Bordeaux: Culinary Itinerary (One Day) in the Wine City

Bordeaux
But hey…what a city, come on, yours.

My French friends say that Bordeaux is now awakening to strong domestic tourism and is considered the second most visited city after Paris.

There are days when we walk 6-8 km and don't feel it at all.

She is so beautiful.
Both day and night.

It seems to me that with the new direct flight route inaugurated by easyJet from Tel Aviv, it is going to be the next hot destination for Israelis.

We came here for a week.
We are going to fly.
High.

Our apartment in Bordeaux

Our apartment is located in the most affluent area in Bordeaux called the Golden Triangle.
It is the oldest area in the city.
It has lots of bars, restaurants, shops, and is all paved with neoclassical buildings in various shades of beautiful and interesting browns. It's a pleasure to wander around the small alleys here.

The tip of the triangle is the Grand Theater and our house is a 4-minute walk from it.

The beautiful Bourse Square is a minute's walk away.

So that's right...I didn't read the fine print,
I was so excited about the apartment and its design that I missed out.
There it is explained in polite French that the apartment is on the third floor.
In a 19th century building.
The third floor of a 19th century building is the sixth floor.
No elevator.
With spiral staircases.

Every day we did hi-hop – three times.
Lemon from the lemonade.
And we burned calories that we consumed.
And we consumed a lot.

Pierre, it was fun.

Bordeaux Parliament Square

Our apartment is right next to Parliament Square.
A sweet little square surrounded by cafes and restaurants.
Here we sip our morning coffee, watching the passersby, who cross the square, each doing their own thing.
we?
We are on vacation.

Address: Place du Parlement, 33000 Bordeaux, France

It's time to explore this gorgeous city. We're starting at Place de la Bourse.

Place Bourse

Place de la Bourse is the most impressive site in the city. Together with the beautiful square and its reflection on the water, they are its calling card in all magazines and tourist sites.
The square is made up of symmetrical neoclassical buildings that surround a half-square. In its center is a fountain with three statues of Zeus. Opposite the palace is the city's long and impressive promenade.
With the direction of the sun, the clouds, and the lighting, the appearance of the square changes throughout the day, and it is a pleasure to return to it again and again.

From Place Bourse we go up to the next square, which is Place Jean Jaurès, the name of one of the city's special confectioneries. I know a branch of it from Paris and it is mentioned inMy independent patisserie tour in the Marais Published here.
I also wrote about it in depth in an article. Let them eat macaroni.

Address: Place de la Bourse, 33000 Bordeaux, France

Fred and his wonders

Fred's specialty is the Marvellous pastry.

The wonderful.

Which are basically a macaron, covered in sweet, delicate whipped cream and topped with various toppings: caramelized almonds, chopped nuts, white chocolate and crunchy cookies, chocolate shavings, and other flavors.

Biting into these wonders is like biting into a floating cloud and the taste is insane.

Everything melts in your mouth in seconds.

It's like nothing else.

Address: Aux Merveilleux de Fred, 7 Place Jean Jaurès, 33000 Bordeaux, France

After we've had enough of the revellers, we continue to Cancun Square.

Place Cancones and the Girondins

This square is oval, elongated, green and very beautiful.

It is one of the largest squares in Europe.

Surrounded on all sides by tall green trees and sloping green foliage, the view is spectacular.

Especially when trams arrive in the evening and shine their headlights into the river.

On the right side of the square is a huge plaza, where amusement park-style fairs are regularly held, and right at the top, the Girondin Monument towers.

At the end of the monument stands the Statue of Liberty, surrounded by a magnificent fountain and statues taken from Greek mythology.

Address: Girondins Monument, 2792 Place des Quinconces, 33000 Bordeaux, France

From this square we turn left on the street and go straight up to Tourni Square.

We will return to this street, which has several culinary gems, which are closed today, Sunday.

Place Turney

Address: Place de Tourny, 33000 Bordeaux, France

This is a small square with a statue of a Tourneyman and it leads left to Coure G. Clemenceau Street which takes us to Gambetta Square.

Gambetta Square is a beautiful square that is currently undergoing renovations. It is surrounded by culinary gems that are closed today – Sunday, but I will not give up and will return here again and again until I sample the last of the delicious corners here.

The streets in Bordeaux, which are outside the Golden Triangle and the Old Town, are wide with tall, green trees. The traffic is also not usually busy.

Canela Bordella – Number 1
Everywhere you go in this city, you will come across cannelle, a pastry typical of Bordeaux, a pastry that was probably born among the nuns in the 18th century and which the city's residents are proud of.

Canela is made from basic ingredients found in every home: sugar, flour, eggs, milk, and butter.
What makes them unique is that they are baked in small copper pots and at a very high temperature, which gives them the essential caramelized browning and internal chewiness.
This style of baking characterizes the entire region. For example, the quinnaman in Brittany, which is north of Bordeaux, or the cheesecake of San Sebastian, which is south of here.

