La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux is a museum of wine cultures on the banks of the Garonne, at 134 Quai de Bacalan. Its permanent exhibition covers wine from Antiquity to the present day across five continents, and the visit ends with a glass of wine at the Belvédère, on the 8th floor.
The Cité also runs tasting workshops, a sensory tasting journey called Via Sensoria, and guided tours out to the Bordeaux vineyards. It opened in 2016, and 2026 is its 10th anniversary.
What the Cité du Vin is
The Cité du Vin is run by the Foundation for wine culture and civilisations, a private foundation recognized as being of public interest. It is not a municipal museum, so it is not free on the first Sunday of the month.
Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazières of XTU architects designed the building. Its curved shape evokes gnarled vine stock, wine swirling in a glass and eddies on the Garonne. The facade is made of silk-screen printed glass and perforated, iridescent lacquered aluminum panels.
The gardens around the building are free and open to everyone during the Cité's opening hours, and picnics are allowed there.
The permanent exhibition
The permanent exhibition fills 3,000 m² on the 2nd floor. It is split into six universes and 18 modules, and you can visit the areas in any order.
The average visit takes 2 to 3 hours. Your ticket includes the Visit Companion, a multimedia guide in 9 languages: French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, Chinese, Portuguese and Japanese.
Two themed tours are offered. The Comfort tour has seating in each area, and the Juniors tour is for children aged 7 to 12.
You can leave the exhibition and come back the same day with a wristband. On very busy days re-entry may be refused, unless you have booked a workshop or Via Sensoria.
The Belvédère
The Belvédère is the fully glazed 8th and top floor, 35 meters above the ground. It gives a 360° view of the city and the Garonne, under a chandelier made of thousands of bottles, with a 10-meter oak bar.
From the Belvédère you see the Chaban-Delmas Bridge, the Bassins à Flot, the Chartrons district, the historic center, the right bank and the Pont d'Aquitaine.
The exhibition ticket includes one glass, a 50 ml pour, or two with the two-glass ticket. Sommeliers serve a regularly updated selection of about twenty bottles: reds, whites, sweet and sparkling wines from around fifty wine regions. A non-alcoholic drink replaces the wine for children and anyone who prefers it.
You can only reach the Belvédère with a permanent exhibition ticket or an annual pass.
Getting there
The direct TGV INOUI from Paris Montparnasse to Bordeaux Saint-Jean takes 2 hours 4 minutes. The high-speed line opened in 2017, and 33 round trips a day run between Paris and Bordeaux.
OUIGO, the low-cost service, runs direct trains from 2 hours 7 minutes. Its trains on this route also use Paris Massy TGV, Paris Marne-la-Vallée Chessy and Paris Aéroport Roissy CDG 2, so read the Paris station on your ticket.
From Bordeaux Saint-Jean the Cité du Vin is 30 minutes by tram. Tram C runs from the station to Place des Quinconces in about ten minutes. At Quinconces, change to tram B toward Berges de la Garonne or Claveau, past CAPC, Chartrons, Cours du Médoc and Les Hangars, to La Cité du Vin. The building is a two-minute walk from the stop.
| Option | From | Time | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TGV INOUI | Paris Montparnasse to Bordeaux Saint-Jean | 2h04 | 0 |
| OUIGO | Paris Montparnasse to Bordeaux Saint-Jean | 2h07 | 0 |
| Tram C then B | Bordeaux Saint-Jean | 30 min | 1 |
| Bus 32 | Cenon station | 12 min | 0 |
| Car | Central Bordeaux | 10 min | — |
| Car | Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport | 30 min | — |
A TBM single ticket costs €1.90 ($2), or €2.10 ($2) bought on board, and is valid for one hour on the tram, bus and boat. Bus lines Liane 7, 25, 27, 53 and H also stop at La Cité du Vin.
By river, the Le Bato 1 shuttle runs between Lormont Bas and the Cité du Vin, and all TBM tickets are valid on it. It docks at the 90-meter pontoon at the foot of the building. A Le Vélo bike-share station and bike racks stand in front of the entrance.
The Cité has no visitor parking lot. The Interparking lot opposite, entered from Rue de Gironde, sells a €6 ($6) package for 5 hours online only. There is also paid parking at Hangar 19 on Quai de Bacalan, and 10 disabled spaces at the entrance.
For the train in detail, see Paris to Bordeaux by train. Arriving by air, see Bordeaux Airport to the vineyards.
When to go
The Cité du Vin opens every day of the year, public holidays included, except December 25 and a maintenance week at the end of January. It opens at 10 a.m.
Until October 31, 2026, it closes at 7 p.m. every day. From November 1, 2026 to January 3, 2027, it closes at 6 p.m. on weekdays and Sundays, and at 7 p.m. on Saturdays and from December 26 to January 2. On December 24 it closes at 4 p.m.
From January 3 to April 2, 2027, it opens from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, until 7 p.m. on Saturdays in March. It closes for the maintenance week from January 25 to 31, 2027.
Saturdays, Sundays and long weekends are the busiest days. The Cité recommends arriving at the 10 a.m. opening and visiting on a weekday.
Via Sensoria runs from April 1 to November 1, 2026. In low season, some weekdays may have no workshop or Via Sensoria session.
Visiting the estates
The Cité du Vin is not a wine estate. It runs its own tastings and offers guided tours out to the châteaux.
Tastings at the Cité
The Introduction to Tasting workshop runs every day at 3 p.m. and lasts 1 hour. A sommelier leads a tasting of three wines from around the world. It is led in French, with simultaneous written and spoken translation equipment for other languages, and is for people 18 and over.
