Saint-Michel
Climb the 243 steps of the tower of Saint-Michel, and enjoy the panoramic view of Bordeaux entrance 5 Euro - free for EU nationals under 26.
Jardin Botanique
Watch the ducks play in the big public park north of the center and escape from the city at the Jardin Botanique, Bordeaux's Botanical Garden. Around since 1855, the botanical garden is the perfect place to take a walk around its many paths, or just sit and relax. Guided tours are on offer, as well as occasional workshops and activities for children.
miroir d'eau
Spend some time at the miroir d'eau water mirror at the border of the river. Every now and then, it is filled with 2 cm of water, alternated with a cloud of mist.
Have a drink and a dance at one of the many bars or clubs in Les Quais or La Victoire.
Bordeaux gardens open: end March to end October - 8AM to 8PM; end October to end March - 8AM to 6PM. Bordeaux gardens admission is free.
Fly a jet fighter (http://www.flyajetfighter.com). You can fly the L39 Albatros from Bordeaux International Airport. Starts at â¬1950.
Consider crossing the bridges or taking the ferry boat over the river see Les Quais.
Sainte-Catherine street
Have a walk along the Sainte-Catherine street in the Pedestrian Center and enjoy the scenery.
Bordeaux is a great city for learning- to learn a bit about French culture, consider visiting cinemas such as Utopia (http://www.cinemas-utopia.org/) or going to the city library in Meriadeck.
If you're interested in wine, don't hesitate to visit wine resellers north of Gambetta or Les Quinconces.
The Bordeaux University (http://www.u-bordeaux.fr/), located a few kilometers south of town, offers a wide variety of courses, from science to humanities, from beginner classes to high-level research. The laboratories are among the best in France. It is possible to take French courses there in the summer, with Erasmus students. The DEFLE (http://www.defle.u-bordea...) Department for the study of French as a foreign language is attached to Université Michel de Montaigne - Bordeaux III. It offers both semester and vacation courses in French for foreign students.
sports
Football soccer is a very popular sport in Bordeaux, as the F.C. Girondins, the football club, is one of the best in France avoid talking football in the city, it's another sensitive subject. Tickets for almost every game are easy to come by and can be purchased before the match at the ticket office 'Place Johnstone' at the South West corner of the stadium or on the evening of the game at the turnstiles. Games against main rivals Marseille will sell out well in advance as will the fixtures against PSG, Lyon and usually St Etienne so don't travel without a ticket for one of these games. Expect to pay anything between 9 euros for the Virages Nord and Sud behind the goals to a maximum of 80 euros for the exclusive Presidential Suite.
The Virage Sud is an amazing experience for any football fan but be warned that everyone stands up on the seats, your view may be restricted by an impressive array of flags and they have a habit of lighting flares frequently during the match.
Despite the locals being extremely loud and passionate in their support, there are very few safety problems helped partially by the small numbers of travelling fans. In the past few seasons, there have been some clashes against supporters of Marseille and PSG but the vast majority of games end peacefully with both sets of fans mixing on the tram back to the city.
Explore the city on wheels as Bordeaux is a very nice city for practising roller-skating or roller-blading and other "skating sports".
Other sports that enjoy some support in Bordeaux include ice hockey, handball and rugby. The two Bordeaux rugby clubs Stade Bordelais and Begles merged in 2006 to form Union CABBG. The club plays in the second tier of Frances national leagues and usually plays its home games and Stade Andre Moga in the suburb of Begles. Tickets for the seated stands are 10 euros.
Bordeaux Cricket Club are the vice champions of France and play regularly at Château Giscours in Médoc. Attendance is free and greatly encouraged.
taste wine
Touring the vineyards and sampling the local wines are one of the greatest pleasures when visiting Bordeaux. It is the second largest wine-growing region in the world and produces over 800 million bottles annually. It produces some of the best and most prestigious wines in the world, some of the most famous being:
Château Haut Brion
Château Lafite Rothschild
Château Latour
Château Margaux
Château Mouton Rothschild
Château Ausone
Château Cheval Blanc
Château Petrus
Tours are available through many operators. Alternately, call ahead for reservations. Note that Haut Brion and Mouton are closed for renovation in 2010, while Latour generally only accepts serious collectors and professionals.
If you are an individual you can take daily wine tours departing from Bordeaux and that head towards all the major vineyards of the region: Saint Emilion, The Médoc, Graves and Sauternes... The excursions take place on board 8-seater fully equipped minivans and are taken care of by professional driver guides.
The annual summer wine festivals are held in tandem with the "Bordeaux-fête-le-fleuve" (http://www.bordeaux-fete-...) celebrating the river, land, and international community. The most recent was held on 24-27 June 2010.
There are many tour operators for this region of France. They can organise your complete tour including travel to and from Bordeaux and France or they can arrange visits to wineries and château for you.