CITY BREAK ❘ BORDEAUX BUCKET LIST BORDEAUX
Having undergone a major facelift over the last few years, the city of Bordeaux is really coming into its own. Caroline Harrap pays a visit
This image and below: The Insta-worthy setting of Place de la Bourse reflected in the Miroir d’eau; the historic neighbourhood of Saint-Pierre
L
ong known as France’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’, Bordeaux is a city that has well and truly woken up in recent years. In fact, it feels like the slumbering princess has had a double espresso, a big Bordelais brunch and a major makeover – and is ready now to take on the world.
It all began when the former mayor, Alain Juppé, set about giving the city a much-needed facelift. As well as cleaning up the buildings’ blackened façades, he pedestrianised key areas and introduced a pioneering wireless-tram system. In addition, an ambitious project was launched to rejuvenate the neglected quaysides along the river. Meanwhile, the right bank has also undergone a major renovation, with the inauguration of the Darwin eco-village – and, back on the left bank, one of the country’s largest urban development projects, Euratlantique, is still under way.
Then, of course, there was the opening of the new high- speed train link to Paris, making it possible to reach the capital in just over two hours. Any time now, the latest stretch of tramline will also be completed, connecting the airport directly
88 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Jun/Jul 2023
with the city, and another new bridge will open next year. There’s even talk of installing cable cars to carry people across the river.
A RICH HERITAGE
Nonetheless, for all this innovation, the Bordeaux of old is still very much in evidence – just looking a little more resplendent these days. After Paris, the city has the most protected buildings in France – and, in 2007, its exceptional architecture, comprising the Port de la Lune, became the largest urban area to receive UNESCO World Heritage status. A city that has long been shaped by the wine industry, and latterly by the colonial trade, it was in the 18th century that Bordeaux became the wealthy and bourgeois place that we recognise now. By that stage, it was the country’s leading port, and a host of impressive buildings were constructed around this time. Today, while there is the beautiful architecture, luxury shopping and high-end hotels, Bordeaux is also a progressive, slightly left-fi eld city with a Green mayor, Pierre Hurmic, and a rich counter-culture seen in the street art,
IMAGES © BORDEAUX TOURISM AND CONVENTIONS, LOÏ C GRANICZNY, STEVE LE CLECH PHOTOS
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