Visit the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux : tickets, prices, schedules

A lack of museums to visit in Bordeaux? Here is our mini guide to visit the Cité du vin in Bordeaux!

At the same time described as “beacon” of the Bordeaux wine tourism and new emblem of the city of Bordeaux, the Cité du Vin is a museum dedicated to wine culture in the world and a unique space for the valorization of French cultural heritage. Inaugurated on May 31, 2016, Cité du Vin is ranked as the 7th best museum in the world by National Geographic.

Its success is fulgurating: in 2017, 450,000 people visited the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux. Museum dedicated to wine, it is also an architectural work that rises to 55 meters high to the Bordeaux firmament, and extends over 13,350 m2 and over 10 floors. Whether you’re an amateur/wine or not, visiting the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux will really be able to learn more about this multi-millenary beverage, from the history of the vine to the wine tasting of Bordeaux, through the production of wine or its multiple variations.

You want to visit the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux? They tell you everything about this cultural outing!

Presentation and History of the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux

Ten years ago, in 2009, there was a project to create a cultural and tourist centre of wine, with the aim of building a monument to value the "transmission, valorization and preservation of the cultural, universal and living heritage of wine". The site for the realization of such a monument was the site of the ancient forges of the large seaport of the city, between the dock Bacalan and the Garonne.

The building was designed by the XTU architects’ office, and was built between June 2013 and May 2016, until a work with round shapes, thoughts to impress a vine vine vine with the Garonne’s whirlpools. The edifies has a 300-piece frame (50 to 120 cm in diameter) planted up to 30 meters deep in the ground.

In addition, the structure consists of 9,000 m 3 concrete, covered by 918 tricolor glass panels (light glass, grey and golden) and 2,300 aluminum panels. On the ground floor, the free access space was designed in a rounded form, under a ceiling set at 4 meters high. Above all, this level contains a collection of 9,752 bottles of wine from 88 different countries.

Three years after its opening to the public, the monument is frequently evoked by the city council of Bordeaux to enhance the image and communication of the city.

What to see and do at the Cité du Vin?

What to see when to visit the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux? In order to avoid the ranks of tourists who get stuck in the walls of the museum, you are recommended to visit the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux instead Weekly to the extent possible. There is no predefined sense of visit: you can visit, go and come at its own pace between the rooms.

The first floor houses temporary exhibitions , one Reading lounge and workshops tasting . L’ auditorium Thomas Jefferson , on the ground floor, is the room where shows, concerts and screenings take place.

Start the visit by the permanent route on the second floor, a space of 3,000 m2 dedicated to the discovery of wine and its influence on the civilizations of the world. We give you a "travel companion", who is a audioguide new generation, with 8 available languages. Two free tours are offered: one for adults and one for children. This floor offers an immersion in the world of wine, explored as an element of the cultural, universal and living heritage where history, geography, geology, arts and oenology are honoured. The tour route consists in 20 thematic areas.

With the program:

• The tour of the world of vineyards
• The world of wines
• La table des terroirs
• An e-vigne space
• The metamorphosis of wine
• A space "wine portraits"
• The wines over the water
• "Aboard"
• The gallery of civilizations
• The Wall of Trends
• The 5-way buffet,
• The banquet of illustrious men
• Bacchus and Venus
• The divine wine
• Drink and debris
• A whole art of living
• Heading with experts
• Bordeaux, a city, a vineyard
• The great saga of Bordeaux

Go on. column room , a space of 700 m2 where cultural exhibitions are installed. Movies and testimonies tell the visitor about the international aura of wine, and about the history of wine. At the sommital point of the museum, enjoy a glass of wine offered and panoramic view 360° on the city of Bordeaux and on the port of the Moon: you are at the museum's window, 35 meters high. In fact, it’s much more than a glass of wine offered: it’s a true tasting, where you can choose the wine from a selection of French wines and wines from all over the world.

Visit the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux offers a fun and cultural initiatory journey, and adapts perfectly to families with children. The museum is very focused on new digital technologies, but it is not necessary for children to be too young (the screens in front of the toddlers are not recommended!).

How to go to the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux?

We can visit the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux :

• In tram: tram station B, stop « La Cité du Vin »
• By bus: liane 7, corol 32, quoted 45, stops "La Cité du Vin"
• By car: there are parking nearby
• By boat: the pontoon of La Cité du Vin thanks to the tourist river shuttles on the Garonne
• Cycling: Vcub station "La Cité du Vin"

Prices of the Cité du Vin site in Bordeaux

Photo credit: Flickr – PressReleaseFinder

HORARI

The museum is open:

• From 6 April to 1 September 2019: daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• From 2 September 2019 to 5 January 2020: Monday to Friday off-season from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends, holidays and school holidays

RATES

Continuous route note + viewer (cut-file, date):

• Adult full rate: 20 €
• Adult Reduced Rate: 16 €
• From 6 to 17 years old: 6 €

Open Ticket Permanent route + viewer (cut-file, undated ticket):

• Adult full rate: 25 €
• Adult Reduced Rate: 20 €
• From 6 to 17 years old: 14 €

Many other tariff offers are available on the official website if you want to attend the thematic workshops on wine, see temporary exhibitions and shows.