Hi guys,
Here are the dos and don’ts in the city of Bordeaux, according to local expat Mike Foster. He runs Le Map Bordeaux, a guide to the stunning city, and he’s also the brains behind the Bordeaux Expats group on Facebook.
In this podcast episode, he explains his three “bordeauxs” and his three “bordeauxn’ts”, which makes a lot more sense if you hear it out loud.
As for me, I loved Bordeaux. One of the best stops on this honeymoon tour of France, and just two hours by train from Paris (or five weeks on a scooter). Believe the hype, Bordeaux is brilliant.
Anyway, here’s the episode.
In a rush? Here’s the gist of the tips:
The things to do
Do walk everywhere. Bordeaux’s central town is much smaller than you think. And pretty much everything is just a short walk away.
Do try the local food, including the confit de canard and the canelés.
Do check out the museums, the best of which is the new Cité du Vin wine museum (which incidentally is not walking distance from the centre of the city). And you’ve gotta taste Bordeaux wine in the city of Bordeaux!
The things you shouldn’t do
Don’t get hit by a tram. They’re everywhere and they’re very quiet. So take out your headphones and look both ways before crossing.
As a side note, you shouldn’t grab on to the back of a tram either while skateboarding, but that didn’t stop this guy in the background below.
That’s Mike in the foreground, by the way, in a still from the walk show we did together.
Don’t call them pain au chocolats! They’re chocolatines here!
Don’t just stay in the city the whole time. There’s loads to see just outside Bordeaux, including the Dune de Pilat (a breathtaking sand dune) and winery areas like Saint Emilion.
That’s it! We go through it all in more detail, plus a lot more, in the full podcast episode. Here it is again:
And here’s me and Mike doing a mini Walk Show before the whopper walk show around the whole town (for Patreon supporters). There has literally never been a better time to sign up as a supporter, I’ve just launched the book club!
As for the honeymoon, the next stop is Toulouse, then Carcassonne. Send your ideas!
Great word creations: Bordo – and Bordon’t……
I LOVE, ADORE Bordeaux, and would happily live there forever! (I’m just outside of Paris, but there are SO many places I prefer, incl said Bordeaux, Lyon and many many other places. Now, I shall listen to more….
Glad to hear it Kiki and thanks for tuning in 🙂
I spent a month in Bordeaux (June 2019) during la canicule. I would put Cité du Vin on the “Bordon’t” list, unless you’re really, really into wine. Too expensive, too touristy. I enjoyed the Bordeaux Wine and Trade Museum (Musée du Vin et du Négoce) located in an old wine merchant’s house. Plus there’s a scaled-down Statue of Liberty nearby, in Place Picard.
If I can add a “Bordo”: Check out Parc Bordelaise, a 10-minute bus ride from the terminal at Place des Quinconces. Highlights of the park are a small zoo, open-air café, and Guignol Guerin, a puppet show that has been performed by the same family since 1853.