Bordeaux

The city's showpiece — a perfectly symmetrical 18th-century royal square opening onto the river, the image of Bordeaux's stone-and-water elegance. Come at dusk when the floodlit façade glows gold above the Garonne.

The world's largest reflecting pool, laid across the quay in front of Place de la Bourse — a thin film of water that mirrors the façade, then hisses up into mist. Kids paddle, everyone photographs; pure Bordeaux magic on a warm evening.

A swirling, decanter-shaped museum of wine on the river — immersive, hands-on and global, ending with a tasting in the glass-topped belvedere over the city. The essential stop even if you never leave town for a vineyard.

A magnificent 18th-century opera house behind a colonnade of twelve columns, its staircase said to have inspired the Paris Opéra. See a show, take a tour, or just admire it from a café on Place de la Comédie.

The medieval tangle behind the river — Place du Parlement and Place Saint-Pierre ringed with restaurant terraces and wine bars, the prettiest place to eat and drink outdoors. The city's living room after dark.

Reputedly the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe, running 1.2km through the heart of the city — big brands, buskers and a constant flow. Good for a browse, and it links most of the sights on foot.

Bordeaux's belly — a covered market where locals crowd the oyster stalls on weekend mornings for a dozen with a glass of white wine. The city's best cheap feast; go hungry, go before noon.

The great Gothic cathedral where Eleanor of Aquitaine married the future king of France — soaring nave, fine carved portals, and the free view is next door. A cornerstone of the UNESCO centre.

The cathedral's free-standing Gothic bell tower — climb the 230-odd steps for the best rooftop panorama of the honey-stone city and the river beyond. Topped by a gilded statue of the Virgin.

A flamboyant Gothic basilica with a separate spire — France's tallest bell tower in the south — over a square that hums with a flea market and North African cafés. The soul of the multicultural quarter; climb the tower for another great view.

The reclaimed riverbank runs for kilometres as a promenade of lawns, cycle paths and skateparks past the old warehouses — the city's front garden. Walk or rent a bike from the Miroir up to the Cité du Vin.

A fairy-tale medieval gate on the river, all turrets and pinnacles, once the ceremonial entrance to the city. Photogenic from the square, and you can climb inside for the story of old Bordeaux.

A leafy English-style park in the centre — lawns, a boating pond, a little botanical garden and plenty of shade. The locals' spot for a picnic or a jog; a green breather between sights.

The old wine-merchants' district — antique shops on Rue Notre-Dame, wine cellars, and a Sunday-morning riverside market for oysters and white wine by the water. The most Bordelais way to spend a lazy morning.

Do the two edible essentials — a warm canelé from a proper pâtissier, and a flight of Bordeaux at a city wine bar or the École du Vin. The city on a plate and in a glass; you don't need to leave town to taste well.

A jewel of a medieval wine town 40 minutes east — cobbled lanes, an astonishing church carved from the rock, and world-famous vineyards all around. The essential Bordeaux day trip.

Europe's tallest sand dune — a 100-metre wall of sand between pine forest and the Atlantic, an hour west. Climb it for the view, then tumble down. Unforgettable at sunset.

A belle-époque seaside resort on a huge tidal bay — oyster shacks, fine sand, and a boat out to the Île aux Oiseaux. Pair it with the great dune next door.

The world's largest digital-art centre, in a colossal WWII submarine base — vast walls and water flooded with projected masterpieces and music. Utterly immersive.

A former barracks on the right bank reborn as an eco-creative hub — street art, a skatepark, an organic canteen and a vast covered market. The city's coolest hangout.