The Cité du Vin stands beside the Garonne River in the Bacalan district. The tall building has been described in so many different ways. To some it looks like a sailing vessel; to others a lookout post, or a lighthouse. Or how about the coiled growth of a vine, or wine poured into a decanter?

Whatever you may think of the building, there’s no doubt about its importance. Not only is it an inspiring place to learn more about wine and enjoy tastings, it’s been given one of those designations that the French so delight in (and let’s face it, they do so well). It’s part of Make it Iconic. Choose France campaign, along with the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame-de-Paris and Mont-Saint-Michel.

Cité du Vin was started in 2008 and opened in 2016. Its completion marked the beginning of a huge expansion of the Bacalan area, the formal commercial port. It’s now a vibrant and exciting part of Bordeaux.  

The Permanent Exhibition

Once you’re past the ground floor, with its shop, wine shop, conference space, The Latitude Brasserie and café, terrace, gardens, tickets and restrooms, you go up to the exhibition. It’s beautifully designed with spaces that meld into each other, separated by tall wooden columns that whisper to you of a cathedral, or a wooden wine bottle.

The Story Begins

Huge screens fill the the initial Vineyards of the World space with spectacular images. Landscapes vary from Tahiti to the slopes of Mount Fuji. You learn a lot on the way: in the Moselle Valley vines are planted on very steep slopes to get the most of the sun; in Santorini they train canes of vines into wreaths to protect the grapes from the harsh sandy winds of the island. The vines of Mendoza, at the foot of the Andes in Argentina, capture the water that runs down from the glaciers; Finland is the most northerly country producing wines.

The Winemaker

This section is for those interested in the process. Even I, not so much interested in this, lingered over the terroirs that produce different flavours and the year in the life of a winemaker, which according to the poetic captions…’means living to the rhythm of the plant’s growth…trembling before the vagaries of the weather. Will June rain destroy the flowers? Will it bring disease?…It also means pruning, pulling away the canes, pruning again, attaching, debudding…’ and so on.
You come out feeling nothing but admiration for the winemakers.

Through the Ages

The Gallery of Civilisations is where I lost myself and spent the most time. Wine has been part of humankind’s life since 6,000 B.C. but the story really begins with the ancient Greeks. The gallery covers thousands of years in a few galleries and does it with style and humour.

‘There is no moment more delightful in life than that when guests, sitting around a well-laden table, lend their ears to a minstrel while the cup-bearer, drawing wine from an amphora, fills every cup!’ And there you have it – Homer in 8 B.C.

You’re taken through the taverns of Pompeii (particularly debauched), into the world of the ‘heavenly wines of the Pharoahs’ who took wine into the afterlife, to the first wines mixed with sea water (courtesy of the Greeks), medieval wines ‘as clear as an eye’ to Pasteur whose research into the fermentation of wine and its effects made him the progenitor of modern oenology.

Stories are told in this series of delightful small rooms with pictures and quotes. As Galileo wrote: ‘Wine is the sunlight held together by water’.

The Art of Living

Here you get all sorts of fun things to do, like sniffing different smells and trying to identify them. And listening to what the great and the good, and sometimes the pompous and the mad, have said about wine with more videos and clips from films that feature wine.

‘A real connoisseur does not drink a wine but tastes its secrets.’ Salvador Dali (1904-1989).

I particularly like the quote by Nikoloz Doborjinidze, founder of Georgia’s Space Research Agency in 2019: ‘Our ancestors brought wine to Earth so we can now do the same to Mars’.

You look at maps, and realise that in France, Germany, Spain, Portugal and many international vineyards are mainly located along waterways. It’s partly because water tempers the harshest weather but mainly because of navigation. Until railways took over in the 19^th century, rivers and canals offered the best way to get your wine to market.

Guide to Bordeaux Wines

And of course there is a large, fascinating section about the wines of Bordeaux. The section takes you out of the city into the great surrounding wine-growing regions of Médoc, Graves and Sauternes, Blaye and Bourg, Saint-Emilion Pomerol and Fronsac, and Entre-Deux-Mers.

Via Sensoria

The prospect of an immersive wine tour where ‘sensory experiences and tastings meet in the heart of unique dreamlike spaces…’ filled me with dread. In typical French hyperbole, Via Sensoria promises stimulating the senses, a physical and emotional transition. And to get to the pre-booked experience, I had to give up seeing more of the permanent exhibition which I was hugely enjoying.

So I was delighted when the Via Sensoria turned out to be fascinating…and different. Our small group was taken into the space by the sommelier. We sat down, gentle lights came on and images filled the space we had been ushered into. My shoulders relaxed and I felt cautious optimism.

The sommelier takes you through four seasonal pavilions. Each one has a different seating and mood; each is decorated with glass panels depicting the season you are in. At each season, there’s a brief description from the sommelier as we do the tasting.  

Spring gives you ducklings, fresh buds, rising sap, the sun rising and… a lovely yellow Sauvignon Blanc with a whisper of fresh grass. This wine is from the Loire where the lack of water leads to the roots going deep down. There’s a touch of grapefruit in the taste.

Summer brings a wine which is served in black glasses so you have to use your nose not your eyes. It’s a Clairet from Bordeaux, half way between a deep rosé and light red. It’s light and fresh with hints of strawberry and blackcurrant.

Autumn takes you to Georgia where wine is stored in big terracotta barrels. The pavilion evokes the wind blowing, the trees stripped of their leaves, and harvest. The wine, made from the Saperavi grape variety is rich; and we also taste a cassis syrup of blackcurrant berries.

A little autumn wind has come to whisper
languid rustlings in the ear of summer
He came blowing through the trees first
September is here, he can do as he pleases.

