Bordeaux Self Guided Tour of Wine, Wealth and Slave Ships

Bordeaux does not want to tell you how it got so rich. Look at the golden facade of Place de la Bourse and see carved faces of African women, quiet witnesses to a fortune built partly on the slave trade. Follow the Garonne's moon-shaped curve past a bell tower that stands apart from its cathedral on purpose, meet a 13-year-old bride who became the most powerful woman in Europe, hear about a shepherd boy calmly told a judge he preferred the taste of little girls because it was tender, and learn about a bronze monument that a WWII foundry worker quietly refused to melt down. Skip fixed schedules and crowds. Walk this self-guided tour of Bordeaux at your own pace, pause when a canele shop catches your eye, resume right where you left off. A good fit for curious walkers who want Bordeaux audio tour storytelling at their own pace. Download the app, press play, let Bordeaux's stones tell the truth. Over 25,000 travelers have used our self-guided tours, backed by a full refund guarantee.

1. 1

   Place de la Bourse

   12 min

   Look up at a golden facade hiding a secret nobody points out on postcards

2. 2

   Stop 2

   8 min

   Decode why every Bordeaux wine label hides its grape behind a place name instead

3. 3

   Stop 3

   8 min

   Trace a dragon legend that ends with six hostages and a broken promise

4. 4

   Porte Dijeaux

   7 min

   Search for a hidden community whose name may still be carved into this gate

5. 5

   Stop 5

   10 min

   Encounter a memorial shaped like a tree that names what this city built its wealth on

6. 6

   Tour Pey-Berland

   Pass by

   Spot why this bell tower stands apart from its own cathedral on purpose

7. 7

   Grosse Cloche

   10 min

   Hear how a king silenced an entire city by taking away its bell

8. 8

   Porte de Bourgogne

   6 min

   Count the missing piece from a painter's grave that's never been found

9. 9

   Porte Cailhau

   7 min

   Look up at a king whose military triumph ended in the strangest possible way at home

10. 10

    Grand Theatre

    Pass by

    Look up at twelve rooftop statues above a theatre that once governed all of France.

11. 11

    Monument aux Girondins

    12 min

    Trace the story of bronze fountains that a foundry worker quietly refused to melt down.

12. 12

    Stop 12

    10 min

    Decode a theatrical façade the Church designed to win back souls it was losing.

13. 13

    Cathedrale Saint-Andre Bordeaux

    Pass by

    See where a thirteen-year-old bride married weeks before becoming Queen of France.

14. 14

    Tour Pey-Berland

    Pass by

    Puzzle over a bell tower that stands strangely apart from the cathedral it belongs to.

15. 15

    Musee d'Aquitaine

    Pass by

    Piece together the mystery of a tomb that may or may not hold France's greatest mind.

16. 16

    The Frog and Rosbif

    8 min

    Pause at a pub that claims a darker past, tied to the region's most feared witch-hunter.

17. 17

    Pont de Pierre

    8 min

    Cross the city's first bridge, where a stray cat once outwitted the devil himself.

• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.