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Bordeaux

Bordeaux

Bordeaux, capital of the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine and the 6th largest city in France, is perhaps most known for its amazing wine (more about that later), but nowadays there is so much more to say about this fantastic city, a lot has happened the past years.

In short, it started with the previous mayor of Bordeaux, Alain Juppé, having a vision – to make the city into the “capital of the south-west” and to transform it into an attractive destination for tourist from all parts of the globe.

So, what did they do?

First, there was the introduction of trams in the city, both elegant and quiet, facilitating transport for citizens of Bordeaux and visitors alike. Then, they launched an ambitious program to renovate all the city’s beautiful facades. The entire project was rounded off with “la pièce de résistance” – cleaning up the old harbor areas along La Garonne, the river that runs through the city, creating a magnificent esplanade.

The result? In 2007, UNESCO announced that an astounding 2,718 acres, one fourth of the entire city, had been registered as a World Heritage Site – still the largest urban heritage site in the world!

Bordeaux is full of amazing sights, one of the most impressive is “le Miroir d’eau” (the water mirror) unveiled in 2006, a massive 3000 square meter installation with 900 small water vapor valves going off randomly – by far the most photographed location in the city.

Other sights definitely worth a visit are Port de la Lune, the port named after its half-moon shape, Porte Cailhau, the gate between the medieval city center and La Garonne river, and the cathedral Saint André which resembles Notre Dame in Paris.

Now, let’s get back to the wine.

The Romans introduced the cultivation of wine to the region around year 150 B.C. and Bordeaux is regarded as the world’s prime region mainly for red wines. It is the oldest & largest wine producer in the world – every 6th person living in the region is working directly in the industry, turning out 800 million bottles annually!

There is, of course, a huge wine experience center in the city – Cité du Vin, ten (10) floors filled with everything you need to know about wine, and more…

Needless to say, there is a whole range of individual vineyards to visit and a recommendation is to also take a day-trip to Saint-Emilion, a World Heritage town full of history and – surprise, surprise – delicious wine. Contact the tourist information in Bordeaux for details and prices.

Bordeaux also offers an impressive array of excellent restaurants (quite a few with Michelin stars), one of Europe’s longest shopping streets (check out the area around Place Gambetta called “Little Paris”), and the history interested traveler should not skip a trip to the many palaces and interesting historical locations south of the city.

To sum it all up: if you like architecture, history, wine, gastronomy, shopping and other good things in life, Bordeaux is the place to visit – you will not regret it.

 

 

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