BORDEAUX, the elegant

About an hour and fifteen minutes from Petit Chenac on the A10 motorway or an hour and a half on the D730 is the historic town of Bordeaux. An excellent park and ride system,trams,buses and the V3 bike hire make visiting Bordeaux a comfortable but memorable excursion.

Since the XVIII century, the city of Bordeaux has assumed a majestic air and prides itself on an elegance that it has never lost. Rich in history, culture, arts, music, legendary wines and epicure, Bordeaux is the world’s wine capital and a vibrant centre of trade, industry, and business.

Bordeaux is built on a curve of the Garonne River and has been a major port since pre-Roman times. Today Bordeaux shows little visible evidence of the Romans, Franks, and English or the Wars of Religion that have marked its past.

This forward-looking town, the fifth largest in France, is an industrial and maritime sprawl surrounding a noble 18th-century centre. Along the waterfront of this wealthy wine metropolis is a long sweep of elegant Classical façades first built to mask the medieval slums behind.

Adding to the magnificence are the Esplanade des Quinconces, the Grand Théâtre and the Place de la Bourse.

DO NOT MISS

Grand Théâtre 

Built in 1773-80, the theatre is a masterpiece of the Classical style, crowned by 12 statues of the muses.

Esplanade des Quinconces.

 Replacing the 15th century Château de Trompette, this vast space of tree-lined esplanade, with statues and fountains, was created in 1827-59.

Two majestic 18th-century buildings, Palais de la Bourse and Hotel des Douanes, flank Place De la Bourse – the elegant and harmonious square.

 Eglise St-Seurin – 6th-century Gallo-Roman sarcophagi.

Basilique St-Michel – It took 200 years to build this massive church, beginning in 1350.

Cathedrale St-André – Amazing medieval sculptures include scenes from the Last Judgment.

Musées de Bordeaux

Muséum de Bordeaux Museum of science and nature. Permanent and temporary exhibitions, a multimedia show, workshops and countless surprises promise to make each visit a unique experience.
Round off your visit with a tour of the Art and Science Square.

CAPC-Musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux A collection of over 1200 works of Art from the second half of the 20^th century to the present day by nearly 200 artists.

Musée d’Aquitaine Traces life in the region from pre-historic times to the present.

Musée des Arts décoratifs et du Design Furniture and works of art from the 17^th 18^th and 19^th centuries.

Centre Jean Moulin Collection devoted to the Resistance, the Deportation and the Free French during WW2.

Musée des Beaux-Arts Works by Titan, Veronese, Rubens, Delacroix, Corot, Renoir, Matisse and Baudin.

Musée national des Douanes A history of customs administration in France ;uniforms, tools, maps, customs seizures and much more…

Musée d’ethnographie Thecollectionsconsist of objects from everyday life : clothing and ornaments, crafts, body care, beliefs, mainly from Asia, but also from Africa, the Arctic, America and Oceania.

Musée Mer Marine The history of the sea and the relationship that human beings have with her.

Musée de l’histoire maritime Through 20 centuries of history, discover the adventure of Port de la Lune: set off to meet Eleanor of Aquitaine, discover the fabulous history of corsairs and take a tour through the history of the great characters who forged the maritime history of Bordeaux.

Base sous-marine The submarine base including the “Pools of light” housing digital exhibitions dedicated to the great artists of Art History and contemporary creation in the cells of the base

Cité du vin Discover wine from antiquity to the present day;Exhibitions, shops,tastings

Musée du vin et du négoce Discover the city of Bordeaux, its port and its wines in the atmosphere of a typical 18th century merchant’s house.End your visit with a wine tasting.

Musée & atelier de l’imprimerie de Bordeaux Dedicated to the history and techniques of printing.

original article by Graham Hill lefrancophile.com