A recipe for San Sebastian cheesecake can be found here:San Sebastian cheesecake.

A recipe for Canella Bordella can be found here:The Golden Pastry of Bordeaux Canela Bordella.

Now I'm biting into the number 1 canela in this city, and I have many more canelas coming up throughout the week.

My eyes are automatically drawn to the folded cardboard boxes near the cash register and I smile to myself: just like the Italians take home pizza, the Bordelois take home cannelloni.

Address: La Toque Cuivrée Gambetta, 41 Place Gambetta, 33000 Bordeaux, France

At the end of Gambetta Square we turn left, where the entrance to the pedestrian street begins and the port – an ancient gate. We pass the gate and turn almost immediately left.

Address: Porte Dijeaux, 90 Rue de la Porte Dijeaux, 33000 Bordeaux, France

The price of Bordeaux

Now we are in a small – but big – place.
Here the queue never ends.
A unique culinary magic takes place here.
This is where Bordeaux's famous wines are made.

There is no such thing.
There is no such thing as a pufferfish.

This chocolate is called Dunes Blanches. It is very delicate, its skin is thin and topped with crystalline sugar grains. Its shape is very reminiscent of chocolate, which are very small and empty chocolates.
This delicate cake, which came out of the oven a few minutes ago and is slowly cooling, awaits the customer, who is waiting to be filled with the shibost cream, which is a pastry cream enriched with butter. Some also add Italian meringue or whipped cream.

Everyone stands in an orderly, quiet line, waiting for long minutes for their turn, including us, only to later faint from the taste.

overpowering.
And I'm after two canelas and two marvelous.

Address: Dunes Blanches chez Pascal Bordeaux, 7 Rue de la Vieille Tour, 33000 Bordeaux

Mustard in Bordeaux

We dance out of the White Dunes and turn right onto a wide, main street, full of luxury shops.
The tram passes here and reaches the nearby Comedy Place.
I stop at number 40 and enter a boutique store selling the most famous mustard in this country.

There are all possible mustard flavors here: with beets, with horseradish, with pesto, with truffles. And they come in boxes, bottles, and fancy clay jars.
A dizzying array of beauty and flavors, and oh my, they too are making their way into my backpack.

Address: Maille, 40 Cours de l'Intendance, 33000 Bordeaux, France

We leave the store and continue up the street, two minutes and we are at Bordeaux's theater square.

The Grand Theater of Bordeaux

The building is beautiful and large and is also called the Victor Luis Palace after the architect who designed it. It is impressive and magnificent inside and out.

In front of it is a large, beautiful square, and the trams run through it all day and night.
In the square stands the luxurious Grand Hotel, which houses Gordon Ramsay's restaurant.
In a tiny alley behind which is a cool cafe that we will visit during the week.
And adjacent to the hotel is the gifted chocolatier La Rennicoul, who came from Brittany and has branches all over France And he is also mentioned in the post about the Mara tour.

Now we are on a coffee break at the beautiful Place Comedy, spending the moments with Mr. Sanna' – the famous tin statue.
No crowding, no suffocation, no pollution, no car noise.
Peaceful and fun here.

Address: Place de la Comédie, 33000 Bordeaux, France

Saint Catherine Street

One of the main exits from Place de la Comédie is Sainte-Catherine Street, which starts out spectacular, almost magnificent in this part, and ends up neglected, with cheap shops and fast food at the end – in the section close to Place Victoire.
This is the longest shopping street in Bordeaux and on weekends it mostly turns into a crowded pedestrian street.

Walking gently along Saint Catherine, we turn right at the square at Saint Project Square.

We are on our way to the city's main cathedral – Saint André.

Address: 74 Rue Sainte-Catherine, 33000 Bordeaux, France

Saint Andre, Hôtel de Ville and Farmers Market

Saint-André is a huge cathedral and its spires are high on the skyline and stand out into the distance.
Next to it is the magnificent city hall building, the Hôtel de Ville, and the large square in front of it is spacious and beautiful.

The cathedral is beautiful and has a huge and magnificent organ.

Adjacent to the cathedral is its bell tower, the Tour Pey Berland, which is 50 meters high.
You can climb it for a fee and admire the city's rooftops and the surrounding landscape.

Behind the small Berland Square, a small and simple farmers' market is held every Sunday.
Even today.

Here we take another short rest and devour all kinds of berries at reasonable prices.
A real pleasure.

Address: Bordeaux Cathedral, Place Pey Berland, 33000 Bordeaux, France

Further down the street on the left is the Aquitaine Museum.

Aquitaine Museum – Musée d'Aquitaine

The museum mainly displays the history of Bordeaux, including photographs, models, sculptures and pictures. The museum has exhibitions that review the periods in the Aquitaine region in general and Bordeaux in particular,
A little tour of the museum just to get a historical idea and we're out.

