Bordeaux with kids

It's been years since Chris and I visited Bordeaux, well before the children were born. At the time it was just a big city with lots of building and roadworks causing disruption, certainly not somewhere we would recommend for a family day out to our guests staying with us at La Grange du Moulin and Les Vallaies. It is and always has been, however a useful airport being an easy 1hr30 drive from us, so although further in miles it's not too much longer in driving time than our closest airport, La Rochelle, so definitely a viable alternative.

For decades Bordeaux was known as a 'sleeping beauty'. Abandoned warehouses blocked the view of the majestic river, black grime covered the 18th century buildings and traffic pollution discouraged the French outdoor café and restaurant culture. Massive investment, years of disruption and the vision and determination of the Bordelaise people has paid off. The warehouses are gone, replaced by wide pedestrianised promenades along the Garonne river where joggers, dog walkers and tourists can marvel at the stunning neoclassical architecture of the 'bourse' (stock exchange) reflected in the 'mirroir d'eau' where children splash and play throughout the summer. 

Since our last visit Bordeaux has undergone a transformation. Voted Europes best destination, being Frances second most visited city after Paris and having half the city designated a UNESCO world heritage site, we thought it was time to see for ourselves what everyone was talking about. 

We started our short break in Arcachon. It's a bit further south than Bordeaux so not really possible as a day trip from our holiday cottages however it's an ideal place as a stopover. You could extend a weeks holiday with us with a night in Arcachon followed by a few nights in Bordeaux . Alternatively just Bordeaux city is a perfectly 'doable' albeit long day trip.

Arcachon is famous for Europes largest sand dune - the dune du Pilat (sometimes spelt 'Pyla') It's Huuuuge !! We spent a very enjoyable (and exhausting) afternoon climbing up, walking the length, rolling down and struggling up and finally down again . It is 2.7km long , 500m wide and over 100m metres high - pretty impressive. Visiting in February, the wind at the top was bitter so we were glad to have hoods on our jackets, although climbing in the heat of the summer would perhaps be harder - take some water !! We had a great time, even our very nearly 15 year old couldn't resist rolling down the slopes.

After a night in Arcachon we drove to Bordeaux, just under an hours drive. We parked in one of the many city centre underground car parks. The city doesn't ban cars at all. There is on street parking as well as the underground car parks as it's a 'living' city - people actually live as well as work in the city centre which adds to it's success and vibrancy. Saying that, there has been huge investment in public transport and it is undoubtably the best way to get around the city. Travel passes can easily be purchased at the tourist information office which give you cheaper travel on the trams, boat, buses, bikes and even car hire (put in your card, unhook the electric car from the charger and go off to visit a Medoc winery !!) A typical one off ticket can be bought at the numerous tram stops. It costs 1€60 per person for unlimited travel in 1 hr so you could easily take a tram or bike tour of the city for an hour at a very reasonable price. 

Since we were staying in the city center in an apartment on a pedestrianised street (like a local !) we parked up then left the car in the 24hr secure underground Tourny car park - a hop skip and a jump from St Catherine street where we were staying. It cost 27€ per 24hrs. For the rest of our time in Bordeaux we took public transport. Thomas was desperate to try the bikes - unfortunately they are too big for children and it's also illegal for an under 12 to cycle without a helmet in France and helmets arn't provided. However we did take the tram and the boat too - both of which were fun experiences for us 'country folk' !

In the afternoon we took a walk to the 'jardin public' where the famous Guignol puppet show (think 'punch and judy') is held. It's been going since 1853 and is a lovely thing to do with young children. It is held at 15.30 on Wednesday, weekend afternoons and public holidays. Our boys decided they were too old to watch a puppet show so instead we took a stroll around the park which surrounds a small lake where you can feed the ducks. There's also a large play area for under 12's, a lovely spot to while away an hour or so. 

On our second day in Bordeaux we took the tram to the Cité du Vin. Rather than a 'wine museum' it's described as an 'immersive voyage to discover the culture of wine' it certainly does what it says on the tin ! It recommends 2 to 3 hours to fully appreciate everything on offer. With very young children, that's likely to be cut short but our two were more than entertained. There's more than 10 hours of information to listen to or view so you can't possibly watch it all anyway and we spent a good hour around all the interactive elements which would easily entertain younger kids for at least a short time.  

First you collect your headset programmed to your language (8 to choose from) and the wifi reader which you scan on each of the displays you want to watch or listen to. This means you can walk around in any direction, there's no set order and you can listen to as much or as little as you want, go back, skip stuff, return, re watch, pause, rewind etc - great if you have kids dragging you off to see something 'amazing' in the middle of a really interesting piece of information. 

It's all very modern with 'virtual' experts to test your knowledge against and ask questions of; Sit around a dinner table listening to a sommelier and wine grower chat about 'terroir' or watch 3d egyptians picking grapes and crushing them with their feet .

Kids will love the smelly bicycle horns - squeeze it it and sniff ! or guessing what the texture or colour is or testing their knowledge too - there's something for everyone.

The cost is 20€ per adult, 16€ for reduced rate (disabled, job seeker, student) and 9€ for under 18's but you can get discounts when booking online and at the tourist information center however as a family it was cheaper to purchase a family ticket onsite - these arn't available elsewhere. So for 2 adults and 2 children (under 18) it was 50€ but you could of brought up to 4 children for the same price with under 6 yrs free of charge.  

After our visit we made our way to the 8th floor for our wine tasting. There's a choice of 20 wines from around the world - we tried an 'ice wine' (wine made from frozen grapes) - highly recommended and a Moldavian wine (as Chris had never tasted one) - not highly recommended ! The children get a glass of grape juice included in the price of their ticket.

There are a couple of places to eat on site too. It was lunchtime when we finished so we ate at 'Le 7' restaurant on the 7th floor with a fab view  over the city and of the river. It's a lovely restaurant and we enjoyed a good meal but it's a bit pricey (location) and you need be hungry unless you just order a starter. A more relaxed informal option for families with younger children is the 'boutique' on the ground floor (which we only new existed on our way out) where they serve lighter bites, soup etc

There's the obligatory stop in the gift shop (all sorts of wine related souvenirs and gifts) plus a fabulous wine shop with wines from around the world where Chris spent nearly as long as for the whole tour ! 
Just outside is the boat dock where we caught one back to the city center - it cost 2€ pp but would of been cheaper if we had pre bought the ticket. Make sure you have a boat timetable though (pick one up from the tourist info) as they arn't very regular - at the time we were travelling there was only one an hour.

We really enjoyed our visit to the Cité du vin in Bordeaux and if you love wine it's well worth the trip. It's a long day out but you could tie it up with a scenic drive to Royan, where you can take the ferry across to the Medoc and drive to the city through all the famous wine villages such as Pauillac and Margaux. 

Since we were staying overnight in Bordeaux we were in no rush, so enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon wandering the streets of the city past bric a brac strores, street cafés and exclusive high end shops . The city architecture is stunning, the streets are very people friendly - all in all it's 'best destination' title and UNESCO label are well deserved. Well done Bordeaux for turning this cities fortunes around and awakening the sleeping beauty. 

We visited Bordeaux in February 2018