The best time to visit Bordeaux, France

Nicola recently finished writing the new edition of Lonely Planet's Pocket Bordeaux guidebook, which came out in May 2024. Here she shares her expert opinion on when to visit the city.

The city of Bordeaux is not only about wine.

Its intoxicating blend of urban culture and epicurean sass gives it bags of appeal any time of year – so you can decide the best time to visit Bordeaux. Not only that: Its enviable ring of world-renowned vineyards, fruit orchards and farms illuminates the urban landscape with a kaleidoscope of seasonal color, making every month visually different too.

Traditionally, summer, with its endless bluebird skies and scorching hot temperatures forcing everything – cafes, nightlife, markets, and festivals – outside, is the most popular time of year to visit this city near the Atlantic Coast in southwest France. Imposing white cruise ships docked by the quays of the Garonne River in July and August feel a permanent fixture, as does the thick swarm of bikes and e-scooters streaming along the riverside’s smooth, wide promenades. The choice of river cruises, wine-tasting workshops at La Cité du Vin, and organized tours run by the Bordeaux tourist office in summer is unmatched.

Shoulder seasons – spring and fall – attract a more discerning crowd, typically in town for wine tours, vineyard touring and offbeat sightseeing as well as outdoor activities. Cheaper rates in hotels and chambres d’hôtes (B&Bs) at this time mean you get more bang for your buck. To indulge in slow, peaceful flânerie (wandering) interspersed with boutique browsing and warming mugs of vin chaud (mulled wine), bag winter as your own.

Shoulder season: March to May

Best for spring blossoms and market shopping

No season feels so perky or ripe with anticipation as the warm days of spring. Cold-weary Bordelais shed their winter coats and gloves, toot their bicycle bells, and zip around town with newfound zest. Wooden wine crates upcycled as bike baskets overflow with baby carrots, asparagus, the first sweet strawberries and pink rhubarb from Marché des Capucins or the open-air market that spills across Quai des Chartrons every Sunday morning. If hunting for antiques, vintage knick-knacks and second-hand bargains rocks your boat, time your visit with the enormous Brocante des Quinconces flea market filling Place des Quinconces (you’ll know you’ve arrived when you see the Monument des Girondins fountain) for two weeks, late April to early May.

Cafe terraces in medieval Saint-Pierre burst back into life; an "after work" apéro (drink) on Place du Palais or the string of bars beading the left-bank quays is all the rage again. And people linger longer on benches in Jardin Public where magnolia and cherry trees in bloom blaze every shade of pink. Good news for walkers too: This is the best time of year to tackle a chunk of the GR Bordeaux Métropole, France’s longest urban grande randonnée (long-distance walking trail) winding 160km (99 miles) around the city and its winery-and-farm-stitched ‘burbs.

High season: June to August

Best for summer parties al fresco

Rates for hotels, apartments and urban chambres d’hôtes (bed & breakfasts) peak in the summer months. If visiting in August, consider if you require air-conditioning and reserve the appropriate accommodation months in advance. Some of the best bistros and restaurants staunchly popular with locals – invariably chef-owned and passionate advocates of zero-kilometer cuisine such as Mes Mots – close for much of August when many Bordelais head out of town on holiday. For brunch at Casa Gaia, a meal at farm-fueled Les Récoltants and dining at other sustainability-conscious restaurants that remain open such as Michelin-approved Sens Bistrot Contemporain, an advance table reservation is a good idea.

You can’t swim in the Garonne – its opaque mud-brown color is hardly enticing – but if you insist on taking the plunge, join 500 intrepid swimmers traversing the Garonne during June’s madcap Traversée de Bordeaux. Or rent a stand-up paddle board or canoe at Les Marins de la Lune in right-bank La Bastide and river-chill afloat.

Sun-sizzled July and August are prime times to frolic barefoot with urbanites, young and old, in the reflective water of the Miroir d'Eau or hit the sandy beach at Bordeaux Lac to swim, sail and kayak; the lake is 30 minutes by tram C from Esplanades des Quinconces. A peak experience is heading out to Arcachon, a one-hour journey from Bordeaux, for a day on the sand. If you’d rather be on the water than in it, summer is the peak season for riverboat cruises – by day, dusk or over dinner. Day trips by e-bike, old-school wheels, train or car to beaches and sand south along the Atlantic coast provide a refreshing break from the sweltering city heat.

Summer is also a beautiful time to be out in the vineyards. Take a trip out to Château Smith Haut Lafitte, in Pessac-Léognan, to wander through the Forest of Senses. The 10-acre trail takes you through an herb garden used for biodynamic preparations, past sculptures and tree houses. Refresh yourself at the jewel box bar at Les Sources de Caudalie Hotel, where you’ll find seasonal cocktails that evoke wine country, such as the Negroni de Vignes, a vinous riff on the classic cocktail served with freshly baked madeleines and canelés. 

