Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game
Home of the Girondins, dominant force in France during the golden era of the mid 1980s, Bordeaux has always been a classic one-club city in the mould of main rivals Marseille or Toulouse.
These comparisons seemed somewhat hollow in the summer of 2024 when the Marines et Blanc, already relegated from Ligue 1 in 2022, dropped down to the third tier after Liverpool’s owners, the Fenway Sports Group, opted against saving the club from its financial misery.
And while Bordeaux began 2024-25 in the Championnat National – with the further possibility of sinking even one tier lower due further administrative measures – Bordeaux remains a classic name in the French game, with a fan base to match.
The city’s status was perfectly illustrated by the fact that, the same week that FSG pulled out of the Girondins deal, Bordeaux was preparing to stage several games as part of the 2024 Olympics, including a men’s quarter-final.
Bordeaux is no stranger to prestigious football occasions, of course. The Girondins, six-time French title winners, switched stadiums at the end of the 2014-15 campaign, leaving behind the Stade Chaban Delmas, opened for the 1938 World Cup and revamped for 1998, for the Stade de Bordeaux, built at Bordeaux-Lac north of town, for Euro 2016.
The Chaban Delmas was also home to the Bègles rugby team, Bordeaux being situated deep in the oval-ball heartland of south-west France. Given the significant British expat community gathered here in wine country, there’s ample demand for the many sports pubs in town.
In fact, it was an English family, descendants of Nathaniel Johnson, who sold the city council the land, formerly vineyards, on which the former stadium was built. Its part Neo-Classical look and maritime decorative touches reflecting the city’s grand appearance and history, the venue was originally named after the area it was set in: Lescure.
A new chapter opened in the city’s sporting history in 2015. The Nouveau Stade, named after its sponsor Matmut Atlantique, stands near the exhibition centre, Parc des Expositions, surrounded by chain hotels.
It’s also at the terminus of tramway line C, part of the city’s swish, modern transport network, which ferried fans for five Euro 2016 matches, including the dramatic quarter-final between Italy and Germany. France had already played an international match here the previous September, a 2-1 friendly win over Serbia.
In many ways, though, the inaugural match there was the most symbolic, old boy Zinedine Zidane kicking off Bordeaux’s encounter with Montpellier, at the club where he made his name back in the early 1990s.
How his alma mater now climbs out of the mire isn’t clear. Offloaded by American owners King Street in 2021, the Girondins were picked up by Hispano-Luxembourg venture capitalist Gérard López, with interests in Formula 1 and Boavista in Portugal. This collector of exclusive cars must have been wary of his investment in Bordeaux after the club failed to win promotion at the first attempt in 2022-23, a Girondins fan running onto the pitch after the vital game with Rodez to attack an opposing player.
Mid-table in 2023-24 after a one-point deduction and now condemned to the third flight, Bordeaux are in a situation as dire as any major club in France – with no guarantees of decent attendances at the 42,000-capacity Matmut Atlantique for a long while yet.
Getting Around
Arriving in town, local transport and tips
Bordeaux Airport is 12km (7.5 miles) west of the city centre. Budget airlines use the terminal by the main one, closer to public transport.
From Gate 7, Hall B, bus Liane 1 (every 10mins, every 15-20mins Sat-Sun, single ticket €1.70, valid 1hr) takes 40mins to reach St-Jean station (via Mérignac Centre (15mins), where a change onto Tramway A brings you closer to the city centre.
The 30′ Direct bus (every 45mins-1hr winter, every 30min summer, €8) runs from Hall B direct to St-Jean station (30mins), on the same Tramway C as the stadium up north – airport-to-stadium would take around the same time using Tramway A from Mérignac Centre as you’ll need to change at Porte Bourgogne or Hôtel de Ville then Quinconces.
For leisurely travel, boat line Bat3 glides between the central square of Stalingrad and Lormont Bas, via the central square of Quinconces and transport hub of La Cité du Vin, where shuttle buses run to the stadium. Boat services run roughly hourly at weekends, far less frequently during the week. Regular tickets including the Pass Stade (see below) are valid or you can purchase on board.
Taxi Bordeaux (+33 5 29 10 25) should charge around €30 from airport to town.
Transport company TBM oversees four tramlines (A-D), buses and a boat service. A single ticket is €1.90, (valid 1hr), a day pass (Ticket 24 heures) is €6.50, available from machines at stops – validate on board for each journey. Note that there’s also a special Pass Stade (€3.30) ticket for travel to and from the stadium on match days.
Where to Drink
The best pubs and bars for football fans
A football town, a rugby hub and teeming with students, Bordeaux is not short of bars where you’ll find matches screened. Even the elegant Grand Café on place Gambetta puts up a large screen for big-game nights.
The square to head for, though, is place de la Victoire, where sport-friendly Pub Saint Aubin has a large terrace, and a four-room space inside for diners and drinkers. Happy hours are generous. Across the square, the Grizzly Pub shows matches, serves cocktails and stages DJs.
The riverbank is also lined with drinking options, such as the Charles Dickens, Molly Malone’s and, near the Bordeaux branch of Frog & Rosbif, Sweeney Todd’s (2 cours Alsace-Lorraine), home of big-screen action and fry-up breakfasts.
Football is also shown at centrally located The City (21 rue du Palais-Galien), the Sherlock Holmes on rue Judaïque, Casey’s Pub nearby, the Connemara on cours d’Albret and the Cock & Bull (23 rue Duffour Dubergier).
Big-screen sport can be found at The Starfish near place du Palais tram stop on rue Sainte-Colombe, which offers extended happy hours from 4pm-7pm. More traditional is the Houses of Parliament pub on rue Parlement Sainte-Catherine, sport shown on HD TVs, and darts and pool taken seriously.
Perhaps the best of the bunch, the friendliest and famed for its burgers, is the Golden Apple on rue Borie. Decent food is served at the age-old, riverside Grand Bar Castan, with few sporting links but a good place to start the day.
Where to stay
The best hotels for the stadium and city centre
Bordeaux Tourism has a room-booking service.
A handful of hotels in the Accor chain are set up near the Stade Matmut Atlantique. The Novotel Bordeaux Le Lac has its own pool, as does the Pullman Bordeaux Lac.
At the more budget end of the scale are the ibis Bordeaux Lac, the ibis budget Bordeaux le Lac and the Mercure Bordeaux Lac Hotel. Also in the same complex is the three-star, business-friendly Le Provençal, with its own restaurant.
All these hotels benefit from nearby lakeside views, a parking area and a charging station for electric cars. Tramway C runs direct to Saint-Jean station in 30 minutes and you’re right by the stadium, of course – though you’d otherwise have to make your own entertainment in the evening.
In town, and in the same family for four generations, the Hotel de Normandie sits by focal Quinconces while the landmark InterContinental Bordeaux – Le Grand Hôtel overlooks place de la Comédie.
Centrally located, affordable options include the Hôtel de l’Opéra by focal Quinconces, Bleu de Mer nearer the waterfront while, reopened in April 2024 after a major overhaul, the Majestic offers stylish four-star rooms close to Quinconces.
Internet cheapie Hôtel Stars on rue de Tauzia has a maritime theme that extends to cabin-sized rooms, all a convenient one tram stop from the station.