The Bordeaux 360° workshop runs every Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and lasts 1 hour. It is held in English in an immersive room with a 360° screen, with four Bordeaux wines, in partnership with the Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux.
Via Sensoria is a one-hour walk through four pavilions themed on the seasons, with a sommelier guide and a group of up to 15. You taste four Bordeaux wines or non-alcoholic drinks. Sessions run in French, English or Spanish, families can join from age 6, and wine is for over-18s. You book a day and a time slot.
After-work tasting workshops run every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., or 7 p.m. in summer.
Workshops and Via Sensoria take place on the 1st floor. Book them ahead for the day you visit; places still unsold can be bought on the day.
From the Cité to the châteaux
The Cité offers guided tours along six wine routes, leaving from the Tourist Office in central Bordeaux, as a half day or a full day.
The tourist office's Châteaux & Terroirs half-day tour leaves at 1:30 p.m. and returns at 6:30 p.m., by coach with a guide, in French and English. The destination depends on the day: Bourg and Blaye on Monday, the Médoc on Tuesday and Saturday, Graves and Sauternes on Wednesday, Saint-Émilion on Thursday and Sunday, and Entre-Deux-Mers on Friday.
Each half day includes two château visits, each with a tasting of two wines. In Saint-Émilion it is one château plus the monolithic church. Under-18s cannot taste, and children under 5 are not accepted.
The 90-meter pontoon below the Cité also serves wine cruises that reach the vineyards by river.
Some châteaux are on the city's tram and bus network. Tram C runs to the Gare de Blanquefort stop for Château Saint Ahon, bus line 38 to the Château Dillon stop, and bus line 4 serves Haut-Brion in Pessac-Léognan.
To plan estate visits on your own, see booking Bordeaux château visits, Bordeaux vineyards without a car, Bordeaux to Saint-Émilion and Bordeaux to the Médoc.
Spit if you are driving, or choose a designated driver.
What it costs
A date-stamped ticket for the permanent exhibition and the Belvédère costs €23 ($25) for adults, or €27 ($29) with two glasses. Children aged 6 to 17 pay €9 ($10), and under-6s go free.
The open ticket, with no date, is valid for one year and costs €28 ($30), or €32 ($35) with two glasses, and €14 ($15) for children. The family pack for 2 adults and 2 children aged 6 to 17 costs €56 ($60), or €64 ($69) with two glasses.
The adult reduced rate of €18.40 ($20) covers students, disabled visitors, French and European job seekers and some local card holders, with proof shown on site.
The tastings cost €20–23 ($22–25):
- Introduction to Tasting workshop: €20 ($22), or €37 ($40) with the exhibition and €41 ($44) with two Belvédère glasses.
- Bordeaux 360° workshop: €22 ($24), or €38.40 ($41) with the exhibition and €42.40 ($46) with two glasses.
- Via Sensoria: €23 ($25), or €39.10 ($42) with the exhibition, and €9 ($10) for children.
- After-work workshops: from €20 ($22).
The annual Solo pass costs €48 ($52) and covers the exhibition and the Belvédère, with 5 tastings a year.
The Bordeaux CityPass includes the exhibition and the Belvédère with one glass, at any time of day and with no booking. It costs €37 ($40) for 24 hours, €48 ($52) for 48 hours, €56 ($60) for 72 hours and €62 ($67) for 96 hours. Collect a pass bought online at the tourist office, 12 cours du 30 Juillet, before your first visit.
The tourist office's Châteaux & Terroirs half-day tour costs €55 ($59) per person, and its full-day Saint-Émilion tour starts from €99 ($107).
Before you go
- Suitcases, scooters and skateboards are not allowed inside. Free lockers take only small bags under 90 x 40 x 52 cm, and there is no stroller storage.
- Tickets are non-refundable. To change the date or time, phone the Cité du Vin on 05 56 16 20 20.
- Workshops start on time and latecomers are not admitted. For Via Sensoria, be at the room on the 1st floor 10 minutes before your slot.
Pets are not allowed, except guide and service dogs. The Cité holds the Tourisme et Handicap accreditation for all four disability categories, awarded on March 22, 2017, and lends wheelchairs at reception.
Restaurant Le 7, on the 7th floor, serves lunch from noon to 3 p.m. Monday to Saturday and until 4 p.m. on Sunday, and dinner from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. On the ground floor, the Latitude20 snack café opens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For the rest of the city and region, see the Bordeaux town guide and the Bordeaux region guide.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I need at La Cité du Vin?
The average visit to the permanent exhibition takes 2 to 3 hours. Add time for the Belvédère on the 8th floor, where your glass of wine is served, and an hour more if you book a tasting workshop or Via Sensoria.
Is a wine tasting included in the Cité du Vin ticket?
Yes. The €23 ($25) exhibition ticket includes one glass at the Belvédère, and the €27 ($29) ticket includes two. Children and anyone who does not drink alcohol get a non-alcoholic drink instead.
Do I need to book Cité du Vin tickets in advance?
No. You can buy at the ticket office on the day. An online ticket lets you go straight to the exhibition entrance on the 2nd floor without waiting in line. For workshops and Via Sensoria, book ahead for the day you visit.
Which tram goes to La Cité du Vin?
Tram line B stops at La Cité du Vin, a two-minute walk from the building. From Bordeaux Saint-Jean, take tram C to Quinconces and change to tram B toward Berges de la Garonne or Claveau. The trip takes about 30 minutes.
