Bordeaux is a port city in the south-west of France, with 925,253 inhabitants in the metropolitan area at the 1999 census. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department. Its inhabitants are called Bordelais.
Bordeaux is known to be France's main military space and aeronautics research and construction complex. With almost 100,000 students, the city's university is renowned for its research units in crop science, new materials and nanotechnology. Bordeaux wine draws its name from the city around which it has been produced since the 8th century. The historic part of the city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble" of the 18th century

Bordeaux is classified "City of Art and History". The city has been inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble".
Bordeaux is home to one of Europe's biggest 18th century architectural urban areas, making it a sought-after destination for tourists and cinema production crews. It stands out as one of the first French cities, after Nancy, to have entered an era of urbanism and metropolitan big scale projects, with the team Gabriel father and son, architects for King Louis XV, under the supervision of 2 intendants (Governors), first Mr. Dupre de Saint Maur then the Marquis (Marquess) de Tourny.

Buildings
Main sights include:

• Esplanade des Quinconces
  
• Colonnes des Girondins
  
• Grand Théâtre
  
• Allées de Tourny
  
• Cours de l'Intendance
  
• Place du Chapelet
  
• Pont de Pierre
  
• Saint-André Cathedral, consecrated by Pope Urban II in 1096 . Of the Original Romanesque edifice only a wall in the nave remain. The Royal Gate is from the early 13th century, while the rest of the construction is mostly from the 14th-15th centuries.
  
• Tour Pey-Berland (1440-1450), a massive, quadrangular tower annexed to the cathedral.
  
• Sainte-Croix Church (Church of the Holy Cross). It lies on the site of a 7th century abbey destroyed by the Saracens. Rebuilt under the Carolingians, it was again destroyed by the Normans in 845 and 864. Of the Benedictine abbey of the 11th century only the nave walls and other minor part can be seen now. The current appearance is from the 19th century.
  
• The Gothic basilica of Saint-Michel, constructed in the late 14th-15th centuries.
  
• Basilica of Saint-Seurin, the most ancient church in Bordeaux. It was built in the early 6th century on the site of a palaeochristian necropolis. It has an 11th century portico, while the a pse and transept are from the following century. The 13th century nave has chapels from the 11th and the 14th centuries. The ancient crpyt houses sepulchres of the Merovingian family.
  
• Palais Rohan
  
• Palais Gallien, remains of a palace of the Roman emperor Gallienus
  
• Porte Cailhau
  
• La Grosse Cloche (15th century) is the second remaining gate of the Medieval walls. It was the belfry of the old Town Hall. It consists of two 40m-high circular towers and a central bell tower housing a bell weighing 7,800&kg. The watch is from 1759.
  
• Eglise Saint-Eloi
  
• Place de la Bourse (1730-1775), designed by the Royal architect Jacques Ange Gabriel as landscape for an equestrian statue of Louis XV.
  
• Place du Parlement
  
• Place Saint-Pierre
  
• Rue Sainte-Catherine
  Saint-André Cathedral, Saint-Michel Basilica and Saint-Seurin Basilica are part of the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.

Museums

• Musée des Beaux Arts
  
• Musée d'Aquitaine
  
• Musée des Arts Décoratifs
  
• Musée D'Histoire Naturelle
  
• CAPC
  
• Musée National des Doines
  
• French Cruiser Colbert
  
• Vinorama
  
• Musée Goupil
  
• Casa de Goya
  
• Cap Sciences
  
• Centre Jean Moulin

Shopping
Bordeaux boasts plenty of options for shopping. In the heart of Bordeaux is Rue Sainte-Catherine. This pedestrian only shopping street is 1.2 kilometers of shops, restaurants and cafes. It is also the longest shopping street in Europe. Rue Sainte-Catherine starts at Place de la Victoire and ends at Place de la Comedie by the opera house. The shops become progressively more upscale as you move towards Place de la Comedie and the nearby Cours de l'Intendance is where you'll find the more exclusive shops and boutiques