Bordeaux · FR
Bordeaux Highlights Walk
Golden stone, a mirror of water, and the heart of the Port of the Moon.
What's the walk about?
Welcome to Bordeaux, the elegant Port of the Moon, where honey-colored stone glows along the graceful curve of the Garonne. On this walk we discover the very best of the city's old heart, beginning at the great Gothic cathedral on Place Pey-Berland and winding through medieval gates, lively squares, and one of Europe's longest shopping streets. We will stand before the famous mirror pool that reflects the grandest square on the quays, then finish at the magnificent Grand Theatre. Perfect for first-time visitors, this is Bordeaux at its most beautiful, relaxed, and welcoming.
What you'll see
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1
Cathédrale Saint-André
Cathedral
Bordeaux's soaring Gothic cathedral, where a thirteen year old Eleanor of Aquitaine married the future King of France in 1137. Its stones have watched over the city for nearly a thousand years.
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2
Tour Pey-Berland
Tower
The cathedral's free standing bell tower, built apart on soft ground to keep its bells from shaking the church. A golden statue of Our Lady of Aquitaine crowns its sixty six metre spire.
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3
Rue Sainte-Catherine
Street
One of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe, running more than a kilometre along the line of an ancient Roman road. It is the lively, crowded commercial heart of Bordeaux.
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4
Grosse Cloche
Landmark
A mighty medieval gate crowned with a great bell, spanning the old Rue Saint-James. Its twin towers are so beloved that they appear on the city's coat of arms.
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5
Place du Palais
Palace
A gracious, pedestrian square named after the vanished Palais de l'Ombriere, the medieval seat of the Dukes of Aquitaine where Eleanor of Aquitaine once held court. Today it is a lively, cafe-lined gateway into Bordeaux's old quarter beside the Porte Cailhau.
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6
Porte Cailhau
Gate
A fairytale gate of pale limestone built in the 1490s as the triumphal entrance to the walled city, its turrets and pinnacles rising some thirty-five metres over the Garonne. A carved statue of King Charles VIII honours his 1495 victory at the Battle of Fornovo.
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7
Miroir d'eau
Fountain
The world's largest reflecting pool, a vast granite platform laid in 2006 before the Place de la Bourse, where a film of water two centimetres deep turns the facade into a perfect upside-down mirror. Every few minutes a magical mist rises from the stone to delight the crowds.
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8
Place de la Bourse
Square
The iconic royal square on the Garonne quays, a sweeping curve of golden eighteenth century facades crowned by the Three Graces fountain. It is the image that defines Bordeaux and faces the famous mirror of water.
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9
Place du Parlement
Square
An elegant pedestrian square of golden stone and Louis XV facades, laid out in 1754 and ringed with lively restaurant terraces. A central fountain from 1865 makes it the convivial dining heart of the old Saint-Pierre quarter.
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10
Grand Théâtre
Theatre
Victor Louis's neoclassical opera house of 1780, its portico of twelve columns crowned by statues of the Muses and goddesses. A temple of the arts whose grand staircase inspired the Paris Opera, it is the triumphant finale of the walk.
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