The Guignol theatre
Puppets delighting Bordeaux's children since 1853 โ living tradition, not museum.
Pline โ CC BY-SA 3.0 ยท Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) โ CC BY 3.0 ยท Ardfern โ CC BY-SA 3.0 ยท Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) โ CC BY 3.0
A famous French puppet born in Lyon two centuries ago โ a quick-tongued rogue mocking the gendarmes โ whose name garden theatres carry all over France. Shows are in French, but the slapstick rhythm needs no translation for children.
With children: yes without hesitation โ their earned break between grown-up sights. Without: a pretty thirty-minute stroll if already heading to the Chartrons or Quinconces, not a dedicated detour.
A handsome renovated museum at the garden's edge โ taxidermy and biodiversity displays, with an under-six section cleverly built for the very small. A small ticket, earning its price on a wet or hot day.
Sign in to write your review of this place.
No reviews yet โ be the first.
The Jardin Public has been Bordeaux's lung since 1746: laid as a royal French-style garden, redrawn English in the nineteenth century โ winding lake, bridges, an island, giant veteran trees โ holding both eras in eleven central hectares. It is the undisputed first family garden: the Guignol puppet theatre, among France's oldest still playing, has performedformed for the small since 1853; swings and a carousel; a little botanical garden and natural history museum at its edge; and the lake's ducks forever ready for bread. Around its rim stand Bordeaux's elegant stone townhouses, with the Chartrons quarter steps away โ completing the afternoon: garden first, then coffee on Rue Notre-Dame.
Puppets delighting Bordeaux's children since 1853 โ living tradition, not museum.
Winding water, bridges and ducks โ the garden's English heart.
Two-century giants shading the lawns.
Cours de Verdun, 33000 Bordeaux