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Image by JonathanRieder from Pixabay

It’s a toss up as to whether you’re more familiar with the architecture of Bordeaux, or the wine? Both have been key features of this marvellous city since the Roman era, and both make a great reason to visit. As does the cuisine, the museums and the nightlife. Bordeaux is a popular destination for the French too, and it has a huge range of accommodation considering the city’s compact size. The historic centre, set picturesquely on the banks of the Garonne River, is all UNESCO Heritage Listed and largely pedestrianised; it is a wonderful place for a stroll and a people watch, and ideal if you want to skip around all the major sights. Chartrons has a bit more of a relaxed, village vibe with a huge market and cafe culture, while the old river port area has been reinvigorated by the spectacular wine museum that opened there in 2016. 

Our Guide to the Neighbourhoods of Bordeaux

Neighbourhood map via Melting Potes

St Pierre & St Paul

By Matt Kieffer from London, United Kingdom - Porte Cailhau, Bordeaux, France, CC BY-SA 2.0

St Pierre and St Paul are Bordeaux’s medieval neighbourhoods, comprising narrow, largely car-free streets lined with bar and restaurant tables, cafes, bakeries and boutiques. These areas are UNESCO Heritage Listed, and dotted with historic sights, like the Porte Cailhau, which is one of the original city gates; the Grosse Cloche (bell tower); the Mirroir d’eau; Place de la Bourse; and the Cathédrale St-André. Not forgetting art museums, the Musée d'Aquitaine and the Musee des Beaux-Arts. St Paul is right next to the Garonne.  Aside from the major sights, St Pierre and St Paul have charming streets and squares, and some great shopping opportunities — the edge of the neighbourhood is the rue Sainte Catherine, the longest pedestrianised shopping street in Europe — and a great range of accommodation, including some beautifully converted historic buildings. If you’re looking for nightlife, this is a good choice, but it’s quite localised, so you can find a quiet pocket if that’s your preference.

Chartrons

Image by Karabo Spain from Pixabay

Chartrons has the atmosphere of a French village, with traditional cafes, a riverside market, street murals and chic boutiques. It was Bordeaux’s international commercial district, favoured by expat wine merchants, who built their riverside houses with huge cellars, so they could store their wares at home. You can see where this neighbourhood has come from in its museums, for example the Musée du Vin et du Négoce, which was the home of a wine merchant in the 18th century, or the Musée de l’Histoire Maritime.  You’ll still find plenty of wine today, as well as art studios, and those big, beautiful riverside houses — some of which have been converted into hotels and aparthotels. The main street of Chartrons is the Rue Notre Dame, a charming, part-residential street with antique shops, cafes, pretty buildings and Bordeaux’s oldest boulangerie.  

Bassins à Flot & Bacalan

Image by Alex Olzheim from Pixabay

Bassins à Flot and Bacalan are cool left bank districts with an industrial past and an arty vision.  Bassins à Flot translates to wet docks, which is exactly what this area was, cut off from the Garonne River by a lock.  There wasn’t a lot going on here until around 2014 and 2015, when Bodeaux’s fantastic wine museum was being built, and as is so often the case, once one great attraction moved in, more followed, along with facilities to support all the guests, like the cafes, bars and restaurants, and accommodation. What was once an abandoned WWII submarine base became the Bassins des Lumieres, many of the old warehouses now sport rooftop bars, and one of the waterfront hangars has been turned into a super food market.  

The Hôtel de Ville & Gambetta

By Patrick Despoix - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Hôtel de Ville neighbourhood spreads out around the old Hôtel de Ville, or Town Hall — also called the Palais Rohan — encompassing the Cathedral of St Andrew, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Decorative Art and Design. The elegant Place Gambetta js next to the Hôtel de Ville area, and continues along a similar line, with historic buildings and wide elegant streets. The beautiful Place Dauphine is one of the first you come to, and it’s one of the nicest in Bordeaux: with large trees and a pond, and some fantastic shopping opportunities.  

St Michel & Capucins-Victoire 

By Fabien1309, Camera Canon Powershot A610, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr

St Michel and Capucins-Victoire aren’t your usual visitor hubs, more of a place to be if you want to live like a local. Great value, friendly, accommodation is designed for the young and young at heart. The neighbourhood has a fantastic local produce market and an excellent bric-a-brac market that surrounds the ornately Gothic Basilique St Michel on the weekends. There’s plenty of noteworthy architecture here too — the basilica being an obvious starting point — and there’s also a huge station. Night owls and party people are welcome here, and will probably want to head over to the Quai de Paludate, which has bars, clubs, and live music venues.  

St Seurin & Fondaudège

By Flickr user RdA Suisse

Like St Michel, St Seurin and Fondaudège aren’t obvious bases for visitors to Bordeaux. These are residential, family-friendly, neighbourhoods, but with some beautiful sights, and some quite special accommodation options. Successful wine merchants built handsome homes in this Chartron-adjacent district, some of which have been converted into very elegant hotels. The well-to-do inhabitants of 18th and 19th century St Seurin & Fondaudège also created elegant gardens for themselves, and graceful bridges and squares. St Seurin has a basilica, with an archaeological site dating from the Gallo-Roman residency here, and there are some fantastic bars and restaurants as well.