After years of accolades from friends, clients, and travel stories about the city of Bordeaux, I decided it was high time I checked it out. The TGV train from Paris is three hours and I booked early enough it get a great deal, 50€ round trip, with the Paris to Bordeaux ticket in first class.
I went for two days last month at the beginning of spring. I lucked out with great weather, sunny with temperatures hovering in the high 50s/low 60s, much warmer than Paris was then. I took the tram from the station to downtown. Many cities throughout France in recent years have installed trams, which I find a terrific way to see the city, as the glass enclosed vehicles move slowly enough to take in everything.
I arrived in the center of the city by the handsome Hotel de Ville and the striking 15th century Cathedral Saint-Andre. I was a guest of the nearby Mama Shelter Bordeaux Hotel, which was a perfect central location. I’ve been a fan of the hip, happening Mama Shelter Hotel designed by Philippe Starck in Paris for years, (click here to read my review) and the Bordeaux branch, also designed by Starck had a similar feel. I had a small but very comfortable room, with all white linens (my favorite) and soothing lilac colored walls. A nice touch was the inclusion of toothpaste among the toiletries. The front desk staff was friendly and also very helpful in assisting me in finding my way around the city. The whimsical bar with hanging brightly colored swim tubes was the hot spot at night after I arrived from dinner, with lots of Brooklyn type hipsters sipping cocktails.
The tourist office of Bordeaux was kind enough to provide a private guide for two hours for a tour of the city, and also a Bordeaux City Pass for two days which included free or reduced admission to most museums and attractions plus unlimited rides on the tram. My guide showed me the major attractions in the downtown area and shared the fascinating history of the city, which goes back to the Romans in approximately 60 BC. Another important historical fact was about the reign of Eleanor of Aquitaine in the early 1100s. Much of the magnificent architecture I viewed was from the early 1800s, the golden age of Bordeaux with over 5,000 limestone buildings. So impressive was the architecture, Baron Haussmann used Bordeaux as a model to rebuild Paris. Obviously wine is an essential part of Bordeaux and surrounding areas, and it is one of the largest wine producing area in the world with the wine economy grossing about 14.5 billion euros each year. The guide also explained how Bordeaux was also very modern with the new tram line, bicycle paths all over the city (In fact Bordeaux was voted one of the top 5 bike friendly cities in the world), extensive handicap access, lots of urban development, and a massive restoration and cleaning campaign of the old buildings. Each district is given a two-year period to clean its buildings and is assisted by the city.
Another important fact I didn’t know (embarrassingly so) was Bordeaux is famous for chocolate. I asked the guide to show me some of the top chocolate shops and the first two she showed me the owners couldn’t have been nicer and one even packed up a gift of a half-kilo box for me to sample. The first shop, Cadot-Badie, was opened in 1826 has classic French chocolates and their specialties are Diamant Noir, a ganache with macerated raisins, and Kirsch infused cherries covered in chocolate. Another confectionary specialty of Bordeaux is canele, the classic pastry of custard inside and glazed caramel crust on the outside. The most famous canele shop is Baillardran and I tasted a mini one, which was fabulously delicious.
That evening, with a rave recommendation from a foodie friend of mine, I went to Miles Restaurant, one of the hottest and most difficult reservations to come by. Much like the new restaurants in Paris, they offer a surprise tasting menu, called Five Miles with five courses (very clever title). It’s counter seating only with an open kitchen where you watch the staff prepare each course in front of you. I savored the some of the intricately prepared dishes such as angolotti with walnut cream and asparagus, calamari with local avocado, and an interesting dessert, goat cheese lemon ice with carrot and ginger. The price tag was only 38€, a bargain for the caliber of food and service.
The nearby area of the restaurant had cool fashion and home boutiques and some more appealing cafes and restaurants.
During my tour, the guide introduced me to her friend Fabian who owns one of the top seafood restaurants in the city, Le Petite Commerce. He was warm and outgoing and the guide told me it was Fabian’s birthday the next day. Fabian insisted on booking me a table for lunch for his birthday. I had an excellent lunch of fresh caught pan-fried dorade accompanied by boiled potatoes and fresh veggies. I had two glasses of dry white Bordeaux, a record amount of wine for me at lunch. Fabian surprised me by treating me to my lunch. A most memorable part of my Bordeaux trip.
Two museum recommendations are the Bordeaux Wine and Trade Museum, an engrossing experience about the history and making of Bordeaux wine, which also includes wine tasting, and CAPC, the Contemporary Museum of Bordeaux, housed in a former 19th century warehouse.
http://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk
Mama Shelter Hotel
19 rue Poquelin Moliere, 33000
http://www.mamashelter.com/en/bordeaux/
Cadot-Badie
26 Allées de Tourny, 33000
http://cadiot-badie.com
Miles Restaurant
33 rue de Cancerra, 33000
Tel. +33(0)5 56 81 18 24
http://restaurantmiles.com
Le Petit Commerce
22 Rue Parlement Saint-Pierre, 33000
Tel. +33(0) 5 56 79 76 58
Bordeaux Wine and Trade Museum
Cellier des Chartrons, 41 Rue Borie, 33000
http://www.museeduvinbordeaux.com
CAPC Museum
7 rue Ferrere, 33000
http://www.capc-bordeaux.fr
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 195 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more. In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.
Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour