Bordeaux is wine. Most people first think of Bordeaux. Vine rows stretching across rolling hills in green, cellars lined with bottles, glasses full of deep reds. True. Bordeaux is not just a wine capital. The city is also known for its golden stone, large squares, walks along the river, and streets crowded with cafés.
The city is located on the Garonne River, and its history can be found in every wall. Roman ruins are still visible. Gothic towers soar above rooftops. Place de la Bourse is reflected in the water as if it were a painting. Bordeaux is alive and proud of its history. It’s confident about its future.
There are 15 things to do in Bordeaux, France. Bordeaux is not just wine. Bordeaux is a place and a moment that will stay with you forever.
1. Place de la Bourse & the Water Mirror
The grand facades, curved in squares of stone, glow gold at sunset. Place de la Bourse, built in the 18th century, has become the face and heart of Bordeaux. Everywhere, symmetry. Every line has details, such as windows, archways, and other architectural features.
The Water Mirror is in front of you. Children run barefoot through it. Tourists pose to take photos. The entire area is transformed into a dreamy place when mist rises up from jets hidden in the sky.
The square is lively, day or night. The square is alive with musicians who set up their instruments along the edges, their music bouncing off the stone. Couples watch the reflection, with their faces illuminated by golden light. This is both elegantly playful.
2. La Cite du Vin
La Cité du Vin, Bordeaux’s temple of wine, is a must-see. The building looks like a frozen liquid swirl. Under the sun, glass and curves are a dazzling sight. It’s not all about drinking. The exhibits take you through the history, science, and culture of wine. Screens, smells, tastings. It’s like a combination of a gallery and a museum.
The rooftop bar is waiting at the end. With a glass in hand and the city below, the Garonne flowing like a ribbon, you can see the entire city. Bordeaux is captured in one sip.
3. Bordeaux Historic Center
The old centre is a maze. Narrow streets twist and turn, stone walls rise up, shutters are painted in faded colors. Everything is packed together: small shops, wine bars and bakeries.
St. Catherine Street is one of Europe’s busiest pedestrian shopping areas. Stepping off the street, you will find quiet in hidden squares and cafes under arches. You’ll also smell ink and dust in bookstores.
Slowly walk. Look up. As evening falls, gargoyles peer down from corners, and flowers adorn the balconies. The old town doesn’t polish itself like La Croisette in Cannes. People inhabit and live in the historic center.
4. Bordeaux Cathedral (Saint-Andre)
The Gothic spires rise above the roofs. The stone is worn, but it’s steady and carved with intricate details that draw your attention upward. The construction began in the 11th century, and the walls are a testament to centuries of history.
The stained-glass windows let in light, which casts colors on the floor. The nave is endless, with pillars supporting the sky. It is both heavy and light. Climb up the Pey-Berland Tower, located next to the Cathedral.
From the top, the city is visible in all directions. Rooftops, rivers, and vineyards are in the distance. The cathedral is more than a monument. The cathedral is the soul of Bordeaux.
5. Garonne Riverfront
The riverfront is wide and paved with stone quays. There are also paths lined up with families, cyclists, and joggers. The Garonne, reflecting the sky, bends slowly.
During the day, children ride scooters and couples sit on benches. Street performers create a circle of spectators. At night, lights shimmer on the water. The sound of footsteps is softer, and the air is cooler.
Along the edge, cafes and bars are open. Some boats have been converted into floating restaurants. The river is more than just scenery. The river is a part of everyday life. It is a part of daily life. Every time it feels different.
6. Musee d’Aquitaine
This museum tells Bordeaux’s story. The museum contains everything from prehistoric artifacts and Roman relics to medieval treasures, colonial histories, and the wine industry that made Bordeaux rich.
The rooms have weight. Maps of trade routes and objects from Africa and America fill the rooms, reminding us of Bordeaux’s importance in the history of slavery and wealth. They do not hide the difficult chapters.
History is not just a book. History is in stone, memory, and glass. You will feel pride and reflect after walking through.
7. Darwin Ecosystem
A little further upstream, you’ll find something completely different. An old military barracks has been transformed into a creative center. The Darwin Ecosystem is a mix of graffiti-covered walls and skateparks. It also includes organic markets, coworking spaces, and eco projects.
Here, young people gather. Artists paint, musicians perform, and families eat together at long tables. The atmosphere is urban, free, and experimental. The city’s modern side is shown, as it is the antithesis of Bordeaux’s classic elegance. Alive, restless, and always changing.
8. Wine Tours in Bordeaux Vineyards
The vines will begin to grow as soon as you leave the city. The rows of vines stretch across the rolling hills with chateaux rising in between. Bordeaux is what most people imagine.
