Tourism
Visit Bordeaux!
The heart of Bordeaux is rich in architecture and in monuments. You can enjoy a walk along the quays, or go shopping in the rue St Catherine . You will have the pleasure to discover places where oenology mingle with French gastronomy . The city of Bordeaux also counts several museums and numerous art galleries. You will maybe have the opportunity to enter the opera and to see a show there.
Get ready to be surprised by the beauty of this city allying many architectural types and where classic buildings stand alongside much more modern ones.
The Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas is a vertical-lift bridge over the Garonne. It was inaugurated on 16 March 2013 by President François Hollande and Alain Juppé, mayor of Bordeaux. It is named in honour of Jacques Chaban-Delmas, a former Prime Minister of France and a former mayor of Bordeaux.
Located near the river, the Place des Quinconces is the largest city squares in Europe. It was completed during the 19th century and takes its name from de way the trees were planted in 1818, in quincunxes. Facing the Garonne, two rostral columns were erected in 1829, standing for commerce and navigation. As a symbol of the French Revolution, the Monument aux Girondins was lastly added to the square in 1894.
The Place de la Bourse has symbolised the city of Bordeaux around the world for centuries and played a major role in the city's development, trade, and reputation. It was built in the 18th century by Louis XV 's «First Architect» Ange-Jacques Gabriel under the stewardship of Claude Boucher. The addition of a water mirror in front of the square in 2006 has turned this place into Bordeaux's new emblem.
The cathedral built in a gothic style in the XIIIth century, is the most important religious place in Bordeaux. It was thus decided to build a dedicated free-standing tower next to the cathedral in 1440. The Pey-Berland Tower was long one of the tallest buildings in the city. Located next to the cathedral, The Palais Rohan was originally built for the arshbishop Ferdinand Maximilien Mériade in the end of the 18th century
Since its creation in 1746, the Jardin Public is a veritable oxygen source in the city centre. With its 11 hectares of grass, the garden houses a Natural History Museum, a botanical garden, a bar-restaurant and also including a children's playground and the famous "Guignol Guérin" puppet show, the oldest theatre in France. Known for its centuries-old trees and its lovely plantings, the Jardin Public has been classified as «Jardin Remarquable de France».
One of best-known public buildings of the city, the Grand Théâtre is one of the oldest theaters in Europe. It stand on the site of a former temple (Les Pilliers de Tutelles). It was first inaugurated in 1780 with the play Athalie by Jean Racine.
The must sees !
Street art in Darwin
Catacombs
Catacombs
The catacombs are situated under the arrow of Saint Michel's basilica. For two centuries, going down in the catacombs filled out with mummies was part of the rites of passage for all the small Bordelais (inhabitants of Bordeaux).
Many famous authors visited these catacombs which inspired them, such as Gustave Flaubert, Victor Hugo or Théophile Gauthier. These mummies are also quoted in papers of Jules Verne, Jean Cayrol, Lucie Delarue-Mardrus, or Louis-Fernand Céline.
Saint Seurin's Crypt
Saint Seurin's Crypt
Saint Seurin's crypt is a crypt dating back to the IVth century and situated under the basilica of Saint Seurin.
Numerous mysteries are associated within this crypt. There are still doubts about the presence of Saint Seurin's body, but many other saints are lying inside the graves of the crypt.
A story tells that a dozen of skulls belonging to the twelve "Grey Sisters" who have been guillotined, still are inside one of the sarcophagi.
Musée des arts décoratifs et du design
This museum is located in an hotel named De Lalande. The fact of visiting an old hotel while discovering some pieces of art is amazing. Every room tells you a different story as well as they each represent a different period of time. You will not be bored during the visit !
the Submarine Base
The submarine base was created by the Germans during World War II. Italians left from this submarine base during the Battle of the Atlantic ( 1940-1943). French government didn’t decide to keep the submarine, but if it still stands today, this is because it is totally indestructible.
Nowadays it reminds us of World War II and the occupation. It has been turned into a cultural space : 12000m² of the 42000m² are open to the visitors. This is the most secure museum in the world, thanks to the huge quantity of cement and the roof that was reinforced three times by the Germans to protect them from the bombs.
Museum of Aquitaine
The museum opened its doors in 1987. But its history goes back much further. The Museum of Aquitaine was initially created in 1962 according to the wishes of the museologist Georges Henri Rivière. It shows you for example the Bordeaux of the XVIIIth century with the slave trade across the Atlantic. Naturally you can also see the antique Bordeaux with pieces going back to the Antiquity, a time when Bordeaux was still called Burdigala.
The museum welcomes temporary exhibitions which have an international impact.
The Museum of the Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts was established in 1801. You will find there paintings from the XVth to the XXth century. It is divided into two buildings : the Museum of Fine Arts which is in the Cours d'Albret with permanent exhibitions, and the Gallery of Fine Arts, which welcomes temporary exhibitions.
CAPC
CAPC : Centre d'Arts Plastiques Contemporains.
It is a museum of modern art established in 1973. The museum is based in the Entrepot Lainé, which was a former warehouse for the colonial goods. This warehouse was built in 1820 by the architect Claude Deschamps. The museum was opened on 17th May 1984.
The particularity is the fact that most of the artists come from the Bordeaux region. Since 2000 the museum also welcomes exhibitions of music, cinema, literature and as often as possible, exhibitions of popular arts.
Bordeaux and its culture,
The city of Bordeaux contains eleven museums seven of wich are municipal. This cultural wealth is visible through permanent collections either through permanent exhibitions. Museums are very often situated in historic buildings of the city center of Bordeaux, so allowing to dive at the heart of the History
Historical Places
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