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We've compiled the best of the best in Bordeaux and the Wine Country - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Relax with a book, a coffee, and a slice of cake at this Anglophone bookstore (the only one in Bordeaux), where you'll find an eclectic selection of fiction and nonfiction titles. There's also bargain-priced vintage hardcovers and paperbacks along with free listings guides about what's going on in and around Bordeaux.
This tiny, old-fashioned bric-a-brac store in the shadow of the Église Saint-Pierre is a vintage-hunter's delight. There's barely room to move between the walls and shelves crammed with military regalia, postcards, toys, prints, postcards, ornaments, and vintage vinyl, but that's part of the charm.
With 16 stores in central Bordeaux alone (plus three at the airport), Baillardran is going to be hard to walk by without at least looking in its windows at those sweet delights, canelés de Bordeaux. Much like a Doric column in miniature, the small indented, caramelized cakes, made with vanilla and a dash of rum, are a delicious regional specialty.
Whether you're a salty sea-dog or a landlubber, this store meets all your nautical needs, from angling gear to a myriad of gourmet canned seafood for a beach picnic. You can also dress the fisherman part with the striped T-shirts and sweaters, fishermen caps, and stylish wet-weather gear for sale. They also rent boats of all sizes, from inflatables on up.
For a grand selection of cheeses—along with raw milk, smoked-sea-salt butter, bulk honey, and all things creamy and tasty—stop in at Elodie Deruelle's shop, Fromagerie Deruelle.
To experience the French fascination for comic books, take a peek in this bookstore, where you'll find Tintin alive and well. The café in back is a nice place to get a feel for the bande dessinée (graphic novel) scene, known as the "Ninth Art" in France.
Want Bordeaux's best bread to go with your cheese? Get in line. Apparently, the word's out about La Fabrique Pains et Bricoles because the queue is out the door at this fine bakery—and that's always a good sign.
Within the shadow of the church of St-Michel, a few blocks south of the Pont de Pierre and just off the river, one of the country's largest flea markets operates every second Sunday during the months of March, June, September, and December—all day long. Year-round, a weekly Sunday flea market is also held here, which is just the ticket if you're looking for real bargains away from the storefronts (although you'll need a discerning eye to pick out the good stuff from the real junk) or if you just need a nice excuse to explore the historic St-Michel quarter.
Next to the tourist information office, Vinothèque sells top-ranked Bordeaux wines.
