Shopping in Bordeaux

The Travel Pages guide to shopping in Bordeaux, the city where the word ‘shopping’ originates, including wine and local specialties like Canalés de Bordeaux.

The Original Shopping in Bordeaux

The word ‘shopping’ actually originates in Bordeaux. It derives from buildings called échoppes, where people sold things through their front windows and which eventually developed into the shops that we know today.

Canalés de Bordeaux

Bordeaux has its own special cakes called Canalés, which originated in the 19th century with nuns at the convent of Saint Eulalie. The sweets have been described as a portable crème brûlée, with a caramelised exterior wrapped around a soft vanilla and rum filling.

There are many different types of canalés, with the outside ranging from soft to hard, and quality ranging from cheap street snacks to gourmet canalés using rum and vanilla from Tahiti and other exotic ingredients.

One of the best-known makers is Baillardran, who have several branches throughout the city. One of these is in the Grands Hommes shopping centre in the Golden Triangle, where you can also see the cakes being made.

Antiques and Vintage

The rue Notre-Dame in the Chartrons district is the best for antique shops. At the junction with rue Sicard, next to the St-Louis church, is the Village Notre-Dame, a gallery of 30 different antique sellers which opened in 1982 (51 rue Notre-Dame).

In the Saint-Jean district you’ll find L’Entrepot St Germain (96 rue Amédée St Germain), an amazing combination of antiques and retro stuff, which organises its items by periods.

In the Saint-Pierre quarter is Au Dénicheur (12 rue de la cour des aides), which is packed floor to ceiling with fun antiques and vintage stuff.

Fashion

There are lots of haute-couture shops around the place des Grands-Hommes and the cours de l’Intendance, which runs down to place Gambetta.

For more High-Street fashion outlets, take a walk along the rue Sainte-Catherine, which is said to be the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe. It runs for 1.2 km (0.75 miles) from the place de la Comédie down to place de la Victoire. It was originally a Roman road. It became a pedestrian street for most of its length between 1976 and 1977 and then in full in 1984.

It does have some designer names along it, but most of the shops are aimed at the younger and more affordable end of the market. There’s also a branch of the famous Parisian department store, Galleries Lafayette, and Galerie Bordelaise, a shopping mall that opened in 1834.

Food

As well as the market in Les Grand Hommes, in the very centre of the Golden Triangle, the area around is also home to several specialist food shops. Maison Dubernet, on the corner of rue Mably and rue Michel-Montaigne, specialises in foie gras.

There’s also a food market, the Quai des Chartrons Market, where you can buy fresh oysters and other seafood every Sunday morning along the Quai des Chartrons, near the Croiseur Colbert battleship. Food stalls tend to close by about 1pm but other stalls, including craft stalls, stay open longer, and there are also some great places to enjoy Sunday lunch here.

Wine Shopping in Bordeaux

There are of course plenty of wine-shopping opportunities if you’re touring the vineyards, but in the city itself one shop stands out. Almost opposite the Grand Theatre at 2 allées de Tourny is L’Intendant: Grands Vins de Bordeaux. Not only does it have a huge and impressive range of Bordeaux wines, the shop itself is worth seeing. The wines are displayed along a circular staircase that winds up around several floors and looks quite stunning.

There’s another good shop along the same street at 60-62 allées de Tourny, Badie, which has been in business since 1880. If you want something a bit special then you’ll certainly find it here.