Raise your glass and toast Bordeaux, home to one of France’s seven wine regions and known for its robust and earthy red wines. Wine enthusiasts book flights to Bordeaux every year to taste the new vintages from the vineyards and cast their opinions on France’s haughty wine region. The Bordeaux region boasts more than 247,000 acres of vineyards and produces more wine than other region in the world. But there is more to Bordeaux than red wine and regional cuisine.
Hop a cheap flight to Bordeaux during the off-season and explore the museums, nightlife and beaches that decorate the city. Bordeaux is also a major transportation hub between the south of France and Spain, so travelers taking flights to Bordeaux as a stopping point for further exploration will have easy access to the rest of the country. Whatever your reason for visiting Bordeaux, you won’t be disappointed. Sit back, relax and sip a nice dry red in France’s charming vintage city.
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Bordeaux has a mild climate that is perfect for the vineyards, neither too hot nor too cold. At its best in spring, Bordeaux’s temperatures in April and May range from the 60s (F) to 70s. July and August are the warmest months with temperatures typically reaching the upper 70s. Fall days are pleasant and in the 60s, but short. Winters are mild with temperatures occasionally dropping to the low 40s.
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Peak Season:
Bordeaux is very busy over the Christmas and New Year holidays, February to March, and mid-July to the end of August. Between school holidays and adults on holiday in summer, flights to Bordeaux and accommodations need to be reserved in advance.
Off Season:
In October most wineries are closed for the harvest.
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From the airport there are regular bus services to the city center from Terminal B taking about 30-45 minutes. Trains from the Arrivals halls transport passengers to the city center. Taxis are available outside the airport.
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The two most popular ways to get around Bordeaux are on a bicycle or motor scooter. Both are available from rental companies in the city.
Bordeaux’s public transportation provides buses and trams. The Bordeaux Découverte card, available at the tourist office, allows unlimited travel for a number of days, and is valid for both buses and trams.
Although you may want a car to explore the wine country, parking in the city center is hard to find and expensive.
Other ways to explore the wine country include bicycling and horseback riding tours, with stopovers at the vineyards.
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- Bordeaux is the capital city of one of the world’s biggest producers of wine, so it is no surprise that it is also home to Vinexpo – the largest exhibition on wine and spirits in the world. The annual event takes place in the Bordeaux-Lac exhibition center.
- North of the city is the Pair-non-Pair cave, discovered in 1881 by Francois Daleau. He found the remains of an 80,000-year-old Neolithic man here. The cave is open for appointments only (between 9.30am and 5.30pm every day of the week) and you can also see some of the oldest cave paintings in the world.
- As you’d expect from France, the food in Bordeaux is second-to-none. Be sure to try the fois-gras and canard (duck) – both are specialities of the region.
- The stunning Pont-de-Pierre spans the Garonne river. Beautiful in the day time, it is even better at night, when its magnificent arches are lit up, and reflected in the water.
- La Grosse Cloche is an unexpected sight in the middle of the Bordeaux streets. The remains of one of the gates of the medieval walls, it was the belfry of the town hall. The two circular towers are 131 ft high and surround a bell tower and clock dating from 1759.
- Wine tasting tours can be booked from the tourist information bureau in the town or, often, from your hotel. They take place daily and visit the chateaux of the surrounding region, with ample chances to taste the wines. Just remember not to swallow the wine, but to spit it out…
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