France Cruise: Bordeaux
In this first post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores Bordeaux, France on her France Intensive Cruise on Azamara.
This was a very last-minute cruise for me! I was originally scheduled to do another river cruise, with Avalon, on the Lower Danube during this time. However, heavy rains and flooding caused some cancellations, including my cruise! The area I was planning to go to was fine, but the ship itself was stuck in Germany. So, my river cruise was cancelled on a Wednesday afternoon, and I had this Azamara cruise booked by Thursday and was on the plane to Paris on Saturday morning!
France Intensive Cruise Full Itinerary
Below is the full itinerary for the trip. This post includes details about my first few days in Bordeaux, France. Looking for info on other stops? Check out the ‘Links’ section at the end of this post!
- June 9 through June 11: Bordeaux, France
- June 12: La Rochelle and Île de Ré, France
- June 13: Belle-Île-en-Mer, France
- June 14: Nantes, France
- June 15: Brest and Quimper, France
- June 16: St. Peter Port, Guernsey
- June 17: Saint-Malo and Mont-Saint-Michel, France
- June 18: Cherbourg, Omaha Beach, and Sainte-Mère-Église, France
- June 19 & 20: Honfleur, Rouen, and Fécamp, France
- June 21: Oostende and Bruges, Belgium
Travel to Paris, then onto Bordeaux
Planes…
After a whirlwind 48 hours (thank GOODNESS for my wonderful Travel Agent!), I had my river cruise cancelled and my new cruise booked, along with the flights, trains, and hotels needed. I headed to the airport here in Tampa on Saturday morning and set off on my next adventure. Smooth flights took me from Tampa to Washington, DC…then onto Paris.
…trains…
Once I arrived in Paris, I cleared customs and met my private driver who took me from Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport to the Montparnasse train station in the middle of Paris. It’s about 25 miles, and the drive was smooth and quick on a quiet Sunday morning. Within about 40 minutes I was at the train station. I had plenty of time to walk around the very busy station to stretch my legs and get a bit of breakfast. I then boarded my high-speed train, settled into a nice first-class seat on the upper level, and enjoyed the train ride from Paris to Bordeaux. The train ride covered nearly 400 miles in just over two hours!
…and hotel!
Once the train arrived in Bordeaux, it was a quick taxi ride from the train station to my hotel. The Hotel Majestic Bordeaux is a centrally located small hotel. It was recently refurbished, and my room was large, clean, and comfortable. The decor is inspired by the hotel’s prestigious neighbor, the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux.
First day in Bordeaux
Once I checked into my hotel and dropped off my bags, I headed out to start exploring Bordeaux. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and my hotel was in a perfect location to easily walk to several key spots to see.
Place de la Bourse and Miroir d’eau
I started at the Place de la Bourse (“Stock Exchange Square”). This beautiful and large square is right on the riverfront. Two key focal points here include the Miroir d’eau (“Water Mirror”) and the gorgeous gardens. The Miroir d’eau is a large (37,100 square feet!) reflecting pool between Place de la Bourse and the Garonne River. It alternates between still water and active fountains, and kids of all ages were enjoying playing in the water!
Scroll through the slide show below to see some of my pictures from Place de la Bourse:
Porte Cailhau and Rue Saint-Catherine
I continued to explore the city, walking to see the Porte Cailhau (a castle-like monument built in the late 1400s that was once the main gate to the city). I eventually found my way back to Rue Sainte-Catherine, a large and busy pedestrian area. Stopping for cool sorbet hit the spot on this beautiful afternoon!
Second day in Bordeaux
After recharging with a good night’s sleep, I was ready to hit the ground running on my second day in Bordeaux! More gorgeous weather made exploring the city on foot easy.
Grosse Cloche and Église Saint-Éloi
My first stop was the Grosse Cloche (“Big Bell”). This is one of the oldest belfries in France, built in the 18th century. The bell weighs 7.75 tons! At the base of the belfry is Église Saint-Éloi (“Saint Eligius Church”). I stepped in to admire this quiet and beautiful church for a few minutes.
Scroll through the slide show below to see pictures of the Grosse Cloche and Église Saint-Éloi:
Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux
My next stop was the Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux. Unfortunately, it was closed this morning so I could not see the interior. But I stopped to admire the gorgeous exterior for quite a while. This cathedral dates back to the 11th century.
Rue Sainte-Catherine
I then headed back to Rue Sainte-Catherine. This pedestrian street is 3/4-miles long and is the main shopping street in Bordeaux. It runs from the Place de la Comédie where the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux stands to the Place de la Victoire. I found a cute little mini-mall-like area in the middle, where a very colorful umbrella installation caught my eye.
