Bordeaux

Bordeaux is France’s second largest city and is located around 35 miles inland from the ocean.

There are numerous cathedrals, museums, monuments, small parks and shopping areas in and around Bordeaux including Place de la Bourse (Place Royale), Grosse Cloche de Bordeaux and Place Parlement, a pretty town square lined with shops and outdoor cafes.

Around Bordeaux lies one of the most prolific wine producing regions in the world and there are many excursions exploring the surrounding villages.

Bordeaux offers many shopping opportunities, good buys include wine, designer fashions, perfumes, local art and crystal.

A local speciality, Sauce Bordelaise, is made with red wine, marrow-based brown stock, shallots and seasoning, it goes well with grilled beefsteak. Lamb with garlic, eel cooked in red wine and oysters are all other well known dishes of the area.

Ships dock at the quay in downtown Bordeaux. Just beyond here lies the Pont de Pierre, the first bridge built in Bordeaux by order of Napoleon in 1810 and at the foot of the bridge lies the ancient entrance to Bordeaux, the Porte de Bourgagne.