Getting around Bordeaux – a compact city that contains a dazzling mosaic of architectural styles – is a feast for the eyes.
This is, after all, the world’s largest urban World Heritage Site, encompassing some 18 sq km (seven sq miles) – or half the city. Since time immemorial, vessels of various shapes and sizes have navigated the mud-brown Garonne River that winds gracefully through the port city, into the Garonne Estuary and beyond into the Atlantic Ocean.
Pedestrians have crisscrossed Bordeaux’ medieval heart for centuries, while neighborhoods are amply served by what might be the sharpest, most efficient public-transport system in France. Perhaps best of all, bike-mad locals are the biggest advocates of carbon-cutting modes of transport.
Here are all the best ways to get around their hometown.
Zip from Bordeaux airport into town by tram
With no overhead cables to mar the city’s architectural harmony, Bordeaux’ state-of-the-art tramway is a thing of beauty. Hop aboard at Bordeaux airport, 10km (six miles) west in suburban Mérignac. Tramline A departs every six to 10 minutes, between 5am and midnight, from the tram stop in front of Terminal A; in the city center, alight at the Hôtel de Ville stop (40 minutes), on the southern side of the cathedral. From here, tramline B follows the river north to Chartrons and La Cité du Vin, stopping en route at public-transport company TBM’s tree-shaded hub Esplanade des Quinconces. To get to Bordeaux train station from the airport (one hour), ride line A to the Porte de Bourgogne stop, then tramline C for a further four stops to Gare St-Jean.
At the airport, when buying your ticket from the machine by the tram stop, consider how many times you’ll use public transport that day and while in town. A two-/10-journey ticket (€3.20/14.50) or a 24-/48-/72-hour ticket (€5/9/12) might be better value than a pricier single fare (€1.80, valid for one hour). The same tickets will work on TBM buses and boats.
Planning tip: To save paper and queue time at ticket machines, download the TBM app (available for iOS and Android) to buy tickets. Once on board, simply scan your phone at ticket-validator machines.
Take the slow and scenic route to La Cité du Vin: by boat
Since the heritage-proud Bordelais affectionately refer to their city as Port de la Lune (Port of the Moon), it’s only appropriate during your stay that you view the city from a watery perspective. Scenic Bat3 riverboats – cheaper than any organized river cruise – dock at five stops along the Garonne, including right-bank Stalingrad (convenient for exploring La Bastide) and, along the left bank, Quinconces, Les Hangars (the “shoppers’ stop,” directly in front of the Bord’eau Village shopping center) and La Cité du Vin (find the jetty in the small garden hidden behind the curvaceous edifice). Use a regular tram/bus ticket, or buy a pricier €3/4 ticket valid for one/two journeys aboard. Bikes can be taken on board.
Planning tip: Bat3 boats run from 7am to 7:30pm (and from 9am on weekends). Sailings are only every two hours or so – so plan ahead.
For a deep dive into Bordeaux’ sassy street art scene, pound the pavement
Do the literary likes of Balzac, Baudelaire and other celebrated French flâneurs proud – and just walk. Bordeaux is a city that was clearly created with slow, indulgent meandering in mind, and there is no finer means of admiring the elegant symmetry of iconic Place de la Bourse, eyeballing grimacing mascarons (faces) on gold-stone facades or drinking in the city’s contagious cosmopolitan energy than by getting from A to B to Z on foot.
With its web of disheveled alleys and backstage squares peppered with provocative street art by the likes of French aerosol artist Alber or homegrown Monkey Birds Crew, the historic wine-trading district of Chartrons is particularly conducive to explorative walking.
Planning tip: Bordeaux’ tourist office has information on guided, street art-themed urban walks. Alternatively, from March to October, street art center Galerie Magnetic runs tours (€20, 2.5 hrs) on foot, rollerblades and bikes.
Go local and explore by bicycle
With a giddy mix of cycling lanes, shared bus and bike lanes, and bike-only streets, Bordeaux is an insanely bike-friendly city. TBM’s public bike-sharing scheme V3 is cheap (€1.70 to register, 30 mins free, then €2 per hour) and efficient, with 2000-odd bikes – half electric-powered – and 186 docking stations around the city. Download the TBM app to locate stations and available bikes. Alternatively, Cool Bike is one of many small, independent rental shops run by passionate cyclists who are happy to share insider tips and favorite itineraries.
Keep in mind that anyone on foot will invariably curse Bordeaux’ abundance of bicycles at some point during their stay. Indeed, sharing the pedestrian promenade along the river with all manner of speeding wheels – push bikes, cargo bikes, e-bikes, tandems, bike trailers, stand-on scooters, prams and pushchairs – can lead to frequent close calls. (Cyclists take note: on car-free streets and pedestrian areas, the maximum speed is 20kph/12.5mph, and pedestrians always have priority.)
Tip for pedaling through vineyards: Bordeaux’ tourist office offers seasonal guided tours by bicycle around the city and into surrounding vineyards, as does Bordeaux Bike Experience. For e-bike tours, hook up with Rustic Vines.
Grab an e-scooter to speed riverside with skaters
To ensure no one misses out on the riverside fun, free-floating electric trotinettes (stand-up scooters) by Pony and Dott fill the gaps. Again, download the smartphone app to locate, pay and unlock. Officially, users must be at least 18. Stick to one person per vehicle.
Rent a car to road-trip between châteaux and vines
There’s zero need, quite frankly, to have a car in Bordeaux. Traffic is heavy, parking is challenging, and public transport or bicycles are often faster. This said, your own ride is the golden ticket to dreamy road trips ribboned with vineyards in Médoc wine country. Car rental agencies have desks at Bordeaux airport.
A ring of 25 park-and-ride car parks (parc relais in French) around Bordeaux city center encourages motorists to park and take the bus or tram for the final leg into town. For those that insist, expect to pay around €1.80 to €2.50 per hour for metered street parking (free from 7pm to 7am, all day Sunday and public holidays); download the Easy Park or Flowbird app before arrival to pay by smartphone.
Planning tip: Metpark operates 31 covered and open-air car parks (€0.80/15 minutes or €20/day) in downtown Bordeaux. Many have free charging stations for electric cars.
Accessible transportation in Bordeaux
Cobbled and stone-paved streets in medieval St-Pierre and St-Paul are difficult for travelers with disabilities to navigate. All four tramlines and city buses are wheelchair accessible, with ramps to board, priority spaces, and audio and visual stop announcements during the ride. For more information on accessible travel, see Lonely Planet’s Accessible Travel Online Resources page.
Transport passes
The cent-saving Bordeaux City Pass (24/48/72 hours €34/44/50), sold online and at the Bordeaux tourist office, includes unlimited use of public transport and a free guided tour as well as admission to major museums.