Where to stay

For an authentic Bordeaux experience, head to the Left Bank of the river, where the region's best wines are grown. Book a hotel in an old chateau in the villages of Margaux or Pessac Leognan, either a quick drive into the city itself. Stay in a new, hipper version of Bordeaux wine country in the revitalized Bassins a Flot neighborhood, with the sprawling new Cité du Vin. Enjoy the perfect cheese pairing by getting a room in well-heeled Chartrons, with a wide range of cheeses from its famous Sunday market. A more multicultural atmosphere, but just as much wine, is available when staying in Saint-Michel, with lively restaurants and nightlife.

Bordeaux has much more to do besides enjoying the wine that is everywhere in the city. Families with kids love quiet Saint-Augustin, filled with parks. Hotels here are a convenient distance from the sights of the city. Book accommodations in the Quartier du Lac to enjoy the beach on the lake's shores, set apart from the business of the city center. Young people enjoy the less pastoral setting of Bacalan, close to the port, filled with art and music. Combine train journeys into the countryside with nights at a club by staying in the Gare Saint-Jean (Bordeaux St-Jean Station) neighborhood, conveniently located for both activities.

History in Bordeaux, and specifically wine history, goes back millennia. Even the Romans grew wine here. Get a sense of that ancient past by booking a hotel in the medieval town of Saint-Émilion. In Bordeaux itself, the Saint Pierre and Saint Paul neighborhoods are the medieval heart, where accommodations look out onto cobbled streets and terraces packed with wine lovers. Gaze at the great buildings and monuments of Bordeaux every morning from a hotel in Pey Berland, where most of the city's landmarks are located. Get a different sense of history from a stay among the stately boulevards and 18th-century parks of the Golden Triangle.