Today, we are talking about the gorgeous French town of Bordeaux. We will take a stroll around its thousands-year-old walls to discover more about this world-renowned municipality, its unique history, cultural heritage, and undisputed passion for wine!

Following, you will find the 7 Fun facts about Bordeaux that struck us most during our visits to the city. If you know more, don’t forget to let us know in the comments below at the end of the article 🙂

Let’s dive right in!

7 Fun Facts about Bordeaux

1. Bordeaux City is recognized as the “World’s Capital of Wine”

Located on the South-west coast of France, about 130km away from the Spanish frontier and just 50km from the Atlantic Ocean, the region of Bordeaux enjoys incredibly perfect conditions for growing grapes: a rich-fertile soil plenty of key micro-nutrients, a mild-temperate climate and plenty of freshwater from the Garonne and Dordogne rivers.

Since ancient times (way before France was even born as a country!) these perfectly combined factors made it possible to grow an incredible variety of grapes, like the cabernet sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and the Carménère, and the production of some of the finest wines on Earth.

As of today, after thousands of years of wine tradition, Bordeaux is by many recognized as the “World’s Capital of Wine” (also named so by the popular magazine Forbes).

As of today, Bordeaux has more than 6,000 wineries (more than any other French region!), a mind-blowing 53 appellations (certified superior-quality wines), and an incredible 1100 km2 area of vineyards!

Several are today the Bordeaux wines that are priced well above 100Euro/bottle, with the most expensive ones skyrocketing to over 4000Euro/bottle, and the culture of wine in the region is more alive than ever, which can be felt in the incredible wine museums such as “Le Citè su Vin” or the bi-annual Bordeaux Wine Festival “VineExpo”.

If you would like to know more about Bordeaux’s rich wine culture and experience it, first person, we can recommend you to join a St. Emilion wine tour with Bordeaux Wine Pilgrim, a premium vineyard tour experience by e-bike, by foot, or by van that brings you through the most picturesque areas of the Bordeaux region while uniting fitness, local cuisine and wine tasting.

 2. Bordeaux’s harbour called “Port of the Moon” is an UNESCO World Heritage Site with over 350 Classified Monuments

The “Port of the Moon” is the city center of Bordeaux and the obvious starting point for any trip around town.

The neighborhood gets its name from the round shape of the Garonne River, turning to create a half moon, and it has been officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007 because of its outstanding classical and neoclassical architectural trends and for its prominence as a center for the wine trading industry.

The highlights to see in the Port of the Moon surely are the Miroir de l’Eau (“water mirror” – which we will talk about in a moment), the waterfront promenade between Pont de Pierre (the “stone bridge”), and the Esplanade des Quinconces and the countless architectural marvels that pave the way.

Among the most relevant buildings, we find the Great Bell Tower, Place de la Bourse, the Bordeaux Cathedral, and the Museum of Aquitaine to name a few 🙂

If you would like to know more about Bordeaux’s town center, we can recommend a 2-hour long Bordeaux free walking tour with Bordeaux Free Walking Tours that will show you the best places to drink and eat (also for less!), give you a good laugh and great education about the city.

How much it costs? Nothing upfront, you can decide freely at the end of the tour what you think it was worth to you 🙂

3. The City Name “Bordeaux” simply means “Beside the Waters”

For non-francophone foreigners, that’s always a big surprise.

When most non-local people hear “Bordeaux”, two things normally come to mind: prestigious wine, or the Bordeaux” colors (a purplish dark shade of red) which – a bonus fun fact – comes also from the color of the Bordeaux wine.

The name of the city though doesn’t come from anything related to wine, but from its geographical position near the water: in French – “Au bord de l’Aux”, literally “at the border of water” or better said, “beside de waters”.

4. Bordeaux’s “Miroir d’eau” is the largest reflecting pool on Earth and one of the most famous city attractions!

We anticipated it before, and here we are in front of the coolest attraction of Bordeaux city: the “Miroir d’eau” (water mirror)!

This curious permanent installation, located in front of the majestic Place de la Bourse, is the world’s largest reflecting pool, covering a whooping 3,450 square meters.

This opera was designed by the landscape architect Michel Corajoud and completed in 2006.

At the base of the wonderful “magical mirror” effect, there is an ingegnous water system that works in three phases.

In the first phase, the floor is flooded with a thin layer of water (2cm deep) which creates the smooth surface and the “mirror” illusion.

After few minutes, it drains away (phase 2), creating a surreal mist effect as 900 nozzles release a photogenic fine fog (phase3), making the ground appear to vanish into a dreamlike haze. 

The cycle repeats every 15 minutes, providing a playful playground for photographers and a cool oasis for passerby in the hot summer months: in fact, visitors are free to walk in the water and between the nozzles and interact freely within the installation space, the reflections and the mist. 

In a few words, the Miroir d’eau is a fun place to see, photograph, immerse and why not, also get wet! 🙂 

5. Bordeaux’s street “Rue Sainte-Catherine” is the longest shopping street in Europe – (over 1,2km long!)

6. Bordeaux’s surrounding landscape is a tapestry of Chateaus and Wineries, most open for tasting!

We already talked about the immense extension of vineyards and the mind-boggling number of wineries that adorn the verdant hills of the Bordeaux region… but still, what about castles?

Yes, because castles (or “Chateaux” in French), are fundamental landmarks of the bordelaise landscape and an extremely picturesque twist to visitors’ eyes. In the whole Bordeaux region, there are an estimated 6000 Chateaux of all sizes, from relatively small to principesque right out of fairytales.

Most Chateauxares are also the headquarters of their homonymous wineries (such as the famous “Versailles dù Medoc”, the “Château Les Carmes Haut Brion”, the “Chateau Margaux” or the “Chateau Pichon-Longueville”, while others are purely residences or remnants of the middle ages past.

7. The City of Bordeaux is more than 2000 years old, and during its history, it has been both under Roman and English control.

Did you know that Bordeaux was not founded by the French? It existed way before France was even a country!

The foundation of the city is believed to be found around 300 BC, by the hand of a Celtic tribe, the Bituriges Vivisci,  which called their first settlement in the area “Burdigala” (probably of Aquitanian origin).

The settlement fell then under Roman rule in the 60 BC and became a major central hub for lead mining until the empire’s demise around 300 a.C.

Then, as most of Europe, Bordeaux fell into the dark centuries until it became English in 1154 when Henry II king of England married Eleanor of Aquitaine and she brought Bordeaux with her as her inheritance along with the rest of the duchy.

Both under the Roman and English domains, the wine industry of Bordeaux had a chance to expand greatly (thanks to thirsty Romans and drink-passionate English customers) and develop the finest tastes we find in the region today. 

Finally, Bordeaux was annexed by France in 1453 after the Battle of Castillon.

As of today, still Roman buildings remain such as the Amphitheater, the crypts, and a museum.

Conclusions 🙂

And here we come at the end of this article 🙂

In this post, we’ve had a glimpse inside the Bordeaux region and discovered together some of its most interesting curiosities: from the origins of its name “beside the waters”, to the history and statistics of its rich wine industry, passing from the chateaux, the shopping street, the water mirror and its wonderful port of the moon.

Which one surprised you most?

Do you have other curiosities about the Bordeaux you would like to share with us?

Let us know in the comments below! 😀

Hereafter I will leave you a few articles that you might be also interested in checking out:

•  7 World-Class Museums You Never Heard Of
• Destinations of the World: Discover More Cool Destinations!
• Travel Italy: All you Need to Discover the Bel Paese!

Thank you for reading, and see you in the next article!