Europe › France

Nouvelle-Aquitaine

123 photographs · 27 venues

Photographs

Places worth going

BordeauxDon't missTownsOne of the coolest cities I've been to. So much variety of amazing food, all kinds of cuisines, and even the fast food is innovative! Small enough to comfortably walk around and the public transport is great. Worth wandering with no plan, though do make your way to Place de la Bourse and the Miroir d'Eau at some point, the whole facade reflected in the water is the shot everyone comes for. Really loved it!Cap FerretDon't missTownsThe whole peninsula is worth the drive from Bordeaux. Wooden oyster cabins painted in every colour, the dune on one side and the basin on the other. Go for lunch at one of the shacks and stay for the afternoon. Best oysters in Europe I think!Château LauducDon't missWineGorgeous venue, with tables out on the grass right at the edge of the vines, about twenty minutes from Bordeaux. Amazing wines and great food, and you can sit there while the sun goes down over the rows. Evening is absolutely the right time for it. Will be back!Cité du VinDon't missWineAn immersive wine experience more than a museum! The building alone is worth seeing: it's meant to look like wine swirling in a glass. Your ticket includes a tasting up in the Belvédère at the top, which also gives you the best view over Bordeaux and the Garonne, and the pours aren't only Bordeaux either, I had a Corsican white and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Easily half a day, and you can't go to Bordeaux without coming here!CONNOR’S - Australian Sports BarDon't missFood & drinkGreat Aussie bar in Bordeaux and my default when I wanted an easy night, so I ended up going multiple times. The staff are brilliant, which is half of why I kept going back. Good selection on tap, and a soft landing if your French isn't up to much yet. Will be back again!Guinguette BikainaDon't missFood & drinkGorgeous place. A proper Basque guinguette right on the water, with tables under the trees looking over the river. Amazing range of food and drinks, and a lovely spot as the light goes. Will be back!La baraque à huitresDon't missFood & drinkHad the oysters, prawns, bread with salted butter and a couple of pâtés, with white wine. Great wine, great oysters - honestly on par with NZ oysters, some of the best in the world! It's right in among the oyster huts with the water at the end of the lane and the beds out in the bassin in front of you, which is a big part of why it's so good. Will be back.La cabane dans les vignesDon't missWineHad the Château de Fontenille, Les Demoiselles, the "Je suis Gris", a charcuterie board and a cheese plate. Gorgeous place, worth the drive! Great food, great wine, and a great way to end the trip. Would go back.Le Train de La RhuneDon't missJourneysAbsolutely recommend taking the little wooden rack train up La Rhune, a unique experience not far from the Spanish border. It's been running since the 1920s and grinds up at walking pace for about half an hour, with ponies and sheep wandering across the track. The ride is spectacular and the view from the top is gorgeous: the whole Basque coast laid out below you, Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Biarritz and the beaches running north into the haze. Go for the view, and stay for it. Take water and snacks: the café at the top won't refill your bottle and it's pricey.Les Chantiers de la GaronneDon't missFood & drinkSand underfoot, low crate tables and rope swings hanging from the plane trees, right on the bank of the Garonne. Lovely for a late afternoon drink and a snack; I had oysters and wine and it was super. Would go back.Les Drôles BORDEAUXDon't missFood & drinkHad the foie gras with cannelé toasts and onion compote, then grilled meat with baby potatoes. One 27€ menu, all made in house, and one of the best value meals I had! The foie gras with cannelé is such a Bordeaux idea and it really works. Small room on rue Saint-Rémi so book.Les Halles BacalanDon't missFood & drinkCovered food hall directly across from the Cité du Vin, so pair the two: do the museum, then come here to eat. Around twenty stalls under one roof, with oysters from the basin, charcuterie, cheese, Basque food, and wine by the glass from people who know it. You order from whichever counter you like and sit at the shared tables in the middle, which is the best bit, because you end up eating a bit of everything instead of committing to one menu. Busy and loud in a good way.ROCKWOOD - Good place & good tasteDon't missFood & drinkRight on the quay by the Quinconces, so it is an easy one to fall into after walking the