We are hiring a gite in the Dordogne this September. Our flight home is from
Bordeaux and we are wondering whether to spend a day there sightseeing. But
is it worth the time, and what is there to see? Margaret Brockman,
Birmingham
Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green repsonds: The compact heart of
Bordeaux is split between a medieval quarter of narrow lanes and an elegant
18th riverside show-town built display the wealth brought to the town by
viticulture. It doesn't have big-hitting sights as such, but it's well worth
a visit for its vivacity, excellent museums, and good nightlife.
The centerpiece is the river-facing Esplanade de Quinconces, which like much
of the town, has been recently renovated and spruced-up. A grand monument to
the guillotined Girondists (a moderate group of National Assembly members, 22
of whom were executed during the revolution) fronts the vast open space
here, with a 5-deep row of trees on either side.
Just to the south is the magnificent Grand Theatre, and the Place de la
Bourse, with a fine old customs house and the modern twist of a Water Mirror
a vast inch deep puddle perfect for kiddies to paddle in and
photographer to excel at.
Walk away from the river and you come to the flying buttresses and gargoyled
Gothic spire of St Andrew's Cathedral, the Hotel de Ville, and the excellent
Muse des Beaux-Arts. Make sure to visit the Musee d'Aquitaine too, for
cleverly presented context on Bordeaux's pre-eminence in the region.
For a blast of the new, head to the CAPC (Museum of contemporary art) in old
warehouse just a block north of the Esplanade de Quinconces. Also, look at
the Garage Moderne; where cars
are turned into art installations, and if you are a fan of Le Corbusier, the
suburb of Pessac is the setting for his visionary worker's houses.
In the evening, head to Place du Parlement and Rue du Pas St-Georges for some
superbly atmospheric restaurants, and later on, down by the river at the
quai du Paladate, is where the night gets a whole lot noisier, at
restaurants and clubs, like the Jazz club, Le Port de la Lune (at number
58).
And if after a few glasses of red, you think you've just seen an aircraft wing
glide upriver, you probably have. Completed wings for the A380 are floated
on colossal "Bigfoot" barges to Toulouse through Bordeaux, and even more
freakily, self-submerge to get under some of the city's historic bridges.
For more information, visit www.bordeaux-tourisme.com
