Bordeaux, France

Bordeaux, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bordeaux_-_Grand_Th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre_4.jpg
Author: Christophe:Finot


Bordeaux is a port city in southwest France. It is located by the banks of the River Garonne. The city of Bordeaux is the capital of the Aquitaine region. It has a population of around 250,000 within the Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, which has a population of a million.

Bordeaux is a famous wine producing centre in France with a history going back to the eighth century. Many of the wineries are named "château" after the manor house to which they belong. Some of these wineries are already several hundred years old. The wine they produced are divided into five classes from 1st to 5th Growth, depending on their quality. The historic centre of Bordeaux is a World Heritage Site.

The wineries of Bordeaux often make roadshows to various regions including Southeast Asia to introduce and popularise their wines. In 2017, they held the Bordeaux Rendez-Vous at Feringgi Grill, at the Rasa Sayang Resort in Penang, Malaysia, and I had the pleasure of attending.

Bordeaux wineries participating in the Bordeaux Rendez-Vous

Map of châteaux in the Bordeaux Rendez-Vous 2017

History of Bordeaux

Humans have inhabited the Bordeaux area as early as the Neanderthals some 20,000 to 30,000 year ago. Their remains have been discovered at the famous Pair-non-Pair caves north of the city. The city was already an established settlement during Roman times, when it was an important port for the export of tin and lead to Rome.

Basilique Saint-Michel, Bordeaux
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:10-Bordeaux_-_basilique_Saint-Michel_(3).JPG
Author: Orikrin1998


After a few centuries of obscurity, Bordeaux regained prominence in the 12th century as a result of wine growing and trade. That was also when the Cathedral of St. André was built.

The French government was relocated briefly to Bordeaux during World War II, when it became imminent that Paris would fall to the Nazis.

Going to Bordeaux

By Train
You can reach Bordeaux from Paris. The journey takes about 3 hours, and there's a train several times a day. Gare Saint Jean is the train station in Bordeaux. From there, you can catch a bus or tram or simply walk to explore the city.

By Plane
There is a limited number of flights from Paris to Bordeaux-Merignac Airport (BOD), located to the west of downtown. From the airport, budget travellers can take the public bus No. 49 to Bordeaux 2 and get off at Lycée Mérignac. From there catch a tram to go downtown. The entire journey costs €1.40 as long as you don't exceed the one hour limit between transfers.

Another option is to take the airport express bus straight to downtown Bordeaux. The fare is €7; those below 26 years old and above 60 pay €6.

Bordeaux at night, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Place_de_la_Bourse_Bordeaux_de_nuit.jpg
Author: Fabien1309

Exploring Bordeaux

Most of the places of interest in Bordeaux are located in the city centre, so it is quite possible to explore it on foot, taking the trams and buses only when it is necessary. There is also a river ferry to cross the river when need arises.

Bordeaux is the only city so far with trams that do not use overhead wires. Instead the power is delivered to the carriages from an underground conduit. The system, called APS, was introduced in 2003. However, it faced some issues such as waterlogging during heavy rain which may result in it being replaced by conventional overhead lines.

World Heritage Site of Bordeaux

Places of Interest in Bordeaux

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About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.