French author and AI expert, Nami Moukheiber.

Winter and we enter the fourth and final space with winter images, Northern lights, kids in warm clothes. And we were served a honeyed Hungarian Tokay that took us straight to warm firesides and dark chocolate after a day in the snowy landscape.

It is the shortest day
Counting down
until the twilight
That comes a little too early…
It’s the hemisphere tilting
And shredding its skin…

As you can see, I was thoroughly seduced and taken over by the experience and cannot recommend it highly enough.

Food and drink at the Cité du Vin

Brasserie Latitude20, a wine and snack bar is on the ground floor; it’s ideal for lunch, drink or dinner.  It has a top wine list reasonably priced.
Lunch Mon-Fri: Starters €9-€21; mains €21-€26; desserts ; cheese €12
Wine Bar: Sun-Wed: 3pm to 7pm Thurs-Sat: 3pm-10pm
Boards of different charcuterie, or smoked salmon: €9-€28
2-course lunch €22,50, 3 courses €27.50
Open: The Snack bar: everyday from 10am to 5pm
The Brasserie: everyday from 12pm to 3pm
The Wine bar: Sunday to Wednesday from 3pm to 7pm and Thursday to Saturday from 3pm to 10pm.
Tel: +33 (0) 5 64 31 0550

Le 7 looks out from the 7th floor and offers cooking as spectacular as the view. This is a restaurant for serious dining.
A la carte: Starters from €21 to €25; mains from €31 to €37; desserts from €10 to €16.
Mon-Fri lunch menu starter and main €32; 5 course dinner menu €70; childrens menu 3 courses €16 (free on Wednesday except school holidays).
Open: Every day from 10am to 11am for breakfast (by reservation)
Lunch Mon-Sat 12pm-3pm; Sun 12pm-4pm
Sweet snacks: Mon, Tues, Sun 3pm,-4pm; Wed-Sat 3pm-7pm
Dinner Wed-Sat from 7pm-9.30pm (last orders 9.30pm)
Tel: +33 (0)5 64 31 05 40

The Belvédère. On the 8^th floor of the Cité du Vin, the Belvédère offers a 360 degree view of Bordeaux along with tasting one, or several, of the many wines stocked here. Buy a ticket here.

More Information

Cité du Vin
134 Quai de Bacalan,
33300 Bordeaux
Website
Opening hours and Ticket prices

How to get there

By Tram line B: The nearest tram stop, La Cité du Vin, is a 2-minute walkBordeaux Tourist Office

By Bus: Bus 7, 25, 27 to La Cité du Vin

By Car: There is paid parking nearby.

The Bordeaux Tourist Office can help with all your queries, from hotel bookings to guided tours.
12 cours du XXX juillet
33080 Bordeaux
+33(0) 5 56 00 66 00
Website
Open Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm; Sunday and public holidays 10am-5pm

Guide to Glorious Bordeaux

Getting to Bordeaux

From Paris by train: The TGV is direct and takes 3 hours from Paris.
From the UK: By plane: BA, Easyjet and AirFrance fly from London and regional cities to Bordeaux.

Take the tram from the airport to city centre

Getting around Bordeaux

The city centre is very walkable with pedestrian areas throughout. The tram system runs throughout Bordeaux, using a unique ground power system so you’re not distracted by overhead wires. It runs from 5am to midnight or 1 a.m. depending on the day. There are regular buses.
Bordeaux Tourism website

More about the Bordeaux Region

The French Atlantic Coast
The Glorious Vendée Department

AND...
Great Rivers of France
Food Festivals of France

The post Cité du Vin in Bordeaux appeared first on Mary Anne's France.

Bordeaux is a glorious city. The gracious and elegant capital of the Aquitaine region is rich with classical buildings, formal squares, tucked-away quartiers where you can wander the streets and find individual shops and boulangeries, cafés and bars, and some unusual and stunning attractions. The city stands proudly on the grand Garonne river on the French Atlantic coast.

Victor Hugo was an admirer: ‘Take Versailles, add Antwerp and you have Bordeaux…Add to that, my friend, the magnificent Gironde, bustling with ships, the delightful backdrop of green hills, a fine sky and warm sun, and you will fall in love with Bordeaux, even if you only drink water.’

I recently spent three days in Bordeaux and despite a punishing schedule missed out quite a few of the city’s attractions. Next time I’ll take a week.

Start with this guide to Bordeaux to make the most of your time here.

Bordeaux – A City Devoted to Wine and the Cité du Vin

Bordeaux sits at the heart of one of the world’s great wine-producing regions. Anyone with even a passing interest in the noble grape should schedule a visit to the Cité du Vin.

“It’s going to be my Guggenheim” declared Alain Juppé, mayor of Bordeaux in 2006 when the project was born. It’s a pretty extraordinary piece of architecture: its undulating shape and its distinctive curves have been described as evoking a sailing ship…wine poured from a decanter…or swirling around a wine glass.

Make of the outside what you will; inside you’ll find a fascinating series of exhibitions telling you the story of mankind’s great drink. I’d advise at least half a day for a visit, and if you can, eat here at Le 7, restaurant that looks out over the Garonne and Bordeaux.  

Article about the Cité du Vin

Don’t Miss: The Bordeaux Wine Festival, normally takes place in June. But next year it coincides with the Tall Ships Race. The race starts in Bordeaux and runs from July 7-11, 2027, the same dates as the Bordeaux Wine Festival.

Les Bassins de Lumière

Step inside Les Bassins de Lumière in the same quartier as the Cité du Vin (and conveniently near) for extraordinary annual changing exhibitions. This is the world’s largest digital art centre, offering an experience which will entrance, sometimes frighten, and always impress.

