Bordeaux Travel Planning with NileGuide

Bordeaux City and its Négociants

The heart of the City
By Jane Anson

This Guide was last updated on 04 March 2010
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Years ago, négociant offices lined the Quai des Chartrons on the far bank of the Garonne River, Bordeaux's main artery.
© Mick Rock/Cephas

The map above does not cover the complete extent of this micro-region. On the left its position is indicated within the main wine region.

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Bordeaux city opens up to wine tourism

There are not many world cities who share a name with the wine region that surrounds them – there’s no city of Champagne, for example - head to Reims or Epernay instead, nor a city of Burgundy - think Beaune and Dijon. But, many visitors, even when flying in to the region for a vineyard tour, will plan trips around the Médoc and Saint Emilion, and choose to stay in nearby wine châteaux or hotels, and ignore the centre of town. Anyone who visited Bordeaux ten years ago would have made doubly sure that this was the case, as it had a reputation for snarled traffic and distinctly seedy districts.

All of this has changed, however, and  any visitor to the Bordeaux region today should make their first stop the centre of town. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 2007 - the largest urban area worldwide to have received the honour - the city of Bordeaux has transformed into one of Europe's most vibrant centres, and the wine industry, that has felt disconnected from its heart for too long, is busy reclaiming it. Cases of claret may no longer be shipped from the quays downtown, but a handful of négociant houses have opened up to the public, and others have opened a museum on this history of the trade. Wine bars are finally taking their rightful place in a city that for years kept wine just at the restaurant table; and châteaux on the outskirts of the urban sprawl are getting connected through the new tramway. A new wine cultural centre is even planned for 2012. The waterfront is now lined with jogging paths, parks, water features and plenty of cafés and restaurants. It’s also worth knowing thatbuying wine can often be easier and better value in central Bordeaux than in the more tourist-focused areas such as Saint Emilion, so consider saving your purchases for your days in town.

Geography

Located along the banks of the Garonne River, Bordeaux is protected from Atlantic storms by 'Les Landes', a large pine forest to the south and west. It has a mild maritime climate influenced by the Gulf Stream, with average annual temperatures of 7.5°C minimum and 17°C maximum and winter frosts being rare. There is however plenty of rainfall coming in from the Atlantic with 900mm per year, mainly in the spring. The summers are usually dry and hot with good weather often extending into autumn. The vineyards are notably flat, rarely reaching altitudes of more than a few metres above sea level.

Situated at the northern end of the Graves, Pessac-Léognan stretches along the left bank of the Garonne River to the southern outskirts of Bordeaux. The northern part of the appellation is surrounded by urban Bordeaux with a hilly terrain of well-drained gravelly slopes from different eras created by the erosion of the Pyrenées. Due to the excellent drainage the region is more consistent in problematic vintages than other Bordeaux regions. Located between the Gironde/Garonne rivers and the Atlantic Ocean the Médoc, which runs from just north of Saint Estèphe to the suburbs of Bordeaux, is a strip that hugs the banks of the river along one side and is edged by the protective forest on the other side.

Basic information

How to get there

The fastest route from Paris, by car, is to take the A10 which takes you straight to Bordeaux. By train, the TGV Atlantique service reaches Bordeaux in less than three hours from Paris (due to become two in 2012), five hours from Lille and seven from Brussels. The local bus company Citram Aquitaine is useful for visiting areas outside Bordeaux centre. The closest major airport is Bordeaux-Mérignac.

Useful information

Bordeaux Tourist Office,
12 Cours du XXX Juillet, 33000 Bordeaux

Tel: 05 56 00 66 00
Email: otb@bordeaux-tourisme.com
Website: www.bordeaux.com

Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vins de Bordeaux (CIVB),
1 Cours du XXX Juillet, 33000 Bordeaux

Tel: 05 56 00 22 66
Website: www.vins-bordeaux.fr