Bordeaux itinerary in 3 days
Including Saint Emilion and Wineries
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We had been planning for a long time to do a walking holiday with friends to the Dordogne region of France. In spring of 2024 we finally did it! Our trip started with a few days in Paris, then a few days in Bordeaux and vicinity before heading to Dordogne.
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Situated on the Garonne river, Bordeaux was a real surprise to me. It's a beautiful, clean historic city in the south west region of France. It is the hub of the Bordeaux wine-growing region, with many chateaus and vineyards situated on its hillside outskirts. Since it is situated so close to the Pyranees and Spain there is also quite a bit of Spanish influence. As always, good food and lots of wine flowing! It's a perfect spot (and not so crowded) to spend a few days.
Hotel
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This beautiful bed and breakfast hotel is located in the historic centre of Bordeaux on a quiet street. It is in a gorgeously renovated old home. The rooms are very large, airy, with high ceilings and modern bathrooms. It is located near the Public Park, in a nice area with restaurants and just a 15 minute walk to the town centre.
Noteworthy Restaurants
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El Nacional. Located in the centre of the Chartron - at the Halle des Chartrons - this restaurant has a nice patio and was a great spot for lunch. It has Spanish food including omelettes, tapas and salads.
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Chez Dupont. This restaurant serving traditional and modern French cuisine is on a small street with a nice sidewalk patio. The food was delicious. It is located in the Chartron.
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La P'tite Boulangerie. If you love French pastries, make sure to stop by this bakery. I had a sugar craving one afternoon and we passed this bakery. I couldn't resist trying an eclair and it did not disappoint! Yum.
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La Vie en Rose Salon de Thé. Great spot for afternoon coffee, tea or dessert. This lovely café is located in the Halle des Chartrons.
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L'etoile Restaurant. Located in central Bordeaux, this tiny restaurant was a perfect spot for lunch. Homemade simple food that changes daily. It was recommended by a local.
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Le Chien de Pavlov. This restaurant serves modern French cuisine. It has a fixed price menu as well as a la carte food. It is located in a small alley and has some nice outdoor seating.
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Melodie. On a bustling street by the river, this tiny restaurant is easy to miss. It's very cute and only has around five tables. It has a small and reasonably priced fixed price menu which is tasty.
Day 1
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Afternoon
We arrived in Bordeaux by high-speed train from Paris around mid-day and headed to Casa Blanca B&B. This beautiful bed and breakfast hotel is located in the centre of Bordeaux on a quiet street. It is in a gorgeously renovated old home. The rooms are very large, airy, with high ceilings and modern bathrooms. It is located near the Public Park, close to restaurants and just a 15 minute walk to the town centre.
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After checking in we headed out to grab some lunch at the Halle des Chartrons and ended up at El Nacional. This Spanish restaurant, serving tapas and omelettes, is located in the central square of the Chartron neighbourhood and has a nice patio. It was a great spot for lunch. In the centre of this square is the Halle des Chartrons which is a small indoor market hall built of stone and steel in 1869 and was restored in 1998. This beautiful structure now serves as a cultural hub.
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After lunch, we headed to the downtown and historic centres of Bodeaux. This city is very clean and pretty, with beautiful architecture. Much of it is pedestrian and so it's very pleasant to wander around. We decided to visit the Musèe de Beaux Art Bordeaux. This museum, located in the centre of Bordeaux, has a permanent collection which covers a significant panorama of European art from the 15th to the 20th century. It is housed in a beautiful building with a nice courtyard garden.
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Following the museum visit, we decided we needed a little snack to keep us going until dinner so we headed back to the Halle des Chartrons and had a coffee and slice of delicious cake at La Vie en Rose Salon de Thé.
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From there we walked back to our hotel through the beautiful and lively Public Park (Jardin Public). There were lots of people of all ages enjoying the greenery, in the playground, at the botanical garden and even doing yoga.
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Evening
This evening we met up with our friends at Chez Dupont. This restaurant serving traditional and modern French cuisine is on a small street with a nice sidewalk patio. The food was delicious. It is located in the Chartron neighbourhood. It was the perfect spot to kick off our French holiday with a glass of wine (or two!) with our close friends.
Day 2
Tours and Guides
Hubert Visites Guide. We booked Hubert for two tours - a walking tour of Bordeaux and a tour of Saint Emilion and some wineries. He also drove us to Sarlat for the next leg of our trip. Hubert was friendly and knowledgeable on the history of Bordeaux and the region. He made some good restaurant recommendations and the wineries he took us to were very good.
Favourite Museums
Musèe de Beaux Art Bordeaux. This museum located in the centre of Bordeaux has a permanent collection which covers a significant panorama of European art from the 15th to the 20th century. It is housed in a beautiful building with a nice courtyard garden.
