A Day in Bordeaux
SNCF Limoux – Carcassonne - Bordeaux (34.50 euros return)
Accommodation Hilton Garden Inn – 150 euros B & B (inc Tourist tax)
On arrival In Bordeaux, there is a small tourist information office in Hall 1 at St Jean station. Very useful if you need to find your bearings and you can also buy a travel pass in the same office. A 24-hour tram and bus pass costs 5 euros and is good value if you are trying to see as much of the city in one day.
Bordeaux St Jean
The hotel is as expected from a worldwide chain, clean and comfortable but lacking a little bit of individuality. Probably it would not have been my first choice if I wasn’t there for a birthday celebration.
After breakfast the next day, a 15-minute walk along the Quai de Paludate brings you back to the station. There is a lot of building work along the river side and some very impressive buildings are appearing.
The Halle Boca is just outside the hotel and offers a variety of restaurants and bars if you don’t want to go too far in the evening.
The La Plage nightclub is opposite the MECA building and has a capacity of 10,000 people. A great favourite with students on a Thursday night.
The left side of the street is also in the process of redevelopment and cranes are appearing everywhere on the skyline.
The MECA / FRAC Building – 5 minutes from the hotel
Back at the station and the tram stop (Line C) just outside, the tram runs along the Quais past the Porte de Bourgogne and the Place de la Bourse. The first visit was to the Cite du Vin which involved a transfer to Line B at Quinconces.
All the tram lines converge here. The tram follows the Garonne river, through the Chartrons district past the water taxi stops and the tram stop is about 250 meters from the building. The building has eight floors and a viewing gallery on the top floor.
Floor 1 – Entrance, Shop and Café
Floor 2 - Events workshop
Floor 3 – Permanent exhibition
Floor 7 -Restaurant
Floor 8 – Wine tasting and Viewing Gallery
The entrance fee is 20 euros and includes a wine tasting after the tour. The permanent exhibition includes a world wine tour with 19 interactive exhibits. You are provided with headphones and a mobile device which has commentaries in your own language at each exhibit. It was perhaps fortunate that I visited in February as I can imagine the building being very busy in the summer months. You can easily spend 2 – 3 hours here.
Afterwards it was a lift to the top floor for the wine tasting. The wines were from most of the French regions and a good variety of red, white, rose and sparkling. Outside on the viewing platform, there is a panoramic view of the city and the river.
Cite du Vin
Over the road from the Cite du Vin are the Halles de Bacolan on the Quai du Maroc. Although it is a covered market, there are several food stalls to enjoy lunch or a snack. Outside in the basin, there appears to be a spaceship, but it is a sculpture by Suzanne Treislar, transformed from a Second World War sea wreck.
The Moon Harbour Distillery is also nearby in Boulevard Alfred Daney, the first Bordelais whisky distillery.
Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas
At a height of 77 metres, it is the highest lift bridge in Europe. There are also night club boats and restaurants in this basin. Back onto the tram to return to Quinconces and a walk around the city centre. Staying on Line B to the Grand Theatre. From there it is a short walk to the Rue de Sainte Catherine.
This is a fully pedestrianised shopping area with most major stores represented. There are also market stalls set up in the streets and it was strange seeing Levi jeans been sold for 20 euros from a stall less than 30 metres from the official Levi store. Also, in this area you have the Stock Exchange Square and on the other side of the tram lines the Water Mirror. The architecture here reminds me of Paris, there are some very beautiful buildings from the 18th century.
Halles de Bacolan – Freshly cooked food, an ideal place for lunch.
Monument aux Girondins at the Esplanade des Quinconces Rue Sainte Catherine – 1.2 kilometres of shopping.
Saint Andre Cathedral
Hotel de Ville
The final stop was the Saint Andre Cathedral with its fantastic Gothic architecture. The bell tower, Pey Berland tower, is just outside opposite the tram stop. Here you can climb 50 metres to get an excellent view of the city centre. The Town Hall, which used to be the Archbishop’s palace is next to the cathedral in the square along with various cafes. I stopped for a drink at the Cafe Francais and then return back to the hotel. It was a very rushed visit but enjoyable all the same. I hope to be back soon as part of a train journey to Paris and it will be worth stopping for a day or two, especially in the late spring or early summer.
