The city has an impressive history – in which the Irish played a part – and a revamp has shown just how beautiful and people-friendly a town can be, writes EMMA CULLINAN
THE CLUE is in the name: Bordeaux . . . by the water. And the leftbank waterfront scene is magnificent, with its sweep of self-confident neo-Classical 18th century buildings standing up to the wide Garonne river. Their honey-toned limestone glows warm beneath the sun, whose rays pick out metallic elements in the facades.
Along the side of the river there is a linear park with a sports complex where citizens gather to kick and hit balls about; a park planted with exotic and local plants in a naturalistic display that is more relaxing than the Victorian formality we are used to and a 2cm deep body of water known as the Miroir d’eau which gathers people of all ages around and in it. They paddle barefoot, involuntarily squealing, until the water drains away and returns gradually via steamy sprays. It’s a clever but simple design that attracts perma-crowds, especially if the sun is burning: when water is this shallow, everyone can play, by just kicking off their shoes.
And that’s Bordeaux, grand facades but a very human city that has recently been given back to its people, via a revamp of buildings and roads and the installation of trams and cycle paths.
Although traffic still screams along the riverbank and should you try and walk across on a green traffic light, the cars, as one local warns me, will “fasten up”, displaying both the universal killer-instinct of drivers and the delightful ways in which language can have double meanings added to it through translation.
Those honey-hued grand buildings used to be black and the river bank was crowded with fenced-in warehouses, keeping people away from the very conduit that gave this city its wealth and grand architecture.
Bordeaux is France’s second largest port and made its money from trade with its colonies such as Martinique, Guadeloupe and St Domingue (San Domingo), in coffee, sugar, spices, vanilla and – parts of the past are unsavoury – slaves. Then there is the wine: the city is steeped in the drink and is surrounded by vines stretching out across Bordeaux’s famous districts including St Emilion, Pomerol, Medoc, Sauternes and Entre-Deux-Mers (actually two rivers, the Dordogne and Gironde). The first vines were planted by the Romans and pilgrims walking through these parts on their way to Santiago de Compostella could avail of oenophiles’ delights, often brewed by religious orders.
When Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II – who later became the English king – in 1152 the wine trade with England began. Then the Irish came, when many Catholics fled after the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and settled in Bordeaux. We know them as the Wild Geese but in these parts they call them the Wine Geese.
Boats sailed from, among others, Galway, Cork and Kinsale, and a visit to vineyards and wine shops today will unearth wine bottles made by familiar sounding names such as MacCarthy, Boyd, Dillon, Kirwan, Lynch and O’Byrne. They not only made wine: a Dublin man called Mitchell started the first factory that made the classic Bordeaux bottle, in 1724, while wine-trader Abraham Lawton came here in 1739 and shipped wine to Cork: the company Hughes Lawton still exists. Thomas Barton also left Ireland in the early 1700s and set up a wine-shipping company. The family later teamed up with French man, Daniel Gestier, and Barton and Gestier is still running.
Two Irish men have been lord mayors of Bordeaux, but it is a recent mayor, Alain Juppé, who is credited with the transformation of the city. He is a good example of how discredited politicians can redeem themselves. He left political office amid allegations of financial mishandling and spent time in Canada where he gleaned knowledge about sustainable cities. When he returned to his position as mayor of Bordeaux he gave tax incentives to those who cleaned their buildings (a few who didn’t avail of them have left blackened examples of what the city used to look like), a tram system was put in, the city became more cycle-friendly (and there is a car-free day once a month) and a whole tranche of the centre was pedestrianised. These things don’t go unnoticed: the city was made a Unesco World Heritage site in 2007.
The main shopping street – rue St Catherine – is pedestrianised. A good place to start a tour of Bordeaux is at its more genteel end between the Grand Theatre and Royal Hotel. Or you can just wander in any direction from this main square to experience the city’s mix of busy main streets, and quiet or bustling squares and serene, thin back streets.
A trip up rue Montesquieu will take you to more traditional shops, such as the Dubernet fish and meat store that sells traditional local fare, such as fois gras, Basque Country ham and dried cod, garlic and parsley mash. Just beyond this, in a revamped, glassy market hall, there are smart shops including the baker Baillardran where you can buy caneles, a popular local pastry made from flour, sugar, vanilla, rum and egg yolks (whites are used to purify wine – so they didn’t go to waste).
Just to the southeast of this is the cloister of a former monastery (now offices) where you can take time out and ponder the variegated stone, bearing sand and shells. And through the other side is the 1706 counter-reformation Notre Dame cathedral. The city’s other cathedral is Saint André, which was built in stages over 400 years from 1036 and was even partly dismantled at one point when it lost a flying buttress – the slightly wonky front bears the consequences of this lack of support.
The cathedral used to sit in a whirling traffic island but now, with pedestrianisation, it has the odd tram trundling past and people lolling on benches.
