Une ville, des envies, cinq possibilités : Bordeaux
MORNING LIST
Ride straight in its landscaped wasteland, let yourself be carried away by the stories of “urban scouts”, navigate through history at the Mer Marine Museum, reconcile the Atlantic and the Mediterranean thanks to the colors of painters who use pools of light , dreaming in the dark rooms of Utopia… Bordeaux, the proof by five.
Right bank, the alternative
Low-rise buildings, individual houses. Urban wasteland, cranes as far as the eye can see, a crazy space. Bordeaux, really? Yes, but on the right bank. All you have to do is cross the Grande Garonne in a tram stop to get here to the Bastide: a change of scenery guaranteed.
The district, which was attached to the city in 1865, at the time of its industrial and port glory, has long been popular, then neglected. Since the 2000s, it has been the subject of a major renovation project, turning again to the banks of the Garonne, and, like all wasteland neighborhoods, is invested in alternatives and trendy of all kinds.
The stroll could start in the superb Botanical Garden, where you walk past rare species, pretty ponds and wooden greenhouses. Here we are at the Darwin ecosystem, an alternative place installed in the former General Stores, which is talked about. There, tick all the boxes of gentrification: coworking, yoga classes, solidarity concierge, bicycle recycling and even a Veja store that offers to have your sneakers repaired (but also to buy some…).
And, since we are on the right bank, we put our luggage at Eklo, all at the same time hotel-restaurant, rental of studios and youth hostel. It’s nicely decorated, inexpensive and comfortable – although the basic rooms are very small. As a family, we rent a studio with, on either side above the parental bed, two cabin beds that children will love. To be reserved for lovers of urban landscapes (and cranes): view of… a wasteland.
Botanical Garden, Esplanade Linné. Open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in winter, until 8 p.m. in summer. Greenhouses and exhibition rooms, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Mondays and public holidays.
Darwin ecosystem, 87, quai des Queyries.
Eklo, 10, rue de la Gare d’Orléans. Phone. : 05-35-54-52-54. Dorms from € 18 per night. Classic rooms from 40 € per night. Studios / apartments from € 72 per night.
In immersion with local guides
No one tells about a city like its inhabitants. Those who grew up there, who played on the cobblestones, those who adopted it. To immerse yourself in Bordeaux head first, the Urban Alternative organizes tours led by local scouts – inhabitants far from employment that the association trains and helps to reintegrate. Between lived anecdotes and historical tale, they bring the working-class neighborhoods to life before our eyes.
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