offwegooo.com
Travel guide
Bordeaux and Around
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to July, and September to October
offwegooo.comPrint it, fold it, take it with you
Welcome
Bordeaux and Around, in a few days
Pale 18th-century facades line the Garonne, from the Water Mirror on Place de la Bourse to the swirling Cité du Vin. Within an hour lie the UNESCO-listed vineyards of Saint-Émilion, the oysters of Cap Ferret and the Dune du Pilat, so city, vines and ocean fit into a long weekend.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · La Cité du Vin · about 2 hA gold-clad building on the Bacalan quays telling 8,000 years of wine through smell tables, immersive films and models of vineyards worldwide.
- Afternoon · Place de la Bourse free · about 1 hGabriel's classical ensemble facing the Garonne, reflected in the Water Mirror, which switches between a still sheet of water and a cloud of mist.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Gambetta€100 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Rue Sainte-Catherine free · about 1 h 30At 1.2 km, one of Europe's longest pedestrian shopping streets, running from Place de la Comédie to Place de la Victoire.
- Afternoon · Marché des Capucins · about 2 hBordeaux's oldest market, in Saint-Michel, where on Saturday mornings you sit at an oyster bar for a dozen Arguin oysters and a glass of Entre-Deux-Mers.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Konti€150 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Saint-Émilion · half a dayA wine village whose bell tower overlooks a sea of vines; the monolithic church, carved into the rock, opens only for guided tours.
- Afternoon · Arcachon free · half a dayA Belle Époque resort: a Summer Town by the beach, a Winter Town of 300 villas among the pines, and boats to Cap Ferret.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Tour Intendance€150 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Cap Ferret · half a dayA peninsula between the bay and the ocean, with wooden huts, cycle paths under the pines and the narrow lanes of L'Herbe, an oyster village.
- Afternoon · The Dune du Pilat free · about 2 hEurope's highest sand dune, around 100 metres, with views over the Landes forest, the Arguin sandbank and the bay; most people run back down.
🛏️ Where to sleep · La Cour Carrée€130 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €140 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to July, and September to October
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/bordeaux
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.