Bordeaux attracts many tourists coming for the wine, fine dining, and beautiful architecture. But many are unaware that it’s also a family-friendly city with plenty of things to do with kids. Beautiful gardens, adventure parks, climbing, biking and even discovering the wine world, the Bordeaux area has it all. In this list, I gathered 30 things you can do in Bordeaux and its surroundings with both small and big kids (including visiting wineries). My long list includes both outdoor and indoor activities (for those rainy days) in Bordeaux city as well as all over Gironde. I hope it will give you some ideas you didn’t think about! Let’s dig in!

Things to do with kids in Bordeaux center

Splash in the Miroir d’eau

The biggest water mirror in the world is one of the best things to do with kids when the temperatures rise in Bordeaux. Every 15 minutes the water rises and creates a very shallow pool where kids can run and splash in the water. When tired you can have a picnic at the little garden right next to it.

Eat in a kids friendly restaurant

Bordeaux is the city of restaurants but we all know how exhausting it can be with kids. That’s why you must have a list of a few good kids friendly restaurants you can go to when you start recognizing those kids hunger tantrums :). Here are a few kids friendly restaurants in Bordeaux: Osteria pizzeria de bartolo and It for Italian food, Santosha next to the Grosse Cloche for Thai food, Kokomo for hamburgers, Horace and Cofete B for coffee and cake and a light lunch, Mama Shelter for a more chic experience.

Cap Sciences

Cap Sciences is a kids science museum and one of the most fun and educative places in Bordeaux. The museum proposes interactive exhibitions and activities all dedicated to different aspects of science. Another interesting feature of the museum is the kids’ workshops arranged by different age groups. Among them you can find photography, molecular cooking, eco-citizens and more. For more details click here.
Where: Hangar 20, Quai de Bacalan, 33300 Bordeaux

Take a scooter or bicycle and go to the quai

One of the main accomplishments of Bordeaux’s makeover in the last decade is the beautiful new dock on the left bank of the Garonne river. A pedestrian only 4.5 km quais stretches out between Gare Saint Jean and Bassin a flot in the north of the city. When it’s sunny outside you can see plenty of families with bikes, scooters or skates riding the paths. You also have an amazing view of the river on one side and the beautiful architecture of Bordeaux on the other. If you don’t have bicycles you can take the (almost) free city bike, all you need is a credit card. Check out all the station in Bordeaux here.

Puppet show in the parc

Le Guignol Guérin, founded in 1853, is the oldest puppetry show in France which holds daily spectacles for kids in the Parc Bordelais during the summer (July and August). The show usually starts at 16:00 but can be cancelled or postponed when it’s raining or getting too hot. Read more about the theater here.
Where: Rue du Bocage, 33000 Bordeaux

Picnic in the park (Jardin public and many others)

A picnic in the park is one of the easiest ways to spend some time outside with your kids. You can enjoy your bottle of rosé while they run around the park. When in Bordeaux, many people head straight to Jardin Public, and while it’s a beautiful park, it’s far from being the only green spot in the city. To help you get familiar with the green parts of the city, I gathered a list of the best places to have a picnic in Bordeaux, which include both big parks and little gardens and some necessary playgrounds – click here to read the post.

Take the little train to tour the city

If you want to discover Bordeaux in a fun way, take the little train which departs from the tourists’ office. This 45 minutes tour passes by the main sites of the historic city like place des Quinconces and Place de la Bourse (with Scripted commentaries available in 8 languages). The train leaves every two hours from the Tourist information office, where you also buy the tickets. For more details and tickets click here.

Natural History Museum

After years of renovations the museum of natural history of Bordeaux has finally opened its doors on March 2019. Created in 1971, the museum has one of the biggest collections in France with more than a million specimens. Besides the new design and the incredible collection, one of the new features in the renovated museum is the “Early Years Museum” for kids under 6 years old.
Where: 5 Place Bardineau, 33000 Bordeaux

Go to the pool

There are several kids friendly pools in Bordeaux metropole, two of them are not very far from the city center. Next to the Meriadeck, you’ll find the piscine Judaique located in a beautiful art deco building. A bit farther from the center is Piscine du Grand Parc. Both are very kids friendly with facilities like kids pool, water slides, floats and more.

Go ice skating at the meriadeck

La Patinoire de Mériadeck is a sports complex in Bordeaux center that hosts hockey games as well as many different concerts. However, several days a week the place is open to the public and you can come with your family and enjoy ice skating in this huge arena. As the Patinoire hosts many different events during the year, it’s opening hours might change from time to time, so before heading there with your kids, check out the schedule.  It is usually closed during the summer vacation.
Where: 95 Cours Maréchal Juin, 33000 Bordeaux

Artistic workshop in institut Bernard Magrez

Institut Bernard Magrez is one of the best places in the city for art lovers. They present beautiful street art exhibitions several times a year and frequently hold kids creative workshops around the theme of the exhibition. To be updated on their future workshops follow them on facebook.
Where: 16 Rue de Tivoli, 33000 Bordeaux

Surfing in a coffee place

This is a super cool activity for kids (over 8 yo). The Wave Surf Café is the first indoor cafe where you can surf! The Big artificial wave in the middle of the coffee shop imitates the ocean waves and allows you to feel like a professional surfer in the city center :). It’s a nice experience for kids who don’t live next to the sea and don’t have the opportunity to surf. For more details click here.
Where: 174 Cours du Médoc, 33300 Bordeaux

Go rollerblading with the whole family

Kids love rollerblades so if you’re looking for a fun family time, why not do it with them?  You can join the Airroller club association that organizes a big family ride once a month. You don’t have to be a member to join the ride, but if you do, you can enjoy skating lessons adapted to all levels and ages. For more info about the activities of the association click here.  

Skating

There are two great options for kids who like to skate. One is the skatepark on Quai des Chartrons which is a great facility. For those heading to the Sunday market on the quai, that would be a great break for the kids. If you need a change of scenery from the center of Bordeaux, cross the river to Darwin. It’s a super cool urban space that has a skateboard park made from recycled materials and a special cultural landscape of street art and electronic music. This is a good option for rainy days.
Where: 87 Quai des Queyries, 33100 Bordeaux

Shopping in one of the malls

Who doesn’t love shopping, right? Well I personally don’t but I know that quite a lot of teenagers see it as legitimate site seeing in the city. So where do we shop in Bordeaux? The main shopping street is rue Sainte Catherine, the longest pedestrian street in France. Very close to it you have the Meriadeck which is the only shopping center in the city center. But if you’re looking for bigger malls, with plenty of clothing retailers, you’ll have to go a bit further to the shopping centers in the surrounding towns such as Rives d’Arcins in Begles, Aushopping in Bordeaux lac or Mérignac Soleil.

Spend time at the main library

If your kids are interested in books, the Bibliothèque in Mériadeck has a library for kids between 0 and 13 years old. The place includes novels, comics, manga, music, movies and even a coloring space for the little ones. Apart from books the Meriadeck library also hosts different events such as little shows for kids, story time and video games in groups.
Where: 85 Cours Maréchal Juin, 33000 Bordeaux

Things to do with kids in Bordeaux –  outside the city center

Go to a kids cinema

It’s not always easy to find movies for little kids, so I was happy to find a cinema fully dedicated to mini me’s. The cinéma Le Festival in Begles specializes in animation movies and special effects. Plenty of animated movies and cartoons, accessible to kids over 3 years old are screened every day.  Check out their website for all the details and the program.
Where: 151 Boulevard Albert 1er, 33130 Bègles

Go to the beach at Bordeaux Lac

The beach is the perfect summer spot for kids and if you’re in Bordeaux you don’t have to go very far for it. The cute beach of Bordeaux Lac has everything you need: a sandy clean beach with beautiful clear and calm water and a lot of shade from the nearby trees for those who don’t really like the sun. The beach is open to the public daily from June 1st to August 31 and starting July 1st it offers water and beach activities such as sailing, kayaking, mini-golf and more. Check out the list of daily activities here.

Soft play

When you really need your kids to let off some steam the best place to go is a soft play and there are several of those in Bordeaux: Yopi park Royal kids in Pessac, Happy park in Begles and Kidooland in Bordeaux Lac where you can actually have lunch while someone is watching your kids.

Kfe des familles – Café associative

Kfe des Familles is a cute associative café that allows parents to spend time with their kids while also enjoying a coffee or lunch. Besides a nice little restaurant, the place has a room for kids’ workshops as well as a space for the little ones, where they can play accompanied by their parents. The cafe organizes plenty of activities and events throughout the year. For more info click here.
Where: 46 rue de New-York 33300 Bordeaux

Ferme urbaine des Iris

The Iris animal farm in Lormont is a magical place that allows you to spend a fun day with your kids in nature. In the farm your curious kids can learn about animals and feed them. They have  a big variety of animals, among them rabbits, donkeys, and goats. The farm is closed for groups on school vacations. For more info click here.
Where: 8 Rue Sourbes, 33310 Lormont

Discover the city on a canoe

The Bordeaux Canoe company offers you a fantastic tour on a canoe or a SUP. During the two hours tour you will discover the wild islands on the Garonne river, the traditional cabane on the riverbanks, and the river’s history. The starting point of the tour changes according to the flow of the river. The tour is adapted to kids over 10 years old on the Canoe and 14 on the SUP. For more info click here.
Where: 21 Parc d’Activités des Queyries, 33100 Bordeaux

Climbing

Indoor climbing has become extremely popular in Bordeaux and there are numerous facilities where you can do that with kids. These are the climbing centers in or close to Bordeaux: Arkose, Block’out Roc’ Altitude and the newest one – Climb up.

Adventure park in Talence  

The Loisirs et Aventures company runs an adventure park in Bois de Thouars in Talence where kids can practice treetop walking. The company offers six courses for different ages, starting from 4 years old. The adventure park is open on Wednesdays and during the weekend from April to October and every day on July and August. For more details click here. Where: Bois de Thouars, Avenue de la Marne – 33400 Talence

Go to the zoo

The zoo of Bordeaux, which is actually located in Pessac, is a beautiful family friendly place. It allows you to discover more than 250 different animals from monkeys to giraffes and white tigers. The zoo organizes plenty of events for kids throughout the year. For more details click here. Where: 3 Rue du Transvaal, 33600 Pessac

A bit farther – things to do around Bordeaux

Route du vin with kids

Coming to Bordeaux with kids doesn’t mean you can’t discover the incredible wine of this region. Children are welcomed to many Bordeaux wine estates (wine chateaux) but some of them organize activities that will make it a super kids-friendly visit. I have recently released an article where I gathered all my recommendations for kid-friendly chateaux in the Bordeaux wine region.

Discover contemporary art in the forest

How about combining nature with art? One of the best ways to discover the massive forest of Landes de Gascogne in the south of Gironde is by following the map of la foret d’art contemporain. This is a cool project that aims to promote contemporary art by placing it in different spots in the forest. Around 20 different pieces of art were placed in all parts of the forest, usually close to one of the smaller towns, to allow you to discover the more rural parts of Gironde. Follow the map of the project – here.

La Ferme Exotique

La Ferme Exotique is a charming animal farm located in Cadaujac, about 20 minutes from Bordeaux. There are almost 1000 animals in the farm, coming from all over the world and in all sizes. It’s a unique experience as they allow kids to really connect with the animals and even help feed some of them. For more details click here.
Where: Domaine de la Roussie, 1932 Chemin du Port de l’Esquillot, 33140 Cadaujac

The inflatable water park in Biscarrosse

Bordeaux is just one hour away from the biggest inflatable water park in the world! The AquaPark is equipped with water ziplines, several diving boards of different heights, trampolines, catapults, climbing walls, slides and more. The park is accessible to kids over 4 years old. For more details and tickets click here.
Where: Port Maguide, 18 Chemin de Maguide, 40600 Biscarrosse

Take the kids to an amusement park

Parc de la coccinelle is an amusement park in Gujan-Mestras, on the Bassin d’Arcachon. This park is a perfect day out that your kids will definitely enjoy. It has everything from water slides, roller coasters, trampolines and even an animal farm where you can feed baby goats. It’s open from April to the beginning of November, however, it’s not open every week, so check out the schedule before going. For more info click here. If you need more ideas on what to do with kids when going to Arcachon, check out my post about day trips from Bordeaux.
Where: Parc de loisirs, La Hume, 33470 Gujan-Mestras

If you need ideas for what to do with kids when it’s raining in Bordeaux, click here. Apart from that list I constantly update about kids friendly events and activities taking place every weekend, so follow the blog for more update. And don’t forget to join me on my weekly newsletter where I share plenty of recommendations on where to go and what to do in and around Bordeaux – click here to subscribe.