The slate caps
Fairy-tale pointed turrets on a real city gate.
Alexandre Duret-Lutz — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Tylwyth Eldar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tylwyth Eldar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tylwyth Eldar — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Porte Cailhau is Bordeaux's loveliest old gate: a white tower of 1495 with pointed slate caps as if escaped from a fairy tale, at once the city's main river entrance and a triumphal arch for King Charles VIII. It stands between the Garonne quay and the old town, so you cross it today as merchants did for five centuries — from the riverfront into the little Place du Palais behind, with its cafés and restaurants, where the gate's best pictures are taken from both sides. Inside, a small three-floor display covers the city's history and the gate's building, topped by a lookout over the river and the stone Pont de Pierre — a token ticket for those inclined; the exterior alone satisfies many.
Fairy-tale pointed turrets on a real city gate.
The main river entrance since 1495 — crossed as they crossed it.
An upper view of the Garonne and Pont de Pierre for climbers.
Place du Palais, 33000 Bordeaux
Saint Peter's Church and its SquareA Gothic church and the square carrying its name in the heart of historic Bordea3 minutes walk4.7
National Customs MuseumA small, unexpected museum at the grandest address in Bordeaux: inside the **Pla3 minutes walk4.5
Place Camille-JullianA square in the Saint-Pierre quarter of historic central Bordeaux, ringed by caf3 minutes walk4.3
Place de la Bourse & Water MirrorThe Place de la Bourse is Bordeaux's royal face: a half-circle of symmetrical ei4 minutes walk4.6
Fontaine des Trois GrâcesA marble fountain at the centre of the Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux, the focal4 minutes walk4.7Most likely the river pebbles — cailloux — that banked here, or a family of that name; both stories stand. What matters is that it survived the gate-demolitions that took most of Bordeaux's walls, leaving it and the Grosse Cloche as witnesses.
The exterior is the essence, the photos from square and quay. Climb if you collect city lookouts or have tower-loving children — the ticket is tiny and the floors quick.
The Pont de Pierre minutes south — walk it for Bordeaux's picture from the far bank — the Place de la Bourse minutes north, and the old Saint-Pierre quarter's lanes right behind.