Full Guide: Bordeaux, France
A wine lover’s dream, set against a storybook backdrop of charming towns and rolling hills.
Getting There:
By Plane:
There are multiple flight options to Bordeaux (BOD) from within Europe. We flew via AirFrance from Paris (CDG), and it was about 1 hour. This worked for us because it was at the beginning of our trip, and we were already flying into Paris that morning. Just leave plenty of time between flights if you go this route.
By Train:
Depending on where you’re originating from, the train is also a pretty straight shot to get to/from Bordeaux. We did this when we departed to Paris for the second half of our trip, and it takes about 2 hours. You can book online here - we did Bordeaux-Saint-Jean to Paris Montparnasse.
Getting Around Town: Walking around Bordeaux is fun for exploring the little side streets and stumbling upon cute cafés. And of course, Uber and taxi are always reliable options.
For public transport, there are bicycles, scooters, river shuttles, and a local tram system (all of which can be accessed via the Bordeaux City Pass).
You’ll want to rent a car to visit some wineries. Our hotel offered an electric vehicle rental for our day trip to Saint-Émilion.
Traveler Tips:
Almost everyone speaks English. That said, try and brush up on your French or at least a few key phrases. The locals will speak to you in French before English in most interactions, so it doesn’t hurt to try, and they appreciate when you do.
Be sure to pre-book the wineries you want to visit as they keep the tour groups/tastings small and don’t really operate on a walk-in basis. You’ll need to plan it out with how far each winery is from one another. More on this below.
Train Tips:
The booking sites don’t let you choose your train car or seat, it’s assigned to you after booking with the confirmation.
When the platform is announced at the train station, there isn’t a lot of time to get to your train and board, and it can be a bit rushed. We encountered an issue where the conductor scanning our tickets at the top of the platform told us to go to the left for car 2. As we hauled our luggage and power walked, we noticed the numbers on the train cars changed from descending order to ascending order. Intuitively, we felt the need to turn around and head back to find our car number 2. This backfired in a major way - we found another car number 2 but the seats weren’t our numbers. Instead of getting off the train again, because it was getting close to departure time, we figured we would walk through the train cars, only to find that the cars didn’t connect at a certain point.
TLDR: just listen clearly to the conductor when he tells you which way to go for your car/seats. We ended up riding the 2 hours in the luggage cabin with our bags because the train was so full there weren’t any other seats we could purchase on the spot. We made the best of it, and the luggage area had more airflow. It made for a funny story.
Wine purchasing:
There are many opportunities to taste and buy wine in Bordeaux. You can purchase directly from producers when visiting wineries, and they'll handle packing, shipping, and customs paperwork for you. They also typically produce a variety of wines with different qualities and types, so you can go deep buying into a specific winery if you’re a fan of one.
However, buying directly from a winery might not be cost-effective unless you're planning to purchase at least 6 bottles (or fewer if they're expensive) and can also limit the variety of what you bring home.
If you're looking for a more flexible option and don’t want to go all-in on a single winery, the city of Bordeaux and town of Saint-Émilion have numerous wine stores stocking the region's best wines. These shops can also manage the shipping process for you.
Must-See / Do:
Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux: this Roman Catholic cathedral was originally built in the 11th century and is impressive with its size and gothic architecture. Grab a coffee nearby at one of the cafes and sit outside to take in its beauty.
Grosse Cloche: Meaning ‘Big Bell’, this is another iconic monument in Bordeaux. Built in the 15th century, it’s one of the oldest belfries in France and marks one of the main entrances into the city.
Wineries: Most of these are outside the main town of Bordeaux and will require a rental car to get around (30 mins to an hour plus drive). We recommend choosing 2-3 wineries in the same region for a day of tours, otherwise you’ll be trying to cover too much ground. Depending on how long you want to stay in Bordeaux, you could end up doing one region per day… there’s no shortage of wine to be had.
Our 4-night itinerary looked like this and was a great mix of everything:
Day 1: Arrival day - relax at hotel then dinner
Day 2: Explore Bordeaux - went into town for the day to see the sights, walk around and have lunch, a drink at a cafe, etc.
Day 3: Spa Day + Wine Tasting at Hotel - we chose our hotel for this reason, it was great to not have to leave the grounds for a day and just relax. This could easily be swapped out for exploring a wine region like Médoc or Pomerol.
Day 4: Saint-Émilion - more details on this day trip and the wineries we visited below.
Planning Tip: Throughout the fall season, many of the wineries participate in the Open Days program where they open their doors for free to visitors on a certain day or weekend with various activities and tastings. We didn’t find out about this until after we were already at the hotel and had our tastings confirmed and prepaid, so check the schedule in advance to see if this lines up with your plans!
Must-Eat:
Brasserie Bordelaise: Stumbled into this one after a few others we wanted to check out were closed for late lunch (they’re on a pretty set schedule here for meal times and places close between lunch and dinner). It’s actually part of the same restaurant group as the place we booked for lunch in Saint-Emilion, Le Terrasse Rouge. We sat at the bar and loved the cozy feel of this brasserie. The service was attentive, and the food was heart-warming and satisfying; a pretty quintessential French meal. I still think about the beef tartare.