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The Wine and Trade Museum. While there is a much newer and bigger wine museum in Bordeaux, we decided to visit this small one as we didn't have enough time for the large one. This museum focuses on the history of wine-making in the Bordeaux region. It was fun and quaint. It includes a wine tasting at the end of the visit.
Itinerary Add-ons
This itinerary can be combined with:
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Dordogne Itinerary in 6 Days (coming soon)
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Morning
This morning following breakfast we met our friends and our tour guide, Hubert from Hubert Visites Guide. Hubert is a native of Bordeaux and he is a historian. He showed us the main monuments of the city and talked about the history of Bordeaux during the Roman times, Middles ages, World War II and the great changes that took place over the last 20 years. It was a very interesting and informative tour.
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After the tour we decided to walk to the famous Marché des Capucins, in the south end of Bordeaux. It was a lovely walk and the market was filled with fresh local produce, meats and fish.
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We headed back along the river to the central part of Bordeaux and walked along one of the bridges to get some nice views of the city from the river. We stopped to see the unique view from the Water Mirror on the river bank, just across from historic buildings built in the 18th century. The "Miroir d'Eau" is less than 20 years old. It is a very shallow pool of water on slate which provides a beautiful reflection of the buildings across the way. It has become one of the city's main attractions. This spectacular pool, designed by landscape artist Michel Corajoud, alternates a mirror effect and artificial misting in an extraordinary way.
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We continued along the landscaped boulevard which runs close and parallel to the river. This area has lanes for cyclists and pedestrians. Surrounded by flowers and greenery it is a very peaceful area.
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Afternoon
At this point we were hungry. Hubert gave us a good tip for a lunch restaurant, L'Etoile Restaurant. Located in central Bordeaux, this tiny restaurant hit the spot. They serve homemade, simple food that changes daily and the patrons were all locals, which is always a good sign.
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Our guide, Hubert, recommended that we visit the The Wine and Trade Museum. While there is a much newer and bigger wine museum in Bordeaux, he recommended this smaller one as we didn't have enough time for the large one. This museum focuses on the history of wine making in the Bordeaux region. It was fun and quaint and the best part is that there is a wine tasting at the end of the visit!
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After the museum we headed back to the hotel for a rest, but on the way we stopped for a little snack - a delicious French eclaire from La P'tite Boulangerie. If you love French pastries, make sure to stop by this well-known bakery. Yum.
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Evening
This evening we booked a restaurant which we had noticed during our wanderings the previous day. Le Chien de Pavlov serves modern French cuisine. It has a fixed price menu as well as a la carte food. It is located in a small, quiet alley and has some nice outdoor seating.
Day 3
Day Trip
This morning after breakfast we were picked up by Hubert (Hubert Visites Guide) for a day trip to the town of Saint Emilion and to a couple of wineries. It was a really fun day.
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We started in Saint Emilion where Hubert toured us around the village. Saint Emilion is a commune located just east of Bordeaux. It is a medieval city in the heart of the wine hills. The town and surrounding vineyards are a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its long history of wine-making, Romanesque churches and ruins stretching along the steep and narrow streets.
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We walked around the town visiting the various monuments including the cloister, the Cardinal Palace, the market hall and the steep streets. We stopped at a veranda at the top of the town for sweeping views of the roofs below and the vineyards in the distance.
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Hubert took us to the famous Rock Carved Sanctuary which is a vast underground sanctuary. It was gradually enlarged as the centuries went by. The “Monolith”, as it was nicknamed, was carved out it in the 11th century, and represents the main part of this first monastery. It was very unique and interesting to see.
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Following the tour of Saint Emilion, Hubert took us to two very different wineries in the Saint Emilion Grand Cru region. The first winery was a small, family owned winery. The owner personally took us around to show us how he produces wine and then gave us several tastings and even threw in a few magic tricks! He was very warm and entertaining and this was a very personal experience.
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The second winery was called Chateau La Croizille. This family run winery has been around since 1950. This larger winery sits on a gorgeous and expansive vineyard. It has both the original production house and a new, more modern one. We started our visit with a picnic lunch (with wine of course!) which we enjoyed on their veranda with views of vineyards all around. After lunch we had tours of both the old and new production facilities with wine tastings at the end.
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This was a lovely day and we were ready to head back to Bordeaux in the late afternoon.
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Evening
After a rest at our hotel, we headed out for dinner for our last evening in Bordeaux. We went to the main part of town to a restaurant called Melodie. On a busy street by the river, this tiny restaurant is easy to miss. It's very cute and only has around five tables. It has a small and reasonably priced fixed price menu which is tasty. We toasted to a fun time in Bordeaux before heading to the next leg of our trip in the Dordogne region with our friends.
Day 4
Morning
This morning after breakfast we said goodbye to beautiful Bordeaux and had a driver pick us up to take us to Sarlat which was the beginning of our trip in Dordogne.