Housed in the former World War II German submarine base in Bacalan, the sound-proofed insulated spaces, some up to 8m high, are filled with 360° images that slowly change. I stood mesmerised in the first gallery, then walked over footbridges into more galleries with different dream-like images.

There are six spaces in total, all very varied. Take in the art shows and a huge mooring bay built over the water. As you look, the gates appear to open and submarines seem to enter the base, moving towards you at a menacing speed. There’s an area where you can sit in tiered stages to watch the show from different heights, and a museum space with the history of the building. And of course, a very good shop at the end.

I was there for the 2025 exhibition (which runs to Jan 6, 2026). Egyptian Pharaohs from the Old Kingdom of Khéops to the New Kingdom of Ramsès II (c. 2589 BC to 1213 BC) taught me more about this ancient history than any book I have read. We were brought more up to date with The Orientalists exhibition which focuses on the French Orientalist painters: Ingres, Delacroix and Jean-Léon Gérôme. We were there during the week; on Sundays the place must have been full of families watching The Little Prince come to life with Saint-Exupery’s images blown up to fantastic proportions.
Les Bassins de Lumière website

Tip: If you’re here in the Bacalan district, try shopping at Les Halles de Bacalan for regional and local foods and products. It’s a great place to put together a picnic, or eat a casual lunch at one of the stalls. Open daily except Mondays.

Walk the City’s Old Quartiers

Bordeaux is a great city for walking, particularly through its small compact historic areas. If you have time, pick one and spend a minimum of a couple of hours exploring. If time is limited, take a guided tour. Bruno Coiffard, a Bordeaux guide, took us around different areas, taking great pleasure in pointing out the superiority of Bordeaux over Paris.  Bruno Coiffard (+33 6 08 28 65 26). At the end of our two tours we agreed with him (sorry Paris!).

Tip: If you’re feeling peckish as you walk around, pop into one of the Cassonade Cannelés & Spécialités cafés for a coffee and a speciality of the city, a cassonade – a delicious caramelized cake that comes in a distinctive shape.

Port de la Lune (Port of the Moon)

This romantically named quayside doesn’t denote a district as such, but is the heart of old Bordeaux. It’s a crescent-shaped bend in the river, originally the source of Bordeaux’s wealth. In the Saint-Pierre, Saint-Paul district, the Port of the Moon was the heart of the global trading center between Africa, Europe and the Americas.

From the noisy, crowded and dangerous quays, ships carried the precious commodities of coffee, cocoa, cotton, sugar and indigo from to the rest of Europe. By the 18^th century, with its dominance as a wine-exporter, Bordeaux was the second busiest port in the world after London.

The port has long disappeared but in its place stands the Place de la Bourse and in front of it the Miroir d’Eau, between the Place and the river. The largest water mirror in the world spouts water from the fountains during the day and magically reflects the illuminated, semi circular buildings at night.

If you want to see a superb example of French neoclassical architecture, this is it. The warm stone buildings facing the river in the Place de la Bourse have a wonderful symmetry, fanning out from the centre in two arcs that follow the banks of the river. The Place (Stock Exchange Square) took from 1730 to 1775 to build, replacing the medieval crowded muddle of Bordeaux which was breaking out of the old city walls. The north building was the original stock exchange (now the Chamber of Commerce); the Hôtel des Fermes to the south was built for the local customs authority. It now houses the Musée Nationale des Douanes, reopened in Spring 2025. It’s well worth a visit. We might think that customs and excise is a pretty dull subject, but avoiding taxes has always been an ingenious pastime. A wooden stool opens up to become a salt store. It was designed so the lady of the house could firmly sit on it, hiding the heavily taxed commodity under her voluminous skirts. And such handsome hats.

Find out more about the Musée Nationale des Douanes on Mechtraveller.

Les Chartrons

The Chartrons district that housed the wine merchants of the 17^th and 18^th centuries lies south of the Bacalan. Stone buildings line the streets, the front rooms housing the living quarters of the Lynches, the Bartons, the Johnstons and other English and Irish families who dominated the lucrative trade. At the back lay their large wine warehouses.

It was a bustling, noisy district, housing barrel makers, the glass bottle factory of an Irishman, Pierre Mitchell, which belched out smoke day and night, label printers and heavy carts that transported the barrels to the harbour. According to the excellent Bruno, this was where capitalism was born.

Today it’s a delightful area of antique shops, art galleries, and small boutiques, interrupted by cafés whose pavement tables and chairs are always full. Walk along Rue Notre Dame for its churches, then turn north into the Place du Marché des Chartrons which hosts events and exhibitions. Look out for pretty houses covered in ivy or flowering bushes, that occupy the streets and hidden alleys.

We came across the small but delightful Musée du Vin et du Négoce, housed in one of Bordeaux’s oldest buildings, an Irish merchant’s house of 1720. The crowded museum takes you through vaulted cellars that, with maps, images, models, artefacts, oak barrels and wine bottles, tell the story of the city’s lucrative wine trade in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, plus the role of the négociant (merchant trader).   

America’s First Consulate

Along the river you’ll come across the old American Consulate, the first such consular post in US history, established in 1778. It’s easy to spot – a plaque commemorates Joseph Fenwick, appointed in 1790. With the French Revolution just starting in the late 18th century, Bordeaux was deemed to be a far safer and more stable city than Paris.  

Fenwick’s family had Maryland and South Carolina connections – vital for the US and its trade of Carolina gold rice, sea island cotton and raw indigo dye, shipped from the port of Charleston to Europe.

The Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle is the centre of Bordeaux, certainly for the Bordelaise, stretching between the Allées de Touray, Cours de l’Intendance and Cours Georges Clemenceau.

This is the area for shopping in the glass Galerie des Grands Hommes, and admiring the grand 18^th and 19^th century buildings.

The Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux

In the heart of the Golden Triangle, this imposing building is a real statement of power. The ‘Temple of the Arts and Light’ was commissioned by Marshal Richelieu (grand-nephew of the famous Cardinal), and designed by the architect Victor Louis, and inaugurated on April 7, 1780. Its distinctive exterior feature is the Corinthian columns running along the façade. Other such buildings have 8 columns; the Bordeaux theatre has 12. Topping the columns 12 statues look out over the city – the nine Muses plus the Roman goddesses Juno, Venus, and Minerva.

A century later the architect Charles Garnier visited Bordeaux. He was so impressed by the very grand staircase, that he copied the design for his 19th-century grand Paris Opera. You can visit the building and see the staircase. Better still is to get to a performance of the Bordeaux opera or ballet. The acoustics are superb; and for history buffs, the theatre remains one of the oldest wooden framed opera houses still active, having survived fire and rebuilding.

Francisco Goya in Bordeaux

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes left Spain for Bordeaux in 1824, 78 years old, completely deaf and at odds with the Spanish monarchy. He died in 1828; his funeral was held in the city and he was first buried in Cimetière de la Chartreuse.

A bronze plaque marks his house at 57 Cours de l’Intendance where he lived for the last years of his life. The Spanish connection continues: the building now houses the Institut Cervantes which promotes Spanish language and culture.  

In 1888 Goya’s body was exhumed and repatriated to Spain. And here begins the mystery and the stories that Bruno tells with relish. “Goya skeleton without a head,” wrote the Spanish consul in Bordeaux to his Spanish colleague. “Please instruct me.”

Goya’s headless body was taken to the San Antonio de la Florida chapel in Madrid where it now resides under the frescoes in the dome which Goya painted in 1798.  

The skull was most possibly acquired by a phrenologist who believed that the secrets of a person’s character lay in the skull. Bruno recounts that it turned up in a local bar and became an object of pilgrimage by the painter’s admirers.

Bordeaux vs Paris

There is (again according to Bruno), a healthy rivalry between these two grand cities of France. Baron Haussmann was a prefect in Bordeaux from 1851 to 1853 and it was here that he first stamped his style. He employed town planners to create grand boulevards leading to spacious squares, transforming the centre. He left Bordeaux to transform Paris.  And once the architectural similarities are pointed out, you see the evidence everywhere.

Place des Quinconces

The Place des Quinconces is one of the largest squares in France, today the location for big fairs (the brocante fair in late April/early May is one of the best in France. At one end stands the Monument aux Girondins, a giant column commemorating the victims of the Terror during the French Revolution. It’s topped with a statue of Liberty Breaking her Chains.

Also unmissable is the extraordinary fountain, with its bronze horses pulling chariots and allegorical figures that represent liberty, justice and the Dordogne and Garonne.

The Garonne River

Bordeaux is the major port on the mighty Garonne River and marks the point where the river flows into the Gironde estuary and from there into the Bay of Biscay. The city sits between the two major wine-producing areas of Entre-deux-Mers to the east and Médoc to the west.

For centuries it marked the division between the rich on the left bank and the poor opposite. Today, as the city expands, the right bank is developing fast and has become the trendy alternative place to live, work and play.

Crossing the River to the Right Bank

We took the Bat ferry , which runs along the Garonne from the Pont de Pierre to Lormont with stops at Stalingrad, Quinconces, Hangars Médoc, and Cité du Vin. It’s as good as a mini cruise (very mini; it just takes 25 to 35 minutes to travel between its endpoints along the 25-kilometer route). It costs the same as tickets used on buses and trams. 1 trip: €1.70; 2 trips: €3.00; 10 trips: €13.70.
Check the website for detailed information.

Darwin ecosystem

Darwin ecosystem, housed in a former barracks, takes up much of the right bank. It’s a large area with restaurants, bars and cafés, a skatepark and a handful of very cool shops. Veja cleans, repairs and recycles its old shoes; go to Shop Sauvages for clothes which you have to be seen in (if aspiring to be casually chic); librairie La Géolibri sells books, posters and more, and Bric à Brac Emmaüs is the place for recycled items.

There are events and street performances all year round, so keep an eye on the Darwin website for up-to-date information.

And of course there are plenty of places to eat, many of them offering organic ingredients.  We had lunch at la Belle Saison, sitting outside and looking over to the left bank. Good value, excellent service and delicious food.

Tip: Try to avoid Mondays when many shops are closed.

Bordeaux UNESCO World Heritage Site

In 2007 Bordeaux, The Port of the Moon, was given the world’s highest award for the unity of its exceptional urban heritage. Created in the 18th-century age of the Enlightenment, Bordeaux has more than 350 listed Historical Monuments. Most striking is the sheer size of the UNESCO perimeter: 1,810 hectares in total, amounting to almost half of the city’s surface area. In total Bordeaux has more protected buildings than any city after Paris.

UNESCO also recognised the history role Bordeaux has played as a city enjoying an exchange of cultural values for over 2,000 years…particularly highlighting the commercial links with Britain and the Low Lands (Holland and Belgium) from the 12th century.

Bordeaux and Britain

In 1152 Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry Plantagenet bringing Bordeaux under English rule. For Bordeaux it was significant, heralding the start of the dominant trade of Bordeaux wine to England, helped by the special privileges that Henry offered. With 25% of the total Bordeaux output going to England, ‘claret’ (as Bordeaux red wine was called) became a staple and has remained a favorite ever since.

