Guide / Tour Things To Do in Bordeaux — 7 of Our Favourites

Several tours are available, allowing you to experience the region from the comfort of the tuk-tuk. The city tour takes you through the narrow cobbled streets and provides a commentary of the history and heritage of the town. The vineyard tour, takes around 50 minutes and takes you past some of the largest and most famous wine chateaux in France. This guided tour tells you about the Grand-Crus and the other classes of St Emilion wine.

You can also combine the vineyard tour with a tasting for an extra special tour. This takes around 1hr45 and allows you to visit one of the chateau to discover its caves and enjoy tasting some of their best vintage.

The tuk-tuk also offers a shuttle service that runs from the train station to the south into the heart of the city of Saint Emilion.

Explore Bordeaux on your own schedule with this flexible hop-on hop-off bus tour. With ten convenient stops across the city, you can discover iconic landmarks like Place de la Bourse and the Grosse Cloche, as well as contemporary attractions such as the Cité du Vin and the Halles de Bacalan.

Enjoy sweeping views from the top deck and listen along with an audio guide available for adults and children alike. Free single-use earphones are provided for your comfort - just hop on, plug in, and experience the best of Bordeaux.

The PGVS liaises Pointe de Grave to Soulac-sur-Mer (les Arros). At 7km long, this railway allows tourists to discover the forest at a slow pace, the Atlantic Ocean, and to see, in good weather, the lighthouse of Cordouan.

Along the docks and the famous Place de la Bourse, then into the heart of Old Bordeaux, passing through the Porte Cailhau and the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe, the Rue Sainte Catherine. The audio commentary will ​​tell you the history and secrets of Bordeaux's exceptional heritage with simple words and stories. Did you know for example that the golden lion on top of the Great Bell turns to the river in good weather? It is common belief in Bordeaux that this is because he is thirsty...

Commentary is available in several languages, including French, German, English, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Dutch.

An on board commentary in available in several languages including French, English and Spanish. You have the option to buy a ticket for the train only or one that includes stopping off at a Chateau for a wine-tasting and to find out more about the wine making business.

Le Train des Grands Vignobles runs regularly throughout the day from the first weekend of April to mid-November. Each tour lasts around 35 minutes, or 1hr20 if you stop off at Chateau Rochebelle.

The train is set on a 600mm narrow gauge track and was first operated in 1879 and was originally pulled by a horse. It became engine powered in 1925 and service was stopped in 1935. It was reinstated once more in 1952 and eventually in 1989 the train was acquired by the commune and has been run by them ever since.

It travels a distance of 2km and takes around 12 minutes for each journey between Plage de l'horizon on the Atlantic coast with the jetty at Jetée de Bélisaire on the Arcachon Bay.

It operates during the summer months between April and early November and runs around every 30 minutes or so. Generally the service is only run in the afternoons, however during peak times the trains are more frequent and there are some morning services.

Although the line is largely situated along the road side, the trains are operated by open-sided coaches hauled by diesel locomotives, so it feels like a real treat and a fun way to travel across the peninsula.

In summer the small train will take you around the Citadel and point out some of the attractions and tell you about the history of the town. It is the perfect way to explore the area, especially for those with small children or problems with mobility. The tours still go ahead in the winter and off season although they are less frequent so it is worth checking the times in advance with the tourist office.