BORDEAUX
Area: Cities
Country: France


Location:
SW France, 40 miles E of the Atlantic coast. 360 miles SW of Paris; 140 miles N of the Spanish border. Merignac airport 8 miles W.

Telephone code from UK:
33

Website:
http://www.bordeaux-tourisme.com

Position:
Concentrated on the W bank of the River Garonne. Surrounded by gentle countryside with some of the world's most famous vineyards. Commercial pine plantations in outlying areas.

Description:
An elegant, cosmopolitan city, Bordeaux contains some of France's finest 18th-century architecture, with more than 5,000 examples, plus impressive monuments, vast tree-lined squares, broad avenues and gardens. Some of the most picturesque buildings can be found along the river, near the Quai de la Douane (Customs House Quay). The city was once a major European centre for trade with the Indies, both E and W, and is still a busy port, with important shipyards and related industries. Today, the production of fine wines and spirits is a major commercial activity, and the existence of a university contributes to this intellectual and cultural melting pot of SW France.

Suitability:
Not exorbitantly expensive, but not for anyone on a tight budget.

Accommodation:
A wide choice, mainly in three areas: the centre of town, close to the airport and by the Exhibition and Congress centres.

Shopping:
Good-quality comestibles, beverages and clothing. Leading French department stores and boutiques; tempting wine-tasting shops.

Entertainments:
Daytime: the 18th-century Grand Theatre; various museums (particularly the Musee d'Aquitaine), handsome churches, including St Andrew's cathedral. A walk on the stone bridge Pont de Pierre to look back at the riverside fa?ade is well worthwhile. Nightlife: what you would expect to find in a city with nearly 700,000 inhabitants. Cinema.

Eating:
A handful of restaurants with Michelin stars. Numerous dishes created with sauces based on the glorious local wines _ described as "bordelaise". Oysters, caviar (from local sturgeon), eels and small moulded cakes called "caneles" should not be missed.

Public-transport:
Good, easy-to-understand bus system radiating from near the Grand Theatre.

Local-excursions:
Boat trips on the river. Visit to a permanently docked modern warship. The tourist office organises visits to the great wine-growing areas.