Gay Bordeaux · City Guide

Gay Bordeaux · City Guide

First time in Bordeaux? Then our gay Bordeaux city guide is for you.

Bordeaux

A port city on the river Garonne and the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Bordeaux is at the heart of the Bordeaux Métropole, France's sixth largest, and home to just over a million people.

Coming into Roman rule in 60 BC, Bordeaux has a varied and fascinating history. The 18th Century is considered to be the Golden Age of the city with Victor Hugo declaring it a combination of Versailles and Antwerp and was Baron Hausmann's model for the rebuilding of Paris.

Nowadays, Bordeaux is famous across the world for being the capital of the wine industry. Every year the wine industry generates over 14 billion euros for the local economy. Aside from wine tours, visitors come to Bordeaux for its fantastic architecture and relaxed cafe culture.

 

Gay Rights in France

For gay rights in France, please see our Gay Paris City Guide page.

 

Gay Scene

Despite having a relatively modest selection of exclusively gay venues, Bordeaux is a liberal and open-minded city. Gay customers are welcome in all venues. A large student population means that there is a friendly youthful energy to the city.

There is an annual gay pride parade held in June that is celebrated by many in the city. There is also an LGBT film festival, Cinémarges that organises film screenings of home-grown and international queer cinema throughout the year.

 

Getting to Bordeaux

By plane

Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport (BOD) is located 12km west of Bordeaux and is France's 6th largest airport in terms of passenger numbers. It mostly offers services to and from destinations in Europe and North Africa but there are seasonal services to destinations in North America.

An express bus runs from the airport to the centre of Bordeaux in 30 minutes. A single journey costs €8 but there are discounts available. It runs from around 8.30am to 8.30pm Monday to Friday, 8.45 to 6pm on Saturdays and 9.45am to 6.30pm on Sundays.

A local bus from outside of arrivals offers a cheaper route into town, with single tickets valid for an hour starting at €1.50. The catch is that in busy times the journey could potentially take an hour so you may have to buy a second ticket. Tickets can be purchased from either the driver or the machine at the stop.

Taxis can be taken from the airport and the journey takes around 25 minutes. Expect to pay in the region of €30 with prices varying depending on the time of day and on bank holidays. Car hire is available at the airport.

By train

Gare Saint Jean is Bordeaux's main train station and is located about 4km from the centre of town. It is the southern terminus of the Paris-Bordeaux line and is well connected to destinations in the south of France. From the station you can take buses, tram line C or a taxi into the city centre.

Getting around Bordeaux

On foot

Most of the city centre is pedestrianised which makes Bordeaux very easy to navigate on foot. It is probably the best way to get from A to B as the majority of Bordeaux's main sights are concentrated within the centre of town.

By public transport

TBC operates the public transport network of Bordeaux which includes buses, a tram and a river ferry service. Singles start at €1.50 but you can buy multi-trip tickets or daily and weekly passes to get discounts. Tickets must be validated upon boarding and when transferring.

Avoid using the buses at rush hour as they become jam packed and run very slowly due to the large amount of traffic the city centre receives. Bus services run until around 9pm with some later running evening services.

By taxi

There are several 24 hour taxi-ranks located at key-locations of Bordeaux. Many locals pre-order taxis or use taxi apps like Uber to save time and costs at busy times.

By bike

Bordeaux's flat surface makes the city an ideal location to cycle. There are many cycle lanes and recently a cycle share scheme was introduced. It is worth noting, however, that you will need to pay a €200 deposit by card before you can use the bikes.

 

Where to Stay in Bordeaux

Bordeaux has a great choice of hotels to suit all budgets. Some of the best-value and most popular hotels in Bordeaux can be found on the Gay Bordeaux Hotels page.

 

Things to See & Do

Wine tasting - it would be a cardinal sin to not indulge in a little wine tasting when visiting the capital of the wine industry. You can organise your own visits to nearby vineyards however there are many tours on offer from Bordeaux itself.

Place des Quinconces - one of the largest public squares in Europe. Here you will find some of the finest monuments the city of Bordeaux has to offer.

The Left Bank Quays - the place to see and be seen in Bordeaux. Here you will find a wide-range or restaurants, cafes and bars to relax, unwind and people watch.

Musee D'Art Contemporain (Contemporary Art Museum) - the place to visit for lovers of weird and wonderful modern art. The museum has a changing program of exhibits throughout the year so be sure to research in advance to see what's on.

Marché des Capucins - a fantastic food market where you can sample a wide selection of regional gastronomic produce. There is also a flea market here.

Jardin botanique de Bordeaux - a great spot for a picnic or a romantic stroll on a summer's day. The Botanical Garden is home to more than 3000 plant species.

When to Visit

Compared to other cities in the South of France, Bordeaux experiences a fair amount of summer rainfall which stops temperatures rising too high. Winters are cool and snowfall is rare. Fall is probably the best time to visit Bordeaux as this is the beginning of harvest season.

Bordeaux has a wide variety of events throughout the year to interest visitors to the city. In May and June, Les Epicuriales takes place on Allées-de-Tourny, turning the entire street into one large restaurant. In October, the international arts festival floods the city with art of every description.

Money

France is a Euro area country. Cash dispensers are widely available. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted. Hotels, banks and some local businesses also operate foreign exchange desks.

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