Bordeaux in 3 Days – Beautiful Architecture, Wine Tasting & Saint-Émilion

Three days exploring one of France's most elegant cities, from cycling along the River Garonne and discovering its historic streets to wine tasting among the vineyards of Saint-Émilion.

Bordeaux had been on our list of places to visit for some time, and while spending a month in the beautiful Lot region of southwest France, we decided it was the perfect opportunity for a three-day city break.

Famous for its wine, magnificent architecture and riverside setting, Bordeaux certainly has plenty going for it. But would it live up to our expectations?

Over three days, we discovered a city that was incredibly easy to explore, with wonderful restaurants, beautiful squares, an impressive cycling network and a relaxed atmosphere that we absolutely loved. Add in a visit to the vineyards of Saint-Émilion, and it turned out to be one of our favourite French city breaks.

Arriving in Bordeaux

The drive from the Lot took around 2 hours and 50 minutes, and we were pleasantly surprised by how straightforward it was to reach the city centre.

After parking the car, we headed to the nearest tram stop.

Bordeaux has an excellent public transport system, and we quickly discovered just how easy it was to get around. The ticket machines even have an English-language option, and we bought a 24-hour pass, giving us unlimited tram journeys.

Our home for the next two nights was Hotel Villa Victor Louis, a lovely little hotel that looked fairly understated from the outside but was surprisingly spacious and comfortable inside. Its location was ideal for exploring the city on foot.

Day 1 – La Cité du Vin and Bordeaux by Night

We couldn't come to Bordeaux without visiting one of its most famous attractions, La Cité du Vin.

This extraordinary museum is dedicated entirely to the world of wine, taking visitors on an interactive journey through its history, production and cultural significance around the globe.

Before heading inside, we stopped for lunch at the lively food hall opposite the museum. There was a fantastic selection of international food and plenty of outdoor seating.

We chose the standard museum ticket, which included an audio guide and a glass of wine in the eighth-floor tasting area.

The exhibitions were fascinating, although there was almost too much information to take in! We could easily have spent several hours exploring.

Our favourite part was finishing the visit with a glass of wine overlooking Bordeaux. Julie opted for a local rosé while Andy sampled another regional wine. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon!

That evening, we headed into the historic centre for dinner and, quite by accident, discovered it was Happy Hour.

Naturally, we made the most of it with a couple of cocktails before enjoying a delicious meal.

Afterwards, we wandered down to the River Garonne, where Bordeaux really came alive.

Families were picnicking, groups of friends were sitting along the riverbank sharing bottles of wine, and musicians added to the wonderful atmosphere. It felt relaxed, sociable and very French.

We finished our evening at Place de la Bourse and Le Miroir d'Eau, one of Bordeaux's most photographed landmarks.

The enormous reflecting pool, covering around 3,500 square metres, creates beautiful reflections of the grand eighteenth-century buildings opposite. Watching the water change from a perfect mirror to a fine mist was magical, especially as the evening lights came on.

It was a wonderful introduction to Bordeaux.

Day 2 – Exploring Bordeaux by Bike

One of the best things we did during our stay was book a 2½-hour guided cycling tour through GetYourGuide.

We love exploring cities by bike, and Bordeaux turned out to be one of the best we've experienced.

With its extensive network of dedicated cycle paths, wide riverside promenades and relatively flat streets, it's an incredibly cycle-friendly city.

Our guide took us through beautiful historic squares, narrow back streets, peaceful gardens and along the banks of the Garonne, sharing stories about Bordeaux's history along the way.

One of the more unexpected stops was Darwin Ecosystem,

a former industrial site transformed into a creative community space. With street art, cafés, gardens and recycled buildings, it was completely different from the elegant architecture of central Bordeaux.

It's the sort of place we might never have discovered without a local guide.

After returning our bikes, we stopped for lunch at Hush Hush, which turned out to be another great find. Lovely food, a relaxed atmosphere and, of course, a glass of rosé!

We then spent some time exploring Rue Sainte-Catherine, one of Europe's longest pedestrian shopping streets. It's packed with shops, cafés and people, and is a great place to soak up the atmosphere.

Next was the magnificent Saint-André Cathedral, one of Bordeaux's most impressive historic buildings.

