Travel bucket list idea:
Wine City
Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
Photo Anaka – City du Vin – XTU Architects
Last updated: 10 February, 2024
Designed by Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazieres, Bordeaux’s spectacular Cite du Vin opened in 2016 – its curvaceous, spiralling 55m glass tower evoking wine swirling in a glass. Far more than simply a wine museum, it offers a total, immersive wine experience, packed with 19 permanent exhibits that tickle all five senses.
This fascinating, in-depth, high-tech history of winemaking around the world culminates in the building’s spectacular rooftop belvedere, where guests can join in with a wine tasting. The frequent, changing exhibits make the Cite du Vin just as popular with the Bordelais locals as with visitors to the city.
The architecturally-striking building, designed by architects XTU, ‘does not resemble any recognizable shape because it is an evocation of the soul of wine between the river and the city.’
Logistics
Price from: £18
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Getting there & doing it
Take Tram B from Bordeaux city centre or, if you’re driving, there’s an inexpensive pay cark opposite the entrance on Rue de Gironde.
Book skip-the-line tickets on the website (where you can also sign up for wine tasting and pairing workshops, guided tours, and other events). The average visit takes two to three hours, but you could linger longer. If you only have an hour or so, brochures at the entrance suggest various themed routes to follow.
There’s a restaurant inside where you can grab lunch, and – appropriately enough – a wine bar, where you can choose from around 14,000 bottles sourced from around the world.
When to do it
The museum is open all year round, seven days a week.
