Visiting Bordeaux in 4 Days

After several incredible trips to different regions of France over the past few years, we finally found ourselves visiting Bordeaux three times in 6 months! This decision was encouraged by our growing enjoyment of wine, which was encouraged by one of our favorite sommeliers in Paris, as well as one of our favorite restaurants. Both made Bordeaux wines feel more approachable. While it rained almost the entire time we were in Bordeaux in December, we fell in love with the beauty of the city, the kindness of people, and the food and wine of the area. The medieval streets were enchanting in the evening. We’re definitely thinking about returning during the warmer months, but Bordeaux also holds a lot of magic at Christmas.

As with most places we’ve traveled around Europe during Christmastime, it felt very local. I think we only heard English once. We saw Spanish, French, and German tourists, but the Americans weren’t there when we visited in December. When we were there in March and June, we heard a little bit more English, but it still felt very local.

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Getting to Bordeaux

In December, since we had Paris Opera Ballet tickets, I decided that it would make the most sense to go to Bordeaux when we first landed in France. We flew DFW-CDG, took the RER B to Denfert-Rochereau, and transferred to Metro line 4 to get to the Montparnasse train station. It took about a little under an hour. This was a little bit more difficult than when we’ve taken the direct train to Strasbourg from Charles de Gaulle, but it was fine. When we visited in March, we did the exact same thing. In June, we drove in after spending a week near Mont St Michel, which took about 5.5 hours.

Knowing that we would be traveling in the holiday season, I booked our train tickets via SNCF in advance. We took a direct train from Paris Montparnasse to Bordeaux Saint Jean, which took about 2.5 hours via INOUI. The return trip, from Bordeaux Saint Jean to Paris Montparnasse, took 2 hours via the TGV train. The drive would have taken at least 6 hours, so if you are thinking about traveling to Bordeaux, I recommend taking the train and then picking up a car if you truly need one. Diane has a lot more tips for traveling through France by train.

A few things to Know about trains in France:

• I always book flexible tickets if I’m booking train tickets for the day of arrival. In this case, the earlier train was sold out, but we could have switched to a later train if our flight had been delayed.
• Some train tickets limit the size or amount of luggage you can bring. Make sure you plan accordingly. Since we were traveling with our wine suitcase, I added a piece of luggage to our trip. I don’t know how it’s enforced, but it gave me peace of mind.
• Many trains have seat reservations. Choose your seats when you book and govern yourself accordingly. Seat numbers are above the seats, on electronic screens, or on the side of the seat. Please don’t try and force people to switch seats with you by merely sitting in their seats. (This is particularly true on trains that make stops.)
• Make sure you check your train number, not your destination. Your train’s final destination might not be your final destination. It’s entirely possible to get on the wrong train if you don’t double check the train number, just like you would a flight number.

Why Visit Bordeaux?

The Beauty of Bordeaux

The old city center of Bordeaux is protected as UNESCO World Heritage Site. As such, it is beautifully maintained, though there are parts of the city that allow you to see what it looks like before it became a UNSECO site. If you love the architecture in Paris, you will probably love the architecture in Bordeaux. I try not to compare cities too much, but parts of Bordeaux reminded me of our trip to Bayeux as well.

The Food of Bordeaux

There are more restaurants per capita in Bordeaux than any other city in France. And, as a result of that, according to our guide, the expectation for quality is very high. We spent most of our meals in wine bars and trying to learn as much as we could about the Bordeaux wines, but we found the planches (charcuterie boards) to be very high quality.

Bordeaux Wine

And, of course, the wines. Bordeaux wines are among some of the most famous and the highest quality. We were a little nervous that the wines were going to be too expensive for us to truly enjoy, but there are great wines in Bordeaux at every price point. Yes, there are very famous wine chateaus that produce very expensive wines, but there are a lot more small producers that sell great bottles of wine. The trick is being open, asking for recommendations, and trying as much as you can. Thankfully, we have taken advantage of this wine tasting in Paris multiple times, so we were able to navigate Bordeaux with some knowledge about the area. (Highly recommend if you are starting your France trip in Paris! It’s helped us in all other areas of France.) On our third trip to Bordeaux, we visited some wineries, which I’ll discuss below!

