Bordeaux Travel Guide

Destination
Bordeaux, France
Sleep
La Maison Fernand
Eat
Kitchen Garden |  The Breakfast Club  |  La Toque Cuivree
Shop
L’Intendant | Tilt Vintage
See
Place de la Bourse |  Monument aux Girondins | Porte de Bourgogne

I chose Bordeaux as the setting for a novel I started writing in tenth grade without knowing anything about the city beyond its geographic location. For years, I’ve known that my writing about the place could only improve if I actually experienced it first-hand. But somehow, Paris always takes precedence when we’re in France, so it wasn’t until this year that I actually did. The Bordeaux I imagined and the real city proved to be surprisingly similar, and equally easy to love…

Sleep
La Maison Fernand
I admit, without shame or regret, that the discovery of the delightful La Maison Fernand, a four-room boutique hotel, that convinced me we had to get to Bordeaux as soon as possible. It was a self-indulgent whim, to be sure, but one that did not disappoint. The hotel’s central location meant we were close to all the best sights the city has to offer. The decor, a combination of historic details left from the original configuration of the historic building and modern but vintage-inspired furnishings in velvet, wood, marble and feather, is to die for. I could go on – the balcony, the enormous bathroom with a shower big enough for two, the rooftop patio, the daily breakfast delivery… Everything was absolutely perfect. We wished we never had to leave.

Eat
We ate entirely too well in Bordeaux – the pace of the city is much slower than Paris, meaning we didn’t hesitate to stop for coffee, wine and treats whenever the mood struck. Nowhere we ate was anything less than wonderful…
Kitchen Garden – 22, rue Sainte-Colombe
We walked past Kitchen Garden en route to our hotel without taking much notice of it, but stumbled upon it a second time while out on our first photo walk. Something about the green facade caught Ian’s eye – and when we noticed that the interior boasted the same flooring we have in our kitchen, we knew we were in the right place. Good vegetarian food is hard to find in France, but Kitchen Garden set the bar high for vegetarian food anywhere in the world. I’ve rarely seen a vegetarian restaurant with more varied options, never mind such well-executed dishes. It was hard not to want to go back a second time during our two-day stay!
The Breakfast Club – 27, rue des Ayres
Who in their right mind goes for English food in France? Us, apparently. Any scones at all, never mind good ones, are hard to come by in Winnipeg, so I am easily sucked in my any restaurant that serves them. The Breakfast Club’s scones did not disappoint – and neither did anything else they served.
La Toque Cuivree – Four locations in Bordeaux
No trip to Bordeaux is complete without sampling canneles, a local pastry that is somewhere between a tiny cake and an extremely moist cruller (but, at once, totally its own desert.) We tried several versions, but found our favourites at La Toque Cuivree.

Shop
I did slightly more shopping in Bordeaux than I normally do when visiting a new place. I didn’t actually buy anything, but I did stop in at a variety of stores to see what they had on offer…
L’Intendant – 2, allees de Tourny
Even if you don’t drink wine, L’Intendant is worth a visit. Bordeaux has a plethora of wine stores to choose from, each one with a unique selection, but this one has the most unique layout by far. Wines are displayed on the walls around a three-storey spiral staircase. An array of vintages waits to be discovered, as does a beautiful city view when you reach the top of the stairs.
Tilt Vintage – 61, cours d’Alsace-et-Lorraine
I visited about ten vintage stores in Bordeaux. Some were traditional secondhand shops with boxes full of items priced at one or two euros, while others were beautifully decorated but mostly offered nearly new Zara pieces at undiscounted prices. Tilt Vintage stood out as well-curated but also well-priced. Vintage pieces are genuine, not from last season on the high street, which is a bonus, too.

See
Bordeaux is primarily a destination that services as a starting point for wine tours. In our two-day visit, we didn’t go anywhere near a winery. Maybe next time. But in spite of that, we managed to find a lot to see and do…
Place de la Bourse
Perhaps the most magnificent square in France – and coming from me, that’s very high praise. Place de la Bourse faces out towards the Garonne River and, while the street that separates them is a high traffic area during the day, the square is no less beautiful. But it is particularly special in the morning, when there are few cars, and the sunrise over the river onto the square is unobstructed; I’ve never seen its equal.
Monument aux Girondins
Place des Quinconces was closed for a fun fair when we were in Bordeaux, but we were still able to see the statue commemorating Girondin revolutionaries that dominates the far end. With the fountain on and waterflowing, it’s a spectacular piece of historic sculpture work. And a beautiful spot just to sit and enjoy the sun, too.
Porte Cailhau
There are six historic city gates in Bordeaux. Porte Cailhau was the main gate, and is my personal favourite, too. It overlooks the river on one side and sunny square dotted with restaurants and cafes on the other. The tower is fit for a fairytale princess, and perfectly photogenic, too.