Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a city famous for its wine, with many of the attractions in the region reflecting this. It is a very elegant city, full of grand architecture, which, combined with the Atlantic coast location, cultural and historical sites and fine wines makes Bordeaux an extremely popular holiday destination.

Located in the Dordogne region, Bordeaux is an excellent place to start wine tasting. Tourists like to visit the area’s famous wineries and vineyards to sample the different vintages. Wine tasting maps are available at the local tourist offices.

Bordeaux’s town centre has some interesting medieval buildings open to the public, such as the Cathedral of St André and the Tour Pey-Berland. There are also some very good museums to visit, including The Musée d'Aquitaine, which exhibits prehistoric artefacts. The Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Natural History Museum are also worth a visit.

Jardin Public, home to the Jardin Botanical Gardens, is a beautiful park which is perfect for relaxing.

For those wanting to sample the food and wine, the city centre boasts an abundance of restaurants, cafés and bars.

Having a car to get around the region will make travel much easier as there are many vineyards and châteaux that are worth visiting. The Médoc is Bordeaux’s wine growing region, and is full of rolling hills covered in vines. It stretches 100kms in each direction and is most famous for its cabernet sauvignons. North of the village of Pauillac, are two beautiful châteaux open to the public; Château Lafitte Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild.

Bordeaux International Airport offers connections with many major cities in northern and southern Europe. There are also some domestic destinations available. Buses, taxis and trains are also available from the airport.