riverfront. Grab a table outside and watch the trams go past. Good spot to end up rather than plan for!Rôtisserie Poulettes Fernand LafargueDon't missFood & drinkHad the crispy chicken, the wrap and the Caesar salad across a few visits, because I kept going back. The gratin dauphinois is the side to order, and whatever is in their curry sauce, it is amazing. Quick, cheap and a good lunch stop on Place Fernand Lafargue. Will be back!Saint-ÉmilionDon't missTownsWell worth the drive out from Bordeaux for an afternoon. Steep little limestone village and honestly gorgeous. If you see one thing, make it the church carved into the rock. Do a tasting while you're there too, mine was down in a cellar cut into the limestone under the village, which beats a tasting room every time. Go on a weekday if you can, the lanes fill up fast with tour groups.Saint-Jean-de-LuzDon't missTownsA working fishing port with one of the best sheltered beaches on this coast inside its sea walls, and a town behind it that still looks Basque rather than built for tourists: red-shuttered hotels, timber balconies, and the church where Louis XIV was married a street back from the front. Come down off La Rhune in the afternoon, walk the Grande Plage at low tide, and eat on the harbour.Château Grand MayneWorth a stopWineDefinitely do the tasting. You get walked through the barrel cellar with the barrels stacked up, then sit out in the garden with a glass - there's a swing under the trees, which is a lovely way to drink Saint-Émilion. Grab a bottle on the way out, it's cheaper here than in town.ETABLISSEMENTS GALHAUDWorth a stopWineThe tasting is down in the limestone cellars carved under the village, which is half the point. Cool, quiet and candle-lit, and you sit at a table down there with the bottles. Lovely people and good wine. Do this instead of tasting in a shop at street level!Fort de SocoaWorth a stopLandmarksThe old fort sits out on its own breakwater at the western end of the bay, with a small curve of sand beside it and La Rhune standing up behind the town. Ten minutes on the way is all it needs: walk out along the wall, look back at Saint-Jean-de-Luz across the water, and carry on.Jardin Botanique de BordeauxWorth a stopOutdoorsLovely quiet spot on the right bank and a nice change of pace from the city. Proper tall palms, glasshouses, and plenty of shade. Good for half an hour after walking over the Pont de Pierre, and it's free.Le Michel'sWorth a stopFood & drinkHad the steak and fries and the onion soup. Best French onion soup I've ever had, even if I wasn't sure how to eat it at first! Nice steak, great vibe.Marché municipal du Cap FerretWorth a stopFood & drinkProper oyster market. Crates of Spéciales and Traditions straight off the basin, sold by the dozen with lemons and a knife for a few euros, and a counter where you can just stand and eat them. There's a Basque pintxos stall too, ham and padrón peppers on bread, if oysters at ten in the morning is a step too far. Go in the morning while it's all still out.OLALA BORDEAUX - Wine tours & tastingsWorth a stopWineAn hour with a sommelier and three Bordeaux - a dry white, a red and a sweet - each paired with something local: sturgeon rillettes with caviar, cured duck, a farmhouse blue. 35€ and I learned more about Bordeaux wine here than anywhere else! Do it early in your stay so the rest of the week makes more sense.Place de la VictoireWorth a stopTownsThe Porte d'Aquitaine on one side and a tram stop on the other, so you'll pass through here plenty. It's one of the main junctions in the city. Ringed with bars and it gets going in the evening with the student crowd. Handy base as well as a good spot in its own right.Place des QuinconcesWorth a stopLandmarksOne of the biggest squares in Europe and the Monument aux Girondins at the end of it is genuinely impressive. This is also where the markets and the funfair set up, so it's worth a look to see what's on.Rue Sainte-CatherineWorth a stopTownsThe longest pedestrian street in Europe and the spine of the city. I ended up walking it on many different days. The shops are the shops, but look up: it's all honey-coloured stone, wrought-iron balconies and bunting strung across the street. Good for getting your bearings, and the lanes either side are where the best of Bordeaux is hiding.The Grizzly PubWorth a stopFood & drinkA pub on Place de la Victoire, which is the student end of town and a good square to sit on. I had a cheap AND delicious mojito on the terrace in the rain and watched the buses go round; nothing about the pub itself you would cross the city for, but if you are at the Victoire it does the job.