Things to Know about French Wine Before Visiting Bordeaux

I am not an expert in French wine, but I enjoy exploring the different wine regions of France (both when I travel and via a good wine list!). I have visited more wineries in Italy than I have in France, and most of my wine tastings in France have been in Alsace. The first thing you need to know about French wine is that you will order by the region, not the grape. That’s very different from the US. If you ask for a pinot noir or a chardonnay, you may get a blank stare. It’s not that the French are being rude, it’s that there are multiple varietals that include different grapes. Like Italian wines, there are a few classifications of wine that are helpful to know before you head to Bordeaux. You can think of it like a pyramid.

Vin de Table (VdT)

This is table wine and the broadest category. It won’t have a vintage year on the bottle and it can come from anywhere in France. This is the base of the pyramid.

Vin de Pays (VdP)

This is a step up from table wine and it is wine from a designated area, so you’ll find a specific region and vintage year on the bottle. It doesn’t require strict production or ratios, so you might find some creativity in here. I think of it as being similar to IGT wine in Italy.

Vin d’Appellation d’Origine Controlée (AOC)

AOC wines are strictly regulated and come from a specific geographic area. These controls may include the types of grapes used in the wine and what the percentage of blends can be, how the grapes are harvested (hand vs. machine) and cultivation techniques, and amount of production. This is similar to a DOC status in Italy.

Grand Cru

Grand Cru wines come from specific appellations and are strictly regulated. In between AOC and Grand Cru wines, you may also find Villages AOC and Premier Cru wines. I’ve found the Villages AOC to be more common on French wine lists. This would be similar to your DOCG wine in Italy.

I know a lot of people think that French wines, especially French wines from Bordeaux have to be expensive. They don’t. I promise. We were nervous about visiting Bordeaux because of that, but we found some outstanding wines at very fair prices. The expense came in when we started pricing out the same bottles in the United States. So, if you like wine, I strongly suggest following our trend of buying a wine suitcase and saving the money you would spend on shipping. Our wine suitcase paid for itself on its first trip and every trip since.

Wine Tastings in Bordeaux

We decided when we started to plan our trip to Bordeaux that we would spend our time in the city exclusively for our first trip. We didn’t want to do a lot of day trips, and it can be a little tricky to schedule wine tastings in the best of times, let alone the off season. However, we wanted to try as many wines from Bordeaux as possible since we’re still learning about French wines. When we go back to Bordeaux, we may stay outside the city and visit some of the wineries, but similar to our trip to Honfleur this past summer, if we’re in a town, we want to be there. Maybe in the future we’d be more up for wine tours to the countryside, but with so many great wine bars in Bordeaux, it’s hard to want to leave the city.

Bordeaux Wine and Cheese Tasting

It was a truly interactive experience where we were able to utilize all our senses to better understand the wines. He used the vials from Le Nez du Vin to help us hone our sense of smell and better understand the primary, secondary, and tertiary flavors. (I’m proud to say that I got at least half right!)

We started with a white wine from Bordeaux that was accompanied by charcuterie. When we started tasting red wines, we had the opportunity to taste single grape vintages that allowed us to understand what to look for when tasting Bordeaux blends. It’s the first time we’ve had the opportunity to do that, and it was incredible. When we finally tasted the red wines, we were able to do it as a blind tasting utilizing all the skills we learned. (We got them both right!)

This was the perfect tasting to really refine our knowledge of the Bordeaux wines. It’s definitely my favorite wine tasting we’ve done in Bordeaux.

Le Sobre Chartrons

Our tour guide in Bordeaux recommended Le Sobre Chartrons as a great place to try different wines. He was absolutely correct. We enjoyed the experience so much, we have gone back multiple times. This wine bar offers wines by the glass, but you can also buy a bottle to enjoy there or take away. We ended up buying several bottles of a Pessac-Leognan that we enjoyed there. On our last visit, we met the owner, who had noticed how often we had come in, and we had a great conversation and shared many laughs.

We ordered charcuterie platters at Le Sobre Chartrons, and they were outstanding. Everything was expertly sliced and the flavors were unreal. While I’m still learning a lot about French cheese, all of the cheeses at Le Sobre were exceptional. I will be thinking about the truffle ham and thinly shaved sheep cheese for awhile.

