10 Best Things to Do in Bordeaux

Cité du Vin is an immersive museum dedicated to wine cultures across the world, housed in a swirling 55-metre tower on the Bassins à Flot dock north of the centre. It opened on 1 June 2016, designed by architects Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazières of XTU, and the golden aluminium and glass facade is meant to evoke wine swirling in a glass. The permanent exhibition covers around 3,000 square metres over ten themed zones, from ancient viticulture to modern tasting techniques, with audio guides in eight languages included in the ticket. The visit ends with a tasting on the 8th-floor Belvedere, which delivers a 360-degree panorama over the Garonne. General admission in 2026 is around EUR 22 for adults, with reduced rates for under-25s, and free entry for children under six.

Pro Tip: Book online in advance for a timed slot, allow at least two and a half hours, and take tram B to the Cité du Vin terminus.

Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux is the largest church in the city and a UNESCO-listed stop on the Way of Saint James pilgrimage route. Consecrated by Pope Urban II in 1096, it was largely rebuilt in the Gothic style from the 12th to the 16th centuries, and it hosted two royal weddings: Eleanor of Aquitaine to the future King Louis VII of France in 1137, and Anne of Austria to King Louis XIII in 1615. The Royal Portal on the north transept, carved around 1250, is the finest piece of medieval sculpture in the building, while the choir shows off Rayonnant Gothic tracery. The cathedral stands on Place Pey-Berland and is free to enter, generally open from 10:00 to 18:00 with a lunchtime closure.

Pro Tip: Combine the visit with the neighbouring Pey-Berland Tower, and check the daily schedule as the cathedral closes to visitors during Mass. The nearest stop is Hôtel de Ville on tram A or B.

The Tour Pey-Berland is the freestanding bell tower of Saint-André Cathedral, built between 1440 and 1500 on the orders of Archbishop Pey Berland after whom it is named. It was constructed apart from the main church because the ground was considered too unstable to carry heavy bells attached to the cathedral itself, a practical choice that gives Bordeaux one of its most distinctive landmarks. The tower rises 66 metres and is crowned by a gilded statue of Notre-Dame d'Aquitaine added in 1863. Visitors climb 233 stone steps up a tight spiral staircase to reach the viewing platform, which delivers the best panorama over the historic centre, the Garonne and the port.

Pro Tip: Admission in 2026 is around EUR 6.50, entry is free on the first Sunday of the month from November to March, and it is closed on 1 January, 1 May, 1 November, 11 November and 25 December. Go early to avoid queues in summer.

The Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux is one of the most important neoclassical opera houses in Europe and the seat of the Opéra National de Bordeaux. It was designed by architect Victor Louis and inaugurated on 7 April 1780 with a performance of Racine's Athalie, and it later inspired Charles Garnier's plans for the Palais Garnier in Paris. The exterior on Place de la Comédie is fronted by twelve Corinthian columns topped with statues of the nine Muses and three goddesses, while the interior conceals a lavish blue and gold auditorium and a monumental staircase that Garnier openly copied. The theatre still hosts opera, ballet and concerts throughout the season.

Pro Tip: Guided tours of the interior run several times a week for around EUR 12 in 2026, book at the on-site ticket office, and evening performances are the best way to see the auditorium in use. Tram C stops at Grand Théâtre.

Porte Cailhau is a 35-metre medieval gate that once formed part of the city ramparts and served as the main ceremonial entrance to Bordeaux from the river. It was completed in 1495 to commemorate King Charles VIII's victory at the Battle of Fornovo in Italy, and its mix of defensive machicolations, pointed slate roofs and Renaissance decoration marks the transition between two architectural eras. The gate takes its name either from the Cailhau family who once owned it or from the pebbles (cailloux) once heaped nearby on the quay. Inside, three floors house a small museum about the gate's history and construction, and the top level opens onto Place du Palais with views over the Garonne and the Pont de Pierre.

Pro Tip: Admission is around EUR 5 in 2026, opening hours are typically 13:00 to 18:00 in high season, and the gate is closed on Mondays. Combine it with a walk along the quays to the Miroir d'eau.

The Basilica of Saint-Michel is a 14th- to 16th-century Flamboyant Gothic church in the Saint-Michel district, listed by UNESCO both as part of the historic centre and as a stop on the Way of Saint James. What makes it unusual is the Flèche Saint-Michel, a freestanding bell tower built between 1472 and 1492 and standing 114 metres tall, making it the highest spire in southern France and the third-highest in the country after Rouen and Strasbourg. Like Pey-Berland, the tower was built separately from the church because of unstable ground. The basilica itself is free to enter and preserves 15th-century stained glass, a series of side chapels endowed by medieval guilds, and a striking Neo-Gothic pulpit.

Pro Tip: The tower can be climbed on select days for around EUR 6 in 2026 with a viewing platform at 47 metres. The surrounding Place Saint-Michel hosts a lively flea market on Sunday mornings.

Marché des Capucins is the largest and oldest food market in Bordeaux, occupying a covered hall on Place des Capucins in the Saint-Michel district since the 18th century. Locals still call it "the belly of Bordeaux", and around 60 stalls sell oysters from the Arcachon Basin, Bazas beef, foie gras, cheeses from the Pyrenees, seasonal produce from the surrounding countryside, and wines from every Bordeaux appellation. Saturday and Sunday mornings are the busiest, with queues at the oyster bars where a dozen with a glass of Entre-Deux-Mers costs around EUR 12 to 15 in 2026. Several small bistros and tapas counters share the hall for a longer sit-down meal.

Pro Tip: The market is open Tuesday to Sunday from around 06:00 to 13:00 and closed on Mondays, arrive before 10:00 to avoid the crush, and it is a five-minute walk from the Saint-Michel tram stop on line C.

The Bordeaux wine region covers around 111,000 hectares of vineyards and produces roughly 700 million bottles a year, and the two most popular day trips are to Saint-Émilion in the east and the Médoc peninsula to the northwest. Saint-Émilion is a medieval hilltop town about 40 kilometres from Bordeaux, listed by UNESCO in 1999 as the first vineyard landscape to earn that status, and it is famous for the underground Monolithic Church carved into the limestone and for right-bank Merlot-dominant reds. The Médoc, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, is the home of Cabernet Sauvignon and of the 1855 Classification with Château Margaux, Château Latour and Château Lafite Rothschild among the First Growths. Both areas require château visits to be booked in advance.

Pro Tip: Trains from Bordeaux Saint-Jean to Saint-Émilion take 35 minutes and cost around EUR 12 return in 2026, while the Médoc is easier by organised minibus tour departing from the Bordeaux tourist office on Cours du 30 Juillet.

Rue Sainte-Catherine cuts through the heart of Bordeaux from Place de la Comédie in the north to Place de la Victoire in the south, and at 1.2 kilometres it is often cited as the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe. It follows the route of the ancient Roman cardo maximus that ran through the Gallo-Roman city of Burdigala, and its 250-plus shops now range from French department stores and international fashion labels to independent bookshops, patisseries and cafés. The street was fully pedestrianised in 1984 and its limestone paving is one of the busiest walking corridors in France, with over 15 million pedestrians a year.

Pro Tip: Detour east into the Saint-Pierre quarter for narrower lanes lined with wine bars and bistros, and expect the street to be at its most crowded on Saturday afternoons. Tram lines B and C both stop at either end.