Le Grand’Vigne: This Two-Michelin Star restaurant is a very special experience, about a 30-minute drive from downtown Bordeaux (located at the hotel we stayed in). It’s classic fine dining with spectacularly presented plates that are executed with creativity and precision. Nearly everything you’ll eat (and even some of what you drink) is grown on site for a pure farm-to-table experience. This was the nicest meal of our trip by far.
Canelés: The canelé is a Bordeaux signature delicacy and a must have when visiting. They are absolutely melt-in-your-mouth delicious mini cakes with a caramelized crust on the outside and creamy custard with vanilla and rum flavor on the inside. You can find them all around town, but Baillardran is one of the most famous, and there are numerous locations. Go for the classic and chocolate covered.
SON’ Restaurant: We didn’t get a chance to eat here but it was at the top of our list. Known for culinary creativity, SON’ has won local awards. They offer a tasting menu for lunch or dinner.
Where to Stay:
Les Sources de Caudalie: rates from $400+ per night, depending on the season.
We found a good rate through the AmEx Travel booking platform, plus it was during November which isn’t peak season. Overall, we loved staying here and would definitely return. The only thing we felt was lacking was the service from the team, given it’s such a small and luxury property, we expected a bit more.
Located about 30 minutes from downtown Bordeaux, it feels like a luxury bed & breakfast estate. The sunsets were breathtaking, and there’s even a small farm with some animals. Traditional hotel rooms are in the main building (where we stayed), plus a separate building by the pond with more of the larger suites and cabins, then there is a guest house that is a bit further away for those who want more seclusion.
The breakfast is an amazing buffet spread in the main dining room with beautiful morning light and views of the pond. We still talk about this breakfast and how impressive it was, with everything freshly made from local farms. If you order breakfast to your room, they pack it in an adorable picnic basket.
There’s a winery on site - Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, which is a Grand Cru Classé de Graves. They have tastings and tours available daily for anyone who wants to visit. The grounds are also beautiful and have a lot of art sculptures that make for a nice walk post-tasting.
In addition to their Michelin-starred restaurant Le Grand Vigne, they have a bistro style restaurant La Table du Lavoir (The Washhouse Table) and an even more casual wine bar called Rouge that also has a wine shop with gourmet goods. We loved coming here to sit at the bar and chat with the staff about wine, try different glasses and share some charcuterie.
As far as the spa goes, it’s by the brand Caudalie and offers great views of the grounds. The outdoor pool wasn’t open for our visit, but there’s an indoor pool, natural hot spring and hammam. It’s all co-ed and definitely worth a visit for a half day to unwind and relax. All the treatments use Caudalie products of course, which are known for their signature “Vinotherapie” that uses the benefits of grape seed oil extract.
Le Boutique Hotel: rates from $265+ per night, depending on the season.
We didn’t stay here, but our friends (and fellow Next Vacay subscribers) did, who also gave us some recs from their trip when we planned ours. Here’s Ngoc Le’s take: “We liked Le Boutique, it’s a good central location, walkable to everything. Rooms were good size for Europe, and the concierge is helpful. They helped us book some of our winery tours in advance. They also had a cute patio area with live music in the evenings.”
Also worth noting - there’s a cute coffee shop around the corner called She and Him that’s Miami Beach decor. The owner use to live in Miami, so it’s the best of both worlds coming together.
Saint-Émilion Day Trip:
We absolutely loved Saint-Émilion and can’t recommend it enough. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is such a charming town with picturesque streets that felt like you were being transported back to medieval times. And the wineries here are some of the best.
Wineries - We originally booked 3 wineries plus lunch at a separate restaurant, which ended up being a bit too ambitious for a day of leisurely eating and drinking. We ended up skipping the last tour and going into the town before sunset so we could walk around while it was still nice out. This was a good move, or else we may not have gotten to experience the town, which is a must.
Chateau Valandraud - This was our favorite from the personable tour guide and the story of the owners to the caliber of the wine tasting, as it is a Premier Grand Cru Classé. We ended up buying half a case from here.
Chateau de Ferrand - The grounds here are stunning, and the castle design is very romantic. We really enjoyed the top vintages tasting after the tour, with a blind tasting that made it fun. This winery is designated a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé and not to be confused with Chateau Ferrand Pomerol.
Chateau de Pressac - This was supposed to be our last tasting of the day, but we skipped it so we could go into town. It’s still on our radar for next time.
Lunch at Le Terrasse Rouge - Located at Chateau La Dominique, this restaurant has panoramic vineyard views and a variety of classic French dishes and of course, local wines. The outdoor deck is great for an al fresco meal in the warmer months.
Lunch or Dinner at L’Envers du Decor - Located in the town of Saint-Émilion, this was a close second for us but didn’t get to try it. Love the quaint bistro vibes and will definitely be back next time.
Pro Tip: Saint-Émilion organizes classical music concerts each season from April through November or December. Check the calendar to see which chateaus will have it in case this is something you want to plan your visit around. It sounds very French and classy! (it’s not free)
Packing Essentials:
This is a pretty easy trip as far as packing goes… nothing out of the ordinary.
Your palette! Familiarize yourself with the Bordeaux wine basics here in this helpful breakdown. We are firm believers of learning by doing, so buy yourself a bottle or two to taste as you read through the guide.
Comfortable shoes are needed for exploring the town by foot.
A lot of the sights and winery tours are outdoors, so pack for the season. Layers are always a good idea since it tends to be quite warm indoors.
Have you been to Bordeaux? Which wineries are your favorites? Let us know in the comments!