How lucky am I, going to a wedding in a beautiful chateau in Bordeaux. It’s a part of France I’ve not spent much time in so I’m excited to have the opportunity to explore some of the best wine country in the world. I’ve put the fear of God into Tim, suggesting that rather than just enjoying the wine, I’d like to take a real interest and be involved in purchasing it!

Typical Bordeaux wine country

Getting there

We caught the TGV train from Paris to Bordeaux. The first class carriage experience was OK, but not great. It was a bit like boarding a plane. Don’t leave it until the last minute to get on, as there’ll be nowhere to store your luggage. For comfort, I’d recommend booking single seats as you get more room per person and don’t need to climb over each other use the bathroom.

Accommodation

We stayed at the stunning InterContinental Hotel – Le Grand Hotel, right in the heart of Bordeaux. The hotel was built as a home in the 1860s, then transformed to a hotel in 1904, and eventually became the InterContinental Bordeaux – Le Grand Hotel.

The InterContinental Hotel – Le Grand Hotel.

The InterContinental Bordeaux is a copy of the iconic Opera House across the road which was built 10 years earlier. The architect, Victor Louis, wanted symmetry between the two buildings. Today, they still stand tall, mimicking each other, with modern electrified trams running between them.

The Opera House.

I’d recommend the InterContinental Bordeaux, because of its proximity to the old city, its magnificent roof top bar, delicious breakfast, quirky rooms and impeccable service.

What to do….

Day One – walking tour of the city

Bordeaux is a manageable city to get around by foot, and also has a great public transport system. It’s been called the Little Paris for obvious reasons, with similarities in architecture and a myriad of monuments.

So to see the city and learn a little about its history, we did a walking tour of the old town. It’s one of the most beautiful cities in France. So what did we see…

The medieval gates of Bordeaux

There are six significant gates in Bordeaux’s old town, each one was once an entrance to the old, walled city. They are among some of Bordeaux’s most outstanding jewels.

The Great Bell Gate

The Burgundy Gate

The first wall was built in the 3rd century, during Roman times, and had four gates: The Aquitaine Gate, The Great Bell Gate, The Mint Gate and The Cailhau Gate.

The second wall was built in the 14th century to extend the perimeter of the city and provide protection from English attacks, adding two more gates: The Burgundy Gate and The Dijeaux Gate.

The gates are all still standing, albeit some changes, and have been classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site, since 2007.

Pont de Pierre over Garonne River

Pont de Pierre connects the left and right banks of the Garonne River and is the oldest bridge in Bordeaux. It was commissioned by Napoleon in the early 1800s. The bridge has 17 spans. Not surprisingly, the same number of spans as the letters in the Napoleon Bonaparte name. It’s a masterpiece at night, beautifully lit.

This is the view from Pont de Pierre.

Pont de Pierre over the Garonne River.

The Place de la Bourse

It took 20 years to build the Place de la Bourse in the 18th century. It was a welcome change from the medieval architecture when the city was walled. The public square was an open space surrounded by houses and buildings including, the Bordeaux stock exchange. The Fountains of the Three Graces stand in the middle of the square.

The Place de la Bourse.

Miroir d’Eau

The Place de la Bourse became an even bigger attraction in 2006, with the addition of the Mirror d’Eau or Mirror of Water.

The “Miroir d’Eau,’ is a gigantic slab of granite, across the road from the Place de la Bourse. Water is pumped over the granite surface, creating magnificent reflections of The Place de la Bourse. Despite children and adults alike, walking in the cool water, you can still take a great picture of the reflection if you get down low.

Reflections of the Place de la Bourse.

The Opera House

The Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux or Opera House was designed by the same architect as the InterContinental Hotel, Victor Louis. Unfortunately, I did not get to go inside, but the staircase and theatre halls are supposed to be outstanding.

Each year the Opera House has over 250 shows, from classical operas to contemporary musicals, symphony orchestras,  classical ballets and more. Had I known about the beauty and significance of this theatre I would have tried to book a show. To buy tickets, go to opera-bordeaux.com,

Day Two – The Cité du Vin

The Cité du Vin is a modern wine museum, shaped like a carafe, in Bordeaux City. It encompasses viticulture from around the world.

The Cité du Vin.

There are several parts to the museum, but the main attraction is the permanent exhibition, covering over  3,000 m². It’s a journey of discovery about wine. I learnt about the grape varietals, and enjoyed a hands on sensory experience where I could smell the aromas from wines, including citrus and cinnamon.

In addition, I enjoyed the history of wine. Interestingly, the Bordeaux region was nearly decimated in the mid 1800’s when it was hit hard by blight, an aphid called Phylloxera. It destroyed the vine roots and devastated the European viticulture. Fortunately, a grafting technique using resistant American vine roots, enabled the vineyards to get re-established in the early 20th century.

The  Cité du Vin tour ended on the 8th floor of the museum, with 360 degree views of Bordeaux and a complimentary glass of wine. It was a pleasure to take in view and identify the landmarks I had enjoyed over the last few days.

There are also workshops and a sensory, immersive tasting, we did not part take in them.

Where to eat in Bordeaux

Son’ Restaurant

We had a lovely lunch a this very innovative, sophisticated restaurant. Highly recommended.

Le Pavillon des Boulevards (One Michelin Star)

Being the piggy-wiggy’s we are (or foodies), we treated ourselves to an evening at Le Pavillon des Boulevards. The degustation menu was delicious, I don’t normally have a sweet tooth, but the lemon dessert, blown in brown sugar was next level.

La Tupina

La Tupina is a more tradional restaurant. As you can see Tim is eating a steak, but he said it was the best beef he had eaten in along time.

Well, thats my rap for Bordeaux. If you enjoy history, beautiful architecture and great food I’d highly recommend a visit.

And for the foodies, go to The Gastronome Cooking School. It was excellent. To find out more, click here