A BORDEAUX RENDEZVOUS

Marty O'Neill says bonjour to Bordeaux and discovers that while there is much more to this feel-good French city than just great wine, it's a pretty good place to start.

- Marty O'Neill

Bordeaux in the south west of France is the perfect city break for all you cultural and culinary lovers. Only two hours flying time from Ireland and with regular flights from just £60 return with easyJet from Belfast and Aer Lingus from Dublin, it really should be at the top of your list for a last-minute summer trip. 

One of the wine capitals of the world, the city of Bordeaux punches well above its weight. With just over 250,000 inhabitants, the city is second behind Paris with 362 registered monuments. A medium sized city and the sixth biggest in France, it is easily navigated by foot with fantastic wine bars, superb shopping districts and the highest concentration of Michelin recommended restaurants of anywhere else on the planet. Food and wine lovers listen up!

We switch between Airbnb lodgings and hotels on our trips because of the flexibility and location choice this can offer. On this particular trip we went with an Airbnb rental. A bright and spacious ground-floor apartment on the edge of Bordeaux’s main public park, with a plunge pool and sunny private garden. It fitted the brief and was cheaper than a hotel this time around. Plus the local supermarket and several wine bars and snack joints in the suburb made us feel like we were locals – even with our pigeon French!