You can reach Bordeaux from the United Kingdom on flights from London, Manchester or Birmingham. Bordeaux is located in southwest France and is that region’s largest city with a population of one million people in the metropolitan area.  Its airport is the Bordeaux-Merignac Airport

The gentle climate makes Bordeaux popular with travel tourists from the UK. While summers may run hot and long, the rest of the year is quite mild. Bordeaux is a port on the Atlantic, and about nine million metric tons of cargo passes through each year. Visitors come to the port to enjoy the view and also to enjoy the mild weather. Bordeaux’s main rail station is the Gare de Bordeaux Saint-Jean. The station offers high-speed service trips to Paris taking about three hours. There is also extensive local tram, bus, and taxi service.

Ask anyone to name one thing they know about Bordeaux and most likely they will mention wine.  Bordeaux is one of the top wine producing areas in the world, with almost 300,000 miles of vineyards.  Its red wines are made from a blend of grapes, most commonly from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. 

Red wine produced in Bordeaux is commonly referred to as claret.  White wine and sweeter dessert wines are also produced in Bordeaux, but white wine makes up only about one-tenth of the wine production in Bordeaux.  The area’s annual wine production is about 700 million bottles a year.  Some of the world’s most expensive wines are produced in Bordeaux, but so are everyday table wines that are just as good.  Almost all of the wines produced in Bordeaux are blended wines. 

Not just world famous for its wines, Bordeaux is also home to a booming aeronautic industry, and research centers for laser technology. Both industries employ thousands of workers. Tourism and travel is also an economic engine, largely because of the popularity of the vineyards and winemaking tours.

Bordeaux is also known as a key architectural center, boasting one of the larger collections of eighteenth century buildings in Europe. Among its more famous sites are the Place de la Bourse, the church of the Holy Cross, the Saint Andre Cathedral, the Seruin Basilica, the Saint Michel Basilica, and the Church of St. Pierre.

Tourists also enjoy Bordeaux’s shops, restaurants, cafes, parks, gardens, and its many festivals. A major center of culture, Bordeaux is also home to the National Opera of Bordeaux, and was the first city in France to found an architectural research center.

This cultural gem is known as Arc en Reve, and it is one of the most popular and respected architecture and research centers in all of France. This city is also home to a lively music scene, with no shortage of live music venues.

The architecture, the music, the weather, the culture, and the wines make Bordeaux an outstanding place for UK travelers to visit and enjoy.

Technorati Tags: , , ,