When most people hear “Bordeaux,” they immediately think of wine — vineyards stretching to the horizon, châteaux with centuries of history, and glasses filled with ruby-colored elegance. And yes, wine is a huge part of Bordeaux’s identity. I’ll let you in on a secret: Bordeaux’s cultural treasures go far beyond its vineyards.

During my last extended stay in the city, I made it my mission to dive into Bordeaux’s museums. What I discovered blew me away. Each museum is like a time machine, a treasure chest, or even a theater stage where the city’s layered history plays out. They reveal not just Bordeaux’s past but also its creativity, struggles, and triumphs.

I’ll take you with me on my personal museum journey through four of Bordeaux’s must-see cultural institutions:

1. La Cité du Vin
2. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux
3. Musée d’Aquitaine
4. CAPC Musée d’Art Contemporain

For each, I’ll share my three favorite works, three I recommend to other visitors, and my first-hand impressions — the details that delighted me, frustrated me, and left me inspired. I’ll also give practical info: ticket prices, discounts, opening hours, booking platforms, and how to get there.

Because Bordeaux isn’t just about sipping wine — it’s about drinking in culture.

1. La Cité du Vin

📍 Location: 134 Quai de Bacalan, 33300 Bordeaux
🚇 How to get there: Tram B, stop “La Cité du Vin.” From Gare Saint-Jean, it’s about 25 minutes.
⏰ Opening Hours: Daily, 10:00–18:00 (longer in summer).
💶 Ticket Price: €22 adults, €9 for 6–17 years, free under 6. Includes one wine tasting. Discounts available with the Bordeaux City Pass.

First Impressions

The first time I saw La Cité du Vin, I stopped dead in my tracks. Rising above the Garonne River, the building looked like a massive swirling decanter or a gleaming grapevine twist. Some locals joke that it resembles a giant wine carafe tipped on its side. Either way, it’s spectacular.

Walking in, I felt like I was stepping not just into a museum but into a cathedral of wine. The high ceilings, the golden light filtering through, and the sheer scale gave me goosebumps.

My Three Favorite Exhibits

1. “World Wine Tour” Room
   This immersive digital journey took me to vineyards across the globe, from Mendoza to Stellenbosch. I stood on a platform, surrounded by 360° projections, and for a moment, I forgot I was in Bordeaux. It’s like speed-dating the world’s vineyards.
2. The Multi-Sensory Aroma Table
   Imagine 50 little glass bells, each holding a different aroma — citrus, truffle, leather, vanilla, oak. I leaned in, inhaled, and suddenly realized how much of wine is about smell. It felt like training my nose in a playful laboratory.
3. The Wine Tasting Belvedere (8th floor)
   At the top of the museum, with panoramic views of Bordeaux, I sipped a glass of 2018 Médoc red. The view stretched from the Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas to the old town. Wine never tasted so transcendent.

Three Exhibits I Recommend to Visitors

1. “Wine Through Time” — A chronological journey showing wine’s role in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. (Yes, Bordeaux is old, but wine is older!)
2. “Global Wine Trade” — Reveals Bordeaux’s historic role as a wine trading port. Great if you want to understand the city’s prosperity.
3. Temporary Exhibits — When I visited, it was “Drinking with the Gods,” an exploration of wine in mythology. It made me want to toast Dionysus.

Pros & Cons

✅ Extremely modern and interactive
✅ Audio guides in 8+ languages
✅ Great for both wine geeks and casual tourists
❌ Expensive (especially if you add tastings at the bar)
❌ Can be crowded on weekends

Booking Tips

• Buy tickets online via laciteduvin.com or through GetYourGuide for combo tours.
• The Bordeaux City Pass includes entrance. Highly recommend if you’re visiting multiple attractions.
• Go early in the morning to avoid lines.

2. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux

📍 Location: 20 Cours d’Albret, 33000 Bordeaux
🚇 How to get there: Tram A, stop “Palais de Justice.” A 5-minute walk from Hôtel de Ville.
⏰ Opening Hours: Wed–Mon 11:00–18:00, closed Tuesday.
💶 Ticket Price: €5 standard, free on the first Sunday of every month. Bordeaux City Pass included.

First Impressions

This museum is tucked behind the Palais Rohan (Bordeaux’s City Hall). Compared to La Cité du Vin, it’s understated, almost secretive. But inside, it felt like stepping into a treasure vault of European art spanning centuries.

My Three Favorite Works

1. Peter Paul Rubens – The Martyrdom of Saint George
   The dynamism, the color, the drama — Rubens at his best. I stood in front of it for 20 minutes, tracing the movement of the figures.
2. Eugène Delacroix – Greece on the Ruins of Missolonghi
   The emotion in the woman’s eyes! It felt raw and haunting, like a cry for freedom.
3. Odilon Redon – The Eye, Like a Strange Balloon, Mounts Toward Infinity
   Surreal, dreamlike, almost unsettling. Redon was born in Bordeaux, so seeing his work here felt personal, like meeting a local legend.

Three Works I Recommend to Visitors

1. Van Dyck – Portrait of a Gentleman (to see Baroque portraiture at its finest).
2. Picasso – Olga with Fur Collar (a surprising addition, small but impactful).
3. French School – Decorative Panels of Bordeaux (great for understanding the city’s artistic identity).