Alongside the cathedral stands the Pey-Berland Tower, and we decided to tackle the climb to the top.

With just over 230 steps, it certainly gets the heart working, but the panoramic views across Bordeaux's rooftops were worth every step.

One of the things we'd particularly wanted to see during our visit was the Jacques Chaban-Delmas Bridge lifting to allow ships to pass along the Garonne.

We checked the lifting schedule and made sure we were in the right place at the right time.

Watching the enormous central section rise 53 metres above the river was quite extraordinary. The whole process takes around 11 minutes, and it's amazing how smoothly such a huge structure moves.

It's not something you see every day and was definitely one of our highlights.

By the end of our second day, we'd covered an enormous amount of Bordeaux, but it never felt rushed. That's one of the things we loved most about the city — there's so much to discover, yet it's wonderfully manageable.

Day 3 – Saint-Émilion and Wine Tasting at Château de Pressac.

For our final day, we left Bordeaux behind and headed into the countryside towards Saint-Émilion, around 40 minutes away by car.

The scenery gradually changed to rolling hills covered in vineyards, and we soon arrived in one of France's most famous wine villages.

Saint-Émilion is absolutely beautiful.

With its narrow cobbled streets, honey-coloured stone buildings, little squares and seemingly endless wine shops, it feels like stepping back in time.

Unfortunately, we hadn't allowed nearly enough time to explore. We managed a wander through the village, but it's somewhere we would happily return to for an entire day.

Our main reason for visiting was a wine tour at Château de Pressac, a beautiful estate perched high above the surrounding vineyards.

The setting alone was worth the visit, with magnificent views stretching across the countryside.

We had booked the Privilege Tour at €75 per person, although having experienced it, we felt the standard tour at €27 would probably have been more than sufficient for us.

Our guide took us through the château's historic and modern wine cellars,

explaining the different stages of winemaking and the traditions behind the wines of Saint- Emillion.

The tour finished with a tasting of four wines, which gave us a much better appreciation of the different styles produced in this famous region.

As Andy was driving, the spittoons came in very handy!

It was a lovely experience and a fitting end to our three days in Bordeaux.

Our Favourite Moments

• Exploring Bordeaux by bike – A fantastic way to discover the city, especially with a knowledgeable local guide.

• La Cité du Vin – Fascinating exhibitions and a wonderful glass of wine overlooking the city.

• Bordeaux in the evening – The relaxed atmosphere along the Garonne, with families, friends and musicians enjoying the riverside.

• The Jacques Chaban-Delmas Bridge – Watching the enormous bridge lift was surprisingly impressive.

• Saint-Émilion – A beautiful medieval village surrounded by vineyards.

• Château de Pressac – Learning more about Bordeaux wines while enjoying spectacular countryside views.

Our Tips for Visiting Bordeaux

Getting around: Bordeaux is very walkable, but the trams are excellent. A 24-hour travel pass is a convenient option if you plan to make several journeys.

Explore by bike: We'd thoroughly recommend a guided bike tour, ideally early in your visit. It's a brilliant way to get your bearings and discover places you might otherwise miss.

Visit La Cité du Vin: Allow several hours if you want to make the most of the interactive exhibitions. The tasting experience on the eighth floor is a lovely way to finish.

Check the bridge schedule: If you want to see the Jacques Chaban-Delmas Bridge lift, check the published times before planning your day.

Make time for Saint-Émilion: We'd recommend allowing at least half a day, preferably longer, to explore the village and surrounding vineyards.

Choosing a wine tour: We enjoyed our visit to Château de Pressac, but unless you're looking for a more exclusive experience, the standard guided tour would probably be sufficient.

Would We Return to Bordeaux?

Absolutely!

Bordeaux completely won us over. It's elegant without being pretentious, lively without feeling overwhelming and packed with wonderful things to see and do.

We loved how easy it was to explore, whether on foot, by tram or on two wheels. The restaurants were excellent, the architecture was beautiful and the atmosphere along the river in the evenings was particularly special.

And, of course, having the vineyards of Saint-Émilion so close by makes it an even more appealing destination.

If we returned, we'd definitely allow more time for Saint-Émilion, perhaps staying overnight to explore the village and visit a few more vineyards.

Three days was just enough to fall in love with Bordeaux, but certainly not enough to see everything.