Nowhere is the immense wealth that 18th-century Bordeaux amassed from its port more explicit than on this posh avenue lined with elegant hôtels particuliers (mansions). This is where wealthy wine merchants from all over Europe had their private residences. Hôtel Fenwick (1793–1800) was built for American wine trader Joseph Fenwick who owned vines near Bordeaux. When he was appointed American consul by President George Washington in 1790, his residence on the corner of quai des Chartrons became the world's first official American consulate.
Pavé des Chartrons
Bordeaux
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.47 MILES
The complex world of wine is explored in depth at ground-breaking La Cité du Vin, a stunning piece of contemporary architecture resembling a wine decanter…
0.55 MILES
A fountain of sorts, the Miroir d'Eau is the world's largest reflecting pool. Covering an area of 3450 sq metres of black granite on the quayside opposite…
0.81 MILES
The Cathédrale St-André, a Unesco World Heritage Site prior to the city's classification, lords it over the city. The cathedral's oldest section dates…
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1.59 MILES
By far the city's eeriest and most menacing sight, this mammoth hulk of a submarine base (1941–43) was one of five built on the Atlantic Coast by the…
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1.09 MILES
This imposing Flamboyant Gothic church lies at the heart of St-Michel. Begun in the 14th century, it took more than 200 years to complete and is best…
0.55 MILES
This is Bordeaux's most iconic square. A mirage of elegance and symmetry, it was laid out by architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel between 1730 and 1775 and…
0.74 MILES
The main entrance into medieval Bordeaux, this grandiose 15th-century city gate was built to celebrate King Charles VII's victory at the Battle of Fornovo…
0.93 MILES
Gallo-Roman statues and relics dating back 25,000 years are among the highlights at this bright and spacious, well-curated history and civilisations…
Nearby Bordeaux attractions
0.08 MILES
Built in 1824 as a warehouse for French colonial produce such as coffee, cocoa, peanuts and vanilla, the cavernous Entrepôts Lainé creates a dramatic…
0.1 MILES
In a city increasingly known for its street art, it was inevitable that a gallery dedicated solely to street art would open. Enter Cox Gallery, with a…
0.25 MILES
Landscaping is artistic as well as informative at the Jardin Public. Established in 1755 and laid out in the English style a century later, the grounds…
0.26 MILES
This imposing fountain on vast square and public-transport hub Esplanade des Quinconces is a riot of horses. It was created between 1894 and 1902 in…
5. Musée Bordeaux – Sciences et Nature
0.29 MILES
With more than one million different specimens on show, Bordeaux's former Natural History Museum is among France's most impressive. Closed at the time of…
6. Musée de l’Histoire Maritime de Bordeaux
0.42 MILES
Meet the shipowners, traders, explorers, navigators, poets and philosophers who contributed to the city's rich maritime history at this small, intimate…
0.42 MILES
This small Wine and Trade Museum, hidden in one of the city's oldest buildings – an Irish merchant's house dating to 1720 in the ancient trading district…
8. Église Notre Dame du Chapelet
0.49 MILES
On 17 April 1828 the funeral of Romantic Spanish painter Francisco Goya (1746–1828) took place in this magnificent French Baroque church, a stone's throw…