8 Day Paris and Bordeaux Itinerary
I love surprises. Really, I do. And, I especially love them when they come in the form of booking last minute travel. This year has been a whole adventure when it comes to work, and as a result, we ended up booking a spring break trip at the very last possible minute. The cheapest option was to use airline miles was on a flight from DFW-Paris. And, to keep our expenses lower, we opted for a Paris and Bordeaux itinerary instead of just staying in Paris for a week. We figured it would be fun to visit both cities again, even though we were just there in December and Bordeaux is part of our summer trip itinerary.
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How to Get to Bordeaux from Paris
I am the type of person who wants to get where I’m going. This trip was no exception. As soon as we decided that we wanted to go to Bordeaux, I looked into trains. When we went to Bordeaux at Christmas, we landed at CDG at 9:05am, took the RER and Metro, and were on the 12:04pm train to Bordeaux from Paris Montparnasse. Given that we would be traveling during spring break, I decided to book the same train with a flexible ticket, just in case we ran into any delays. (I highly recommend booking train tickets in France in advance. Trains do sell out.)
Our flight arrived into Paris at 9:00am. We were out of CDG with our luggage by 9:45am. While on the RER into Paris, I decided to see if the 11:04 train to Bordeaux was available. It was, and we would get a (small) refund. I decided to chance it and changed our tickets. By staying focused and moving quickly, we were able to make the earlier train to Bordeaux. The train between Paris and Bordeaux takes 2 hours and 15 minutes. By 1:15, we were in Bordeaux. And, by 2:00pm, we were firmly ensconced in our hotel room.
While not quite as easy as taking the train directly from the Paris airport to the Alsace, connecting at Montparnasse isn’t difficult. By going directly to Bordeaux, instead of spending one night in Paris, we were able to spend 4 nights in Bordeaux and hit the ground running. At some point, we aren’t going to be able to travel like this, so for now, I’m going to embrace it.
Four Nights in Bordeaux
We arrived in Bordeaux on early Sunday afternoon. Bordeaux tends to follow a more traditional French schedule than Paris, so many stores and restaurants are closed. (We learned this when were in Bordeaux in December.) As such, we opted to make a grocery store run and enjoy a in-room picnic dinner. We bought charcuterie, a bottle of Saint-Estephe wine, and enjoyed some fresh macarons, an arrival gift from FirstName Bordeaux, for dessert. (To be honest, they might be the best macarons I’ve ever had.)
Day One in Bordeaux – Introduction to Bordeaux Wines
We always start (and end) our first full day in Bordeaux with wine. We really love Le Sobre Chartrons wine bar for dinner. Not only do they have some great wines by the glass to try, but their full bottles are very fairly priced. You can choose to uncork a bottle at the wine bar or take bottles to go. (We’ve done both.) I LOVE their charcuterie platters. (I found finding wine tasting at Bordeaux wine bars to be far easier than wine tasting in Beaune and Burgundy.)
Le Cite du Vin
If this is your first time visiting Bordeaux and you are interested in wine, make sure to book a skip the line ticket to Le Cite du Vin (the city of wine) museum. It’s about an hour walk along the Garonne river from Hotel FirstName, but you can also take the tram.
This museum and accompanying audioguide will take you through interactive exhibits about winemaking throughout Bordeaux and around the world. I thought the exhibits on the various perfumes of wine was extraordinarily well done, though I’m not sure I’ve ever recognized any of those scents in my wine! The ticket includes a glass of wine at the rooftop wine bar that overlooks the Bordeaux.
Old Vintage Wine Tasting in Bordeaux
If you know a lot about wine, I suggest booking a Bordeaux wine tasting with old vintages. We did this on our second trip to Bordeaux, and it helped open us up to more wines. This tasting takes place in a wine cave in the Bordeaux city center. This particular shop specializes in older, affordable Bordeaux vintages. Though there are some expensive wines in the shop, our guide was very passionate about finding wines that were accessible to locals, as well as the international tourist market. That passion truly showed in the collection that the shop cultivates.
This tasting focused on Bordeaux wines, though they also sell a few bottles from other regions of France. (They even have pommeau from Normandy, which isn’t that easy to find outside of the area!) We tried vintages from 1989, 2002, 2009, and 2012 and purchased bottles from 1989 and 2010. I was particularly struck by the affordability of the wines. It would be impossible to find the same vintages at the same price point in the US.
