Getting there & Getting around

Getting there

Bordeaux airport is in Mérignac, 10km (6mi) west of the city centre. Buses to places all over the Gironde (and nearby départements) leave from the Halte Routière Allèes de Chartres in the northeast corner of Esplanade des Quinconces; schedules are posted. Citrame Aquitane runs most buses to destinations in the Gironde and has an information kiosk at the Halte Routière. The Eurolines office faces the train station.

Bordeaux is one of France's most important rail transit points. The station, Gare St-Jean, is about 3km (2mi) from the city centre at the southern terminus of cours de la Marne. Be extra careful with your bags here. Destinations include Paris' Gare Montparnasse, Bayonne, Nantes, Poitiers, La Rochelle and Toulouse. All the big car rental companies have offices in the train station building.

Getting around

You can get around Bordeaux in a variety of ways. You can rent a bicycle or go-ped motorised scooter, hop on one of the urban buses (including night buses on weekends and during large events), or catch a cab. There is also a new tramway system - the first section opened in December 2003, with more lines to follow. Parking in the city centre is hard to find and pricey.