One of the things I really loved about this wine bar is that they used the card system, so you could do a small pour to taste a wine, or do a full or double pour if you wanted a glass of wine. We were able to try some of the more popular red wines from Bordeaux, but we also tried several white wines, including a lovely 2008 Sauternes, which is a sweet wine that I didn’t see at many of the other wine bars.

Though we were able to grab a table during quieter hours, it did become quite busy. I suggest making a reservation if you are visiting during more popular times.

Old Vintage Wine Tasting in Bordeaux

On our second trip to Bordeaux, we decided to book a few formal wine tastings. I ended up choosing to book a wine tasting of old vintages, as I knew they would be things that we would be reluctant to order in a restaurant. We ended up trying 2012, 1989, 2010, and 2002 vintages of various red Bordeaux wines. (We also tried a newer white Bordeaux.) The wines were served with charcuterie and bread, but it was a secondary player to the wine. The wine was the star of the show. What I loved about this particular wine tasting is that all of the wines were very fairly priced. It would be impossible to find similar wines in the US at the same price point. The shopkeeper explained that they have a commitment to remaining approachable to Bordeaux locals, as well as the emerging tourist market.

The wine cellar that hosts the tasting is extremely well curated with a lot of great wines at fair price points. We purchased a couple of bottles to drink on our trip, as well as a few to bring home. I definitely recommend taking advantage of this tasting if you’re looking for something different, and especially if you want to try older vintages of Bordeaux wines.

Blind Wine Tasting in Bordeaux

On our second trip to Bordeaux, we booked a blind wine tasting. This was a little bit tricky because this wine tasting was not just standard Bordeaux wines. However, Shaun was an amazing guide for this tasting and even gave us options to tailor the tasting to our particular wine preferences. (We chose red because it was March. I would consider a mix or whites in June.)

This wine tasting is run by a woman-owned wine bar that focuses exclusively on wineries owned by women. We found the wines to be unique and interesting. They are mostly small producers and wines that we had not tried at other tastings. When I was cataloging them our wine storage, it actually took quite a bit of time because they are not really mass marketed wines. Though Tom wanted to buy all the wines we tried, we ended up buying about half because we needed to save room in the wine suitcase for the rest of our trip.

Max Bordeaux

The wine cellar with the most extensive list of wines by the glass that we visited was Max. We didn’t do an official tasting, though they do offer that as an option. Instead, we went through the wine list and tried things that we were most interested in. My favorite glass of the night ended up being a 2015 Chateau Mazeyres Pomerol. (2015 is apparently a great vintage year for Bordeaux, similar to Montalcino.) The only draw back of Max Bordeaux, for me, is that they didn’t have food to accompany the wine, and I was worried about it going straight to my head, but I guess we could have eaten before we went. I’m just obsessed with food and wine pairings these days.

This bar also functions as a wine shop, and the wines were very fairly priced. I would have brought home the Pomerol if it hadn’t been the first week of our trip, and we hadn’t purchased so much of the Pessac already.

Le Bar a Vin

Rounding out our list of wine bars in Bordeaux that we enjoyed is Le Bar a Vin. This was probably the most beautiful of the wine bars we visited with a well manicured list of white, red, rose, and sparkling wines from Bordeaux. Over the course of our visits, we have worked our way through the many of the wines and ordered the cheese and chocolate platters to accompany our wine tastings. It is plenty of food, and it is very high quality. I didn’t feel like I needed a meal after visiting the city wine bar in Bordeaux. This place does get quite popular, and we saw lines during the afternoon and in the early evening. The staff is very friendly and knowledgable and willing to make recommendations if you ask.

Things to Do in Bordeaux

Since we didn’t have a lot of time to plan our first trip to Bordeaux, imagine our surprise when we opened the one travel guide that we brought… and there was NOTHING on Bordeaux. This felt a little daunting, but we were also quite busy with work. If we had a long list of things we wanted to see in Bordeaux, we would have felt like we were missing out – so I think we hit a good balance. We only spent 4 days in Bordeaux, so we made it work.

When we decided to go back, I did a lot more research in advance. We were lucky to find a tour on such short notice in the off-season, but I know we missed out on so much more by not having done the research to help direct our energy.