Day Two in Bordeaux
Monday seems to be a pretty difficult day to book tours in Bordeaux. Usually, we would book a city tour on our first day in a new place. Since we’ve arrived in Bordeaux on Sunday on both trips, we have always ended up taking tours later a couple days after arriving. Very few of the popular English guidebooks offer extensive information on Bordeaux, so I definitely recommend taking a tour.
We had dinner at La Taniere, which is a French restaurant along the riverfront. It was so good that we went back two nights in a row and ordered different dishes. Tom’s favorite dish was the duck breast, and my favorite dish was the haches de bouef le feu, which was served with a green pepper cream sauce. The staff was extremely kind and made great recommendations on beer and wine.
Walking Tour of Bordeaux
Our second day in Bordeaux has always involved a walking tour of the city. We’ve done two walking tours in Bordeaux, and they covered different parts of the city. I highly recommend taking the free walking tour of Bordeaux first. Because we were traveling in December, the tour didn’t make and the othe option didn’t work with our schedule. However, the guide allowed us to book him for a private tour of Bordeaux. It started at Place des Quinconces and meandered through the city center (including the Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux). Caz covered the history, architecture, and food and wine extensively. It was definitely the best introduction to Bordeaux that we could have asked for, especially in the winter.
Bordeaux Walking Tour & Wine Tasting
On our second trip to Bordeaux, we decided to book a walking tour with a wine tasting. (We really wanted to learn more about Bordeaux wines. If you’re short on time, I recommend booking this walking tour and wine tasting.
Our guide, Ani, led us through a completely different part of the city and we learned so much more about the founding and history of Bordeaux. Our tour focused on the Chartrons neighborhood and the northern part of Bordeaux along the Garonne. Ani was an incredible guide – very interactive, constantly asking and encouraging questions, and making the tour much more informative. We were able to visit Église Saint-Louis des Chartrons, which is an absolutely beautiful cathedral that is a bit off the beaten path of Bordeaux.
After our tour, Ani led us to Le Sobre Chartrons for a blind tasting of Bordeaux wines and cheeses. We learned SO much from him about how to identify Bordeaux wines. While we had done several wine tastings in Bordeaux on our own, we didn’t really understand the biggest differences between the right and left banks. Ani helped close a lot of the knowledge gaps that we had about wines from Bordeaux. He also showed us how wines change with food pairings, which further underlines my desire to learn more about how to appropriately pair the two. No matter your experience with French wines, I feel certain that you can read a lot from Ani!
Bordeaux Restaurant Recommendation
On our third and fourth trips to Bordeaux, we found a couple of fantastic restaurants. One of my favorite restaurants we tried in November was Brasserie Bordelaise. Hear me out. You’re going to walk in and it’s going to feel huge for a restaurant in France. They have an English menu. You might even be surrounded by Americans if you eat early. However, they have some specialties from Southwest France that are truly outstanding, including their cassoulet. I tried cassoulet when we spent a few nights in Carcassonne last summer, and I was excited to have it again. It was delicious. Tom loved the beef cheek with Bordelaise sauce, too. The other thing that was endearing about Brasserie Bordelaise is that we showed our waited a wine we knew and asked for a recommendation. He found a wine that was half that price and just as good. We were very impressed. Be aware: portions are huge here. Order judiciously or go hungry. I think this is one of the few times I was completely unable to finish my meal, and I felt terrible about it!
Day Three in Bordeaux
With a more firm understanding of Bordeaux wines, we opted to put our learning to the test on our third day in Bordeaux.
Blind Bordeaux Wine Tasting
After such a great introduction to Bordeaux wines from Ani, we were excited to try a blind wine tasting in Bordeaux. Shaun was our host, and he was SO great. Like Ani, he helped us to engage all of our senses to figure out what we were tasting. (He also gave us the option to tailor our wine tasting to our interests. We chose to focus mostly on red wines.) This wine tasting is hosted at a woman-owned wine bar and focused exclusively on wineries owned by women. They aren’t your typical run-of-the-mill Bordeaux wines. These wines were special and interesting. They are small producers and unique wines that you won’t find at other wine tastings in France. We ended up buying about half of the wines we tried.
