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Things to see in Bordeaux

Tourist information: 

Office de Tourisme de Bordeaux
12 cours du 30 Juillet, 33080 Bordeaux
Tel: (05) 5600 6600.
www.bordeaux-tourisme.com

The main tourist office in Bordeaux organises city tours and guided tours of the vineyards. They have a good-value package 'Bordeaux Découverte' offering two nights' accommodation, a guided tour of the city and the vineyards with wine tasting and one pass giving admission to the city's principal monuments.

The Comité Régional du Tourisme, 23 parvis des Chartrons (tel: (05) 5601 7000; www.tourisme-aquitaine.fr), deals with the Aquitaine region. The Bordeaux Wine Council (www.vins-bordeaux.fr) provides information about local wines and vineyards.

Cathédrale St-André

One of three Bordeaux churches listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites, the gothic Cathédrale St-André, built during the 13th and 15th centuries, was on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. The top of the lofty bell tower commands superb views over Bordeaux.

Admission Fees: No.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: Yes
Address: Place Pey-Berland, 33000 Bordeaux, France
Esplanade des Quinconces

One of Europe's largest squares, this vast open space has the Monument des Girondins (a memorial to the Girondin deputies guillotined at the behest of Robespierre and other leaders of the French Revolution) along one side, and two tall ships' columns on the riverside. The heart of Vieux Bordeaux runs between here and the Cathédrale St-André.

Disabled Access: No
Unesco: Yes
Address: Esplanade des Quinconces, 33000 Bordeaux, France
Jardin Botanique

The old Jardin Botanique (cours de Verdun) is part of Bordeaux's first ever park, the Jardin Public. It is a classic French garden with a lake, arranged flowerbeds and 3,000 different plant species. On the other side of the river is the new Jardin Botanique (quai de Queyries), which is very French too, but contemporary, with water gardens, a grass meadow and chalk hillocks that recreate the various habitats of Aquitaine.

Opening Times: Daily 0800-2000 (Apr-Oct); Daily 0800-1800 (Nov-Mar).
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Esplanade Linné, Bordeaux, France
Telephone: (05) 5652 1877.
Musée d'Aquitaine

This superb museum has a rich collection of archaeological, historical and ethnographic artefacts illustrating Bordeaux's history from prehistoric times to the present. The highlight is a magnificent bronze statue of Hercules, which once stood at the entrance to the port.

Opening Times: Tues-Sun 1100-1800.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 20 cours Pasteur, Bordeaux, France
Telephone: (05) 5601 5100.
Website: http://musees-aquitaine.com
Musée d'Art Contemporain (CAPC)

This Bordeaux museum of contemporary art is housed in a monumental colonial warehouse, and has an excellent collection of arte povera (Italian for ‘poor art'), experimental art of the late 1960s, and good temporary shows.

Opening Times: Tues and Thurs-Sun 1100-1800, Wed 1100-2000.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 7 rue Ferrère, 33000 Bordeaux, France
Telephone: (05) 5600 8150.
Website: http://musees-aquitaine.com (French only)
Musée des Beaux Arts

One wing of the sumptuous baroque Palais Rohan, now the City Hall, is dedicated to an impressive collection of 16th- to 20th-century paintings, including masterworks by Perugino, Titian, Rubens, Brueghel, Matisse, Renoir, Delacroix, Seurat, Bonnard and Kokoschka.

Opening Times: Wed-Mon 1100-1800.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 20 cours d'Albret, 33000 Bordeaux, France
Telephone: (05) 5610 2056.
Website: http://musees-aquitaine.com (French only)
Quartier des Chartrons

Fabulously rich European wine merchants built sumptuous residences in this Bordeaux quarter. The area declined after the French Revolution, but was recently spruced up and is now home to swanky shops, trendy bars and restaurants and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Disabled Access: No
Unesco: Yes
Address: Quartier des Chartrons, 33000 Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
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