Pros & Cons

✅ Affordable (€5 only!)
✅ Rich permanent collection with some masterpieces
✅ Lovely small garden between the two wings
❌ Labels are only in French (download the English guide)
❌ Not as flashy as Paris museums — more subdued

Booking Tips

• Tickets can be bought onsite — rarely sold out.
• Visit in the afternoon for quiet galleries.
• Combine with Palais Rohan nearby for a cultural morning.

3. Musée d’Aquitaine

📍 Location: 20 Cours Pasteur, 33000 Bordeaux
🚇 How to get there: Tram B, stop “Musée d’Aquitaine.”
⏰ Opening Hours: Tue–Sun 11:00–18:00, closed Monday.
💶 Ticket Price: €5, free first Sunday monthly.

First Impressions

If La Cité du Vin is about wine and Musée des Beaux-Arts about art, Musée d’Aquitaine is about Bordeaux itself. This is the place to understand the city’s identity — its Celtic origins, Roman roots, golden age, and yes, its painful involvement in the slave trade.

My Three Favorite Exhibits

1. The Gallo-Roman Sculptures
   Massive stone fragments of ancient temples and tombs. I imagined Roman merchants walking the same streets.
2. The Slave Trade Section
   Haunting. Bordeaux was one of France’s largest slave ports, and the museum does not shy away from showing this dark chapter. It made me reflect on how wealth often hides human suffering.
3. The 18th-Century Bordeaux Room
   A re-creation of a wealthy merchant’s salon, with gilded mirrors and chandeliers. I could almost hear music echoing off the walls.

Three Exhibits I Recommend to Visitors

1. Prehistoric Collection — La Dame de Brassempouy (one of Europe’s oldest figurines, a replica here).
2. The Medieval Gallery — artifacts from Bordeaux’s Gothic cathedrals.
3. The Colonial Trade Section — maps, coins, and ships showing Bordeaux’s global reach.

Pros & Cons

✅ Covers Bordeaux’s full history
✅ Educational, sobering, fascinating
✅ Free on first Sundays
❌ Heavy — not a lighthearted visit
❌ Some sections text-heavy, not interactive

Booking Tips

• Don’t rush. Allow at least 2–3 hours.
• Great for history lovers, but maybe not ideal for very young children.
• Tickets at the door, no need to pre-book.

4. CAPC Musée d’Art Contemporain de Bordeaux

📍 Location: 7 Rue Ferrere, 33000 Bordeaux
🚇 How to get there: Tram B, stop “CAPC Musée d’Art Contemporain.”
⏰ Opening Hours: Tue–Sun 11:00–18:00, Wed until 20:00. Closed Monday.
💶 Ticket Price: €7, free on first Sundays.

First Impressions

Housed in a former colonial warehouse, the CAPC feels raw, industrial, and alive. The massive stone walls and high ceilings create the perfect backdrop for bold contemporary art.

My Three Favorite Works

1. Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawings
   Simple lines, geometric perfection. Seeing them expand across entire walls felt meditative.
2. Daniel Buren’s Striped Installations
   Playful yet intellectual. The stripes guided me through the space, making me rethink how I move in a gallery.
3. Niele Toroni’s Imprints
   Regularly spaced paint imprints — minimalist but strangely hypnotic.

Three Works I Recommend to Visitors

1. Temporary Exhibits — CAPC always hosts avant-garde shows. When I visited, it was on digital art and AI.
2. Arte Povera Works — raw, powerful, politically charged.
3. Photography Collection — smaller but excellent, including international names.

Pros & Cons

✅ A paradise for contemporary art fans
✅ Stunning industrial setting
✅ Café on the rooftop with river views
❌ If you dislike abstract art, it may feel baffling
❌ Some areas felt under-lit

Booking Tips

• Check the website for current exhibitions.
• Free on first Sundays — perfect for budget travelers.
• Bring headphones for the sound installations; they can be intense.

Tickets, Discounts & Booking Platforms

• Bordeaux City Pass (€33 for 48h, €43 for 72h): Includes free entry to many museums (La Cité du Vin, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Musée d’Aquitaine, CAPC) and unlimited transport.
• Booking Websites:
• GetYourGuide for combo tours and skip-the-line.
• [Official museum websites] for current exhibitions.
• Bordeaux Tourism Office for city passes.
• Free Days: First Sunday of each month (except La Cité du Vin).

Bordeaux Beyond the Vine

When I walked into Bordeaux, I thought I was coming for the wine. And yes, I drank extraordinary vintages. But what I didn’t expect was how much the museums would move me.

At La Cité du Vin, I felt like a pilgrim at a temple of wine.
At the Musée des Beaux-Arts, I found myself face to face with Rubens and Delacroix.
At the Musée d’Aquitaine, I was confronted with Bordeaux’s darker past, a necessary truth.
At the CAPC, I walked through a playground of imagination, where art whispered and shouted at the same time.

Each museum left a different imprint — one sensory, one emotional, one intellectual, one experimental. Together, they told me Bordeaux is not just a city of wine, but a city of soul, art, and memory.

So, if you’re planning Bordeaux and thinking, “I’ll just sip wine for three days” — please, don’t. Give yourself time to wander these museums. They’ll surprise you, challenge you, and perhaps even change the way you see the city.

Because beyond the vineyards, Bordeaux is a museum in itself — and its galleries are waiting.