A city break in Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a stately city, proud of the finest French wines produced in the surrounding area. It is ringed by charming little towns set among vineyards on gentle slopes. The city lies very close to the appealing Atlantic coast, with its beautiful nature and exclusive resorts. A city break in Bordeaux guarantees a whole palette of experiences.
The city
The centre of Bordeaux is monumental and serious. Its huge buildings are a little overwhelming. Still, it is worth strolling around the old town, along streets closed to traffic. You have to see the opera house and then, walking past it, make your way down to the river. The river is wide, and a boulevard runs along its bank. Things are more intimate there, there is more greenery, and every so often you pass small squares and fountains.
A little way from the centre stands a futuristic building devoted to wine culture. La Cité du Vin is located in a regenerated district of the city and can be reached by tram line B, bus line 7 or by boat. Inside, everything is dedicated to wine. Six exhibition areas cover 19 themes. The museum prides itself on a collection of drinks from 70 countries. At the top of the 35-metre tower there is a viewing terrace, and there is also a restaurant and a bistro on site. It is not cheap, as an adult pays 20EUR for admission, but a tasting is included in the price. Children under 6 go free, but they have to make do with tasting....grape juice. Opposite the building you will find bars in an old market hall. This part of the city is changing very fast; it is reminiscent of Warsaw's Koneser or Łódź's Manufaktura (former industrial complexes turned into lively new quarters), except that it also has canals and the river nearby. It has great potential to attract more and more tourists.
The coast
An hour's drive west of Bordeaux lies the seaside town of Arcachon. In summer it is full of tourists and wealthy French people spending their holidays in stylish villas amid coastal vegetation. It may remind you a little of Jurata on the Polish Baltic coast, with its beautiful, soaring pine trees growing among wooden houses. On the outskirts of the town is one of the area's greatest natural attractions. La Dune du Pilat is 110 m high, almost 3 km long and 600 m wide, and is considered the largest sand dune in Europe. You climb the huge mountain of sand by wooden steps from a car park in the forest on the edge of town. Interestingly, it is not a closely guarded nature reserve, so you can move around freely, scramble higher up and go down closer to the sea. From the top, the view of the ocean, the bay, the forests and the town is simply priceless.
The Atlantic coast is a superb place to try oysters. Small bars and restaurants in the fishing harbours on the Bay of Arcachon specialise in serving these molluscs, regarded as a delicacy. The tasting menu consists of 6, 9 or 12 oysters. Prices? A set of six costs from 4 to 7EUR, nine from 6 to 9EUR and twelve from 8 to 14EUR. The price differences depend on the size of the creatures. The set, which always consists of oysters, bread and butter, goes perfectly with a local white wine. This is the real France!
The best places to go are Port de la Teste or Port de Larros, where you will find restaurant decks overlooking the water, surrounded by fishermen's huts. Oysters taken from the sea are often kept in concrete tanks into which seawater is pumped.
The vineyards
More than 130 wineries in the Bordeaux region are open to visitors. It is worth looking through the special catalogue handed out free at tourist information points and choosing the ones that suit you best. Some wineries charge a few euros for a visit, but around 20 can be visited free of charge. Le Chai au Quai, Château Haut-Veyrac, Château Louis and Château Gueyrosse are among those that offer free cellar tours and tastings. I opted for the last of these producers. The same family has been growing 3 grape varieties on 16 hectares for 6 generations. Looking at the vineyards stretching for kilometres, remember that one vine yields 1 bottle of wine. Temperature, rainfall and soil all matter a great deal. In the riverside areas the soil is mixed with stones; these warm up during the day and release heat at night. This creates unique conditions for the ripening grapes. Every producer who has harvested grapes of different varieties decides in what proportions to blend them, so as to strike the optimum balance between the quantity of wine produced and its quality. Wine that will not be bottled under the producer's own label is used to make table wines.
Trips a little further afield
It is worth considering a day trip from Bordeaux taking in two exceptionally interesting towns. Two hours' drive from Bordeaux (200 km) lies Sarlat-la-Canéda, and another hour further on (50 km) is Rocamadour. If you take the local roads, you will first pass the vineyards around Saint-Émilion and then, as you approach your destination, an area full of traces of prehistoric settlement. In many of the caves there, traces of early humans have been discovered, including paintings of deer, bison, bulls and horses.
Of all French towns, Sarlat is believed to have preserved the largest number of medieval houses. Many historical films are still shot here today, and the town is famous for its weekly market, held on Wednesdays on the main square, Place de la Liberté. You can buy walnuts, foie gras, mushrooms, truffles, cheeses and plenty of pork products there.
The second town, Rocamadour, is not only a place of pilgrimage to the statue of the Black Madonna, but also an extraordinarily charming little town built on an almost vertical rock face. Its history goes back to 1166, when a tomb containing the astonishingly well-preserved remains of a hermit was discovered. Ever since, the town's history has been full of mysteries, miracles and an ever-growing influx of pilgrims and tourists. The town, completely closed to traffic, should be explored from the bottom up. You can climb the steep stairs that pilgrims once ascended on their knees. Today, for the lazy, there is a lift. Once you reach the top level, it is worth taking a slight detour and walking down by the gentle path that curves around the buildings in a wide arc. Outside the centre proper you will find the buildings of old hospitals. It was there that pilgrims, after the hardships of their journey, had their wounds treated and recovered. Only once they were back in good shape could they come before the miraculous statue.
Bordeaux and the surrounding area are a good choice for a break of a few days. When you tire of the city, the wine region of Saint-Émilion, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is close at hand. The Atlantic coast is charming and offers unforgettable culinary experiences. A little further away, towns such as Sarlat and Rocamadour take you back in time to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. A city break in Bordeaux will be a success and full of experiences.
A rival to Bordeaux might be Naples, with Vesuvius and the Amalfi Coast close by. Read about it here and decide which combination is better for an active break of a few days!
