6 must-see museums in Bordeaux !

Bordeaux, a Unesco World Heritage Site, has a tremendous amount to offer its many visitors, particularly those who know how to take their time... Art, Architecture and Culture (from the very classic to the absolutely contemporary) are to be found everywhere here.

Let us take you on a tour of our 6 favorite Bordeaux museums and exhibition venues; come along?

La Cité du Vin :

Located on the site of the former forges of Bordeaux's Grand Port Maritime, in the new Bassins à Flot district, this impressive building housing the Cité du Vin, designed by architects XTU, was inaugurated in June 2016. The first floor, which is open to the public, houses a 14,000-bottle wine library. The 1st level houses temporary exhibitions, workshops and an auditorium. On the second floor: the permanent collection, organized over 3,000 m2 and rich in multimedia content, can last around 2 hours ... depending on your pace and the order of discovery of the different spaces you prefer. On the 7th floor: the restaurant ... before reaching, on the 8th, the breathtaking belvedere overlooking the city and the Port de la Lune (Port of the Moon...). This exhibition space, the Cité du Vin, gives pride of place to this complex and delightful liquid: simply WINE !!

Les Bassins des Lumières :

Open since 2020 in the former German World War II submarine base, the Bassins des Lumières is the world's largest digital art center. The monumental exhibitions installed here take place in 4 of the base's 11 basins. These are moments of immersive culture, thanks to the use of light (90 video projectors) and sound (80 loudspeakers) around themed scenography:

-    Venice

-    Klimt

-    Klein

-    Dali

Numerous masterpieces are transformed in this enclosure of water and concrete into experiential projections 12 m high and 22 m wide. This atypical site, the Bassins des Lumières, gives pride of place to colors, reflections, shadows and, of course, light!

- The Museum of the Jardin Public :

In the heart of the famous Jardin Public, a unique natural history museum, certified as a Musée de France! With over a million species listed, the Museum bears witness to the biodiversity of our planet and the history that led to their discovery, and displays a carefully selected collection of 3,500 species. Exhibitions are temporary or semi-permanent.   Reopened to the public in March 2019, this bright, lively venue showcases feathered and furry animals, with an enlightening educational approach for young and old alike.

The Musée d'Aquitaine :

Located on Cours Pasteur, this museum is an ode to the history of the region. Its collections cover prehistory, antiquity, the Middle Ages, the 18th century, the city's golden age and all the periods that have contributed to the rich past of Aquitaine and Bordeaux. It also houses the collections of the Musée Goupil, dedicated to this dynasty of Parisian art publishers and documenting the Image and its techniques from 1827 to 1920. The Musée d'Aquitaine also houses the collections of the Centre National Jean Moulin.

It houses 70,000 items that plunge our memory into the heart of the history of Bordeaux and the region, from prehistory to the present day.) 5,000 pieces from Africa and Oceania enrich these collections, testifying to the importance of maritime traffic in the port of Bordeaux. A room is also dedicated to the slave trade, a sign of the city's and its institutions' absolute recognition of this more difficult past.

The Musée National des Douanes :

Created in 1988, this Bordeaux museum traces the history of customs from antiquity to the present day. It is ideally located on the Place de la Bourse, within the grounds of the Hôtel des Douanes. Classified as a historic monument for its facades, courtyard and the woodwork of one of its salons, the Musée National des Douanes was built on the former site of the Ferme Générale, the forerunner of the customs service.

The museum's permanent collection is organized around 3 main themes: the history of French customs, the professions of customs officers, and modern and contemporary customs missions. The Musée National des Douanes houses more than 13,000 objects bearing witness to the workings of customs over the ages.

The Musée des Arts décoratifs et du Design (The famous MADD !!!!!) :

An emblematic UNESCO World Heritage site and a partner of Bordeaux Sotheby's International Realty and Cap Ferret Pyla Sotheby's International Realty, this museum is currently home to exhibitions of numerous works of 18th and 19th century decorative art. Formerly the mansion of parliamentary councillor Pierre de Raymond de Lalande between 1775 and 1779, the building was bought by the city of Bordeaux in 1880 to become police headquarters. It wasn't until 1924 that the building became a museum, inaugurated as the Musée d'Art Ancien and transformed into the Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Design in 1955. It houses a collection of furniture and objets d'art from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. These include furniture, port furniture, ceramics, glassware, goldsmiths' and silversmiths' wares, musical and measuring instruments, miniatures and tableware. The collections exemplify the decorative arts of 18th- and 19th-century France, and Bordeaux in particular. They also bear witness to the history of Bordeaux, city of the Enlightenment and major trading port in the 18th century. PLEASE NOTE: the museum closed its doors on January 8, 2023 for major renovation work. Reopening: early 2026.

Bordeaux Sotheby's International Realty and Cap Ferret Pyla Sotheby's International Realty put their knowledge of the region and the magnificent city of Bordeaux to work for your real estate project in Gironde, a region with a unique architectural and cultural heritage! Coming?