Bordeaux rewards a little curiosity. Beyond the grand façades are independent bookshops, thoughtful coffee roasters, natural-wine bars and kitchens doing something of their own. Add an afternoon in the vines and you have the kind of visit we’d want to take ourselves.
This route is designed for Friday and Saturday: a weekday visit to Shuette, Friday jazz, then a slower day around the river and Chartrons. The times are a guide, with room to linger. Travelling on different days? Check the linked opening hours and concert programme before booking.
Updated and checked on 7 October 2026 using venue websites, current programmes and local listings. Seasonal hours and individual performances can change.
Two days at a glance
- Friday: Louis Lamour and Café Piha → independent shops in the old town → a booked Picnic & Tour at Shuette → Blouge → dinner with live jazz at CODE 23, or a wine-focused evening at SOIF.
- Saturday: a slow morning → lunch at Les Récoltants → Place de la Bourse and the riverfront → CAPC → Rue Notre-Dame → dinner at Cent33.
A central base: Mama Shelter
Mama Shelter Bordeaux · 19 rue Poquelin Molière, Bordeaux
A useful base if you like playful design and being able to walk out into the city. Its central location works well for both days of this route. The rooftop is an optional stop for a drink when the weather and opening hours allow; check access rather than building your evening around it.
Day 1 · Coffee, independent shops and the vines
09:00 · A proper breakfast
Start at Louis Lamour, 7 rue Ravez, for handmade bread and pastries. A chocolatine is a good place to begin. Then walk over to Café Piha, 69 rue des Ayres, for specialty coffee from a Bordeaux roaster. This is a coffee stop, rather than a brunch reservation.
10:30 · Browse the old town
Keep the morning close to the centre and choose a couple of places that interest you:
- w.a.n. — We Are Nothing, 1 rue des Lauriers: French-made goods, accessories and practical ideas for using less and buying better.
- La Mauvaise Réputation, 19 rue des Argentiers: an independent bookshop for art, photography and alternative culture. The bookshop is at number 19; its separate gallery is at number 10.
Leave time to return to your hotel, collect what you need and get out to the vineyard without rushing.
13:00 · Picnic & Tour at Shuette
37 chemin du Caderot, 33450 Saint-Loubès
Come and see the Bordeaux we’re working towards: natural wines, regenerative farming and a vineyard full of life. Our Picnic & Tour combines a walk and tasting of six wines with a picnic of organic cheese and charcuterie, plus a bottle to share at the table. Allow around three hours for the whole experience.
Book ahead: the picnic experience currently runs on weekdays and needs at least 24 hours’ notice. Arrange your outward and return transport in advance. If travelling by train, check services to Saint-Loubès and organise the onward transfer to Shuette; the station is not the vineyard. A pre-booked taxi both ways keeps the afternoon straightforward.
18:30 · A glass at Blouge
Blouge · 16 rue Fernand Philippart, Bordeaux
Back in town, make time for Blouge: a wine bar and bottle shop where you can sit down, explore natural wines and order something to eat. It’s an easy fit after an afternoon with us, and one of our Shuette partners. Ask what’s open that evening and let the team point you towards a bottle you might not have chosen yourself.
The evening · Choose jazz or a longer dinner
For live jazz: CODE 23, 27 rue Arnaud Miqueu. This central restaurant and music venue has a current Thursday and Friday jazz programme. Book the advertised dinner-and-concert evening and confirm its start time. Treat it as your dinner plan, rather than arriving after a late meal elsewhere and hoping to catch a set. Other nights have different programmes, so choose the performance as well as the venue.
For a wine-focused dinner: SOIF // Table & Vins, 35 rue du Cancéra. Stay with the natural-wine theme over a proper meal. Book a table and make this your alternative to CODE 23; there’s no need to squeeze two dinners into one night. Friday is a useful choice, but check service days if you move the itinerary.
Day 2 · The river, contemporary art and Chartrons
A slow morning, then lunch at Les Récoltants
Give yourself an unhurried start in the old town. Book lunch around noon at Les Récoltants, 18 rue Sainte-Colombe, before heading north for the afternoon.
The restaurant and grocery work with produce from their own farm and other local producers. Expect a seasonal approach shaped by what is available, rather than a fixed list of signature dishes. It’s a good continuation of the conversation about farming, food and where things come from. Saturday lunch works for this route; the restaurant is closed on Sundays.
13:30 · Place de la Bourse and the quays
Walk to Place de la Bourse and the Miroir d’eau, then follow the Garonne north towards Chartrons. This gives you the grand riverfront without spending the whole day on a sightseeing checklist. The water mirror operates seasonally, so enjoy the setting even when the water is off.
14:30 · Contemporary art at CAPC
CAPC Musée d’art contemporain · 7 rue Ferrère
Step away from the river into the former Entrepôt Lainé warehouse for contemporary exhibitions in an extraordinary building. Allow an hour or more, depending on the programme and what catches your attention. The museum normally opens Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00–18:00, with last entry at 17:30; check holiday arrangements before visiting.
Prefer fashion and design? Swap some museum time for Jane de Boy, the first-floor boutique at 8 cours du 30 Juillet, near the Grand Théâtre. Its mix of clothing, jewellery, fragrance and objects makes it a worthwhile detour. It normally opens Tuesday to Saturday. Choose the stops you want, rather than trying to do everything.
16:00 · Browse Rue Notre-Dame
Continue into Chartrons, with time for two very different shops:
- L’Ours Blanc Antiquités, 5 rue Notre-Dame: antiques, twentieth-century design and decorative objects. Plan an afternoon visit; its regular Wednesday-to-Saturday hours are 14:00–18:00.
- Do you speak français ?, 93 rue Notre-Dame: French-made stationery, jewellery, accessories and things for the home. A good stop for a souvenir you’ll actually use. Normally open Tuesday to Saturday, 11:00–19:00.
19:30 · Make an evening of Cent33
Cent33 · 133 rue du Jardin Public
Finish with a tasting-menu dinner at Fabien Beaufour’s restaurant. Cooking over fire is part of its identity, and the wine list leaves plenty of room to explore organic, biodynamic and natural producers. Book ahead, mention dietary requirements when reserving and give the meal the evening it deserves. There’s no final bar to tick off.
Before you come
- Reserve the anchors: Shuette and your return transport, the CODE 23 performance or SOIF, and Cent33. Book Les Récoltants too if lunch timing matters.
- Use Friday and Saturday as the starting point: several shops close on Sundays, CAPC closes on Mondays, and the jazz programme is tied to particular nights.
- Keep some space: the best part of a visit is often the conversation, the unexpected bottle or the shop you hadn’t planned to enter.
Plan your visit to Shuette and build the rest around the things you enjoy.