Four Walking Routes in Bordeaux
Four Walking Routes in Bordeaux
The UNESCO-listed core of Bordeaux (“Port de la Lune” , inscribed 2007), 1,810 hectares of 18th-century limestone facades curving around the Garonne, splits naturally into four walks, each covering a different slice of the city rather than repeating the same handful of landmarks.
Route 1: the Golden Triangle
Start at Place de la Bourse and its Miroir d’Eau, then head to Place de la Comedie for the Grand Theatre’s Corinthian columns. From there, Cours de l’Intendance leads to Place des Grands Hommes, and the Allees de Tourny run out to Place des Quinconces, home to the 54-metre Monument aux Girondins. Guided Golden Triangle walks are bookable through GetYourGuide if you’d rather have someone else set the pace. This is the most compact of the four and covers the classic 18th-century commercial district.
Route 2: the medieval quarters
Beginning at Porte Cailhau, the 1494 gate built to celebrate Charles VIII’s victory at Fornovo, this route crosses Place du Palais into Place Saint-Pierre, passes the Grosse Cloche belfry on Rue Saint-James, and continues through Place Fernand Lafargue to the Basilique Saint-Michel. Narrower streets and older stonework than Route 1, and a good contrast if you walk them on the same day.
Route 3: Chartrons, on foot
Starting again at Place des Quinconces, this route follows Quai des Chartrons north, turns up Rue Notre-Dame past the antique shops, and takes in the Temple des Chartrons and Eglise Saint-Louis-des-Chartrons before ending at the Musee du Vin et du Negoce, set in the historic warehouses where 18th- and 19th-century wine merchants once traded.
Route 4: the two bridges
A 4.5-kilometre loop rather than a point-to-point walk, this one crosses the 17-arch Pont de Pierre to the right bank, follows the river north, and returns over the modern Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas, Europe’s tallest vertical-lift bridge. It works as well for cycling as walking, and gives a skyline view of the Port de la Lune you don’t get from any of the other three routes.
Getting the timing right
Routes 1 and 2 overlap near Place Saint-Pierre, so they can be joined into one longer loop if you have the stamina. Route 4 is best in the late afternoon, when the light sits low over the water for the return leg. Guided versions of several of these routes exist through the official city tour office if you’d rather have a guide point out the details along the way.
Read more: Bordeaux Activities: Where to Start covers what’s worth stopping for along these routes, and the 3-day Bordeaux itinerary spreads all four across a longer stay.
Official guided walks run through the Bordeaux Tourist Office at 12 Cours du 30 Juillet; check current departure times at bordeaux-tourisme.com , or browse independent city tours on Viator for another guided option.