Garonne view

The view over the Garonne, in Bordeaux

The view over the Garonne reveals the fluvial and majestic face of Bordeaux, along its listed quays. The Bordeaux audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this panorama over the river and its curve, which earned the town its nickname of Port of the Moon.

The river and the Port of the Moon

The Garonne is inseparable from the identity and the beauty of Bordeaux. This great river, which crosses the town, describes at this place a wide curve in the shape of a crescent moon, which earned Bordeaux its poetic nickname of Port of the Moon, taken up in the coat of arms of the town. It is thanks to the river and its port, open onto the ocean, that Bordeaux knew its prosperity and its flourishing trade through the centuries. From the redeveloped quays, several kilometres long and listed as UNESCO world heritage, the gaze takes in the river, its bridges, and the majestic façade of the quays, this continuous alignment of eighteenth-century buildings that lines the bank. At sunset, the spectacle is magnificent. The view over the Garonne is one of the finest panoramas of Bordeaux.

What to see

You admire the Garonne describing its wide crescent-moon curve that earned Bordeaux its nickname of Port of the Moon, from the UNESCO-listed quays, with its bridges and the majestic continuous façade of the eighteenth-century buildings that lines the bank, magnificent at sunset. The view over the Garonne is one of the finest panoramas of Bordeaux. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The view over the Garonne is discovered from the quays of Bordeaux, reachable on foot and by public transport. They are open-air public spaces, freely accessible, conducive to the promenade along the river. The view is particularly beautiful at sunset.

Why is Bordeaux nicknamed the Port of the Moon?

Because the Garonne describes, while crossing the town, a wide curve in the shape of a crescent moon; this poetic nickname, taken up in the coat of arms of Bordeaux, evokes the river and the port that made the prosperity of the town.

Where to admire the view over the Garonne in Bordeaux?

From the listed quays of Bordeaux, along the river, in France.