I’m officially on vacation with my kids so this post was written while they are physically climbing on me. If you see any typos, that’s where they’re coming from 🙂 There’s not a lot of interesting events currently happening in the city so this month I will share a lot of places I visited myself to give you some ideas of fun things to do during the weekend. Also, I invite you to read my Summer list for more ideas on things to do in Bordeaux. If you’re currently traveling in the region I invite you to join my Travel in the southwest of France Facebook group and get more ideas for places to visits from local people. Here’s the list of things to do this weekend in Bordeaux (August 8-9).
A beautiful 4D show on Chateau de Duras
This one was added last minute to my list as I went there yesterday. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday during the summer the beautiful chateau of Duras is hosting an amazing 4D spectacle where they screen the history of the chateau and a fun story for kids at the end. The show is really well done and the location itself makes the drive from Bordeaux well worth it. The show starts at 22:30 but If you’ve never visited the chateau before, make sure to come earlier in the day so you’ll have the chance to visit the rooms and see the stunning view from the top. The town of Duras is really charming and every Thursday night there’s a fun night market taking place there so think about combining it with the show when planning the trip.
Les Vivres de l’Art
This summer Les Vivres de l’Art in Bacalan invites you to the 7ème Ciel exhibition that’s hosting five different artists. For those who have never visited this fascinating place, Les vivres de l’art is an artistic association, holding cultural events, workshops, vintage sales, music festivals, exhibitions, and more. The expo is presented there until September 20, you can see all the details here. If you want to discover more fun places to visit in the area check out my article about the Bacalan district in Bordeaux.
Go Cycling in Saint Emilion
Last week I did a super fun electric bike tour in Saint Emilion with a company called Rustic Vines who specializes in biking tours in the vineyards. It was an amazing experience and you can read more about it in my Instagram post below. If you’re going to do it any time this summer, you can use my discount code BORDEAUX15 that will give you 15% off on their tours until the end of October.
La Nuit des étoiles au Bourghail
This Sunday (August 9) the park of Bourghail in Pessac is hosting a fun astronomy event with workshops for kids, stars observation, a tour of the forest by night, and more. The event is free, to see more details click here.
Discover the beautiful lakes near Bordeaux
Sometimes all you need is a calm weekend with a bit of nature for the soul 🙂 Luckily there’s plenty of nature around Bordeaux. Today I want to introduce you to two lakes in the region where you can have a lovely walk and admire the colors of the water. The first one is Lac Vert (the green lake) in Canejan and the second one is Lac Bleu (the blue lake) in Leognan, both located about 15/20 minutes’ drive from Bordeaux. Their names derive from the color of the water and they are both stunning.
If you want more ideas for hiking check out my article about hiking around Bordeaux.
Quai des Sports
I’m happy to tell you that even this summer the annual Quai des Sports was opened at the Parc the Sports in Saint Michel. The Quai des sports is a continuous sportive event for kids and adults where you can take part in many sports activities for free. The event this year will take place until August 23. For more info click here.
When: until August 23 / Where: Parc des Sports Saint Michel, Bordeaux
Go to a Night Market
You still have a few more weeks to try the night markets of the Southwest of France. If you’re planning to go on Saturday I recommend going south to Les Landes, where several night markets are taking place each week. You can see all the details about the markets of the region in my article about the night markets of the southwest of France.
Enjoy the night summer bars of Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a fun city all year long but in the summer there’s a special vibe in the city with plenty of open summer places opening up all around the city. Many of them are good but my favorite is La Guinguette Chez Alriq where you can also see daily concerts. This video for example is from a Flamenco show that took place there last Sunday afternoon. You can see the full list of the best summer places in Bordeaux in my article.
Free beach activities in Bordeaux
This summer (until August 31) Bordeaux Lac will offer FREE activities such as kayaking, SUP, zumba and more! The activities are taking place daily from 14:00 to 18:00 and registration is taking place on the beach starting from 13:30. Please read the content in this link as it includes instructions for some documents you need to present to be able to register as well as the schedule of the daily activities. For more events and activities taking place this summer in Bordeaux check out my article about things to do this summer in Bordeaux.
If you’re looking for more ideas for day trips in the Bordeaux region here are a few other articles you might want to read:
The best beaches around Bordeaux
Day trips around Bordeaux – wine, beaches and villages
10 day trips from Bordeaux by Public transport
A weekend in Medoc – Bordeaux wine tours
What to do and eat in Saint Emilion
You can also get plenty of tips on things to do in the Southwest of France via lost in Bordeaux’s social media accounts and email list, check them out here:
