Top 5 Things To Do in Bordeaux
Bordeaux as a Tourist Destination
Bordeaux is made of wine. The prime experience in the city is to find a place at a café and order sparkling wine with oysters. Life moves on at a leisurely yet bright pace in the French city, which has become one of the foremost destinations for a relaxing vacation. Whether you are visiting the Museum of Illusions or exploring the Bassins des Lumieres, you would already be dreamy-eyed, thanks to the wine. As you would expect, getting on a wine-tasting trip is one of the top things to do in Bordeaux. It’s practically the wine sanctuary of the world, a place where you get to taste the finest vineyard produce. Walking barefoot on the Mirroir d’eau is a pleasant experience, feeling the blue granite calming you down. The Place de la Bourse is what it is: a French Palace! On visiting, you can already feel the lavishness and the opulence of a romantic citadel.
Close by the Place de la Bourse, you can find another historic monument. This is the Place du Parlement, and as usual, you can find an array of cafes by the street side. If you would just want to chill out and breathe in the lively vibe of the city, this is definitely a perfect destination. For travelers who want to get a feel of the old-world vibes of the city, a walking/bicycle trip to the Saint Pierre neighborhood can be a pleasant experience. For shopping and fine dining, you need to visit the Chartrons neighborhood.
The main street, rue Notre Dame, remains busy with travelers from all over the world. You can also find a beautiful church in this district, the neo-gothic Eglise Saint Louis. For a truly magical evening, you can book a ticket to the evening show at the Grand Theater. The National Opera of Bordeaux regularly performs at the theatre, and who knows, you might meet the Phantom of the Opera!
Things To Do in Bordeaux
1. Visit the Cité du Vin
Bordeaux loves wine so much that the city has a modern museum dedicated to the ancient art of winemaking. At the Cite du Vin, your experiences morph into a sensory delight, with a trip that culminates with a complimentary glass of wine. Travelers recommend that you visit this place before booking a place for the weekend wine-tasting trip. A full insight into the fineries of the art would eventually help you to appreciate wine from a better perspective. No wonder the museum has turned out to be one of the top places to visit in France. Wine is celebrated as a living heritage in this part of the world, delighting in the unmistakable joy of a glass of wine. It’s nature’s finest elixir and must be understood with an acute sense of purity.
Attractions inside the museum include the Gallery of Civilizations, where the art of winemaking from the ancient worlds is showcased. You get to know in detail about the six wine families and explore your relationship with this Biblical drink!
2. Explore the Historic Port de la Lune
The Bordeaux port, a central destination of international wine trade through the ages, is a cultural landmark by its own rights. UNESCO realizes the intrinsic value of cultural exchange at the port for more than two thousand years, honoring it as a World Heritage Site. Maybe you would imagine a poet from Persia yearning for his beloved at the Port de la Lune, staring from his cabin on the ship. Maybe you can feel a French girl greeting the sailor with an inviting smile!
The historic port has been witness to countless stories of passion and romance in its rich history. Visiting the port should be on your list of things to do in Bordeaux, by all means. It is lovingly called as the Moon Port and was once emblematic of the Age of Enlightenment. The promenade is a lovely place for a saunter. You may listen to the ancient wisdom that still inhabits the Port of the Moon.
3. Saint-Émilion
Once you have visited the wine museum and strolled the promenade at the Port de la Lune, let your travels take you to the medieval village of Saint-Emilion. The village is indeed a miraculous place if you happen to believe in the magical powers of wine! It’s a World Heritage Site, where the history of winemaking has lived as it is, in a pristine temperament that creates some of the finest wines in the world. The vineyards in this region offer the perfect climate and geology for some of the finest grape varietals, such as cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, malbec, and merlot.
You could plan a trip in the spring, which is the best time to visit Bordeaux. Autumn could be the other favorite season. Visiting Saint Emilion for the wine would be a great choice, of course. But you must also take the time to appreciate the archaic medieval ambience that has remained unchanged for two thousand years. The Spring Feast is organized annually and should be an amazing time to explore the euphoria of Saint-Emilion.
4. Stroll along the Rue Sainte-Catherine
The French love affair with fashion boutiques finds one of its finest expressions at the Rue Saint-Catherine. It’s the longest Pedestrian thoroughfare in the country and is lined up with fashion boutiques, bookshops, coffee shops, and jewelry houses. To find a place in the Rue Sainte Catherine is a matter of distinct honor among fashion brands, and so the show is manifest with an absolute array of shops. Apart from major clothing retail stores, you can also find unique local boutiques presenting artisanal ware on their glass windows. If your shopping senses are satisfied, you can always find fine dining at one of the cafes that line the street. To walk that stretch from the Grand Theater Square to the Place de la Victoire is to experience one of the most loved tourist attractions in France. The lively atmosphere resembles a festive mood, with street artists and foreigners blessed with Bordeaux wine. It’s a veritable fashion in Mecca that makes you cherish the finer things in life.
5. Discover the Bordeaux Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-André)
Standing within the halls of the Bordeaux Cathedral, you might be able to witness the very legacy of France, from the clergy to the revolution. A fine example of gothic French style for more than 700 years, the majestic Cathedral is verily a place of deep repose. Bearing witness to the rise and fall of kings and of fires and fate, the cathedral has withstood the test of time.
The archaic structure is one of the highlights of Bordeaux as a tourist destination and is a place that must be perceived by faith. As long as you are ready to imbibe the immensity of the Holy Spirit, the church starts to speak to your soul. If the wine ever makes you forget the redemption journey, visiting the cathedral reminds you of the grace of God. You may be just in time for a classical concert in the evening, letting your heart wander with the somber organ and the diamantine violin.
