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Perouges? Bordeaux?

Frustrated by Rick’s France book as it does not cover some places we will be visiting. Not sure why but would like restaurant recommendations, not to miss things to see/do, and any other advice. We are renting apartments so don’t need hotel recommendations. Here they are:
Bordeaux (6 days total)
Perouges (2 days total)
Vienne (train from Lyon for the day)
And anything more on Lyon as we are there for five days with photographer friends from the UK—suggestions where photos might be special?

Thanks in advance.

PS, we’ve been to Lyon but 40 years ago!

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72 posts

We will be visiting Bordeaux this fall. I found good information from Lost in Bordeaux - a travel blog
https://www.lostinbordeaux.com/
Also used DK Eyewitness book “Dordogne, Bordeaux, and the Southwest Coast” (from the library).

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1866 posts

A couple of Bordeaux restaurants I've particularly enjoyed: Les Drôles and Le 1925. I have to admit I found Brasserie Bordelaise a bit disappointing. Bottom line, though, is that great restaurants are thick on the ground in Bordeaux. It's a wonderful food city.

Although I'm not fond of oysters myself, those who are should seek out Le Tout du Cru. They have a magnificent array on offer.

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7546 posts

2 days is a long time in Pérouges. Do you have a car? The royal monastery of Brou might be worth the trip in this timeframe, or you could also visit Crémieu.

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8 posts

Just went to Perouges with friends from Lyon in May. Wow. Just spectacular medieval village. There were quite a few restaurants, we ate at one that was off the beaten track, on a side street that my French friends had sussed out. It had a patio/terrace and the food was AWESOME. A charcuterie platter to die for and I had some decadent steak with mushroom sauce. It's so small, I would ask the concierge at your hotel or Airbnb host for suggestions. Otherwise, just walk around the village, look at the menu and pick the one that strikes your fancy. I don't think you can go wrong.

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52 posts

The Rick Steves guide is very good. However, it doesn’t cover the areas you are asking about.

Bordeaux is amazing, especially if you like wine. A trip to Bordeaux needs to be well planned if you want to visit wineries. I would recommend you take a look at this website for Bordeaux: https://sauvistication.com/

If you are looking for day trips from Lyon, I would recommend you visit E. Guigal in Cote Rotie (not far from Vienne). There are some great photographs to be had there as well. From Lyon, you can also take the train to Hermitage. There are some great wineries to visit there.

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432 posts

Hi revportia1, I can speak to Bordeaux but have not yet been to Pérouges. There is so much to see in Bordeaux and it's environs. Take a tour of L'Opéra (tickets through tourist office), visit one of the many museums (including the Cité du Vin even if you are not in to wines), walk along the Quai and visit the Mirroir d'Eau, Marché des Capucins, if you are in Bordeaux on a Sunday there is the Sunday market along the Quai, there are so many good restaurants that you will have an abundance of choices though some of my favorite restaurants are in Chartrons or in St. Pierre neighborhoods. If wine is your thing there are options such as Musée du vin et du négoce, some wineries "in" town and accessible by public transport include Château Pape Clément and Château Haut-Brion (there are a few others as well.) Quick day trips from Bordeaux (and easily accessed by train) are Arcachon, the Dune de Pilat, and St. Émilion.

For photographers, the Bordeaux region is teaming with photographic opportunities. It's really hard to put in to words but there are incredible photographs to be had around every corner.

Some last words of advice, take a look at the blog www.lostinbordeaux.com as she is a local that is an expert in the whole region. She always puts a round up of what's happening in the area the month prior so lots of unique, local activities are listed. If you do want to visit wineries you will need to plan ahead and make reservations. Unlike in the US (not sure about UK) there are rarely drop ins (exceptions would be those that offer Portes Ouvertes--open doors) which you can find out about by visiting the tourist centers. And, finally, if you visit St. Émilion do not miss visiting the underground monolithic church. Tickets for the tour can be purchased online through the tourist office.

I hope you enjoy your visit to this remarkable part of France!

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1866 posts

Quick note on Bordeaux transit: because of renovation construction, Line C trams heading south do not currently run any further than, I believe, Quinconces; Line A trams go no further east than Rue Catherine (no trams east of the Garonne). That means there is no tram service to the Gare Saint Jean, and also no way to get to Cerons by tram. Several bus services have been established as replacements until work is completed. But travel by public transit in these directions is much slower than usual.

Construction is scheduled for completion August 31, but based on what I've seen that's optimistic. Google Maps so far is doing a pretty good job staying current with the shutdowns in service.

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432 posts

Good point about the trams and construction. There are special busses that make up for Tram C/D going from Gare to Quinconces that only stop at 3 of the 4 tram stops (none of the other bus stops) so it's fairly quick going. And it should be finished by end of August (in my experience it's been pretty close to on time with the other tram repairs except for extension of Tram A to airport. That took a lot longer...) But do keep in mind there are tram works occuring, the TMB app is not exactly up to date, but there are many TBM (transit) workers at all the affected stops to direct you to where you need to go.

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27 posts

Hi Revportia1,

I've visited Bordeaux a couple of times. It is a great place to visit. If you are looking to visit wineries, I would recommend you book well in advance.

My favorite website to use is the Wine Cellar Insider, Sauvistication is useful, and Lonely Planet has some decent articles. I would recommend you avoid two blogs: Lost in Bordeaux and Bordeaux Travel Guide. Both of them are essentially the same thing. They are designed to try and make a buck off of you. Both are an in affiliate program with Rue Des Vignerons (a third party booking service) and are trying to send you to wineries which will pay them a commission via Rue Des Vignerons. Unfortunately, many of them are not good wineries.

Rick Steves guides are great. It's too bad that he doesn't cover the areas you mentioned.

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432 posts

Good morning from Bordeaux! For clarification, www.lostinbordeaux.com is a blog much like Rick Steves has a blog or Nomadic Matt is a blog. To classify it as an affliate to Rue des Vignerons or designed to just make a buck off you is inaccurate at best. Now, it may not be the Bordeaux research website for everyone as is the previous poster's opinion, but it is an excellent website for all the happenings in and around the Bordeaux area. It is important to note that locals and tourists alike use her blog, just like locals and tourists alike use Rick Steves blogs. Happy to answer any further questions about Bordeaux if you have them. I really do hope you enjoy your time in this fabulous corner of the France.

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27 posts

I'm not sure how much locals in Bordeaux are using an ad-heavy English language blog, which is very much a business. I would recommend anyone that visits Lost in Bordeaux show caution and not click on any of the links.

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21 posts

For Bordeaux restaurants, consider Restaurant Melodie a lively bistro very casual but delicious and reasonable. Another recc is Tante Charlotte. It’s a bit over the top in many ways (portions were huge) but the service and ambiance were so charming. Another poster mentioned being a little disappointed with Brasserie Bordelaise and that was my experience also- not bad just not fantastic or memorable. We loved Bordeaux- such a vibrant city. Enjoy!