Bordeaux Walking Tour

Once we realized that we did not have any sort of introduction to Bordeaux, Tom jumped into action trying to find a tour. We registered for a free walking tour of Bordeaux, but were contacted by the guide letting us know that the tour didn’t make and offering other options. They didn’t fit with our schedule, so we booked a private walking tour of Bordeaux with Caz. This ended up being the best way to learn more about the city, and he provided so much information and we covered so much ground in a short time. We started at Place des Quinconces, one of the largest open spaces in France.

I am a firm believer that you should always do a walking tour of a city when you first arrive so that you can better understand what is important to an area and figure out where you want to focus more of your time. Caz covered everything from the history of Bordeaux, to the architecture and changes made to the city in pursuit of UNSECO status, to information about food and wine. We would have enjoyed doing a wine tasting with him if time had allowed.

Bordeaux Boulangerie Tour

One of the things I learned to make at pastry school last summer was canele. These tiny vanilla rum cakes are specific to Bordeaux and made utilizing a specialized copper mold. For that reason alone, I was very excited to take a food tour of the bakeries of Bordeaux. Wear your walking shoes and come with an empty stomach. You’ll cover a lot of ground and a lot of boulangeries on this tour!

This is a walking tour that covers much of the city of Bordeaux, and it introduces you to a variety of French pastries. Not only did we try a variety of sweet and savory pastries and breads, but also our guide provided a lot of history as we made our way through the different neighborhoods of Bordeaux. What I loved most about this tour is that our guide took us beyond the popular streets of Bordeaux. We visited several award winning boulangeries that were off the beaten path. All of the pastries were exceptional. Don’t eat breakfast before you take this tour. It’s quite filling and you probably won’t need lunch.

We returned to a couple of the boulangeries throughout our trip to try more patisserie, and they did not disappoint.

Tour of Bordeaux + Wine Tasting

If you only have a short time in the city , I strongly recommend booking a combination Bordeaux walking tour and wine tasting. We booked this on our second trip to Bordeaux, and we still learned so much.

Ani took us through a completely neighborhood of Bordeaux, Chartrons. We learned so much more about the history of Bordeaux, much of which is largely ignored by US guidebooks. Chartrons is in the northern part of the city and is bordered by Garonne. You can see that it is the old wine merchant neighborhood because there are small openings perfect for storing barrels of wine.

Ani was a very interactive guide. He constantly asked us questions, but he also encouraged us to ask what was our mind. This also carried over into the wine tasting that we did with him. Tom had told Ani I was good at wine, so he suggested we try a blind tasting of Bordeaux wines and cheeses. (That felt a little daunting for me!) However, Ani spent time explaining how we could better identify Bordeaux right and left bank wines. He also showed us how wines change with food. Now, whenever I do a wine tasting, I ask what the sommelier or winemaker would pair with the food. It’s not always what you think or what we’ve been told!

Le Cite du Vin

On our first full day in Bordeaux, we booked a visit to Le Cite du Vin, the Bordeaux wine museum. This was a great introduction to wine-making across the world, and it had several unique exhibits. There is an audioguide available, and we opted for the DIY version. In retrospect, it might have been more useful if we had simply followed the museum tour that they recommend, but Tom had very specific exhibits that he wanted to see.

Our ticket included a “wine tasting,” which included a glass of wine at the rooftop wine bar that overlooks the city. We didn’t love either of the wines we tasted, and we visited on a very cloudy and rainy day, so it probably wasn’t the best experience. Still the wine museum is fantastic, and it’s worth a visit.

You can take the tram or walk to the museum – it’s really not as far as it seems. I think the view of Le Cite du Vin from the Garonne river is impressive, even though the architecture doesn’t completely fit the medieval old city nor the grand architecture.

Bordeaux Christmas Market

If you are visiting Bordeaux in late November-December, you will find the Marché de Noël de Bordeaux in the heart of the city. This market reminded me a lot of the Tuileries Christmas Market in Paris simply because of the sheer number of food stalls and the international flair. This would be the perfect place to grab lunch or dinner and people watch. There are over 100 vendors selling everything from Alsatian specialities (and bretzels!) to Basque specialties, and everywhere in between. There were (surprisingly), a lot of Canadian products, and (unsurprisingly), all the French pate and foie gras products you could want. Pro tip: Buy a bottle of Sauternes to pair with foie gras for a decadent culinary experience in France.

