Discovering Bordeaux by tram

On Line A (Porte de Bourgogne, Place du Palais, Sainte Catherine, Town Hall, Palais de Justice, Mériadeck)

Place du Palais.   The Cailhau Gate, a Renaissance gothic-style edifice built in the 15th century, once served as a triumphal arch and defensive gateway.

Sainte-Catherine.   Rue Saint-Catherine is France’s longest pedestrian shopping street, with 1.5 km of shops!

Town Hall.   The Palais Rohan was built in 1771 and now houses Bordeaux’s town hall. The two Musée des Beaux Arts galleries are located on its garden side.

Palais de Justice.   The extension carried out in 1998 and located on Cours du Maréchal Juin, caused something of a stir at first, with its seven wooden shells (designed to be used as courtrooms) resting on concrete cushions.

Mériadeck : this is the city’s business and local institutions centre. Among others buried in the nearby Chartreuse Cemetery are the Spanish painter Goya and Flora Tristan (who introduced feminism into France).

CDT 33 - François Poincet

On Line B ( Chartrons, CAPC Contemporary Art Museum, Quinconces, Grand Théâtre, Gambetta, Musée d’Aquitaine, Victoire)

The Chartrons district : the centre of the Bordeaux wine trade, with its fine old residences, cellars and storehouses – Bordeaux’s museum of contemporary art occupies one of these latter, originally built in the 18^th  century.

Quinconces : dominating the largest square anywhere in Europe, this 43-metre column – known as the “Monument aux Girondins” – and its superb fountain were erected between 1894 and 1902 as a memorial to the Gironde deputies who fell victim to the Terror that followed the French Revolution.

Grand Théâtre : a jewel of 18^th -century architecture built by the intendant Victor Louis, and now the home of the Bordeaux National Opera.

Gambetta : located on the site of a Gallo-Roman temple to Jupiter (“De Jou” in Gascon) the Dijeaux Gate leads into the pedestrian street of the same name, in which is located one of Bordeaux’s institutions, Librairie Mollat, France’s foremost independent bookshop (with 2,700 m² of sales area!).

Musée d’Aquitaine : the museum presents the history of Bordeaux and its region from prehistoric times to the present day.

Place de la Victoire : the Aquitaine Gate at the end of rue Saint-Catherine was built in 1748 and renamed “Porte de la Victoire” (Victory Gate) in 1945.

On Line C  (Quinconces, Place de la Bourse, Saint-Michel, Sainte-Croix, Porte de Bourgogne, Gare Saint Jean)

The line runs alongside the quays of the Garonne, which, since the creation of a foot and cycle path following the course of the river, have become very popular among natives of the city.

Place de la Bourse. In front of one of Europe’s most remarkable 18^th -century architectural ensembles, the water mirror created by the Parisian hydraulic engineer Jean-Max Llorca (and composed of 2 centimetres of stagnant water over a granite slab) not only reflects its surroundings but also produces a fog effect that can reach up to 2 metres in height. The best time to witness this is after sunset, when the lights playing on the facades of Place de la Bourse answer the call of those along the quays.

Pont de Pierre.   This was the first bridge to connect Bordeaux’s two riverbanks. Commissioned by Napoleon I and built between 1810 and 1822, it numbers seventeen arches (the number of letters in the name Napoleon Bonaparte!).

“Bordeaux Découverte” Tickarte

This card allows you to travel anywhere you wish on the network from 1 to 3 consecutive days (1 day: 4.10 €  2 days: 7.10 €  3 days: 9.20 €). Information at www.infotbc.com