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Place de la Bourse, Bordeaux
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BordeauxTravel Guide

France5 stories

The world's most famous wine city is also one of France's great eating towns — canele pastries, Arcachon oysters and vineyard-laced menus along a UNESCO-listed riverfront.

Is Bordeaux right for you?

When to come

Late spring through early autumn

Around 28°C by day in August, 11°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

Mid-range. Comfortable without planning around money, expensive if you stop counting.

What we've planned, and who for

We publish a multi-day route for this one.

Bordeaux is inDeepest in EuropeWhere the food is the reason
When to go
January: around 11 degrees by day, 4 at night, 87 millimetres of rain, wet.
February: around 12 degrees by day, 4 at night, 67 millimetres of rain, some rain.
March: around 16 degrees by day, 6 at night, 63 millimetres of rain, some rain.
April: around 18 degrees by day, 8 at night, 76 millimetres of rain, some rain.
May: around 22 degrees by day, 11 at night, 71 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
June: around 25 degrees by day, 15 at night, 70 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
July: around 27 degrees by day, 16 at night, 49 millimetres of rain, some rain.
August: around 28 degrees by day, 16 at night, 57 millimetres of rain, some rain.
September: around 24 degrees by day, 13 at night, 81 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
October: around 20 degrees by day, 11 at night, 83 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
November: around 14 degrees by day, 7 at night, 115 millimetres of rain, wet.
December: around 11 degrees by day, 4 at night, 106 millimetres of rain, wet.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

Late spring through early autumn

Average daily highs, recorded at Bordeaux-Merignac Airport (elev. 47 m).

Where this comes from

Wikipedia 'Bordeaux' weather box, 1991-2020 normals (Meteo France)

Budget level

Mid-range

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
  • San Sebastián, Spain200 km

    a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in June, September · a different price level (mixed)

  • Bilbao, Spain260 km

    a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in May, June, September

  • Lyon440 km

    half a day's travel · both good in May, June, September

  • Barcelona, Spain440 km

    half a day's travel · both good in May, June, September · a different price level (mixed)

Plan itWhere to stay in Bordeauxad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Bordeaux

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Bordeaux

A glass of red wine standing on a railing overlooking rows of vineyard vines and water beyond
01
Destinations

Is Bordeaux Worth the Trip? A First-Timer’s Briefing

France’s wine capital is also one of its handsomest cities — a limestone riverfront showpiece two hours from Paris. Here is the honest case for going, and how to get it right.

France · 2 min
Friends raising and clinking glasses of red wine together outdoors
02
Food

What to Eat in Bordeaux: A Dish-by-Dish Guide

Caneles at dawn, oysters before noon, entrecote at night — eating your way through the world's wine capital, one dish at a time.

France · 2 min
A small corner patisserie in Bordeaux with bright green shutters and doors set into pale limestone, a Rue Ramonet street sign above it and a bicycle parked in the sun.
03
Food

Cheap Eats in Bordeaux That Punch Above Their Price

Canelés, market oysters and lunch formules: how to eat brilliantly in France’s wine capital for café money, dish by dish.

France · 2 min
Low evening sun rakes down a narrow cobbled Bordeaux side street, lighting the pale limestone facades and a wrought-iron shop sign hanging out over the empty pavement.
04
Hidden Gems

The Bordeaux Quarters Most Visitors Skip

The postcard crescent is lovely and incomplete: Bordeaux's real character lives a few tram stops out, among wine merchants, flea dealers, a submarine base turned art hall and a barracks turned creative quarter.

France · 13 min
The floodlit 18th-century facades of the Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux mirrored in the wet stone of the Miroir d'Eau at blue hour, a lit tram crossing the quay in front
05
Itineraries

Bordeaux Is a Two-Day City Inside a Four-Day Trip

Four days is the number: two for a stone city you can finish on foot, and two for the vineyards and the dune that begin half an hour from the station.

France · 11 min
In pictures

Bordeaux, framed

Weathered teal chairs and long wooden tables on the deck of an oyster shack at Cap Ferret, string lights hung between pines, looking out over the oyster beds and moored boats of the Bassin d'Arcachon.
Photo: Studio Crevettes / Unsplash
Place de la Bourse, Bordeaux
Photo: Cab / Unsplash
Place de la Bourse, Bordeaux
Photo: Clovis Wood / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Bordeaux

See and do

Eat and drink

Before you go

Practical essentials for France

Money

Euro (EUR)

Language

French; English is spoken in tourist settings in Paris, Nice and the larger cities.

Power

Type C/E, 230V 50Hz

Getting around

SNCF's TGV connects the cities, and each has its own local network — in Paris that is the Navigo Easy card and the Ile-de-France Mobilites app for metro, RER and bus.

Tipping

Service is included by law, so tipping is optional - round up or leave a couple of euros for good service.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink.

Driving

Right-hand side; an EU licence is enough, and other visitors should carry an International Driving Permit with their national licence.

Emergency

112; also 15 ambulance, 17 police, 18 fire

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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