Bordeaux was the final port of the Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta 2018. The vibrant and high-spirited capital of south-west France hadn’t hosted a Tall Ships event since 1990… so we couldn’t wait to return to these cultured shores.
The Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta 2018 coincided with the leading European wine festival, Bordeaux Fête le Vin (Bordeaux Wine Festival), which celebrated its 20th anniversary during the event. Visitors were treated to a wide range of entertainment over four days, including nightly sound and light shows, projected onto the majestic façades of the Palais de la Bourse, impressive fireworks displays over the river, and vineyard tours.
Bordeaux is located on a bend of the Garonne River, around 500 km south-west of Paris. The city lies close to the Atlantic coastline, in the north of the Aquitaine region.
Bordeaux boasts richly preserved historical architecture, pristine pedestrianised boulevards, tramways, and reclaimed industrial docks. In 2007, half the city (18 sq km) was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site – the largest urban area to receive this accolade.
The city welcomed the international fleet of Tall Ships along a two-kilometre stretch of the river, which was within easy walking distance of the 18th-century old town. The downtown area had maintained its classical and neoclassical architecture, which remained almost unchanged for more than two centuries. Bordeaux has experienced intense renovation over the past few years, which has brought the city’s architectural, culinary and cultural heritage into the 21st century.
