Bordeaux Favorite Tips by Lilasel

Dune of Pyla

Favorite thing: The 105-metre high Great Dune of Pyla, classified since 1978 as a Major National Site, is a splendor of nature, increasingly remodeled by the wind from the ocean, where everyone can indulge for the space of a few hour in dreams of infinity...

Arcachon

Favorite thing: Arcachon has been already in XIXth century a renowned seaside and climatic station, centre of attraction of the European upper class. Nowadays numerous animation and sports activities enrapture the summer visitors as well as his marina and its ten kilometres of beaches of fine sand, next to Basin which carries its name.

Not far from Arcachon there is the Dune of Pyla - the highest of Europe... Arcachon is also famous by excellent oysters.

Play!

Favorite thing: I have found this so called "play-cafe" by luck during my walk in Bordeaux where I have spent a week visiting my friends. Actually it's not a cafe, but a boutique of games or better to say - a playroom.

In brief, you enter, you choose a game among hundred of them, you sit down comfortably and a superb play party is started.
People, who work there, recommend the game, explain the rules, offer you the drinks.

All the games you play in ze zem are also for sale there.

ze zem
12 rue saint James - 33000 Bordeaux
tél. : 05 56 51 00 21
mail : zezem@free.fr
tuesday - sunday 2pm - 2am

La Maison du Vin de Bordeaux

Favorite thing: Before going off to visit the vineyards, stop by the Maison du Vin de Bordeaux, which is situated in the heart of the city, just in front of the Tourist Bureau.
Here you'll find precise information such as maps, vineyard guides, information on each district or appellation, etc. in English, French, German, and many other languages.
Each week a tasting is planned at which the House Sommelier comments on the two wines being tasted. In addition, throughout the year wine classes are offered in-house at the Ecole du Vin in several languages and at two levels. The schedule for the tastings and the wine classes is also available from the Maison du Vin at the address above.

3, cours du 30 juillet, 33075 Bordeaux Cedex
Tel: +33 (0)5 56 00 22 88 / Fax: +33 (0)5 56 00 22 77
Hours: 9.00AM to 5.30PM all year long.

The Musée des Beaux-Arts

Favorite thing: The Musée des Beaux-Arts has a small but worthy selection of European fine art, featuring works by Reynolds, Titian, Rubens, Matisse and Marquet (a native of the city), as well as Delacroix's superb painting of La Grèce sur les ruines de Missolonghi.

The Musée d'Art Contemporain

Favorite thing: The Musée d'Art Contemporain on rue Ferrère occupies a converted nineteenth-century warehouse for colonial imports. The vast, arcaded hall provides a magnificent setting for the mostly post-1960 sculpture and installation-based work by artists such as Richard Long, Daniel Buren and Sol LeWitt. Few pieces from the permanent collection are on display at any one time, the main space being filled by temporary exhibitions, so it's hit or miss as to whether you'll like what's on offer. However, there's also a superb collection of glossy art books in the first-floor library and an elegant designer café-restaurant on the roof (lunch only).

Cathedral Saint-Andre

Favorite thing: The Saint-Andre Cathedral is the biggest church in Bordeaux and it was declared part of the Santiago Pilgrims' World Heritage. The origins of this church date back from the 11th century.

Jardin Public (Public Garden)

Favorite thing: This garden was built in 1756 and it soon became a popular public city park. In 1856 the garden was redesigned in an English style. Currently this 10 hectares park in the center of Bordeaux is a perfect place to spend a weekend. The Jardin Public contains some very scant remains of Bordeaux's Roman past.

Esplanade des Quinconces

Favorite thing: North of the centre is the vast open square of the esplanade des Quinconces. One of the tallest monuments in Bordeaux, the Monument to the Girondins and the Republic, dominates the east side of this wide promenade. This monument was erected at the end of 19th century to honour the deputies of the revolution.
The Esplanade des Quinconces takes up more than 12 hectares.

Quartier Saint-Eloi

Favorite thing: Bordeaux is reasonably spread out along the western side of the River Garonne, with the eighteenth-century old town lying between the place de la Comédie to the north, the imposing buildings of the river bank and the cathedral to the west.
Quartier Saint-Eloi is one of the most picturesque districts in Bordeaux. Grosse Cloche (the picture) used to be the bell of the Town Hall's belfry. Currently the Town Hall is elsewhere, but the bell is still one of the symbols of Bordeaux.