The riverfront view
The long yellow stone front UNESCO inscribed.
Guallendra — CC BY-SA 3.0 · FrDr — CC BY-SA 4.0 · FrDr — CC BY-SA 4.0 · MarcJP46 — CC BY-SA 3.0
Yes, and many visitors don't, missing the best view in Bordeaux. The right bank — **La Bastide** — is quiet and residential, with a river promenade, gardens and green space, and no major sights, but it is **the only place from which you see Bordeaux whole**: the long stone front, the bridge and the towers in a single frame. Walking across takes about ten minutes. Go before sunset, sit on the bank, and come back as the city lights up.
The **tram** runs across the bridge itself (line A) and is the fastest and cheapest way. There is also a seasonal **river bus** linking the two banks at stops along the waterfront, enjoyable as a short cruise at ordinary public-transport fare rather than as a pricey tourist trip — ask about the Bat³ service. Bikes are allowed on the bridge and have their own lane, and the city's bike-hire scheme is widespread.
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The first bridge across the Garonne at Bordeaux, and a long time coming: for centuries the city crossed its river by boat, the current being strong and the bed difficult. The bridge was built under **Napoleon** between 1810 and 1822 — a hard project whose engineers had to devise diving methods to build the piers underwater. It runs about **487 metres** on stone arches and red brick, and carries a detail every Bordelais knows: it has **seventeen** arches, one for each letter of "Napoléon Bonaparte". On every pier sits a round white **medallion** that reads like an eye from a distance. Today it is closed to general car traffic and given over to pedestrians, cyclists and the tram, which is the best thing that ever happened to it: you can walk it slowly and see the whole city. From the middle comes the finest view of the long stone **riverfront** that makes Bordeaux what it is, inscribed by UNESCO as the "Port of the Moon". Walking it at sunset is one of the best free things to do in the city.
The long yellow stone front UNESCO inscribed.
A disc on each pier, like an eye from a distance.
Quieter, and the best angle to photograph the whole city.
Pont de Pierre, 33000 Bordeaux