The Monument aux Girondins is a fifty-four-meter column topped by a bronze statue of Liberty breaking its chains. It sits on the Place des Quinconces, one of the largest city squares in Europe. The memorial honors the Girondin deputies, a…
Bordeaux Grand Riverfront Walk
Walk along the Garonne to experience the stunning 18th-century architecture, monumental stone arches, and famous squares that define Bordeaux's golden age. It is the perfect introduction to the grand, uniform riverfront that earned the city its UNESCO status.
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1. Monument aux Girondins
2. Opéra National de Bordeaux - Grand-Théâtre
The Grand-Théâtre is marked by a neoclassical portico of twelve colossal Corinthian columns, each topped by a stone statue representing a muse or goddess. Inaugurated in seventeen eighty, this opera house was designed by the architect…
3. Place du Parlement
The Place du Parlement is recognizable by its central fountain and the surrounding eighteenth-century facades, which feature decorative stone heads known as mascarons above the windows. Designed in an Italian style, the square was laid out…
4. Place de la Bourse
Place de la Bourse is defined by its wide, symmetrical limestone façades that sweep along the Garonne riverfront in a grand horseshoe shape. Built between seventeen thirty and seventeen seventy-five, this square marks the moment Bordeaux…
5. Miroir d'eau
The Miroir d’Eau is a vast, flat expanse of granite slabs spanning three thousand four hundred and fifty square meters. Located along the Garonne River quays, this surface is covered by a layer of water exactly two centimeters deep. When…
6. Porte Cailhau
The Porte Cailhau stands thirty-five meters tall, featuring distinct pepper-pot turrets, a high slate roof, and mullioned windows that distinguish it from the surrounding architecture. Constructed between fourteen ninety-three and fourteen…
7. Porte de Bourgogne
The Porte de Bourgogne stands as a massive, neoclassical stone arch on Place Bir-Hakeim, marking the historic entrance to Bordeaux for travelers arriving from the road to Paris. You can identify it by its two sturdy Doric columns…
8. Pont de Pierre
The Pont de Pierre is defined by its seventeen arches, a series of stone and brick spans stretching four hundred eighty-seven meters across the Garonne. Commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte in eighteen ten to move troops toward Spain, it was…