Wine tours run daily. Medoc, Saint-Emilion, Graves, Sauternes. Each has its own taste, each soil. Guides explain terroir, barrels, and aging. As you walk through the cellars, the air is cool and the aroma of grapes and oak is thick.
Then you taste. You can choose between red, white, sweet, or dry. Sometimes in elegant rooms and sometimes in courtyards with vines. Wine is more than just a beverage. Here, it is a kind of language.
9. St. Michel Basilica Flea Market
The tall, slim spire of St. Michel is visible from all over the city. The interior of the basilica is filled with light and silence. The square is alive. Sellers hold weekly markets, including the flea market, where they sell antiques, clothing, books, records, and everything else.
Food and old paper combine to create a smell that is both pleasant and stale. The basilica is the center of gravity. The market breathes life into the area. Together, they create one of the most vibrant corners of Bordeaux.
10. CAPC Museum of Contemporary Art
The CAPC is a museum of modern art located in an old warehouse. The building is raw with bricks and stones, high ceilings, and long shadows. Installations fill space in unexpected ways. Paintings, sculptures, and videos are some of the things that seem out of place until you stand back and feel them. It entertains, challenges, and confuses. It is part of Bordeaux’s voice, as a city that looks both forward and back.
11. Jardin Public
Green, calm, central. Families picnic in the Jardin Public, students read there, and joggers walk by. The benches are shaded by trees, ducks swam lazily on the pond, and statues stood quietly amid flowers.
The park is smaller but feels more intimate. It is warm because it’s used by locals every day. Children ride the carousel on Sundays while their parents chat. This is a place to pause. Bordeaux can be grand, but it is gentle here.
12. Grosse Cloche
Grosse Cloche, one of the oldest gates in the city, still exists. Massive bell tower with twin turrets and an arch beneath. A symbol of Bordeaux, once part of medieval walls. Imagine the sound the bell made centuries ago as you stand under it.
You can walk through the door and step into a different era. The size isn’t huge, but the iconography is. It is a reminder of Bordeaux before it became famous for its wine.
13. Rue Sainte-Catherine
This street is never still. The street runs for more than a kilometer straight, with shops, cafés, street performers, and crowds. One of Europe’s longest pedestrian shopping streets. At one end, luxury boutiques. On the other end, you’ll find student cafes that serve cheap sandwiches. In the middle, you’ll find everything in between. It can be noisy, crowded, and overwhelming. It is vibrant. The Bordeaux pulse can be felt by walking it just once.
14. Darwin Skatepark & Street Art
The skatepark is a part of the Darwin Ecosystem, but it deserves its own mention. The skatepark has a wide surface, is colorful, and covered with graffiti, which changes frequently. Young skaters flip boards, bikes spin, spray cans hiss against walls.
It’s rough, but it’s also creative. The energy is bouncing around. Here, street art is not hidden. Street art is not hidden. This is a great place to go if you want to explore Bordeaux beyond the wine and classic buildings.
15. Pont de Pierre
The Stone Bridge spans the Garonne and connects the old town to the newer areas. Napoleon built it in the 19th century and included seventeen arches for each letter of his name. At night, the lamps light up, and their reflections ripple across the water. Slowly walk. The view is what will keep you there, even if cars and bikes are passing by. The golden facades of the ancient city are visible on one side. The river is wide and the sky is open on the other side. Street performers sometimes play accordions or violins, letting their music drift with the wind.
This is more than just a bridge. This is a journey through history. Stone underfoot, water beneath, Bordeaux stretching out on both sides.
Useful Tips for Bordeaux
- Bring good shoes. The old streets twist and turn, and cobblestones are not kind to thin soles.
- Trams are your friend. Cheap, smooth, and they go almost everywhere you want.
- Wine tours sound fancy, but book them early, or you will miss the best ones. Harvest season fills fast.
- Mornings are for markets. By noon, the bread is gone, the best fruit picked, the cheese softening in the sun.
- Do not skip canelés. Small, caramel crust, soft inside. Locals eat them with coffee, and you should too.
- Climb a tower once. Pey-Berland is tight and narrow, but the view is worth your breath.
- The riverfront changes with the light. Walk it twice. Day and night.
Conclusion
Bordeaux is not just wine. Bordeaux is not just wine. It’s also golden stone streets, Gothic towers, and riverside paths. Water mirrors reflect the noise of markets and children riding carousels in parks.
The fifteen best things to do in Bordeaux will show you both sides. Both the elegant city with its grand facades, and the creative city. The graffiti walls and vineyards that stretch into the distance.
Take a stroll along the riverfront. Wine tasting. Climb the towers. Sit in a garden. Watch the city change between past and future. Bordeaux is more than just a sight. Slowly, slowly, and one glass at a moment, one step, every breath.