Day Four in Bordeaux
Unfortunately for one of us (hi, it’s me!), one of our days in Bordeaux was dominated by meetings. That means that my day was interrupted by meetings. This means that we weren’t able to take advantage of taking a day trip to Saint Emilion, something we’ve wanted to do since our first trip to Bordeaux. However, if you want to visit Saint-Emilion, I have a great recommendation for you. Our first tour guide from Bordeaux, Caz, launched an e-bike tour of Saint Emilion. You’ll visit two wineries, enjoy a picnic lunch, and experience Saint-Emilion by e-bike. We’ve done e-bike tours through the vineyards in Alsace, and it’s just stunning. E-bikes make it super easy, so even if you’re not used to riding, it’s a great way to do it. (We had traditional bikes when we stayed in Mont St Michel, and it was an adjustment after trying the e-bikes, lol!) If you want to stay near Saint Emilion, I have a full review of the Chateau Grand Barrail Hotel from our 4th trip to Bordeaux, which we LOVED.
If you decide to stay in Bordeaux, I recommend heading to Max Wine Gallery or Le Bar a Vin to try more Bordeaux wines. Max Bordeaux has an extensive list of wines by the glass, including some older vintages. (The list changes often, so if you find a bottle you like, buy it! I missed out on a 2015 Pomerol, and I’m still sad about it!) The city wine bar, Bar a Vin, has a more curated list and serves charcuterie planches alongside their inexpensive wines. (We love the cheese plate, as well as the chocolate assortment!) Both wine bars serve an assortment of bubbles, white wines, red wines, and sweet wines.
Day Five in Paris
We chose to take an early train from Bordeaux to Paris so that we would have a little bit of time to relax before heading out in Paris. The morning train from Bordeaux to Paris takes almost 3 hours, so it was a bit longer than the train to Bordeaux. (There were three stops along the way.) We arrived at Montparnesse and decided to take a cab to our hotel. (Since we were carrying two wine suitcases (partially filled), it seemed safer and easier than navigating the metro. We arrived at our hotel around noon and headed out for about an hour-long walk while we waited for our room to be ready.
Paris Wine Tasting
As with almost every trip to Paris we’ve taken in the last few years, we started with a French wine and cheese tasting. Erwan runs one of the best wine tastings in Paris, with a focus on small producers from different regions around France. Drawing customers from all over the world, he fosters a convivial atmosphere where you can connect with others and learn a lot about wine and French cheese. I credit my growing interest of French cheeses to Erwan. He’s also part of the reason that we started traveling to Bordeaux.
Each tasting offers 2 white wines and 3 red wines from different regions. The list changes frequently, if not daily. We usually purchase wines from Erwan to enjoy while we are in Paris and to bring home. When we first started, we would bring home wines we tried and loved, but now we let Erwan pick out a few things for us that we might enjoy. (We brought home some really interesting wines from him on this trip, so I’m excited to share those.)
Another one of our traditions in Paris is to book our first dinner at Sacre Fleur in Montmartre. We’ve been coming to this restaurant since 2019, and I think it gets better every time we visit. Like Erwan, they are comfortable making wine recommendations and have helped us explore more of the lesser known wines in Southwest France. We tend to order an entree (I love their onion soup and Tom loves their beef tartare), split a cote de boeuf, and split a dessert. This time, they surprised us with some sauteed mushrooms that were UNREAL. Tom and I both LOVED them. For dessert, I love the apple sorbet and Calvados, the tarte tatin with Calvados, and the chocolate cake with black currant sorbet. (I think they have the best Calvados I’ve ever had; I definitely prefer it to the versions that we had when visited Honfleur last summer!)
Day Six in Paris
We started our second day in Paris with a visit to one of my favorite museums in Paris, the Musee d’Orsay. If this is your first trip to the museum, I highly recommend booking this guided tour and skip the line ticket for the Musee d’Orsay. Rather than just focusing on the “big” Impressionist works, it starts on the ground floor of the museum and helps you understand why and how the Impressionist movement started. From there, you’ll wind through the museum and see the evolution of art into the widely recognized works that you’ve probably seen. I strongly recommend visiting the Musee d’Orsay before heading to Montmartre. Remember, the museum is closed on Monday, but you can head to L’Orangerie to see Monet’s water lilies and a smaller exhibit of Impressionist works. (I love the special exhibits at L’Orangerie.)
