I’ve always wanted to go to the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux. I’m deeply invested in wine (I’ve written somanypostsaboutwine on this blog, sharing my nerdy oenophile knowledge with you!).
So naturally, going to an entire museum completely dedicated to wine was basically the culmination of a decades-long obsession.
The tasting room at Cite du Vin is what dreams are made of!
⌛Planning your trip to Bordeaux at the last minute? Here are my quick picks on what to do & where to stay!
My family lives in Southern France, about two hours from Bordeaux by TGV, since they live outside of Toulouse. On my last visit back to visit family, I flew into Paris and decided to take the TGV down… but stopping in Bordeaux along the way. My dad took the train up to meet me and we had a delightful father-daughter weekend in Bordeaux.
I didn’t have too much that I felt I had to do while I was in Bordeaux, but the main thing I was dead-set on was a visit to the Cité du Vin.
And yes, it was exactly what I dreamed it would be… and then some! Technically, the permanent exhibition has a whopping nine hours of content, but on average, people visit for 2-3 hours. I visited for about 2.5 hours and it was perfect.
While it’s a bit outside of the main town center and is not really super close if you’re getting around on foot, it’s very easy to get there with the Bordeaux tram system. It’s an extremely interesting building from an architectural perspective as well.
The beautiful architecture of Cité du Vin
I find it a bit reminiscent of Frank Gehry’s work in its fluidity, but it was designed by the French architects Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazières. According to them, the fluidity of the design is supposed to evoke several different patterns: that of swirling wine in a glass, the curls of vines wrapping around what they’re growing on, and the water of the river on which the museum is placed.
I really loved my time at the Cité du Vin and made my way through all 18 of the exhibits, spending extra time at the ones I loved best. While ideally, you should do a vineyard tour when you’re in Bordeaux, if you just have a short trip, this is a great way to get an introduction to Bordeaux’s wine scene — and the world of wine at large as well.
Here’s a bit about my experience visiting the Cité du Vin and why I think it’s worth it, as well as information to help you plan your next visit.
My Experience Visiting the Cité du Vin
Two different lines at the entrance
When you arrive, there are two lines: one for people who already have booked online tickets (which we had done in advance as we really didn’t want to miss out!) and those who need to book in person.
The line for those who haven’t yet booked was not very long in late September 2025 when I visited, but that is the off-season; I imagine the lines can be quite long in July and August.
I thought the coolest exhibit was the first one I stumbled across, the Terroirs of the World. This exhibit showcases the sometimes extreme lengths that winemakers have to go to in order to produce world-class wines, and how each wine-making style is a reaction and relationship to the conditions of the soil, climate, and landscape conditions.
I especially loved the story of how the winemakers grow grapes on Santorini, where blistering heats and extremely strong Cycladic winds have necessitated creative innovations to traditional winemaking in order to produce delicious wines. I had learned all this while taking a wine tour of Santorini, but seeing it explained again, they did a really good job of explaining it in such a short video! They also showed wine-makers from Germany, Argentina, France, and other countries, 10 in total.
Interactive ways to smell different more obscure wine notes, like “old books”
I also really liked the Buffet of the Senses exhibit, which had you being able to smell different scents that are commonly attributed to wines to help you attune your nose to different aromatic elements. If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at someone describing a wine as having ‘tobacco’ or ‘leather’ notes, this is your chance to re-think that.
There are also two Bordeaux-specific exhibits which explain the history of winemaking in Bordeaux, which I appreciated as I always like to have a museum connect back to its actual location.
A delicious sparkling wine from Alsace I tried while there!
And then of course, the most fun part is a wine tasting! To get your glass of wine, you’ll need to head back downstairs as if you were about to leave the museum. But don’t go just yet — you’ll take a different elevator up to the Belvedere on the 8th floor.
There, you can exchange your ticket for a glass of wine — they had over a dozen kinds of wine to choose from, from all regions of France, including red, white, and sparkling!
Enjoying the Belvedere views!
From here, you have a 360-degree view over Bordeaux and the Garonne River, and it’s a great place to stop and enjoy your wine before moving onto the next place on your Bordeaux itinerary.
It not only met my expectations, it fully exceeded them, and then some! It was my favorite thing I did in my entire time in Bordeaux.
Tip: It’s the same price on the official website but doesn’t offer free cancellation if your plans change so I recommend booking through Get Your Guide which offers a free 24-hour cancellation policy.
All tickets include a complimentary audioguide which is available in eight languages. Those languages are French (bien sur), English, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, Chinese, and Portuguese.
And of course, your ticket includes a free glass of wine which you can redeem at the Belvedere after your visit!
What you should see if you’ve boarded the right tram
There are six main tram lines in Bordeaux which intersect at a few points, making getting around the city extremely easy.
To get there, simply transfer or board a tram line B train and head to the stop La Cité du Vin in the direction of Berges de la Garonne. If you’re in the city center, you’ll most likely want to board at the Quinconces tram station.
Tram tickets are very affordable at €1.90 per way so it’s a really convenient and easy way of getting around Bordeaux.
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016, visiting 75+ countries in total. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. As a former educator, she merges her writing and educational experience to encourage ethical, sustainable travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and TBEX. Her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. When she’s not on the road, she lives in Bangkok, Thailand.
