nowhere to be, it’s a lovely spot to relax and unwind.
SOUKKA – Cute little Lebanese fast-casual restaurant in Chartrons. A great place to go for make-your-own bowls and homemade sauces. There’s a significant Lebanese diaspora in France so I always try to find a good Lebanese spot during my travels. Soukka was perfect for lunch!
Symbiose – Probably the best meal I had in Bordeaux. This place is small and unassuming but the food packs a punch. It’s hard to be pescatarian in the southwest of France because so much of classic French food relies on meats (especially the duck and charcuterie), but Symbiose embraces an “omnivore” menu, with several vegetarian and fish options in addition to the classics. Local, seasonal, and fresh ingredients are key to everything they do. Plus, it’s right on the water so if you dine outside you’ll get great people watching and and a view.
Le Sobre Chartrons – A classic in Bordeaux, everyone loves this place (multiple people recommended it to me!). You can try nearly 50 wines here from all around France, on offer through an automatic wine dispenser system where you pay per ounce. The staff are friendly, kind, and passionate about wine education (my kind of people!). Don’t forget to buy a couple small plates to go along with your wine for the perfect apéro.
Complanterra – Tucked away on a pedestrian street in the city center, you might miss Complanterra if you’re not looking for it, but a visit here during your stay in Bordeaux is essential. This is my favorite wine bar in Bordeaux. Focused exclusively on organic, biodynamic, and natural wines, they’re more than just a wine bar: they’re an educational space. They host wine tasting workshops downstairs in their intimate stone cellars while customers enjoy wine and food above. The concept is delightful, the wine list is exceptional, and the food is delicious. Don’t miss this spot on your next trip!
Boulangerie “Au Pétrin Moissagais” – This boulangerie’s claim to fame? It’s the oldest continually operating bakery in Bordeaux, with roots dating back to the 1760s (!). To honor their heritage, all their breads are baked in old stone ovens using traditional methods. While you’ll find the classic pastries and baguettes here, the star of the show is the pain Gascon (Gascony bread), a rustic, scrumptious loaf with an extra thick exterior crust. It certainly won’t last long, especially when topped with some classic French salted butter for breakfast in the morning. Yum.
La P’tite Boulangerie de Notre Dame – A tiny little bakery located just opposite a magnificent gothic church, this place has all the classics, and they’re done so well there’s always a line down the block. They’re part of a larger network of “p’tite boulangeries” that champions the work of passionate, artisanal bakers. Buy the cannelés and you won’t regret it.
THE WINE REGION
SAINT-EMILION
The closest wine region to the city of Bordeaux, Saint-Emilion is a stunning medieval gem of a city that is literally surrounded on all sides by vines. Home to some of the most storied Merlot-dominant vineyards in the world, you should make sure you spend at least 1-2 days exploring the old city and the wineries around it. One of the best ways to do so is to book an experience through Bordeaux Wine Trails. These small, intimate bike tours are offered in both French and English and led by wine experts. They offer a wide variety of tours throughout the Bordeaux region, but I booked the full-day Saint-Emilion option and had a blast. It ended up just being me and another young woman my age who was delightful to hang out with (you meet the best people while traveling!). It included a full day in the Saint-Emilion region, complete with transport to and from the city of Bordeaux in a small van, e-bike rental, two châteaux visits (we visited Château Rol Valentin and Château Grangey), and a little picnic lunch in between. We also rode our bikes into the medieval city of Saint-Emilion to see it up close and had enough time for a languorous wander through the village. (To read my thoughts about the wines we tasted at these two châteaux, check out the June Wine Reviews!)
I returned to Saint-Emilion the next day for a tasting at La Maison Cardinale. This is a must visit for anyone going to Bordeaux. If you only have a couple of days for visits, I cannot recommend Cardinale enough. The wines and property would be impressive on their own, but La Maison Cardinale has recently invested in its enotourism efforts and offers some fun, off-the-beaten track experiences, like a Polaroid scavenger hunt and a wine & music tasting that features the founders’ proprietary tasting mat. It’s a vibrant, modern way to learn about wine and I’m obsessed with their approach. Read more about my time there and how you can book your own experience in my latest piece for The Vintner Project: Reimagining Enotourism at La Maison Cardinale.
THE MEDOC, PAUILLAC, AND SAINT-JULIEN
I’m grouping all three of these appellations together because they make up a large percentage of what is generally referred to as the northern side of Left Bank Bordeaux. I visited quite a few châteaux in this subregion from all different levels of the classification system. From the crus bourgeois du Médoc to the grands crus classés, here’s where I recommend a visit.
Château Lagrange – 3ème grand cru classé – An absolutely stunning property in Saint-Julien, Château Lagrange was one of my favorite visits of the trip. They offer unique, upscale wine experiences, like a private vineyard tour in a refurbished Méhari and a personalized blending workshop. The grounds are among the most beautiful in Bordeaux thanks to a tranquil lake at the center with a view of the vines and the gorgeous, imposing façade.
