Barcelona is an hour flight from Bordeaux and is a great holidays for families! The food culture is exciting, great local products in stunning surroundings. The sunshine in Barcelona doesn't hurt either! Grab a vermut and some jamon and visit this great city!
So this last time when we went, over the fall school holidays in France, I wanted to book a food tour to help navigate the nearly 250 pintxo bars. I searched for chef lead food tours, hoping to find someone with a similar background. I found one of the most charismatic and enjoyable guides, knowledgeable and who completely changed my impression of the pintxo, Greg of Basque Bites.
Where to get a meal for under 25 EURO in Bordeaux? Need a cheap eat or quick lunch? Budget traveling? Try some of these great options in Bordeaux from boullions to mussels in the market!
Tenerife is one of the Canary Islands, located off the West Coast of Africa in the Atlantic. Under four hours fight from Bordeaux, it’s a great escape for families and nature lovers!
Bordeaux does have a Christmas market but nothing has felt more Christmas-y thank Sarlat! Visit Dordogne, all dressed up for the holidays and have a great winter weekend!
Visiting Bordeaux is easy on a river cruise, be it Viking, Alma or Uniworld! Here are my suggestions to make the best of your time in Bordeaux on your cruise!
Of course there is great wine from Saint Emilion and this is likely why you are visiting, to see some of the chateaux and go wine tasting! Did you know Saint Emilion also has some great restaurants, some of the best in the SW? So where to eat when you go to Saint Emilion and have a tight schedule full of wine tastings? Here are some of my favorite restaurants
Bordeaux, being a city, offers visitors the chance to taste all sorts of regional dishes and products. Be it oysters and mussels from Charente Maritime, peppers from Espelette, or locally raised bazadaise beef from SE Gironde, you'll be surprised by the variety of options! There are plenty of great options for vegetarians as well, seasonal asparagus, strawberries and of course truffle! Bordeaux is so much more than canelé!
I’ll keep adding to this! I work with a lot of wonderful guides and am happy to share their information so you can have a great time in Bordeaux! Be sure to let them know Anne from Aquitaine Travel Guide sent you 🙂 JEWISH TOUR OF BORDEAUX with guide Sarah Graham Beck. Sarah offers Jewish... Continue Reading →
This domestication of ducks and geese was passed down to the Romans 2,000 years ago and subsequently went throughout the Roman Empire. In Rome, figs were likely what was used to encourage excessive growth of the liver, this was called 'ficatum', through gavage (forced feeding).
Bordeaux has a lot of great chocolate shops! Having lead tours on the history of chocolate in Barcelona and Bayonne, the story behind cocoa in the Old World is fascinating. Those are two cities you'll want to visit in Spain and France for the history of this product and to go back to its origins.... Continue Reading →
Capbreton has to be the best place to visit in SW France for the true lover of fresh fish. Sure, there are many coastal towns with fishing communities, but I have never enjoyed such fresh fish and seen such wonderful selections offered by fish mongers, as I have in Capbreton.
Tips on where to sit, how to get to the stadium, and where to park when going to Stade Matmut Atlantique. This is the newer stadium for football and rugby in Bordeaux, near the Parc ses Expositions Tram Line C and Bus 75 stop. Information for the 2024 Olympics https://olympics.com/fr/paris-2024/sites/stade-de-bordeaux Where to sit at Stade... Continue Reading →
Let's talk about Gaule or the Roman period of time in Aquitaine and where you can visit to discover more. When were the Romans in Bordeaux and Aquitaine? What did the Romans contribute to Aquitaine? What were the Romans eating and drinking?
Taking a private, chauffeured tour of the vineyards around Saint Emilion is not in everyone budget. I think often times, these tours don't give you enough time to enjoy the beautiful town of Saint Emilion either. There are wonderful old streets, ancient churches and plenty of shops to visit. In addition, if you are not all about wine, you can visit the underground of Saint Emilion to learn about the history of the town as a religious pilgrimage site, which was its main attraction for hundreds of years before wine!
if you wanted to rent a car and explore the countryside of Gironde and Lot et Garonne (towards Dordogne), check these two stops out. Both Rouge Bordeaux and Chateau Ladausse are owned by couples who excel in hospitality, offer traditional French cooking classes and day trips around the region. You'll enjoy comfortable ensuite lodging in charming locations with hosts excited to share the best of their area!
Some are ruins and some are elegant wine producing chateaux - but the chateaux left from the time of Clement V are all stunning!
I had the pleasure of meeting Laure GRACY at an event in Bordeaux this year. It was so refreshing to meet someone equally interesting in sharing the countryside and lesser known parts of France with clients. Laure is originally from near Pau, in the Pyrennes Atlantiques department of South-West France. While she works between Paris and Pau, her current focus is on organizing and planning work retreats and group events in the SW France area.
Some Maison du Vin will offer classes or picnics if booked in advance, like in Podensac. They often have some bottles open for free tastings, or for small fees of around 5-10 EURO. I've been to locations in Sauternes and Entre Deux Mers where they have been able to make tasting reservations at the chateaux for me. They are an incredible resource. Saint Emilion has tasting classes, for example, to help you understand the different aromas in the local wines. There are often many chateaux to purchase in the Maison du Vin, from the larger names to some surprise smaller estates.
I'm always taking days to explore more of my favorite AOCs in Bordeaux, in particular Pomerol and Pessac Leogan. They are some of the smaller appellations, Pomerol just next to Saint Emilion has some incredible wines, none are classified so you really have to go out there and just try! There is the Maison du Vin in Pomerol who can help guide you as well.
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