However you choose to visit museums in Paris, I strongly recommend reservation a time slot at the beginning or the end of the day. This will help you avoid the largest crowds. I also like the late night hours at the Musee d’Orsay (on Thurdays) and the Louvre (on Friday).
Explorinig Saint Germain des Pres
After you get your fill of art, I recommend gallery hopping through the streets around Saint Germain des Pres. We ended up at one of my favorite galleries, Carre d’Artistes, and we splurged on a beautiful souvenir to commemorate our (many) trips to Paris. We purchased a painting by French artist, Alan Dessapt, and I can’t wait for it to arrive. It reminds me of our honeymoon in Paris and the first time I took Tom to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle at blue hour.
If you’re looking for a great traditional French restaurant in the 6th arrondissement, we have a couple of favorites. You can read more about our favorite restaurants in Paris, but I recommend Chez Fernand Christine, Les Antiquaries, or Le Petit Chalet. The food at Chez Fernand is incredible, and they have extensive wine list. Les Antiquaries offers outdoor tables and is very close to the Musee d’Orsay. And, Le Petit Chalet has a great view of Notre Dame if you’re lucky. You can’t go wrong with any of these restaurants.
Day Seven in Paris
On every trip to Paris, I like to choose a neighborhood to further explore. I will book a tour and happily wander my way back to my hotel. As you probably noticed from my frequent trips to Musee d’Orsay, I love the Impressionists. If this is also you, I recommend that you head to Montmartre. Once you’ve finished exploring, head back down the hill and make your way to L’Orangerie for Monet’s famous water lilies. They often have a special exhibit focused on other Impressionists works that is worth exploring, too. I love going at the end of the afternoon when the light is softer and the museum starts to empty out.
MontMartre Food Tour
Food tours in Paris have been transformative for us, both in getting us to try new things and learning more about different arrondissements. What I love about this food tour in Montmartre is that it focuses on introducing you to local restaurants. Some food tours are more balanced with places where you can buy foodie souvenirs. This tour is all about the cafes and restaurants of the 18th arrondissement. While it provided more pastries than some of the other food tours in Paris, we still tried some savory snacks, including French wine, cheese, and charcuterie. We made our way from the Moulin Rouge, wound our way up the hill, visited Place du Tertre (with its amazing artists), and ended at Sacre Coeur. While our guide didn’t take us into Sacre Coeur, we did opt for a self-guided tour of the church on our own after the tour.
Walking Tour of MontMartre
If you are more interested in a historical walking tour of Montmartre, I highly recommend taking this tour by Paris Walks. Our guide was a Paris resident who has lived in the Montmartre neighborhood for many years. She regaled us with stories about the Impressionists’ studios and the history of the Paris Salon and the emergence and history of the cabarets in Paris. She pointed out quiet gardens to take a moment of respite from the crowds. And, she showed us the only vineyard in Paris proper. And, perhaps most importantly, she gave us a better understanding of the history of Paris and how Montmartre came to be a haven for artists.
Note: If you’re just looking for instagrammable Paris, this is not the tour for you. Yes, many of the iconic Emily in Paris filming locations are in Montmartre, but this is not that tour. This is really for the people who are interested in learning more about this arrondissement.
Where To Eat and Drink in MontMartre
It’s no secret that our favorite restaurant in Paris is Sacree Fleur. I mentioned it above. This tiny steakhouse offers a small menu of French entrees, delicious steaks, and tasty desserts. They have a great wine list and make exceptional recommendations. You should make a reservation in advance to avoid being disappointed. You can’t go wrong here. It’s cozy, comfortable, and feels like home for us.
If you are looking for a place for a great aperitif, we love Le Montmartre, which is a short walk from Sacree Fleur. This unassuming neighborhood bar is at 18 Rue Custine and offers tables inside and outside. They have local French beers, reasonable cocktails, and an easy menu. We’ve gone for charcuterie and really love their cheese. I have no idea what they were, but they were all different and very tasty!
