The Cité du Vin: 6 key points to help you plan your visit

But what is this voluptuously shaped building that stands before the Chaban-Delmas Bridge ? Slender and airy, all curves… It's the Cité du Vin ! A must -see, an essential stop on the road to discovering Bordeaux wines, but also wines from around the world. The Cité du Vin is a modern, attractive, and fun museum, suitable for everyone. Professionals, enthusiasts, wine lovers, and the simply curious are all invited to enjoy this place at their own pace, in their own way. We offer you six key points to help you plan your visit.

Why visit the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux?

1. A unique place, a multifaceted place: the organization of the Cité du Vin

The Cité du Vin is an impressive and graceful building located in the Bassins à Flot district, north of Bordeaux. Easily accessible, it's an area undergoing rapid transformation, modernization, and revitalization. The foundation stone was laid in 2013. Opened to the public in June 2016, it's a unique architectural feat, standing 55 meters tall and boasting over 13,000 square meters of interior space.

The Cité du Vin is a museum, but also an office complex. The building has 10 floors, but 4 are dedicated to administration. Don't worry, you'll have plenty to keep you occupied for hours, and you certainly won't have enough time in one visit to see everything!

You arrive on the ground floor where the ticket office is located. Please note that you have the option to book your tickets online, which is a good idea in high season to avoid waiting (it's a skip-the-line ticket).

With your ticket in hand, feel free to leave your belongings in one of the free lockers provided. You'll need both hands and a bit of freedom to visit the Cité du Vin.

The temporary exhibition is on the 1st floor; we recommend starting with the 2^nd floor and the permanent exhibition. The belvedere is on the 8^th floor.

2. THE PERMANENT COLLECTION: THINGS TO READ AND SEE

The permanent collection is located on the 2^nd floor; it's the heart of the visit, and this is where you'll spend most of your time. Hours and hours of content to read, see, listen to, and experience await you in 3000m2 of space.

What you'll appreciate is the intimate atmosphere of this giant open space. Upon arrival, you'll be provided with comfortable headphones and a smartphone as your travel companion. This smartphone is primarily used to indicate your location within the museum's layout, triggering multimedia content of your choice in the headphones. Rest assured, you won't be constantly interrupted by the smartphone screen during your visit; 90% of the content unfolds on the museum's furniture, accompanied by audio descriptions.

Everyone visits the museum at their own pace. There's no set order, although the discovery areas are numbered. Want to start with the section on the History of Wine Around the World ? No problem, head towards the giant screens that will take you on a journey through vineyards worldwide with a spectacular film, then to the interactive globes, which rotate to provide information on all the world's vineyards. Prefer to focus first on the tasting, and then return to the section on grape varieties, terroir, and winemaking ? Head to the left, where large, openwork alcoves, each furnished with a rounded lectern, offer a fantastic tactile and olfactory experience!

3. The permanent collection: sensory experiences

It's impossible to describe the wealth of information on display… Between the interactive tables showcasing portraits of winemakers from around the world, and the large vine -shaped displays explaining the transformation of precious grapes into red, white, or rosé wine, you have to see (and hear) it to believe it!

After immersing yourself in qualitative information, you ascend to a half-level up where sensory experiences await. A giant cabinet of curiosities unfolds before you. Carefully arranged on a vast, elongated table, glass domes contain aromas, scents, and sensations to be discovered with eyes half-closed. You press the small pumps to release subtle evocations of wine flavors: old books, licorice, woody, fresh scents… Your eye observes the textures within: smartphone around your neck, you point it at your companion to listen to the stories these little domes have to tell.

A little further on, you'll find yourself in a one-on-one encounter with winegrowers, winemakers, and wine experts. Take a seat, and on the seat opposite you is a screen displaying a life-size image of a guest facing you. A dimly lit room to your left reveals a festive table where other experts and celebrities share their impressions and emotions when discussing a great vintage. What does wine represent for you? What memories does it evoke? Immerse yourself in this delightful sensory experience…

4. The temporary collection: exhibitions to discover

The day we visited the Cité du Vin, the temporary exhibition was dedicated to the Douro. It's a region, but also a river, bordered by vineyards listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This exhibition is all about subtlety, interweaving works of art, interactive exhibits, photographs to observe, and texts to read… It's artistic and quite conceptual. The temporary exhibitions are punctuated by lectures and specialized tastings, and this is the best way to experience and understand the featured region.

5. The little extras of the visit: the Belvedere, the Garden, the Reading Room, the shop, the restaurant.

A visit to the Cité du Vin would be incomplete without… a tasting ! With your ticket, you're entitled to a tasting of a wine of your choice from a selection. We wanted to try a New Zealand wine to remind us of a past trip to that region. Since no bottles were available, we tasted an Argentinian wine, recommended by a member of the Cité du Vin team. Delicious, smooth, and robust, just as we'd hoped! Children will be offered a tasting of excellent grape juices.

The belvedere boasts a panoramic outdoor space ; be sure to step inside to discover a splendid view of the Bacalan Market Hall on one side, and the Chaban-Delmas Bridge and Bordeaux in the distance on the other. Those with a taste for fine wines can order additional tasting tickets to sample other unique bottles under the psychedelic ceiling of the belvedere bar.

A large reading room is located in a free space, open to all and freely accessible. It's a library, primarily focused on wine and grapes in all their forms. Novels, history books, comics—1,200 works in 16 languages—share the shelves, and comfortable seats invite you to browse.

Also open to all, the gardens of the Cité du Vin are adjacent to the restaurant terrace, at the base of the building. Bucolic and environmentally friendly, they are beautifully landscaped. It's a pleasant place to stroll and admire Bordeaux, the Chaban-Delmas Bridge, and the building itself, which curves above you.

Feeling peckish? Don't interrupt your visit; enjoy the restaurant Le 7 or the brasserie Latitude 20, two excellent spots to discover. The panoramic restaurant boasts 500 wines on its wine list and is located on the 7^th floor. We recommend booking in advance during peak season. The brasserie, situated behind the magnificent wine cellar, houses wines from all over the world—more than 14,000 bottles …something for every budget! It's a trendy and contemporary place that can be enjoyed even when you're not visiting the Cité du Vin.

To take home a souvenir from this unique place, head to the 250m² shop, which this time offers not bottles, but a multitude of items related to gastronomy and wine. It's the ideal place to find a gift for a wine lover. From modern tech gifts to original and creative presents, and quality kitchen accessories…

6. Workshops, conferences and EVENTS to go further

Whether you're just passing through or live in the Bordeaux region, check out the Cité du Vin's calendar, which is packed with conferences, shows, screenings, and workshops. A magnificent auditorium regularly hosts diverse and interesting events, often free of charge! Discovery workshops allow you to explore wine pairings with foods such as chocolate and cheeses.

Practical information

• The Cité du Vin is open every day from 10am to 6pm, until 7pm on weekends and school holidays.
• To get there, you can take tram line B or bus line Liane 7. By car, it's fairly easy to find a parking space nearby; there's a large, covered (and affordable) paid parking lot at Les Halles de Bacalan, just opposite.
• The visit is accessible to people with reduced mobility and is suitable for children as there is content specifically designed for them.
• There are free changing rooms for leaving bags and coats.

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