For more about the Plantagenets and the English connection, visit…Le Mans! It comes as a surprise (and it certainly did to me) but Le Mans has one of the largest medieval preserved quarters in France.

Where We Stayed in Bordeaux

We stayed at Villas Foch, a 5-star privately owned boutique hotel with just 12 rooms and eight suites. Housed in two adjoining 19^th-century classical stone buildings, it’s been beautifully restored and has quirky modern touches, like the spectacular chandelier that hangs in one of the grand staircases.

There’s a cosy Le Ferdinand bar, a spa and pool and a great breakfast room. Bedrooms are light and airy with impeccable bathrooms. A portrait of Foch in each room follows you around, which I found rather companionable. Villas Foch is just a few minutes from the Place des Quinconces, so it’s pretty central but feels tucked away. Rooms from €550.

Restaurants in Bordeaux

Bordeaux is one of France’s great culinary cities, up there with Paris and Lyon. You’ll find restaurants for every budget and style, but here’s a small selection of ones I have enjoyed.

Le 1925 Brasserie

Come to Le 1925 Brasserie as much for the brasserie style as the cooking which is classically based: pig’s trotter, snails, oysters and some of the best heritage tomatoes I’ve come across for starters. Mains range from prawn risotto to duck breast, beef tartare or pork confit shoulder, all served with extra favourites like French fries, home-made mash, green salad. And desserts? Chocolate mousse, sorbets or…where else can you find this these days? Crêpes Suzette flambé Grand Marnier which is prepared dramatically at your table. And the wine list is superb, selected by the owner who invariably will appear to chat to his customers.
Starters from €10 to €28; mains €25 to €35; desserts €10 to €15 (for that flaming fabulous crêpes Suzette)

Le 1925 Brasserie
4 Place des Quinconces
Tel: +33 (0)5 56 52 84 56
Website

Le 7

At the top of the Cité du Vin on the 7^th floor, the restaurant offers spectacular views over the port and beyond along with top regional cooking. Creamy burrata with sautéed artichoke, piquilio pepper sauce and basil oil was followed by slow-cooked chicken supreme then an After Eight dessert (go there to discover this one). And of course, a great wine list of 500 wines from 50 countries, with a selection of 32 wines by the glass.

Starters from €21 to €25; mains from €31 to €37; desserts from €10 to €16.
Mon-Fri lunch menu starter and main €32; 5 course dinner menu €70; childrens menu 3 courses €16 (free on Wednesday except school holidays).

Le 7
Cité du Vin
Esplanade de Pontac
Tel: +33 (0)5 64 31 05 40
Website

Le Chapon Fin

The word ‘historic’ is often over-used. But Le Chapon Fin is a restaurant that can rightly claim the description.
Le Chapon Fin opened in 1825 when much of central Bordeaux was being rebuilt in the classical style by Haussmann. In 1900 Le Chapon Fin was renovated. Perhaps renovation isn’t not the right word; an adventurous owner and equally adventurous architect brought the outside in with a rocky scene at the and a lot of plants.

The restaurant became the place to go. The Spanish King Alphonse XIII kept a private cellar here; diners included the Sultan of Morocco, the Prince of Wales (Edward VII) and artists like Sarah Bernhardt and Toulouse Lautrec as well as George Clemenceau and a host of politicians.   
Today its reputation, particularly for its wines, is in the capable hands of owner Sylvie Cazes who comes from a family of wine makers. She was very much involved in the Cité du Vin, and jointly owns the famous Château Lynch-Bages and Château Chauvin vineyards, and the company Bordeaux Saveurs which tailor makes visits to vineyards.
This is not a restaurant to go to on a casual basis; the cooking, based on the south west, includes dishes like field and garden tomatoes with various different oils, followed by chicken breast, crispy breadcrumbs and roasted broccoli. Or be more ambitious and taste a bit of history with Alphonse XIII pigeon with tobacco leaf, corn and vanilla.
Menu Marché: from 35€ to 45 €. Or make it a special occasion with the historic menu whose dishes are inspired by significant dates from 1825 to 2024.  €78 to €98 .

Le Chapon Fin
5 rue Montesquieu
Tel: +33 05 56 79 10 10
Website

Getting to Bordeaux

From Paris by train: The TGV is direct and takes 2 hours from Paris.
From the UK: By plane: BA, Easyjet and AirFrance fly from London and regional cities to Bordeaux.

Take the tram from the airport to city centre

Getting around Bordeaux

The city centre is very walkable with pedestrian areas throughout. The tram system runs throughout Bordeaux, using a unique ground power system so you’re not distracted by overhead wires. It runs from 5am to midnight or 1 a.m. depending on the day. There are regular buses.
Bordeaux Tourism website

Bordeaux Tourist Office

The Bordeaux Tourist Office can help with all your queries, from hotel bookings to guided tours.
12 cours du XXX juillet
33080 Bordeaux
+33 (0)5 56 00 66 00
Website
Open Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm; Sunday and public holidays 10am-5pm

More about the Bordeaux Region

The French Atlantic Coast
The Glorious Vendée Department

AND...
Great Rivers of France

Food Festivals of France

The post Guide to Glorious Bordeaux appeared first on Mary Anne's France.

The French Atlantic coast is magnificent, sweeping down the west side of France from Brittany to the Basque country and the Pyrenees on the Spanish border. It takes in the old regions of Pays de la Loire, Poitou-Charente and Aquitaine.

To the east, the boundary of the French Atlantic coast is marked by the pretty departments of the Loir-et-Cher and the Indre-et-Loire, the glorious Limousin countryside, rich Périgord and Gascony; to the west, the expanse of the Atlantic ocean.