If you want to be closer to the action, La Boîte aux Lettres (LaBaL) is in the heart of Montmartre. It has a great wine list, an innovative French menu, and delicious desserts.
Day Eight in Paris
The last day of any trip is always hard for me. There’s always so much more that I want to fit in, but I also like to slow down a bit before heading home. If I’m feeling really overwhelmed, I’ll book a spa treatment for my last day in Paris. I love Le Spa at the Park Hyatt Paris. Gabriel’s massages are life-changing!
Visit Chateau de Versailles
However, if you’re up for more sightseeing, I I recommend heading to Versailles for the day. You can book a bus tour (which I do not recommend) or you can take the RER C and pick up a tour at the Chateau (which I highly recommend!). I do think that it is super helpful to a have a guide, which gives important context to what you are seeking. I have noticed that what is open to the public changes quite a bit. The last time we were there, we were able to see the king’s apartments, the Hall of Mirrors, and only took a short walk around the gardens.
After the tour, you are free to wander the grounds or rent bikes to cover more ground. I strongly recommend visiting the Trianon Palace, but make sure to wear comfortable shoes. The grounds are so much bigger than you can imagine.
If you happen to be in Paris on a Saturday from June – September, make sure you plan to attend the Versailles fountains and fireworks experience. This is one of the coolest things we’ve done. The gardens are lovely, and at the end of the night, there are amazing fireworks.
Experiencing Versailles in Paris
If you aren’t up for a day trip, there are a couple of ways to experience the grandeur of Versailles in Paris.
To see the a little bit of the grandeur of Versailles, you can head to the Louvre, and more specifically, the Richelieu wing. (The most famous works of art in the Louvre are in the Denon wing.) This lesser visited “corner” of the Louvre houses some of the same opulence that you’ll find at Versailles. While nothing truly compares with the over-the-top opulence of Versailles, you’ll still find beautiful textiles, stunning chandeliers, and plenty of gold in the Richelieu wing. If you want to get a little further off the beaten track in Paris, visit Hotel de la Marine.
If you opt to stay in Paris and are looking for a traditional French meal near the Louvre or Hotel de la Marine, I recommend making a reservation at Le Souffle in the 1st arrondissement. This restaurant serves up an assortment of sweet and savory souffles. It’s also home to one of my favorite aperitifs, a kir vin rouge, which I’ve never seen anywhere else. It’s red wine with a shot of violet liquor.
Understanding the French Revolution
Once you experience Paris’s grandeur, it’s time to learn what contributed to the fall of the monarchy. If you don’t know anything about the French Revolution, I highly recommend taking a tour about the French Revolution. This will give you a basic understanding of what was going on in France and why Versailles is considered to be so over the top. It also will provide more context on why the movement to abolish the monarchy started and the many factors that lead to the rise of Napoleon. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be ready to visit Bayeux on your next trip to France and see some of the effects of the French Revolution there!
Where to Stay in Bordeaux
FirstName Bordeaux
On both trips to Bordeaux, we opted to stay at FirstName Bordeaux. On our first trip, I booked a Hyatt Prive rate that included a property credit and 4th free night. We opted to use our credit in the hotel bar, but they also have an outstanding restaurant, Le Bada, on site. On Sundays, there is live music We loved the hotel so much that we stopped looking for anywhere else to stay in Bordeaux.
FirstName Bordeaux is a Hyatt jdv property, which means it feels more like a boutique hotel than a Hyatt. It’s a 10-15 minute walk from the heart of Bordeaux, and it’s on the tram line if you don’t want to walk as far. The staff is incredibly kind and friendly. On our second stay, I had a package delivered to the hotel in advance of our stay, and they immediately brought up upon arrival.
We had the same corner king room on both stays. The room was huge with large windows that offered plenty of light on the short winter days. Our windows opened, which helped us regulate the temperature in the room. And, there was plenty of artificial light, which helped with zoom calls during that time. (Just keeping it honest as a full-time professional who loves to travel.) The linens were very high quality, and the mattress and pillows were very comfortable. I was very impressed.
