Bordeaux is regarded as a highly open and easygoing city; no one will hassle you because of your political opinions, religion, or sexual orientation. The cultural, artistic, and musical scenes are all quite active. For a long period, the city was dominated by the English, which is why Bordeaux seems to have a “English flair.”
Bordeaux is commonly referred to as “Little Paris,” and the rivalry between the “Bordelais” (those from Bordeaux) and the “Parisiens” (people from Paris) is a hot topic, so you may encounter some heated conversations during your visit.
You’ll be lifting your glass a lot in Bordeaux, which is famous for its wines, which are regarded as some of the finest in the world. According to 2008 estimates, it has one million residents in its metropolitan area as the capital of the department Gironde in the region Aquitaine. After years of neglect, the country’s latest hot place is the old wet docks, with a slew of cafés, parks, and museums cropping up all the time. A thriving university community of over 60,000 students (Bordeaux Campus is the biggest in France) demonstrates that Bordeaux is much more than simply wine.
Bordeaux is designated as a “City of Art and History.” The city boasts 362 historical monuments (only Paris has more in France), with some structures going back to Roman times. Bordeaux has been designated as a “outstanding urban and architectural ensemble” by UNESCO.
Bordeaux has one of Europe’s largest 18th-century architectural urban centers, making it a popular destination for visitors and film crews. It is notable for being one of the first French cities, after Nancy, to enter an era of urbanism and large-scale projects, with the team Gabriel father and son, architects for King Louis XV, working under the supervision of two intendants (Governors), first Nicolas-François Dupré de Saint-Maur and then the Marquis de Tourny.
Bordeaux’s climate is classed as oceanic, however the summers are warmer and the winters are milder than in most other regions of comparable classification. Summer rainfall is excessive, preventing its climate from being categorized as Mediterranean.
Winters are mild due to the predominance of westerly breezes from the Atlantic. Summers are warm and lengthy owing to the impact of the Bay of Biscay (surface temperatures range from 21 to 22 degrees Celsius (70 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit). The average seasonal winter temperature is 7.1 degrees Celsius (44.8 degrees Fahrenheit), however recent winters have been warmer. Frosts are prevalent in the winter, occuring multiple times during the season, but snowfall is very unusual, occurring just once every three years. The average seasonal temperature in the summer is 20.7 °C (69.3 °F). With an average temperature of 23.3 °C (73.9 °F), the summer of 2003 established a new record.
Bordeaux lies in the southwest of France, on the European Atlantic coast, and in the north of the Aquitaine region. It is about 500 kilometers (310 miles) southwest of Paris. The city is constructed on a bend in the Garonne River and is separated into two sections: the right bank to the east and the left bank to the west. Historically, the left bank has been more developed because, while flowing around the curve, the water forms a furrow of sufficient depth to enable commercial ships, which used to unload on this side of the river, to pass. The Garonne River in Bordeaux is navigable by ocean ships. The Garonne’s right bank is a low-lying, frequently swampy plain.
Bordeaux is a prominent economic center in France, with the 5th biggest metropolitan population in the country.
Bordeaux’s GDP in 2014 was €32.7 billion.
WINE
The Romans undoubtedly brought the vine to the Bordeaux area in the mid-1st century to supply wine for local use, and wine production has been constant in the region since then.
Bordeaux today boasts around 116,160 hectares (287,000 acres) of vineyards, 57 appellations, 10,000 winemaking châteaux, and 13,000 grape farmers. Bordeaux produces a considerable amount of daily wine as well as some of the most costly wines in the world, with an annual output of roughly 960 million bottles.
Bordeaux produces both red and white wines. In the United Kingdom, red Bordeaux is known as claret. Red wines are often prepared from a combination of grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and, in recent years, Carménère. Sauvignon blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle are used to make white Bordeaux. Sauternes is a Graves subregion famed for its highly sweet, white dessert wines like Château d’Yquem.
Bordeaux is served by three main French telecommunications companies: France Telecom (Orange), Bouygues, and SFR. You should be able to make calls from anyplace in the city if you have a GSM mobile with an international subscription. It is also possible to discover phone cabins, however several have lately been removed owing to declining use.
There are a few cybercafés in the pedestrian center that provide inexpensive internet connection (from 2 to 4 euros per hour).
The majority of establishments also provide free Wi-Fi.