Or, if you’re interested in trying some of Bordeaux’s famous sweet wines, head to Château Biac, a sunny, terraced property with a stunning view of the Garonne. Merlot and cabernet sauvignon thrive thanks to the vineyard’s many microclimates, but the gem is semillon, used to make small quantities of Secret de Château Biac, a late-harvest wine from Cadillac (a sub-appellation of Sauternes) with flavors of apricot, flowers and honey. 

Seasonal rooftop bars and riverside guinguettes (open-air "dance halls," aka party spots) are by now in full swing. Summer festivals raise the curtain on dancing beneath the stars, music concerts on open-air stages, outdoor film screenings and other moonlit cultural soirées. Fireworks and wine tasting in buckets light up June’s four-day Fête du Vin.

Shoulder season: September to October 

Best for pleasant weather and wine lovers

With schoolkids back at their desks in September, tourist crowds thin out and peak accommodation prices plummet. Mellow days in the city are pleasantly warm and sunny – gorgeous light at sunrise and sunset – and made for walking and cycling. For wine buffs, there is no finer time to visit: Foliage blushes every hue of crimson, gold and red, and sun-gorged grapes are harvested in prestigious vineyards around the city (Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is the closest, 10 minutes by tram A from the Hôtel de Ville stop) and Médoc during September and October’s vendange (grape harvest).

Hop on the train and head to St-Émilion, a medieval city with narrow winding streets, limestone buildings and spectacular views on Bordeaux’s Right Bank. You’ll find plenty of places to sample wines, including the crémant de Bordeaux sparkling wine that rarely leaves the region. The stars, though, are aromatic and beautiful red blends led by cabernet franc and merlot. You’ll enjoy the chance to meet the owners at family-owned wineries. Our favorites include Château Bernateau, which makes modern-style, younger wines and Château Jean Faure, a cabernet franc specialist just 100m from the famous Château Cheval Blanc. Just next door in Pomerol, the Vayron family behind the acclaimed Château Bourgneuf creates balanced, rich wines that have buvabilité (French for drinkability) no matter when you open them. 

Pair any of these wines with foie gras from a spot like Lard et Bouchon, charcuterie or cheese from one of the many gourmet shops in town. Burn off a few calories by borrowing a key from the tourist office and climbing the 196 steps up the Cloche de l’Église Monolithe bell tower or going up the 118 steps of the Tour du Roy. Both reward you with an amazing view of the surrounding countryside and the Dordogne River Valley. 

And if you’re still learning about wine, don’t worry. The warm instructors at L’Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux offer engaging classes on identifying wine flavors and aromas to learning about Bordeaux’s regions in a state-of-the-art setting inside a historic flatiron building. And their Bar à Vin wine bar pours a selection of the region’s best wines for very fair prices.

Plan months ahead (gold-dust tickets go on sale in March) should you fancy scoffing wine and oysters on the run during September’s legendary Marathon des Châteaux du Médoc. Wintry, street-roasted chestnuts accompany the year’s first wine, celebrated with singing, dancing and drinking-fueled merriment in the historic wine-trading district of Chartrons at late October’s Fête du Vin Nouveau.

Low season: November to February 

Best for budget travelers

Accommodation prices tumble, river cruise companies close for winter and museums empty: Days are short, darken early and can be chilly or wet. But for culture curios eager to stroll around the world’s largest urban UNESCO World Heritage site in relative quiet and gorge on Bordeaux’ rich museum pickings sans les crowds, this is prime time. We recommend hitting the Institut Culturel Bernard Magrez, a circa-1773 château that hosts contemporary art shows, and the CAPC Musée d’Art Contemporain de Bordeaux, the region’s premier modern art museum. 

Explore the diverse Saint-Michel neighborhood, near the impressive Gothic basilique of the same name, for a cornucopia of independent restaurants. Levain Le Vin is a woman-owned restaurant with artisanal bread, charcuterie and natural wine from tiny producers. The Mediterranean fare such as falafel, chickpea salads and hummus at Shabada is so beloved it often sells out. Or settle in at Restaurant La Terre, a cozy, Bohemian boîte for soul-satisfying and affordable world cuisine with West African flair. Signatures include yassa chicken, maffe peanut stew with beef or a whole duck in ginger sauce. 

Winter is also a prime time for breakfasting on oysters and white wine at the covered market Marché des Capucins or tucking into a steaming bowl of Bordeaux' infamous lamproie à la bordelaise (eel stew), calf kidneys with goose-fat fries and other memorable heritage dishes from southwest France in old-world dining rooms at local institution La Tupina. Bon appétit!

Keep planning your trip to Bordeaux

See how to visit Bordeaux on a budget no matter what time of year you‘re planning to travel. 
Swipe ideas from this expert traveler’s itinerary for an affordable weekend in Bordeaux.
Learn more about the best things to do when traveling in Bordeaux with kids.