Bordeaux Travel Guide

Built on a curve of the Garonne River, Bordeaux has been an important port since pre-Roman times and, for centuries, a focus and crossroads of European trade. Today, it is the world’s largest fine wine region and, for its red wines, undoubtedly the most familiar outside France. The export of wine has always been the basis of the city’s wealth and prosperity, and today, the Bordeaux region produces over 44 million cases of wine each year.

Bordeaux’s history begins around 300 BC, when the Celtic tribe, the Bituriges Vivisci, founded what was then known as Burdigala. Interestingly, the name Bourde is still the name of a river south of the city. The settlement prospered until Julius Caesar came knocking in 60 BC. His conquest of Gaul (France) brought Bordeaux into the limelight for the Roman Empire, as it later became the capital of Roman Aquitaine. We also have the Romans to thank for the fabulous wines that Bordeaux produces today, as its wine history seems to have begun sometime after 43 AD when the Romans established vineyards to cultivate wine for their soldiers.

Like so many cities under Roman control, Bordeaux was visited by invaders on more than one occasion. In 276 AD, it was sacked by the Vandals. They attacked again in 409 AD, the Visigoths paid a visit in 414 AD, and the Franks paid their respects in 498 AD, signifying the beginning of dark times for the city. Bordeaux survived, however, and emerged in a stronger position than before in the late 6th century. It became the seat of the county and a mini-kingdom within the Merovingian kingdom of the Franks.

The good times sadly did not last, and the city fell into obscurity as the Frankish Kingdom collapsed in southern Gaul in the late 7th century. Invaders again visited Bordeaux; this time, the troops of Abd er Rahman in 732 ravaged the once prosperous city. Rahman was subsequently killed during the Battle of Tours later that year. Bordeaux then came under the control of the Carolingians, who appointed a series of Counts of Bordeaux who served to defend the mouth of the Garonne River from the Vikings hordes. They did a pretty decent job. Eventually, the Dukes of Gascony inherited the city in the late 10th century, and a golden era would dawn.

From the 12th to the 15th century, Bordeaux regained importance and enjoyed some good times following the marriage of Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine with the French-speaking Count Henri Plantagenet, who became King Henry II of England within months of their wedding. The city prospered, mainly due to the wine trade, and the cathedral of St. André was built.

Bordeaux remained an independent state under Prince Edward, known as the Black Prince in the 14th century, but in the end, after the Battle of Castillon in 1453 AD, it was annexed by France, which extended its territory. The 100-year War with the English effectively ended the wine trade with a major consumer, and the city lost a good deal of its wealth. The Château Trompette (Trumpet Castle) and the Fort du Hâ, built by Charles VII of France, were the symbols of the new domination, reminding the citizen who was boss!

The city regained its importance in the 16th century when it became the center of the distribution of sugar and slaves from the West Indies, along with the wines that the Dutch, English, and Germans had developed such a taste for. It was officially annexed to the Kingdom of France in 1653 when the army of Louis XIV entered the city and claimed it as their own. Bordeaux enjoyed a relatively quiet time until the 18th century, when a new golden age entered, and the city prospered again.

The foundations for this great era were laid in the late 17th century when Dutch traders began to drain the marshland around the Médoc and encouraged the planting of vineyards. The Dutch would also open new distribution channels to the Bourgeois, which helped usher in a second era of prosperity. However, the War of the Spanish Succession broke out in the early 18th century, which made navigation along the French coastline and the English Channel very risky. You have to admire the resolve of the Bordeaux Château and Merchants, who managed to ship their wines to markets such as London despite the wartime politics of the period.

Many famous buildings and monuments, including those on the quays, were built in this period. The famous French writer Victor Hugo found the town so beautiful that he once said: “Take Versailles, add Antwerp, and you have Bordeaux.” Baron Haussmann, a long-time prefect of Bordeaux, used Bordeaux’s 18th-century big-scale rebuilding as a model when Emperor Napoleon III asked him to transform Paris into a “modern” capital that would make France proud. It was a great time to call yourself a Bordeaux citizen.

The city enjoyed a relatively stable and prosperous existence until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Bordeaux escaped reasonably unscathed from the conflict; the French government even relocated from Paris to Bordeaux briefly during the beginning of the War. The same thing happened during World War II when it became apparent that Paris would soon fall into German hands. The Nazis enjoyed the Bordeaux wines very much; Commander-in-Chief Hermann Göring even took control of the Château Mouton Rothschild, which served as a military headquarters and continued producing wine throughout the War.

Bordeaux also served as a base for Italian Royal Navy submarines and a major base for German U-boats as headquarters of the 12th fleet. The massive, concrete U-boat pens have proved impractical to demolish and are now partly used as a cultural center for exhibitions. This is a great example of this city using its darker times to its advantage.

The city has continued upward since the 1940s and has always welcomed visitors worldwide for its wonderful wine, rich history, and beautiful countryside. Whether you prefer to leisurely explore its great stately Château at your leisure, explore the UNESCO World Heritage center or are drawn to more active pursuits such as horse riding or sailing, the region is home to a range of interests and wines which suit all tastes and pockets. You will be fascinated and delighted no matter where you start or finish. Now, let’s crack open some good Bordeaux!