After our Best of Portugal tour this fall, we had a free week. We spent a few extra days in Porto, then moved on to Bordeaux. We had planned to get to Bordeaux on the 17th, but our lodging wouldn’t be available until the 18th. That was not a problem, giving us an extra day in lovely Porto, but we did wish we had had more time in Bordeaux.
We took an early EasyJet flight out of Porto, arriving in Bordeaux at 10:00 or so. Our B&B host had sent us instructions on getting from the airport to Les Chambres d’Art, taking either the bus or the tram. We decided the tram was less confusing, even though it took longer and we had to change lines along the way. We enjoyed the tram ride, and saw that Bordeaux was a lot bigger than we had thought. Again following host Bruno Cittone’s notes, we took the very short walk from the tram stop at Sainte-Croix to the B&B.
I have posted a review of Les Chambres d’Art, so I won’t elaborate here, except to reiterate that we loved it. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france-reviews/les-chambres-d-art-a-great-choice-in-bordeaux
By the time we arrived and unpacked, it was time for lunch. There’s a lovely little tree-shaded square just a couple of minutes from the B&B, Place Pierre Renaudel, where we found a tiny sandwich shop frequented by many of the area students. We shared a chicken sandwich and a sparkling water, then headed out to explore the neighborhood.
Bordeaux is on the Garonne River, just about 2 or 3 minutes walk from Place Penaudel. Part of the walking path along the river was blocked because of rugby activities (Bordeaux was one of the cities hosting the World Rugby Cup this year,) but there was a walkway that paralleled it. We saw the Pont de Pierre, a bridge built by Napoleon’s engineers, then headed back west to explore what would be our home neighborhood the next few days.
There were many ethnic shops and eateries, mostly middle Eastern and African. On the way home, we slipped into the St-Michel Basilica, a beautiful flamboyant Gothic structure. The bell tower is swathed in scaffolding, as it is being refurbished, but the church is lovely. We headed back to the room to rest a bit; our early flight meant we had had to leave for the airport well before dawn.
Back to Place Renaudel we went, our host having recommended a restaurant there, where we discovered something that would dog us much of our time in France, especially in Bordeaux and Lyon: none of the restaurants that we tried were serving dinner yet. One would open at 19:30, another at 20:00, a third at 20:30! We were tired from the long day, and really did not want to eat that late, so we headed back to the river area, where there were tram and bus lines. We assumed it would be easier to find something to eat. Several more places turned us away, but then we saw the Beirut Kitchen. 8 Quai de la Grave. There were people outside, eating! We checked with a server, who laughed at my timid question, and pointed to an empty table. We had a lovely dinner, sharing an enormous mixed mezze platter, and an equally enormous chicken shwarma. The Lebanese white wine was dirt cheap, and complemented the food very well.
We returned to our room ready for some quiet time, and an early bedtime.
Tuesday, 19 September. After a lovely night’s sleep, we enjoyed a great breakfast prepared by our host. We were the only guests that first morning, so Bruno joined us and gave us lots of good advice on how to best spend our limited time in Bordeaux.
Our first goal was to see the Saint-André Cathedral, a stunning building that has been rebuilt, modified, and added on to ever since its beginnings as a Romaesque church in the 11th century. And there are records suggesting an even earlier structure, dating to the 9th century. It is now a glorious ode to adapting to the times, with Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance aspects. It is well worth a visit; highly recommended.