Bordeaux

Center of wine production and a city undergoing large-scale transformation

On the Garonne River, the port of Bordeaux anchors one of the world's most important wine-producing areas. It may not exude the joie de vivre of Paris, but Bordeaux, a city of some 650,000, is a major cultural center and a transportation hub between southern France and Spain. It’s is a city of warehouses, factories, mansions, suburbs, and wide quays five miles long.

Bordeaux belonged to the British for 300 years and even today is considered the most "un-French" of French cities. Bordeaux is classified as a "City of Art and History” and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. The city is a masterpiece of 18th century architectural urbanism making it a sought-after destination for tourists, cinema production crews, and design buffs. The riverfront is lined with monumental 18th-century buildings constructed during the port’s heyday, while the charming cobble-stoned area surrounding Place du Parlement is a maze of narrow streets and small squares around the Gothic church of St-Pierre.

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