My 20 year old daughter and I will be meeting up in Bordeaux for 3 or 4 days. We were thinking of doing a city tour and a winery and possibly a spa day. Would love any suggestions on things we should not miss. Should we plan to stay in the city centre for 3 nights or would it be better to stay in a smaller village after a night or 2? We will be heading to Biarittz after this so open to visiting things in that direction after 3 days if we do not stay in Bordeaux area another night.
Posted by
Washington DC
28073 posts
I didn't much care for Biarritz (but it was a very rainy day, and that definitely didn't help). I much preferred Bayonne, so I'd recommend Bayonne for a day or so. St-Jean-de-Luz is a cute coastal town worth at least a few hours of walking around.
Closer to Bordeaux, but in the opposite direction from the Basque Country, I enjoyed a day trip to St-Emilion. It's a popular day-trip destination, but the very touristy area is pretty much confined to the southern (lower) end of the historic town. I started at the top and wandered downhill, not meeting all that many other people.
If you have a car, I'd recommend taking advantage of it to see some of the mountain villages east of St-Jean-de-Luz. They're tougher to reach by public transportation, I believe. Rick has some information about this area in his guide to Spain (not in the book on France).
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14731 posts
Three nights just gives you 2 full days. I’d stay in the city center.
I enjoyed Bordeaux. It was a surprise to me that it was so tropical 🌴!! I particularly liked the Museum of the Aquitaine. Also found the old cathedral interesting as it is where Aliènor d’Aquitaine married her 1st husband who became Louis VII of France in 1137. There is just one wall of the nave that is still from that era, though.
I also sought out the bronze statue of the enslaved woman, Modeste Testas which is along the riverside promenade. She was kidnapped from Africa, brought to Bordeaux, then shipped to Haiti. One of her grandsons became President of Haiti.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modeste_Testas
I thought the museum did a good job dealing with the slavery issue.
If you are in the mood to read about Aliènor d’Aquitaine, I enjoyed The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick.
Posted by
stevens point, wi, usa
1194 posts
Hello from Wisconsin,
I agree, if you say three days, that is arrive day one, enjoy your day there is day two, and then you depart. If you say four days, add a middle touring/sipping coffee day.
Bordeaux is a great city. The architecture is what Paris was modeled on. The cathedral in its earliest forms had Eleanor of Aquitaine at age 13 marrying the King of France. She married at least two kings, First and English king then a rival English king, and she spawned three kings?
The college section of town has a nice vibe...hey you said you were traveling with a 20 year old...well, turn her loose and get a French speaking son-in-law in the bargain. The food...the best. There are markets and a book store that is huge. A day trip would stop you from really enjoying Bordeaux and the Cafe Napolean.
wayneinWI