What does the French Atlantic Coast offer?

Just about everything.

This is the place for some of the best surfing in Europe; for miles of golden sandy beaches and dunes on the Côte d’Argent south of Bordeaux.

It has glorious islands from beautiful Noirmoutier to chic Ile de Ré and tiny Ile d’Aix with its Napoleonic history.  

Cities offer perfect short breaks from Nantes to Bordeaux. La Rochelle, Rochefort and Biarritz are all irresistible.

And for rolling countryside there’s the Marais Poitevin.

For cyclists there’s the Vélodyssée, the cycle route that covers over 745 miles (1,200 kms) from Brittany down the Atlantic coast to Spain. And every water sport under the sun is there for the taking.

Pays de la Loire

In the northerly Pays de la Loire, the departments of Loire-Atlantique and Vendée lie beside the French Atlantic coast.

Just off the coastline, its balmy climate has earned Ile de Noirmoutier the nickname of the Island of Mimosas.

Nantes is the capital of both the Pays de la Loire region and the Loire-Atlantique department. It’s a wonderful city known for the former castle of the Dukes of Brittany, its strange machines, its renovated industrial districts and its young population. It’s one of the great towns and cities along the whole Loire Valley.

The mighty Loire River is on the last part of its 630 mile/1,013 km journey here. Starting in the Auvergne, it eventually flows through Nantes and into the Atlantic at St-Nazaire.

The Vendée

The Vendée department of the Pays de la Loire region, is known for 161 miles/250 kms of protected coastline and 87 miles/140 kms of beaches.

There are some spectacular islands to explore: just south west of Nantes, the Ile d’Yeu, the ‘Corsica of the Atlantic’, is one of France’s most important tuna fishing islands. The east side faces the French coast; the other, wild side is well worth exploring for its cliffs and small inlets looking out over the Atlantic.

Les Sables d’Olonne, once the most important cod fishing port in France, is now a yachting town.

It’s best known as the port where the famous Vendée Globe starts and finishes. The extremely tough round-the-world solo yachting race takes place every 4 years. The last one began in 2020 and finished in spring 2021.

On the borders of the Vendée, Deux-Sèvres and the Charente-Maritime departments, the marshy flatlands of the Marais Poitevin are quite extraordinary.  The area is ideal for walks on well-marked paths, through the Marais Mouillé or Wet Marsh.

The area is known as the La Venise Verte, or the Green Venice, its twisting little streams and canals, constructed by the ever ingenious Dutch in the 17^th century, snake through the forests, accessed by boats.

Just inland and between Cholet and La Roche-sur-Yon, the Puy du Fou, as Michelin says, is worth the detour. It’s my favorite historical theme park of any in the world with spectacular shows and great hotels that range from a Roman villa to the Field of the Cloth of Gold grand pavilions. It’s a must-see on any visit to the region.

More about the glorious Vendée.

Vendée Tourist Information

Poitou Charente/Charente Maritime

Sweeping further south, this is another region of seashore and sandy beaches. Now part of Nouvelle Aquitaine, and with an important history, it’s relatively undiscovered.

Island living

In the north the pretty island of Ile de Ré is the summer playground of chic Parisians. It’s a delightful island with fortifications in the capital, St-Martin, oyster and salt beds, a network, of paths to walk and cycle along. Markets to shop in, and remarkably good places to stay and eat.

Here is guest writer Fiona Quinn’s personal take on Ile de Ré.

Just off the coast between La Rochelle and Rochefort lies my favorite – Ile d’Aix. This tiny, traffic-free island was Napoleon’s last French residence, before the dastardly English played their final successful trick on him. They packed him off to Portsmouth then sent him on his way to Saint Helena where he ended his days.

Île d’Oléron is one of the bigger islands on the coast, joined to the mainland by a bridge. Eat oysters and visit La Citadelle, the waterfront fortress in Le Château d’Oléron. Walk through the pine forests and dunes and visit the small fishing ports.

If you haven’t heard of either of the islands, you might have heard of the TV Series Fort Boyard. It was filmed at the fort, half way between Ile d’Aix and Ile d’Oléron. Boat trips take you up close, but you can’t get onto the island (unless you’re a tv star).

French Atlantic Coast Cities

La Rochelle

Along the coast, the maritime city of La Rochelle, called the ‘White City’ from its pale limestone buildings reflected in the sea, was once one of the most important ports of France. Its Vieux Port (Old Harbour) is dominated by twin towers at the entrance dating back to the 14^th century. Strategically based along the French Atlantic coast, along with Rochefort, La Rochelle port was ideal for transatlantic sailings.

Today it’s a top vacation spot, surrounded by some great beaches, ideal for families. Don’t miss the Musée du Nouveau Monde (Museum of the New World), showing the close links between La Rochelle and North America.
La Rochelle Tourist Office

Rochefort

Just south of La Rochelle, Rochefort was another significant maritime center, with a huge Arsenal building war ships to defend France against their ancient and persistent enemy, the English.

It was from here that L’Hermione sailed. Built in 1780, the Marquis of Lafayette took command of the ship and sailed her across the Atlantic to help the Americans in the Revolutionary War against the English. A replica has now been built which sails to different parts of the world each year. It’s a wonderful sight to see her, flags flying, out at sea.

She lives in Rochefort and when not sailing you can visit her. Well worth it.
Rochefort Tourist Office

Aquitaine

Aquitaine runs south from Poitou-Charentes to north of the Pyrenees. 

Bordeaux

Bordeaux in the Gironde is the regional capital, the centre of the region’s famous wine industry, an important French city, and one of Europe’s foremost ports. A great trade center from Roman times, it’s best known for the famous Bordeaux wines and spirits.

