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How many days in Bordeaux? 3 days, the old port city and one vineyard day
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Bordeaux is an 18th-century port city in pale limestone, laid out along a crescent bend of the Garonne that gave it the nickname Port of the Moon. Since the trams arrived and the quays were cleared of warehouses, the centre has become one of the most walkable in France. Give it three days: two in the city, walking from the riverfront through Saint-Pierre to Chartrons, and one in the vineyards, ideally Saint-Emilion, 40 minutes away by train. Most wine estates need a booking; plan that before you leave.
Short answer
Two days covers the Bourse, the old town, the Cité du Vin and Chartrons. The third day adds Saint-Emilion or a Médoc château tour, the real reason many people come.
The 3-day plan, day by day
Day 1: The riverfront, Saint-Pierre and Pey-Berland
Morning. Begin at Place de la Bourse, the royal square built in the 1730s-1750s, and step onto the Miroir d'eau in front of it, the largest reflecting pool in the world, which alternates between a thin film of water and a mist. Walk into the Saint-Pierre quarter, with its narrow streets and the medieval gate of Porte Cailhau.
Afternoon. Continue 10 minutes to the Cathédrale Saint-André and climb the separate Tour Pey-Berland (231 steps, about €7-8) for the view over the rooftops. Then see the Musée d'Aquitaine (about €5-8), covering Bordeaux from prehistory to the Atlantic slave trade that financed much of the city's wealth.
Evening. Pass under the Grosse Cloche, the old bell gate, and walk the length of Rue Sainte-Catherine, about 1.2 km of pedestrian shopping street. Dinner in Saint-Pierre: a bistro set menu is €20-30.
Come back to the Miroir d'eau after dark: the Bourse is floodlit, and the mist runs every 15 minutes or so in summer evenings.
Day 2: Chartrons, the Cité du Vin and the submarine base
Morning. Walk or take tram B north to Chartrons, the old wine merchants' quarter. Browse the antique shops of Rue Notre-Dame and the Sunday-morning market on the Quai des Chartrons. The Musée du Vin et du Négoce (about €10-12) occupies a merchant's 18th-century cellars.
Afternoon. Continue to the Cité du Vin, the curved wine museum on the river (about €22-25 with a tasting on the 8th-floor belvedere). Allow 2-3 hours; the self-guided tour works in many languages. Then walk 15 minutes to the Bassins des Lumières, digital art projections inside a giant Second World War German submarine base (about €15-17).
Evening. Cross the Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas, a lift bridge whose deck rises for tall ships, and return along the quays to eat at the Marché des Halles de Bacalan food hall, or back in Chartrons.
Book the Cité du Vin for the first slot, when the galleries are quiet; the tasting is valid until closing, so you can come back up for sunset.
Day 3: Day trip: Saint-Emilion
Morning. Take a TER train from Bordeaux Saint-Jean to Saint-Emilion (about 35-40 minutes, roughly €10 each way; few trains a day, so check times), then walk 20 minutes through the vineyards up to the village. Join the tourist office tour of the Monolithic Church, carved out of the limestone in the 12th century (about €10-15; visits only with a guide).
Afternoon. Book a tour and tasting at a château, from about €20-40 for a classified estate. Many are within a 15-30 minute walk of the village. Climb the King's Tower for the view over the vines and the tiled roofs.
Evening. Buy macarons de Saint-Emilion, a soft almond biscuit made here since the 17th century, before the train back. Dinner in Bordeaux: try a steak entrecôte à la bordelaise with shallot and red-wine sauce.
Prefer the Médoc? Its great châteaux (Margaux, Pauillac) are spread over 50 km and hard without a car, so a small-group tour (about €100-150 with tastings) is easier.
Only have 2 days?
With 2 days, do Day 1 and Day 2 and take a half-day afternoon tour to Saint-Emilion or the Médoc instead of the submarine base. You lose a slower day in the vineyards.
Got extra days?