Château Haut-Bages Libéral – 5ème grand cru classé – This was the farthest north I ventured during my time in Bordeaux, and while it is a bit of a trek to get all the way up to Pauillac, it’s a beautiful drive and this visit was well worth it. Haut-Bages Libéral essentially pioneered biodynamics in Bordeaux. Today, they continue to push boundaries and their wines are complex, aromatic, and truly alive. Book the agroecology tour for an inside look at what makes Haut-Bages Libéral so unique.
Château Léoville Poyferré – 2ème grand cru classé – I stopped by Château Léoville-Poyferré on a sunny afternoon for a light lunch in between visits. Their property is located within the town of Saint-Julien-Beychevelle, so you won’t get a direct view of the vines during your visit, but the terrace is lovely and the wines are stellar.
Château Magnol – cru bourgeois supérieur – Château Magnol is the official home of global importer and wine producer Barton & Guestier. They only open their doors for food & wine workshops, the Médoc’s portes ouvertes program every spring, and for professionals, but if you’re lucky enough to visit, you’ll be blown away by your time there. In the 1940s, the Château was taken over by the Nazis, who built the bunker now used as a wine cellar. I won’t give away too much of its history, but it is a hauntingly beautiful place that pays hommage to the sacrifices made by the French Resistance and the British Army in their fight to liberate Bordeaux from the Germans. It was one of the most memorable experiences I had in Bordeaux, and the cellars are home to some of France’s oldest wine bottles (there are a few in there from the mid 19th century!). If you can score a visit, it’s well worth the trip.
LEOGNAN, SAUTERNES, AND BARSAC
Almost no one in the wine world is talking about Sauternes or Barsac right now, and it’s a big mistake. Home to some of the most exceptional dessert wine producers in the world, winemakers here are noticing the cultural shift toward dry white wines and are leading the charge to change the way the region operates. A trip to Sauternes is a must in 2025 – you’ll be amazed at how much the region has evolved. Here are three producers I recommend between Sauternes and Pessac-Léognan.
Château Climens – 1er grand cru classé – Climens can trace its history back to the 16th century, but it was more recently acquired by Jérôme Moitry, a passionate propriétaire. All 30 hectares of Sémillon are now certified organic and biodynamic, and the result is some of the most aromatic, mineral-driven, dry white wines in the region. A few years ago, they stopped making what’s known in Bordeaux as the seconde vin – the “second wine” – a sweet wine that doesn’t hold the same prestige and ageworthy potential as the ranked premier vin – and replaced it with a suite of incredible age-worthy white wines. Their Lilium leads the charge and has quickly become one of my most favorite white wines from the region. Book their Climens Know-How tour for an incredible look at their biodynamic preparations (the room has the most incredible aromas you’ll ever smell).
Château Guiraud – 1er grand cru classé – Château Guiraud and Château Haut-Bages Libéral share something in common: they were among the first in their respective subregions to push for and become passionate about biodynamic winemaking. Guiraud was the first premier grand cru classé in Sauternes to receive organic certification in 2011 and have been pushing the envelope ever since, expanding into permaculture, native insect and animal ecosystem promotion, and more. I booked the bike tour and absolutely loved it. You connect your phone to a unique website and it guides you through the Guiraud vineyards, the town of Sauternes, and the surrounding fields. It was an incredible, rustic adventure.
Château Malartic-Lagravière – grand cru classé – I think Malartic-Lagravière is one of Bordeaux’s best-kept secrets. An exceptional family-run estate, the owners have expanded their holdings with a new world project in Argentina to complement their Bordeaux savoir-faire. It’s a stunning property that was recently renovated to run almost entirely by gravity (I wrote about my adoration for this tactic in my New Zealand Travel Guide too!). The vines and winery are somewhat hidden from the road but are an absolutely beautiful sight to behold once you emerge from the cool, modern cellars. But one of my favorite things about Château Malartic-Lagravière is its endless maritime motifs, all of which reference its storied history and connection to the French Navy. The winery room is a circle, with a separate chamber reminiscent of a ship’s cabin to regulate temperature right in the middle. I loved how unique it was and can’t recommend a visit here enough.
If you’re planning a trip to Bordeaux, be prepared to fall absolutely head over heels in love with it. This blog doesn’t even scratch the surface of all the adventures you could get up to if you have ample time to spend (I wanted to get over to the Bassin d’Arcachon to visit some of France’s most beautiful beaches but sadly didn’t have the time). A lively, friendly town full of some of the kindest people I’ve met in France, it would honestly be impossible to visit Bordeaux and have a bad time. The food is exceptional, the views are endless, and the wine region really surprised me – in the best way. Have an amazing trip!
Looking for more French wine region travel guides? Check out my Travel Guide to Beaujolais, plus posts on Bandol and the Champagne! Enjoy, santé!