Address: Musée d'Aquitaine, 20 Cours Pasteur, 33000 Bordeaux

From the museum we turn left onto the street Victor Hugo Beyond it is a small street called Rue Rabin, at the end of which stands the Great Synagogue of Bordeaux.

Bordeaux Synagogue

You cannot enter this synagogue.
It is closed most of the year and is only open for events that the small local community initiates.
Like every Jewish monument in France, there is tight security here day and night.

Address: Bordeaux Synagogue, 6 Rue du Grand Rabin Joseph Cohen, 33000 Bordeaux

We return to Victor Hugo Street, a few more meters and on the left the fat bell of Bordeaux appears before us.

The Big Bell Grosse Cloche

In one second I fall in love with the fat bell.
I don't know why.
But I return again and again and again, delighted by the sight of it, photographing it from all angles.
In love.
The tiny street where the bell is located – St. James – is also incredibly sweet and full of delightful shops.

Pilgrims passed through this plump gate on their way to Spain for Santiago de Compostela in the 15th century AD, and the bell played an important historical role in the various events that befell the city of Bordeaux.

We pass through it and take our first detour down charming St. James Street, then retrace our steps to Victor Hugo Street to continue our daily route.

Address: The Grosse Cloche, 45 Rue Saint-James, 33000 Bordeaux, France

Saint Michel Flea Market

Today is Sunday. And on Sundays there is a flea market here in the huge square across from the church of Saint Michel.
One of the most affordable markets in Europe and France in general.
There are great bargains here at ridiculous prices.
I wish I had room in my luggage.
Or at home.
I load up another antique silver coin, a gorgeous bowl (for chopped liver?) and a cheese plate with a gilded rim and a map of France divided into regions and the cheese typical of each region.

Another break for a light and refreshing drink.
A wonderful sunny day, an orchestra is playing in rhythm and there is magic in the air.

The evening will come upon this beautiful and wonderful city.
We are starting to starve.

Saint Michel Church

But first, a little tour of the large and impressive church, something about its simplicity and old-fashionedness immediately endears me to it.

Only when we stand later and in the coming days on the Pierre Bridge will we discover the full extent of the exclusion in its entirety.
Huge and impressive.

We're on our way to a local brasserie, but first, we'll mingle with the locals and start the evening with an aperitif.

Mullet – Aperitif

Fred is in another lovely lovely lovely square.
Fred's cafe is open every day, all day, and the vibe is amazing.
Packed with local youth, music and lots of fun.
Opposite the square is another beautiful ancient gate through which one passes to the banks of the river.

Address: Chez Fred, 19 Place du Palais, 33000 Bordeaux, France

That's it, we're ready for our dinner.

At Fernand's which is today Bistro des douanes

At Fernand's we relax, stretch our legs, and order food.
Lucy, the owner of the apartment, recommended him. He is now Shaz Doan (formerly Fernand).
The brasserie is right on the banks of the river.

I order fish soup, which is especially fishy for me, with grated cheese and roe, which is mayonnaise Seasoned, spread it on baguette and eat it with the soup.
Also sweet orange melon topped with thin, salty serrano slices.
I've never eaten such a sweet melon.

In front of me was a thick, juicy entrecote that wasn't bad at all, but we'll eat better than that here.

But the most delicious thing is the accompanying foie gras sauce, in which I dip the baguette again and again – until it's gone.

The sauce and the baguette.

I really wanted to order. crepe In Grand Marnier, which is an especially fine orange liqueur, but I remembered that I had some more red fruit in my backpack from lunch and Saint-Emilion cookies that we picked up on the way and that we would eat in beautiful Saint-Emilion.

Address: Bistro des douanes, 7 Quai de la Douane, 33000 Bordeaux, France

We end this magical day with a gentle walk along the river, climb the Pont Pierre bridge, whose lights are starting to light up, and return to Place Bourse.
There the square and a building are reflected on the water.
The sun sets, the lights come on, the beautiful square is illuminated and magic envelops the city.

Like in tourist journals.

What a wonderful day today was.

Thank you Bordeaux for being so beautiful, pleasant and delicious. See you in the morning.

Did the tour make you hungry? Here are some recommended restaurants in Bordeaux

I have found for you, with the kind help of some Francophiles who know Bordeaux well, a number of excellent restaurants in a variety of prices. You can find them in the article Recommended restaurants in Bordeaux.

Looking for what else to do in Bordeaux?

There are many attractions and activities in Bordeaux and the surrounding area. To save you time, I have collected the most worthwhile attractions and tours for you and put them in one place. You can find everything in the article Attractions in Bordeaux and the surrounding area.

Looking for great places to stay in Bordeaux?

You are welcome to enter the article. Accommodation in Bordeaux Which contains recommended hotels and vacation apartments collected for you with tweezers.