This wonderful city has reinvented itself with top attractions, museums, great shopping, hotels and restaurants. Now just over 2 hours 30 minutes by TGV from Paris, it’s become a favorite short break destination.
Bordeaux Tourist Office

Gironde

The mighty Gironde river flows north of this beautiful department west of Bordeaux until it empties into the Atlantic. The Gironde estuary produces world-famous wines like Médoc, Haut- Médoc, Pauillac, Margeaux and St-Julien.

Arcachon Bay

South of the Gironde the Bay of Arcachon produces the finest oysters, earning its place as foremost in the regional food of France. The glorious coast line, an enormously long stretch of sandy beaches, is famous for its nudist and naturist resorts like Montalivet where the international naturist movement started, as well as its family beaches. 

Inland the immense pine forests of Les Landes stretch along the French Atlantic coast down to the Dune du Pilat, the highest sand dune in Europe.

The huge protected Parc Naturel Regional des Landes de Gascogne is an area of pine forest, wetland and coastline takes in the whole of Les Landes from Arcachon Bay. It’s a vast triangular plain, originally an inland sea that became covered in forest in the 19^th century.

The Pyrenees

So you come down to the southernmost region of the Atlantic coast, the Pyrenees and Basque country.

Many people flock here for the surfing, some of the best in the world. The coast is a mix of rocky inlets and long sloping sandy beaches bringing the surf of the Atlantic pounding onto the land.

Biarritz

Biarritz is the capital of the area, once the most glamorous city in France and for long the most famous, or infamous, city on the French Atlantic coast. It suffered in the 1960s when the fashionable abandoned the west coast for the Riviera. Its resurgence has made Biarritz a lively, cosmopolitan city with a famous Casino, great restaurants and interesting museums including the Musée de la Mer, one of the great aquarium collections of Europe.
Biarritz Tourist Office

St-Jean-de-Luz

And so to the southernmost part of this journey down the Atlantic coast. St-Jean-de-Luz is a charming town with a lovely old quarter. It’s the only natural harbor between Arcachon and Spain and a major port with whaling and cod-fishing fleets.

It’s in the heart of the Pays Basque, the region shared with Spain. You can’t miss the language of Euskera with most signs in the two languages.

St-Jean-de-Luz Tourist Office

And so we come to the end of the journey down the French Atlantic Coast. It’s one of my favorite parts of France with a beauty that sets it apart. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Getting to the French Atlantic Coast

Brittany Ferries runs from Portsmouth to St Malo in Brittany. From here to Nantes it’s a 177 kms/109 mile drive taking around 2 hrs 30 mins. Check out the information on Ferries to France from the UK.

The post The French Atlantic Coast appeared first on Mary Anne's France.

Ile de Ré by guest writer Fiona Quinn

Why I love Ile de Ré

The small island of Ile de Ré on the French Atlantic coast, was on my wish list since I was at school. I read in my French textbook about one of the characters going there on holiday and that was it.

The island is in the Charente-Maritime department, part of Nouvelle Aquitaine. My mum moved to the département of Charente in 2004, then part of the Poitou-Charentes region and since then I’ve had the chance to visit and stay on the island numerous times.

Each time I visit, I discover a little something extra that makes me feel even more at home here.

Back when I was studying French at school, the island was more remote and only reached by ferry. Today it’s joined to the mainland at La Rochelle with a 2.9km toll bridge.

So who else loves Ile de Ré ?

Despite better access which helps attract a chic clientele of French politicians, film stars and well-heeled Parisians (some compare it to the Hamptons in Long Island), this isn’t a glitzy destination. It’s remained a peaceful island.

Dotted with tranquil villages and their quaint streets filled with pastel-shuttered homes, Ile de Ré sits in a rural landscape of big skies, salt marshes surrounded by dunes and sandy beaches, vineyards and pine forests deep with ferns.

Ile de Ré translates as the island of ferns. Once occupied by the Romans, the name is believed to come from the Latin word ratis meaning ferns.

There are 10 villages on the island to visit, each with a different character: Rivedoux-Plage, La Flotte, Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré, La Couarde-sur-Mer, Ars-en-Ré, Saint-Clément-des-Baleines, Les Portes-en-Ré, Loix, and the main town of Saint-Martin-de-Ré.

Ile de Ré Tourist Office

How to get around

The picturesque French holiday spot encourages you to take a step away from the modern-day. Promoting the use of bikes, the island has created a 110-km network of cycle paths that crisscross this tiny (almost flat) landmass through open countryside and linking beaches to small towns.

Avoiding jumping on a bike in Ile de Ré is like never taking the tube in London – everyone’s doing it. The wide trails are suitable for the whole family who can pedal safely away from passing vehicles.

Almost every hotel, campsite and village has at least one place to hire bikes and helmets, with electric bikes, trailers for kids and dogs, and even tandems. Maps detailing all the routes are available everywhere, online or via the app.

Information on maps of cycling routes

From one end to the other, the island is 30km (19 miles) long and 5km (3 miles) wide. From Sablanceaux to Les Portes-en-Ré, the cycle route is 31.5km and takes an average cyclist a little more than 2 hours to ride.

Check out hiring a bicycle here

Don’t Miss

St-Martin-de-Ré

The former capital of the island is St-Martin-de-Ré, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, the French clientele looks effortlessly chic in their linen shorts or floaty dresses on their sun-tanned bodies. The slogan on many a tote bag reflects the vibe: “Be Chic, Be Frenchy, Be Ré.”

The small harbour is surrounded by stonewashed restaurants and the town has become a stopping-off point for people flying out of La Rochelle airport (only a 30-minute drive away).