Unfortunately for us, it rained most of the time we were in Bordeaux in December, so I didn’t ever feel like I could stop and truly enjoy the market, but it definitely felt local and I loved the ambiance. It was far less crowded than the Christmas markets in Alsace, and similar to Alsace, there are shorter “pop up” markets throughout the city and in the smaller towns surrounding Bordeaux throughout the holiday season.

Bordeaux Cathedral

Bordeaux’s large cathedral, Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux, is absolutely stunning, especially from the outside. Similar to the Bayeux Cathedral, it has Gothic, Romanesque, and Renaissance elements, all of which contribute to a beautiful facade. The interior, by comparison, feels austere by comparison, though it does have an incredible organ and some beautiful stained glass. Be aware that the cathedral does close for lunch, so you’ll want to plan your visit accordingly. Fun fact: the bell tower is not attached to the cathedral because they feared the vibrations from the bells would impact the building. (This is true in Honfleur, as well.)

One of our regrets was not having time to purchase tickets for Luminscence, an interactive light show in the cathedral during the evening.

Visiting Wineries in Bordeaux

We did not actually visit the vineyards around Bordeaux until our third trip. After doing a lot of research after our first trip, we figured out that it would be better to have a car to visit the wineries. We stand behind this decision. You will generally need appointments to visit wineries, so I recommend reaching out in advance.

If you think you’re going to be able to visit the famous wineries of Bordeaux, you probably need to manage expectations. Our guide, Caz, explained that many of them operate off a strict customer list and don’t offer visits to the public. Those wines are really our style, so we were too chuffed about it. We always do a wine tasting in Paris with one of our favorite sommeliers, so we asked him to make a few recommendations on Bordeaux wineries to visit, and we visited a winery from one of our favorite restaurants in Paris.

We visited Château Mazeyres in Pomerol, Château Tour Grand Faurie in Saint Emilion, and Clos du Roy in Fronsac. These are all wineries that we’ve purchased wine from, though it was great to learn more about their vinification techniques, see the vineyards, and tried a variety of vintages and wines we had not seen. We ended up purchasing several bottles for the remainder of our trip.

We stopped in Saint Emilion during the middle of the day, and it felt a little daunting with so many daytrippers. I definitely recommend spending some time visiting Saint-Émilion Collegial church and exploring the cloisters. They had a beautiful art exhibit in the cloisters.

Where to Stay in Bordeaux

Hotel FirstName Bordeaux

Since it was our first time visiting Bordeaux, I wanted the amenities of a hotel. We took a cab directly to the hotel from the train station, which took about 12 minutes. (On the way back, we took the tram, which took about 20 minutes. It requires a change, but it’s super easy.)

We arrived around 3:45 and Chloe immediately helped us check in. She remarked on my Globalist status, explained the Prive benefits, and let us know that the hotel opened in January 2023, so she was excited to hear our feedback. Our room wasn’t quite ready, but she offered us a drink and held our luggage while we waited. Shortly after, she came to confirm our wine preferences and bring our key to us.

King Corner Rooms at Hotel FirstName Bordeaux

On our first two stays, our standard king room was upgraded to a corner king deluxe room, or a Carat room. On our second stay, we were upgraded to a cockpit corner room, which was just as lovely. The design was sleek and modern. It reminded me a lot of a grown up Moxy (though far, far more comfortable) and a cross between the Thompson Central Park. Every part of this room was stunning. Our windows (that opened!) offered a sweeping view of the city with a window seat. It was a great set up for an in-room picnic on our first night.

We had a large walk-in closet with plenty of storage space, including shelves, streamlined hangers, and a safe. There was a French press coffee maker, as well as a tea kettle in our room. I loved the artistic details that made it feel like you were staying in someone’s chic apartment, rather than a sterile hotel room. The entire room, excluding the bathroom, was carpeted, which was much appreciated on cool, damp days.

With dual vanities, a soaking tub, and an overhead shower, as well as a handheld shower, the bathroom was HUGE. The toilet was in a separate room with its own sink. (We loved that.) Bath amenities were full-size Oceopin, a new-to-me French brand that felt very clean and soft.