A 4th day can go to Arcachon (about 50 minutes by train) for oysters on the bay and the Dune du Pilat, Europe's highest sand dune at over 100 metres, or to the right-bank Darwin eco-quarter in a former barracks, with a Sunday market and skatepark.
Where to stay in Bordeaux
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Saint-Michel / near Saint-Jean station | Cheapest rooms, a short tram ride to the centre; Saint-Michel has a big Sunday flea market. | €70-110 |
| Mid-range | Saint-Pierre / Triangle d'Or | Walk everywhere in the old town, steps from the quays and the trams. | €130-220 |
| Mid-range | Chartrons | Quieter merchants' quarter, good restaurants, tram B to the centre. | €120-200 |
| Comfort | Grand Théâtre / Place de la Comédie | Grand hotels facing the 1780 opera house in the smartest part of town. | €280-600 |
Getting around
The centre is flat and walkable: Place de la Bourse to Chartrons is about 20 minutes on foot along the quays. Four TBM tram lines (A-D) and buses cover the rest; a single ticket is about €2, and a 24-hour pass about €5-6. Bikes are everywhere, on the V3 shared scheme and along the riverside paths. Tram A runs from Mérignac airport to the centre in about 40-45 minutes; a taxi takes 25-35 minutes and costs about €40-50. TGV trains reach Paris in about 2 hours from Saint-Jean station, and the BAT3 river shuttle crosses the Garonne.
What to eat in Bordeaux
Eat Bordeaux's own dishes: entrecôte à la bordelaise, lamproie (lamprey stewed in red wine) for the brave, and oysters from the Arcachon bay with small spicy sausages, as locals do. On weekend mornings, go to the Marché des Capucins, the city's main covered market, for oysters and white wine at the counters from about €10-15. The local pastry is the cannelé, a small caramelised custard cake flavoured with rum and vanilla; Baillardran and La Toque Cuivrée have shops across town. Wine bars sell glasses of good Bordeaux from €5-8. Lunch menus (formule) cost €15-22.
Best time to visit
May to June and September to October, with highs of 20-26°C. September and October are harvest season (vendanges), the best time for the vineyards, though some châteaux limit visits then. July and August reach 30°C and above. Winters are mild and wet at 8-11°C. The Bordeaux Fête le Vin wine festival on the quays is held in June in some years; check the dates.
Month-by-month weather for Bordeaux →
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | €40 | €85 | €190 |
| Food & drink | €30 | €55 | €110 |
| Sights & tickets | €15 | €35 | €70 |
| Local transport | €5 | €10 | €30 |
| Total per person, per day | about €90 | about €185 | about €400 |
Approximate 2026 prices in euros; château tastings and day tours are extra. Bordeaux charges a taxe de séjour of roughly €1-5 per person per night depending on the hotel class.
Before you go
Common questions
Do I need to book wine châteaux in advance?
Yes, almost always. Unlike in some wine regions, most Bordeaux châteaux do not have walk-in cellar doors; tours and tastings are by reservation, often a few days ahead, and the famous Médoc estates weeks ahead. The Bordeaux tourist office near the Grand Théâtre sells day and half-day tours, and the Saint-Emilion tourist office books local estates.
Is the Cité du Vin worth it?
For most visitors, yes: it is a well-designed, interactive museum about wine across the world, not just Bordeaux, and the ticket includes a glass on the top floor with a view over the river. Serious wine lovers who already know the subject may prefer to spend the money on a château tour. Allow 2-3 hours.
Can I visit Saint-Emilion without a car?
Yes. TER trains run from Bordeaux Saint-Jean to the Saint-Emilion station in about 35-40 minutes, and the village is a 20-minute walk uphill. Trains are not frequent, so check the timetable for your return. Several estates are within walking distance, and the tourist office runs guided tours of the underground church.
Is Bordeaux a good base for the Atlantic coast?
For day trips, yes. Arcachon and the Dune du Pilat are about 1 hour away by train and bus, and the surf beaches at Lacanau about 1 hour by car or bus. In summer, though, consider spending a night or two on the coast instead, as traffic and buses can be slow on weekends.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
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