Bordeaux: Audio Guided Walking Tour (2.5 hours - 29 audio comments)

In its appearance of a small castle, this door, also called the Palace Gate, has a double use. Built in the 15th century to celebrate the victory of King Charles VIII, it is both a defensive gate and a triumphal arch.

Here you are on the banks of the Garonne. It's your time to take a nice photo of the Pierre Bridge. The Garona in Occitan, which passes under its arches, is a mainly French river.

At the request of the United States Consulate and on the proposal of Alain Juppé, the city decided to pay tribute to Martin Luther King, a non-violent activist who devoted his life to the civil rights of African Americans and who was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968.

As you may have noticed, historic Bordeaux is concentrated on the left bank of the Garonne. Simply because its difficult to cross side offered it additional security.

The Burgundy Gate, located on Place Bir Hakeim, itself quite charming and lined with beautiful buildings, is the main entrance to Bordeaux when arriving from Paris.

For once, you are in front of a UNESCO listed site! This basilica was built between the 15th and 16th centuries in a perfect flamboyant Gothic style.

You are now ready to pass under the big bell, the oldest belfry in France and one of the few preserved civil monuments from the Middle Ages in Bordeaux. The gate was built in the 15th century on the foundations of the ancient gate of Saint Eloi of the 13th century wall, destroyed during the expansion of the ramparts.

This car park offers an original work of art with its beautiful car embedded in the wall that pretends to threaten to fall on the road! It's a Jaguar MK1 for specialists. In any case, the effect is surprising!

Walking along the Cours Pasteur, you will see on your right the impressive Museum of Aquitaine, located on the site of the former Feuillants convent. Destroyed during the Revolution, it became a high school then a university and finally the seat of the Museum of Aquitaine.

Arrived at the back of the cathedral, you are facing its bell tower, the famous Pey Berland tower, named after the archbishop of Bordeaux in place during its construction. A bell tower separated from its cathedral, it's true that it's not trivial!

So, we grant you, this time it is not the most beautiful cathedral in France, nor the largest, nor anything. At the same time, it is difficult to compete, in a country where Chartres, Reims or Amiens are on the podium.

Take a moment here to admire the ancient Rohan Palace, built for the archbishop of Bordeaux, prince of Rohan, in the 18th century. In 1791, during the Revolution, the palace became the seat of the new general council of the department as well as the revolutionary court.

You now see the Dijeaux Gate, which leads to Place Gambetta, where the terrible guillotine was installed at the time. If you go for a walk, you will be able to see the kilometer zero marker, from where all the distances in relation to Bordeaux were calculated.

Arrived at the bottom of Montesquieu Street, you come across one of the most beautiful cinemas you have ever seen! It was originally a strange theater, built at the peak in 1801, on a very small square, but whose hall could accommodate 1600 spectators!

This circular square takes its name from the streets that lead to it. Here, you are surrounded by Great Men honoring free spirits and utopias. You may have noticed that you arrived via Montesquieu Street, again him. He is accompanied by Voltaire, Diderot, Buffon, Rousseau and Montaigne!

Here you are in front of the sublime baroque church of Notre-Dame de Bordeaux. If you have the impression that you have just landed in Italy, that's normal. The architect was inspired by the famous Church of the Gesù in Rome and gives us here a true masterpiece, perhaps even more beautiful than the original!

You are now in the heart of an area that is nicknamed the Golden Triangle for its extraordinary concentration of beautiful architecture, historic monuments and works of art. If you look at a map of Bordeaux, you will see that the alleys of Tourny, together with the Cours George Clémencaux and the Cours de l'Intendance, form a beautiful equilateral triangle.

Arrived on the Place de la Comedie, serious matters begin! Here you are in front of one of the most beautiful 18th century theaters in the world!

You are now taking the alleys of Tourny, which, together with the Cours Georges Clémenceau and the Cours de l'Intendance, form the famous Golden Triangle. These beautiful iconic alleys were designed at the end of the 18th century by the Marquis de Tourny, who was then the intendant of Bordeaux, and who greatly contributed to the transformation and beautification of his city.

Here you are in front of one of the most important monuments in Bordeaux. Emblem of the city, we see at its summit the Angel of Liberty breaking its chains. This impressive monumental complex is a tribute to the Girondin revolutionaries executed during the Terror regime.

We are on the Place des Quinconces, the largest square in Europe please! It has an area of 12 hectares, which represents about ten soccer fields!

Here you see two magnificent rostral columns in neoclassical style and decorated with navigation symbols. The so-called rostral columns are still erected in tribute to naval victories.

Well, you have to admit that it sucks. The water mirror, now listed as a Contemporary World Heritage Site, is clearly stealing the show instead of the Stock Exchange.

This square, whose harmonious and symmetrical architecture recalls classical Italian squares, is located in the heart of the Saint Pierre district. Created in 1760 under the name of the Royal Market Square, it was baptized Place de la Liberté during the Revolution, then Place du Parlement for the former Parliament of Bordeaux destroyed at the end of the 18th century.

Attention shopping fans, here you are in the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe! 1,250 meters of windows stretch out in front of you!

An essential place for social life in Bordeaux, Place Camille Jullian and Rue du Pas Saint-Georges are very popular with students and artists. Artisanal shops, bars and coffee terraces, it is a lively neighborhood that is always in turmoil and very pleasant to discover!

You are now on the square in front of Saint-Pierre church. Located today in the heart of Old Bordeaux, it marks the location of the city's ancient Gallo-Roman port.

Here you have the entrance to the small passage of the Tour de Gassie. Take it if it is open, you can reach the circuit on the other side. Quite unknown, it is located on the site of one of the surrounding towers of the 3rd century, when Bordeaux was still called Burdigala.

As you cross the Palace Square, you will surely notice strange glowing balls, as if large drops of water had fallen from the sky and frozen when they hit the ground.