The lively harbour front is busy lunchtimes and evenings in summer, but out of season, you’ll find it easy to get a table. It’s the perfect place to sit quietly listening to the tinkle of sailing boat masts in the breeze with no sounds of passing traffic. Pedestrians walk or push their bikes through the streets, while drivers have to leave their vehicles at designated car parks, most of which are free for the first half-hour.

Locals like to start their meal with an aperitif of the Cognac-based Pineau des Charentes, followed by fresh oysters in season, moules marinèieres (mussels) or galettes (savoury buckwheat pancakes). For dessert, colourful La Martinière sells its own locally produced ice cream and has more than 60 flavours to choose from including salted caramel, mint choc chip and even Smurf.

Away from the harbour

Step away slightly from the harbourside, however, into one of the cobblestone back alleys, and you’ll get a chance to take photos of the renowned pastel-shuttered cottages and honeysuckle-lined lanes.

One tradition you can see in St-Martin is “Les ânes en culotte” or donkeys in pyjamas.

Donkeys were used throughout the island on farms and to carry salt from the marshes, which were notorious for the flies and mosquitoes that love the hairy animal’s juicy flesh.

The donkeys you see here wear striped cloth breeches to protect their legs and promote healing. Said to date from around 1860, the tradition started when a local woman used her husband’s shirt to dress the donkey’s wounds.

Today, children can take a short stroll on a donkey’s back around the Parc de la Barbette at the end of St-Martin harbour (from April to November weekends and holidays).

Ars-en-Ré church

At the far end of the island, the black-and-white steeple of the 15th-century Saint-Étienne church in the village square of Ars-en-Ré pierces a cloudless sky. It was used as a landmark for passing sailors.

Nowadays, visitors climb the belltower to make the most of the far-reaching views from the village across the saltmarshes.

The village is listed as one of the most beautiful in France and has a covered food market next to outdoor stalls selling clothing and trinkets.

La Flotte

Also on the list as one of the most beautiful villages in France, La Flotte is a miniature version of St-Martin.

With a few restaurants dotted around its small harbour, and a smattering of upmarket souvenirs, home decor and clothing shops, the village is most known for its medieval market selling locally grown fruit and veg from the cobblestoned courtyard.

Le Phare des Baleines lighthouse

The Victorian lighthouse sits on a windy outcrop on the far western end of the island overlooking its older sibling, the 17th-century Tour Vauban. At 57-m high, the energetic can climb to the top and overlook the nearby Plage des Conches and out across the Atlantic.

What to buy on Ile de Ré

I love shopping for unique items when I travel. Ile de Ré is famous for its local produce. The island’s fertile land and abundant sea mean that souvenirs from the island are plentiful.

One of its most renowned products, sea salt, is farmed here in the traditional way. Around 75 producers harvest the salt in the marshes using age-old techniques. The two types found here are gros sel (coarse salt) used in salt mills and cooking, and fleur de sel, a fine, slightly wet salt harvested by hand. It’s then added to caramel to produce vast quantities of salted caramel.

From the sea, oysters grown on the flatbeds are a local delicacy in season, while succulent mussels and sea urchins are also regional specialities.

On land, Ile de Ré has its own Cognac and the local aperitif, Pineau des Charentes, which come from grapes grown in the local vineyards.

Fruit and veg grown here include fresh strawberries, Ile de Ré new potatoes (similar to Jersey new potatoes and picked mid April), as well as asparagus, broad beans, cherries, tomatoes and peaches.

Fragrant smells in the shops and markets come from the scented soap made from donkey’s milk (lait d’ânesse). The highly prized milk calms the skin with its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory compounds.

Markets throughout the island are open every day in season, and each village has a market. The largest market at Le Bois-Plage has a huge fish market, and plenty of stalls selling clothes, souvenirs and trinkets.

Where to Stay on Ile de Ré

There’s a good choice of where to stay on the island. For accommodation on Ile de Ré click here.

How to get to Ile de Ré

By plane

There are numerous flights from UK airports to La Rochelle.

Once you arrive at the airport, you can either take the bus (see By bus below) or hire a car to your destination. The car hire building is a bit of a trek from the terminal, but once in the car, it’s a short 10-minute drive to the arc-shaped toll bridge to Ile de Ré (see By car below).

By train

Trains to La Rochelle connect from Bordeaux or Poitiers where you can join the TGV to Paris or Bordeaux. From the station, you can take the bus.

By car

Dover to Ile de Ré by car takes around 8 hrs 30 mins non-stop. It’s 787 kms (489 miles) and the fastest route has autoroute tolls. You go via Rouen and Le Mans then take the bridge to the island.

By bus

A bus picks up from the station – connecting with the Paris train – and airport to Ile de Ré every half hour to an hour with stops in nearly every village. You can buy a ticket on the bus for 5 euros for the day or 11 euros for the week (prices as of 2019).

The 3E Express bus runs from the station with limited stops; the 3A and 3B stop at both the station and airport and stops throughout the island. It takes about 30 minutes to Rivedoux-Plage and 2 hours to Portes-en-Ré, at the end of the island. It also connects with smaller shuttle buses on the island.

More about the French Atlantic Coast

Explore the French Atlantic Coast

Visit the glorious Vendée department

Read about the dramatic 2020-2021 Vendée Globe race. The next one is in four years’ time – 2024!

About guest writer, Fiona Quinn

Fiona Quinn is a francophile travel writer and editor. She’s lived in France on and off during the past 30 years, including as a student in Paris, ski saisonnaire in Savoie and Haute Savoie, and a home-owner in sunflower-filled Charente. 
Check out her website.

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