Renovation project - Bordeaux, France

Renovation project - Bordeaux, France

We arrive at our first stop in Bordeaux later than planned, we had hoped to get here in the mid afternoon but we arrived at 7pm instead, this means we do not get as long to look around as we had hoped.

We are booked in to a Formula 1 hotel, this is the most budget hotel you can get and cost 39 Euros for the night, which in Bordeaux is fantastic value, we are only two and a half kilometres out of the city centre.

As we drive into the city we are amazed at just how beautiful it is, we have driven past many times and always planned to stop at some point, I had visited once before but it was 29 years ago and I was hitch-hiking through, so have few memories other than of a large statue.

But we found it!

As we drive along we notice the trams, they are everywhere and I would definitely recommend using these instead of the car.













The roads are fantastic with well kept houses and shops, all are just as you imagine a beautiful French city, with balconies and windows overlooking the streets.

We drive back to the river and pass a cruise ship that is moored and head for a car park, even these are beautiful with lines of trees to keep the cars in the shade.

We head to a large open park with stunning statues and fountains, unfortunately we do not have the camera with us and have to make do with our phone cameras and these do not do Bordeaux justice.

We wander along the streets and come across a square with restaurants, the sun is still shining and we decide to eat here, the food is fantastic and John says it is the best steak he has ever eaten, I have escargot and they are so nice (I just have to erase from my mind what I am actually eating)

It is so sad that we do not get more than a few hours in Bordeaux and we have decided that without a doubt we will be coming back for a long weekend, there is so much to see and do, as we walk back to the car we go to look at the moored liner and realise all along the grass verges there are people having picnics, as nice as the restaurant was, I wish we had brought a picnic blanket and some wine and could just lounge on here.

Bordeaux really is the city for any budget.

From high end hotels and restaurants to budget hotels with picnics by the river.

I would recommend wearing comfortable shoes though as there is so much walking to be done, at the turn of every road the architecture is magnificent, with an abundance of points of interest.


As we settle down in the hotel we realise that our journey has started, this is our last stop in France, tomorrow we will be passing over the Pyrenees on to Spain.