Bordeaux is one of France's famous wine centres and the city is surrounded by beautiful chateaux's and vineyards – if you've come with a car you'll have great fun shopping around for a few cases to take home. The city itself has a lively student population and some impressive history.
Things to see and do:
- Wine – If you ask the locals, or the staff in inner city wine bars or shops about the local produce you'll get an idea of the best wines this season.
- Jardin publique – or public gardens in English. This is a great place to go and relax or take a picnic, on Cours de Verdun. There's also a botanical garden and the whole development dates back to 1755.
- The cathedral – Dating back to the eleventh century you won’t miss this impressive building in the centre of town.
- Beaches – It’s not far to the west coast, and the beaches around La Rochelle. If you are looking for nudist beaches then head for Euronat, on the mouth of the Gironte estuary.
Getting there:
Bordeaux Merignac airport is ten kilometres west of the city and you can connect with the Jet Bus to the central Place Gambetta for a small price, which you can find highlighted on most inner city tourist maps.
Location and weather:
Bordeaux is close to the west coast of France and the Atlantic Ocean, inland from the pretty seaside resort of La Rochelle. The winds that come off the Atlantic are stronger than those found on the Mediterranean coast, making the beaches more wild and the weather on this side of France fresher but more vulnerable to storms. In winter Bordeaux temperatures drop but in the summer weather is generally around thirty degrees Celsius.
Top tip:
For wine the most famous regions are the Medoc, and St-Emilion.
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