Last thing about Hotel FirstName: this is one of the most comfortable hotel beds I’ve ever slept in. The linens were high quality and cozy. I’d stay it rivals the bed at the St. Regis Florence or the Four Seasons. I need more hotels to get on board with the same quality of mattresses, bedding, and pillows!

Hotel FirstName Amenities

This is such a fun and funky boutique hotel, despite its concrete exterior. One of the things that is unique about Hotel FirstName is that they have a small kitchenette on each floor with drinks and small snacks. It is, by no means, an Executive Lounge similar to the Hyatt Etoile in Paris, but it was a very thoughtful touch.

Prive + Globalist Benefits at Hotel FirstName

There was a large bottle of water and chocolates in the room when we arrived, and they also delivered a bottle of a Bordeaux red wine, which they were willing to deliver at our request. It was delicious and the perfect way to end our first night in Bordeaux. On our March trip, they sent up the most delicious macarons. On our third trip, we were greeted with wine and chocolate.

Our rate included breakfast every day, though we only took advantage of it once. There were a number of buffet options, including trout (Tom loved it), pastries, charcuterie, and fruits, but they offered made-to-order eggs. They were some of the best hotel eggs I’ve ever had.

The restaurant at Hotel FirstName is a destination in itself. La Bada is chic with a focus on local food and wine. Cedric Bechade is the master chef, and he has earned a Michelin star for his creative cuisine at La Table de l’Auberge Basque, a Relais & Chateaux restaurant. (You might recall my love affair with Relais and Chateaux from our stays at Chateau d’Audrieu in Normandy or Maison des Tetes and Le Chambard in Alsace.)

The restaurant doubles as a bar during outside of lunch and dinner with a limited bar menu. We took advantage of the wine line and bar to work for a few hours during the week. They staff was so very kind.

Finally, there is a gym on-premises, but we didn’t take advantage of that. There was too much wine to try in Bordeaux. The city is easily walkable from the hotel, don’t let it’s location “outside” of the old city center scare you. It’s very accessible by foot and by tram.

When is the Best Time to Visit Bordeaux?

We’ve been to Bordeaux in December, March, and June. We really enjoyed visiting Bordeaux in December, and we stand behind our decision to simply stay in Bordeaux for our first trip. I did really enjoy being there in the off season, and I would have liked to enjoy the Christmas market without the rain. (You can’t plan for that though!)

When we visited in March, we still had a bit of rain. The temperatures were pretty mild, and the city felt very local. It was quiet and we did enjoy the slower pace with wine tastings and restaurants.

Finally, in June, the days were longer and we mostly avoided the rain. We happened to be there in a bit of a heat wave, so we tried to strategically plan our days. It was best to get out on the mornings, rest in mid day, and go out later in the evening. That worked well because I generally have to take meetings throughout the day. The city felt very alive – cafes filled, tables outside, and a lot of energy everywhere. We took our first trip to the vineyards around Bordeaux on this trip. They were beautiful and in bloom. We will probably stay near Saint Emilion in November, so I’m excited to see what the difference is.

All that said, I have enjoyed all our trips to Bordeaux. Bordeaux is a beautiful city, and it’s easier to get to than I expected. I would bet Bordeaux is lovely in the fall and the late spring.

Creating the Perfect France Itinerary

Originally, when we were planning our summer vacation last year, we were between Bordeaux and Normandy. We ended up choosing Normandy because of the lower cost. If I had to choose between visiting Bordeaux and visiting Normandy, I would really struggle to make the choice. On one hand, the summer in Mont St. Michel is absolutely lovely, and winter in Bordeaux brought its own magic. Bordeaux is such an interesting mix of the beauty of Paris and the beauty of small town France. It’s a completely different vibe than Paris, but it could couple together nicely. It’s definitely worth visiting, especially if you like wine. (That could be a deciding factor. If you like cider, visit Normandy! Alternatively, if you like white wine, go to Alsace! If you like red and white wine, go to Bordeaux!)

In June 2024, our France itinerary started in Normandy. Bordeaux was our second destination. (It was the longest drive of our road trip through France.) From Bordeaux, we headed to Carcassonne for 3 nights. Bordeaux and Carcassonne are completely different vibes. We are really excited that we opted to spend so much time exploring different areas of France. Everything is different – the pastries, the wine, the food, and the architecture.