Bordeaux Nightlife

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There are tour boats docked on the river along the Quai de Louis XVIII opposite the Rostrales of the Quinconces that offer afternoon and evening cruises of the river with views of the adjacent activities. We have been on many of these elsewhere and although they are a nice evening, we opted to splurge on a fine seafood dinner instead (see our Restaurant Tips)

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As part of the annual chamber music festival, a concert for viola and piano was performed at the Theater on our second night in Bordeaux. We were able to buy balcony (unreserved) tickets which provided an enjoyable evening. We lost the program but the main feature was one of our favorites: Brahm's Op. 120 , two very late sonatas for clarinet and piano, which he alternately scored for viola and piano. We had never heard this version before. This gave us the opportunity to take pictures (without flash) of the main auditorium, which is where it was held, and the interiors.(Canapes and champagne were on sale at intermission). (We have more on this under Things To Do).

There are lots. Look for the ones with tv's and football games on. They can be fun and noisy. The bartender can be on a happy mood and give some freebies away. You can see how much the french love football. You can make lots of french inspite of limited french language knowledge!!

Dress Code: Casual.

After a few weeks of on the road we were missing some things about Ireland. Such as good beer! Bordeaux had a small Irish pub called "The Blarney Stone" and we spend a couple of our evenings relaxing here.

One of the best irish bars I've come across - originally first time in 2000 but revisited October 2005 and now much bigger. Their website states that Celtic fans hold the record for a days beer consumption, and that is pretty impressive given how packed the place was that time in 2000!

This is an Anglo French style pub, run by the same delightful family who have the Houses of Parliament pub in Bordeaux. Again, the pub is very informal, attracts a mix of both French and English expats, and is an ideal place to sit and let the hours pass you by. You will feel important, looked after, and the attention to detail is second to none. Do not miss the opportunity of asking the staff which famous person put all the coving up, as you will be surprised by the answer.

Again, this is another of Jon & Sara's masterpieces, and they are ably supported by Vincent, who in his own quirky way prefers people to touch his knees upon meeting them as opposed to a handshake.
An enjoyable retreat, very comfortable, and a guarenteed smile as you leave.

Dress Code: Informal, come as you are.

Situated in one of the main square in Bordeaux, la Place de la Victoire, you will find Le Plana. Been there a few years ago and it was super packed during the weekend. Le Plana is a convivial place to party like everywhere: basically, not super sophistacted music (the current hits are played), nothing super specific in the bar, it is just one of the place to party: crowded, beautiful girls, beer, that is basically what I remember from Le Plana.

Ok, I've never been a fan of the Brit's abroad haven, but this place has none of that aloofness that a similar place in Spain might have. It is run by a family originally from Essex. The son and daughter have grown up truly bi-lingual and appreciative of both French and English culture and it is perhaps this which allows for such a great marriage of the best of both worlds in this bar. The service is English style at the bar rather than French style table service, but this is not done in an obtuse way as if to say that the English way is somehow better, rather that the English way is a little eccentric and a bit of a novelty for the French. The walls are decorated with memorabilia from days gone by, including a 1966 World Cup programme.

It is indeed very popular with both English and French alike and both languages are spoken in equal measures. French people wanting to improve their English skills can be found asking at the bar for conversation tutors in order to perfect their accents. Rather than a bolthole for the English to avoid the natives of Bordeaux, I found it to be a place where English friendly French people meet French friendly English people.

The pub serves bottled beers such as Becks and Corona, local bottled concoctions such as beer with vodka or whisky, draught beers including John Smiths bitter, a small selection of alcopops and also coffee. No food is served here, but the landlady has no problem with people bringing food in from outside. Sports are shown here whenever they are on and a selection of English magazines and newspapers are available, as well as English Sky news so you can keep up to date with what's going on back home. There is also the ubiquitous pool table if you fancied a game...occasional karaoke nights and theme nights keep the buzz going.

"Happy hour" in the typical British binge drinking tradition is from 5pm until 8pm.

Dress Code: Come as you are