What to do in Bordeaux

I really enjoyed the Museum of the Aquitaine and could have spent more time in there than I had. I went to the Musee des Beaux Arts and it was good but maybe not wonderful. The cathedral was interesting to me but I am an Alienor d’Aquitaine fan and there is still one wall of the nave that was there when she married in 1137.

I had good weather there and enjoyed walking the esplanade alone the river. I particularly sought out the statue of f Modeste Testas, an enslaved Ethiopian woman who was brought to Bordeaux, then sent to Haiti. One of her grandsons was a president of Haiti.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modeste_Testas

I’m not much of a shopper but there are many stores in the old city area. I’m not mich on wine tasting so skipped that aspect as well.

The Bassins Des Lumieres is a good show. My kids and grandkids were suitably impressed. And even if you're not a wine drinker, the Cite Du Vin is very interesting and we spent about 3 hours there learning a lot about wine. I haven't been to St. Emilion, but others here have said the town is charming, and maybe a day trip there?

The Musée des Beaux arts is a bit of a disappointment, if you ask me.
The Musée d'Aquitaine is sensational. I could have spent hours there. Unfortunately I was with "non museum people".

Other than that, wine activities. Totally not my bag. The Cité de Vin was so boring to me, but I loved the architecture. But I did enjoy Bordeaux, though I don't find it to be the most interesting city in France. I'd recommend going to Arcachon for a weekend nearby.

The Museum of the Aquitine may be the most interesting museum I've visited in France. It was the highlight of Bordeaux for us.

Hi James,

Wine is the main attraction in Bordeaux. However, there are a couple of other things worth seeing.

1. Saint-Emilion: It's a medieval town an a UNESCO world heritage site. Make sure you do the underground tour.

2.Bassin d'Arcachon: A beautiful coastal area with Europe's largest sand dunes.

1. Bassins des Luumieres.
   

I strongly recommend that you do some wine tasting while you are there. This website may help you: https://sauvistication.com/must-see-non-vineyard-activities/

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed the Museum of the Aquitaine—it's such a rich and layered place, easy to lose track of time there.