The bathroom has an amazing soaking tub, as well as a great hand shower that allows you to adjust the water pressure as necessary. There is a separate toilet from the dual vanities and shower, which is really nice. The hotel offers bathrobes, a large walk-in closet, and plenty of space for storage.
While there are a few other luxury hotels in Bordeaux, at this price point, I don’t think anything can beat FirstName Bordeaux. It’s hard to imagine we’ll stay anywhere else.
Where to Stay in Paris
We have largely been creatures of habit on our trips to Paris, opting to mostly stay in the 2nd arrondissement. We regularly stay the multiple Hyatt hotels in Paris. We’ve spent the most nights at the Park Hyatt Paris, and I still love it for the spa. We’ve also spent several long weekends at Hotel du Louvre, which Tom loves. For longer trips in the summer and trips with our parents, we’ve stayed at Hotel Dress Code in the 9th arrondissement. In summer 2024, we stayed at Hotel de Seze on the right bank, which is similar to Le Tourville. Tom has really wanted me to find more hotels like the Hotel Dress Code, which is an excellent mid-range hotel.
Hotel Le Tourville Paris
In an attempt to not only try a new hotel but also a new neighborhood. I booked an executive room at Hotel Le Tourville in the 7th arrondissement. It is located on a busy street between the Hotel des Invalides and the Eiffel Tower. It worked very well for getting around the Left Bank. We walked to the Musee d’Orsay and explored St Germain on foot. One night, we headed to the Latin Quarter for aperitif, made our way to St. Germain for dinner, and walked all the back to the hotel. On our last night, we walked from the Golden Triangle back to the hotel.
The staff was very friendly and tried to be as helpful as possible. They arranged a cab for us on the morning of our departure, which was much appreciated. When we travel with our wine suitcases, it can be difficult to find a car large enough for our luggage.
We did not add breakfast to our room rate, but you do have that option. There are several grocery stores near the the hotel as well.
Room 20 – Executive Room at Le Tourville
Thinking about the hotel specifically, it’s a perfectly good hotel at the right price point. I feel like the staff is one of its best selling points. They are so very kind to everyone. There are small gestures that make it feel special, like gummy Eiffel Towers and a personal note upon arrival.
The executive room is a pretty standard size for Paris, which to say, they will feel small for Americans. We’ve had smaller rooms at Hotel Dress Code though. The bathrooms at Le Tourville are updated. Our executive room had a soaking tub and a hand shower. The water pressure was great and we never ran into an issue with hot water.
The bed was comfortable and they had pillows of varying firmness, which was really nice. We had a small desk, a mini-fridge, and a wardrobe with plenty of space. The windows opened, which helped regulate the temperature, though our street facing room was pretty loud. (There is currently construction in front of the hotel. It was on-going throughout the week.) If you want a quiet room, I would definitely confirm a courtyard view in advance.
Overall, the room was nice for a few nights in Paris. Our room could use a paint touch up, but it was clean, functional, and comfortable. If you’re looking for a solid and comfortable hotel on the Left Bank, Hotel Le Tourville could be a great mid-range hotel in Paris.
Final Thoughts on Visiting Paris and Bordeaux
Depending on who you talk to, they may tell you that Paris is a giant Bordeaux – or Bordeaux is a smaller Paris. The truth is somewhere in the middle. They have similar, grand architecture. The availability of green space in both cities is something that we always enjoy. Food and wine are outstanding in both cities.
The pace between the two is the most obvious difference. I love how easy it is to walk through Bordeaux. I’ve never been when it felt extraordinarily crowded. However, you can find the same experiences if you spend time exploring the arrondissements of Paris, too. A few blocks away from any major attraction can yield amazing restaurants, local wine bars, and unique experiences.
I like creating an itinerary for Paris and Bordeaux because it allows me to go deeper. Paris provides us the opportunity to explore many things because of how big it is. It’s allowed us to try Bordeaux wines, try Alsatian food, and learn more about the history of France. Taking trips to the smaller cities in France allows us to peel back the onion and experience things on a deeper level. If I can give you any advice for traveling to France, it’s to skip the day trip. Find a way to squeeze in a couple days in a city beyond Paris. You’ll find plenty of France content here to choose the best place for you. And, if you love wine, Bordeaux is a great place for you – and it doesn’t have to be expensive.
Bon voyage!