Beyond this is the wonderful court building by architect Richard Rogers whose door staff are amenable to letting people in for a look around. The courts are in suspended wine-barrel-like timber-pods.
Many restaurants in Bordeaux do very reasonable set menus, so you can sit out on pavements and take in neighbouring diners and passers-by.
Dining and wine quaffing is highly respected around these parts and I was never once hurried along to finish anything.
By the same token, don’t expect a rushed service but, however serene it is, waiters always make sure you have something to consume, starting with fresh bread.
The other dining option is to compile a picnic and sit in one of the many squares.
The clue is in the name. The municipal authorities have worked to take the city out of the ordinary and, having lost its “ord”, it’s left Beaux: a beautiful, human-friendly city.
Where to stay, eat and go
5 places to stay
1. La Tour Intendace, 16 rue de la Vielle Tour, 0035 56 44 56 56, hotel-tour-intendance.com. Three-star hotel, with exposed stone walls and wooden floors, near the city centre. Doubles from €88.
2. The Regent Grand Hotel Bordeaux, 2-5 Place de la Comedie, 0033 5 57 30 44 44, theregentbordeaux.com. Very central, opposite the Grand Théatre, this is the poshest spa hotel in town. It was done up by one of France’s best-known interior designers, Jacques Garcia. Doubles from €232.
3. Best Western Bordeaux Bayonne Etche-Ona, 15 Cours de l’Intendance, 0033556 480088, book.bestwestern.com. A three-star chain hotel but with a lovely 18th century facade and it practically backs onto the smart Regent Grand hotel. Doubles from €105.
4. Le Continental, 10 rue Montesquieu, 0033 556 526600, hotel-le-continental.com. An 18th century hotel with a terrace overlooking the rooftops. Doubles from €89.
5. Hotel Gambetta, 66 rue de la Porte Dijeaux, 0033 556 512183, hotel-gambetta.com. Central two-star hotel which is, like the others listed here, in a pedestrianised area, this one being by the extensive Mollat bookstore enabling lots of browsing on the doorstep. Doubles from €69.
5 places to eat
1. Brasserie Chez Jean, 1 Place du Parliament, 0033 556 44 44 43. Trendy but relaxed brasserie and restaurant that attracts a mixed crowd in terms of age and style. It is in a period house with cosy, minimalist decor: wooden floors and pale olive and red walls. Good food presented in an informal way. Beef dishes come recommended. Mains from €17-€20. Salads €9.
2. La Tupina, 6 rue Porte-De-La-Monnaie, 0033 556 91 56 37, latupina.com. Classical, local, sophisticated food served in a central restaurant that resembles a traditional farmhouse.
3. Le Café Louis, Grand Theatre, Place de la Comédie, 0033556440700. Smart, stylish cafe in the classical Grand Theatre (opera) building – with crisp linen. It’s on the main square with large windows overlooking the side street. Beige and brown colour scheme with red walls. Main risottos and fish dishes, €12 at lunch and €20 for dinner.
4. La Brasserie Bordelaise, 50 rue Saint Remi, 0033 557 87 11 91, brasseriebordelaise.fr. Busy brasserie whose walls are lined with bottles, the idea being that the wine cellar is all around. Hearty dishes include local breads, vegetables and sausage dishes, for around €17-€20.
5. La Noailles, 12 Allee de Tourny, 0033 556 819445. Central brasserie with affordable food. Unlike many French restaurants it doesn’t stick strictly to mealtime hours. Simple dishes such as omelettes, oysters and tea and pastries in the afternoon.
5 Places to go
1. The surrounding wine country is a must-see. The tourist office runs tours out into it including half-day and full-day trips, via coach. One involves a day in and around St Emilion taking in some smart chateaux on the way and throwing in a buffet lunch, for €88 each. Bordeaux Tourist office, 12 Cours du XXX Juillet, 0033 556 006600, bordeaux-tourism.com.
2. Check out activities on the river front, from paddling in the shallow Miroir d’eau, to sitting in the flowing, naturalistic garden or walking and cycling along the long, long, wide path.
3. Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 39 rue Bouffard, 0033556526049. A house filled with all sorts of pottery and antiques offering a broad interpretation of what Art Deco means.
On the top floor is a room filled with modern 20th century furniture originals. Entrance free.
4. Jardin Public, Cours de Verdun. Large park with botanical gardens, natural history museum and boating lake just north of the city centre.
* Arrange your visit to coincide with the traffic-free Sunday (the first Sunday every month) and hire one of the bicycles to see Bordeaux in peace.
Shop spot
Rue St Catherine, a shop-lined pedestrianised street on the old city centre which goes on and on.
Hot spot
Ice Room, Hanger 19, Quai de Bacalan, iceroom.fr, 0033 557 001015. Knock back vodkas in this frosted venue where walls and furniture are sculpted from ice.
Go there
Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) flies direct to Bordeaux.
Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies to La Rochelle, 155km from the city