House / Gardens Sights in Bordeaux — 5 of Our Favourites

The gate and doorway itself was probably used to separate the nobility in the upper part of the town from the more modest lower town. The origin of the word "cadena" is from Gascon (a dialect of Occitan) meaning "chain", which could refer to the presence of a chain that physically divided the city into two parts but there is no visible trace on the building today.

The house is the only half-timbered house int he city that has remained intact and still has a remarkable tower on the other side. If you go inside you will be able to see the beautiful corkscrew staircase that dates from the16th-century and allows access to the tower.

The Porte de la Cadène opens the Rue de la Cadène, a pretty little shopping street in Saint Emlion.

The domain Malagar has been donated by the four children of the writer to the Aquitaine Regional Council in 1985, the following year, the Regional Council of Aquitaine created an association whose mission was the preservation and promotion of the area: François Mauriac Centre Malagar. Classified as an "historical monument" in 1996, the area has benefited from major restoration and development.

Malagar is a beautiful mansion that sits within a four-acre park and a vineyard of around fourteen hectares. There are guided tours available of the residence where you can find out more about the life of the Nobel Prize winning author, you can also enjoy the historical museum which is situated in the converted wine cellar. The grounds themselves are worth a look around and you can enjoy some of the same views that inspired Mauriac on his visits to the mansion.

The fact that wine is produced here is all thanks to the efforts of Baron Philippe, who introduced "entire château bottling" in 1924 and built an impressive 100m barrel hall.

In 1974, its wine was formally classified as Premier Cru. The château has a private museum of wine in art and offers tours with wine tasting.

The museum and gallery created by Baron Philippe de Rothschild and his wife Pauline, inaugurated in 1962 by André Malraux, features paintings, porcelain, ceramics, glassware, ivories, bronzes, sculptures, jewellry and tapestries. Three millennia of precious objects related to wine are gathered there. The tour is included with the discovery of the caves.

Created in 1746, the public garden is a green area of 10.8 hectares located in the centre of the city. Designed by the landscape architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, it is the first garden in France creation specifically for opening to the public. His work was seen to be very 'French' and likened to the work of Le Nôtre, the illustrious gardener of Versailles.

This park is free to enter. Open every day from 7am. 
Closures:

• From 1 April to 31 May: 20:00
• From June 1st to August 31st: 21:00
• From 1 to 30 September: 20:00
• From 1 to 31 October: 19:00
• From 1 November to 14 February: 18:00
• From 15 February to 31 March: 19:00

The original garden was designed by Jacques Ange Gabriel in a typical French style. It covers 14 hectares and is focused around a central pond.

Today its landscaped gardens are a lovely escape from the city. It houses an arboretum, a library and a museum of natural history. Many attractions are available for children: puppet theater, swings, playgrounds, historic carousel.