In the port city of Bordeaux, southwestern France

 "Most of the guests who stay here wouldn’t know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." --John Cleese

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(in a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department of southwestern France) A port city, Bordeaux is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department. Its inhabitants are called "Bordelais" (masculine) or "Bordelaises" (feminine). (The term "Bordelais" may also refer to the city and its surrounding region.)

+ The Bordeaux Metropolis is the fifth most populated metropolitan council in France after those of Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Lille. Bordeaux is a world capital of wine: many châteaux and vineyards stand on the hillsides of the Gironde, and the city is home to the world's main wine fair, Vinexpo. Bordeaux is also one of the centers of gastronomy and business tourism for the organization of international congresses. It is a central and strategic hub for the aeronautics, military and space sector, home to international companies such as Dassault Aviation, Ariane Group, Safran and Thalès.

Bordeaux is an international tourist destination for its architectural and cultural heritage with more than 362 historic monuments,making it, after Paris, the city with the most listed or registered monuments in France. The "Pearl of Aquitaine" has been voted European Destination of the year in a 2015 online poll. The metropolis has also received awards and rankings by international organizations such as in 1957, Bordeaux was awarded the Europe Prize for its efforts in transmitting the European ideal.

+ Lying on the Garonne River above its junction with the Dordogne, Bordeaux has long been noted for its wine production. As Burdigala, it was the chief town of the Bituriges Vivisci, a Celtic people. Under Roman rule it was capital of Aquitania province. As part of the inheritance of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Bordeaux became English in 1154 on her husband’s accession to the English throne as Henry II. It enjoyed great prosperity through a thriving trade with the English until it was united with France on the English defeat in the Hundred Years’ War (1453). As a Girondin center, it suffered severely in the French Revolution. In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, the French government was transferred to Bordeaux, as it was again in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I. Its university, founded in 1441, educated such figures as Montesquieu.

+ After many years of hard work, the "Sleeping Beauty" has awoken from its slumber. The city is beautifully restored and has an ultra-modern public transport system. The “Port of the Moon” is also now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Stone Bridge, with its 17 arches, crosses the Garonne, offering pedestrians a lovely view over the docks and harbor. Take a stroll through old Bordeaux in the Triangle d'Or and stop at Place des Quinconces, France’s largest public square. (The city of Bordeaux is an ideal base for exploring the wine region’s great sights and tastes.)