TAKE a look at the cheap city break spot just two hours from Ireland with Europe’s longest shopping street, wine festivals and flights from just €19.99.
Bordeaux in southwest of France is a history-buffs dream – but there is definitely something for everyone.
There are 350 historical buildings and monuments and dozens of museums and art galleries.
Ryanair offers flights to the city from Dublin Airport from an absolute bargain of just €19.99 – with prices this good you might as well.
Known for its wine, Bordeaux is home to some of the world’s oldest vineyards.
There is a brand new wine experience centre, as well as day trips to vineyards and tastings.
La Cite du Vin is the world’s first wine museum of its kind, with interactive exhibits, classes and wine tasting on the top floor’s panoramic wine bar.
Bordeaux is home to more than 7000 wine chateaux, which produce 700 million bottles of wine a year.
Just 30 minutes away by train, Saint-Émilion, a Bordeaux Right Bank appellation and a gorgeous medieval village, is an excellent choice for a vineyard excursion.
If it’s beer you prefer, a pint will set you back around €6.
Bordeaux is also known for its food, and the city gets its oysters from Arcachon Bay, just 30 miles from the city, and foie gras from Aquitaine.
Local ingredients are used and there are a number of Michelin-star restaurants scattered around the city.
Bordeaux offers a range of seafood including mussels, eels, and caviar made from the sturgeon caught in the river.
Beef and lamb are often served with bordelaise sauce, made of red wine and shallots.
The local speciality is cannelés, which are chewy and sweet caramelised brioche-style pastries.
In summer the city hosts the prestigious Fête du Vin (the Bordeaux Wine Festival).
If shopping is what you’re after, Bordeaux is the place to go.
Rue Saint Catherine is Europe’s longest pedestrian shopping street.
Spanning 1.2 kilometres, there are a range of major French retail chains, boutiques, restaurants and gourmet food and wine shops.
Dune du Pilat, Europe’s largest sand dune measuring 110 metres high is just a train ride away.
The sand dune goes straight down to the Atlantic Ocean, with stretches of empty beaches at the bottom.
You can also go parasailing off the top of the dune.
The city is also home to the Miroir d’Eau, or the world’s largest reflecting pool.
Opened in 2006, the artwork spans 3,450 square metres and is often where you’ll find salsa parties or concerts – and it’s completely free.
To get around the city, much of Bordeaux is car-free and many locals use bikes to get around.
The city is covered in car-free bike trails, like the 26-kilometre Voie Verte Roger Lapébie from Bordeaux’s city centre to the wine chateaux of Libourne, the 60-kilometre ride from Bordeaux to Lacanau-Ocean on an old abandoned railway track, and you can even cycle the 250-kilometres to Toulouse.
The city is also home to Europe’s longest and tallest vertical lift bridge, for something a bit different.
The Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas was erected in 2013 and is the fifth bridge across the Garonne connecting the left bank to the right bank.
Measuring 585 metres long and 77 metres high, the bridge only lifts around 120 times a year, but at night it lights up and adds to Bordeaux’s skyline.
The colours relate to the tide with the green indicating low tide and the blue indicating high tide.
There are also a range of cruises available from Bordeaux.
In the Gironde Estuary, you can sail between Margaux Island and Patiras.
To unwind, why not try wine therapy?
The Sources de Caudalie is a unique spa set in the vineyards, combining hot springs and the benefits of wine and grapes.
In the countryside, you will find vineyards, forests and mountains, along with several gold courses.
Golf du Medoc is ranked as one of the top 10 in France.
The architecture in the city is one not to be missed, with many buildings dating back to the 1800s.
The St André cathedral and the basilicas of St Seurin and St Michel form part of the famous pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago.
There are U-boat pens in the harbours which were built by the Italians and Germans in the Second World War.
Pont de Pierre is also known as Napoleon’s Bridge as it has 17 arches, similar to the 17 letters of Napoléon Bonaparte.
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It was built in the early 1800s under orders from Napoléon I.
Napoléon III transformed the Jardin Public (public gardens) into a traditional English formal garden.