I stopped at La Toque Cuivrée, along Rue Sainte-Catherine, to pick up the delicious local specialty called canelé. A canelé is a pastry, flavored with rum and vanilla. The center is soft and spongy, covered by a dark caramelized crust. I also stopped and picked up a sandwich and a drink and headed back to Place de la Bourse for a lovely picnic lunch.
Place des Quinconces
After enjoying my picnic lunch, I walked a bit further to the Place des Quinconces. It covers about 63 acres, making it one of the largest city squares in Europe. It sits on the site of a former grand chateaux, and current day it is primarily used as a place for outdoor festivals and fairs.
On one end of the large open area are two tall columns – one symbolizes commerce and the other symbolizes navigation. The other end of the square holds the beautiful Monument aux Girondins (“Monument of the Girondists,” who fell victim of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution), decorated with intricate sculptures and water fountains.
Bonjour, Quest!
I wrapped up my walking tour for the morning and headed back to my hotel to collect my luggage. The ship, Azamara Quest, had a prime docking station just across from the Place des Quinconces. So, it was a quick 10-minute walk from my hotel to the ship.
Once I completed the quick and easy check-in process at the dock, I made my way onto the ship. This is the same ship I sailed on in April to Spain, so I was very familiar with the ship. I attended the safety briefing while sipping my first glass of champagne, then made my way to my cabin. I had a bright and comfortable Verandah Stateroom on the 8th deck, forward. While it wasn’t the massive and sumptuous suite I had on the last cruise, it was plenty big enough for me and made a great home base for this cruise!
Click through the slide show below for more pictures of my cabin:
My first dinner onboard was a delicious one in the Main Dining Room, Discoveries. I enjoyed a duck confit salad, classic Escargots a la Bourguignonne, mustard-crusted beef short rib, and Paris-Brest (not pictured) for dessert. It was a delicious first meal!
Third day in Bordeaux
June 11, my first full day on the ship, was still in Bordeaux. We did not sail until later in the evening, so I had one more day to explore this beautiful city. Unfortunately, the ship excursions to the neighboring wine estates were all sold out (the one drawback for booking last minute!), so I headed out on my own again. The weather was a bit dreary, but it didn’t dampen my spirits.
Musée du Vin et du Négoce
My first stop was to the Musée du Vin et du Négoce (“The Wine and Trade Museum”). The museum is in a former 18th century merchant’s house, with the museum itself down in the cool underground cellars.
Jardin Public de Bordeaux
By the time I finished at the Wine Museum, the rain was drying up and the sun started peeking out, so I headed over to the nearby Jardin Public de Bordeaux (“Public Garden of Bordeaux”). This 27-acre garden is the perfect place to stroll, soak in the beauty, and relax…all right in the heart of the bustling city!
Click through the slide show below to see more pictures of the gorgeous gardens:
Back on the Ship
After my morning of wine and roses, I headed back to the ship for lunch. After lunch I relaxed on the sundeck, enjoying some ice cream and admiring the views from the ship.
Tonight’s dinner was back in Discoveries, this time with a Mediterranean theme. I started with a Mediterranean antipasto plate, followed by a mixed grilled seafood entree. A delicious cherry ricotta cheesecake for dessert rounded up the delicious meal. After dinner I headed to the Cabaret Lounge for a fabulous “Jazz Night” performance by the Quest house band (they were awesome!). I then headed up to the top deck to snap some pics of a stunning sunset over Bordeaux just before sail away…at 10pm!
Sail-Away
As we left Bordeaux, we sailed under the Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas (“Jacques Chaban-Delmas Bridge”). This is a vertical-lift bridge, meaning the entire main span lifts up vertically to allow ships to pass underneath. The main span is 361 feet long, and its total length is 1886 feet, making it the longest vertical-lift bridge in Europe. I sat on my verandah and watched as the main span raised up before we set sail.
Scroll through the slide show below for more pictures from sail-away:
Conclusion
Although it was an absolute whirlwind to get everything organized and booked, my first few days in Bordeaux on this last-minute cruise were fabulous! Normally I have much more time to research and plan my free time, but this trip simply did not allow me to do much planning at all. Luckily, Bordeaux is very easy to navigate so I was able to find a lot of things to see and do. While I regret not being able to visit one of the notable wine estates nearby, I did thoroughly enjoy my time spent in Bordeaux. It was a wonderful start to a fantastic cruise.
Links
Check the main page for this cruise to read more about my adventures:
Click the button below for more information about Azamara:
