Beautiful Bordeaux
Bordeaux is one of those discreet cities that could easily pass under your city break radar. But ever on the hunt for sunshine, great food and of course world class wine, I sought it out for a whistle stop 12 hour tour.
I had several themes to my day in Bordeaux - travelling on a budget, eating well and of course, seeing the sights. Using the BA reward flight scheme my travel companion and I nabbed the 8am from Gatwick, just paying flight taxes, and arrived to 24 degrees of sun by 10.15am.
Jumping into an uber (normally about half the price of a standard taxi) we then hot footed it to the historic 18th century centre of this Unesco World Heritage city for a rendezvous with the delightfully flamboyant Bruno Beurrier. One of my top time saving travel tips is always to take an organised tour or guide first thing - it will help you orientate where you are and what you want to prioritise seeing, which will save time and money in the long run.
Amongst the highlights Bruno took us through the geography of Bordeaux as a strategic wine region; the fascinating history of how French nobility in the form of Eleanor of Aquitaine’s descendants came to rule England, still today acknowledged by our visiting royal family; the local delicacies in the form of Cannele cake; the exquisite praline chocolates and herb sorbet ice cones of Alain Ducasse, the magnificent cathedral and by no means least, the longest pedestrianised shopping street in Europe.
As the day hotted up we took a tram across town to the rooftop restaurant GINA for a delightful Sunday brunch, with seafood, fish, sides of beef, fresh salads, a huge array of pastries and cheeses – all very French and clearly the place to be on a Sunday in Bordeaux. Just opposite was our next destination, the Cite du Vin, without doubt the most spectacular and engrossing museum I have ever visited. A wonderfully fluid building designed to mimic the swill of wine in a glass, this incredible homage to world wine takes you on a totally immersive journey of the geography and history of viticulture. For 22E a ticket I thought this was a steal, especially as it included a glass of wine of your choice, consumed on the rooftop observatory of the museum, surveying Bordeaux.
By now, feeling the effects of an early start, we trammed it back to the city centre cathedral square and joined the Bordelais for their favourite afternoon pursuit of drinks and conversation in a shady café. Forgoing the local alcoholic brew know as Lillet, we opted for a cooling soft beverage before hitting that never ending shopping street for a spot of retail therapy. Two pairs of sunglasses later (I haven’t yet quite worked out French recipe for chic but they sure make great sunnies at affordable prices), our now weary feet found that treasure of all culinary treasures, a buzzing side street pavement bistro. Here we joined the locals once more and had divine tapas of grilled squid with pork and garlic, marinated chicken bites, fresh seed bread, truffle French fries and a welcome glass of Aperol Spritz – 50E for us both and absolutely first class food.
As the sun set on this most elegant city of honeyed stone architecture, we took our uber back to the airport and caught the last flight back to Gatwick. In bed by half past midnight, I had no time to reflect on this lovely day before the Aperol Spritz did its job and I was dreaming of herb sorbets.
