Short circular loop of Bordeaux city centre on the west side through green spaces

Reach Place des Quinconces, France's largest square, by taking any of the tram lines (B, C, D and E at the end of 2025).

(S/E) With your back to Cours Tournon, facing the Monument des Girondins, take Cours du Maréchal Foch on the left. Take the^first left, Cours de Gourgues (shaded), and continue to the Jardin Public, crossing the imposing Cours de Verdun.

(1) Enter the Jardin Public and take the path on the right that runs along the left side of the lake (passing by the traditional Guignol Guérin, which has been there since 1853). Then turn left to reach and cross the Natural History Museum pavilion. Walk along the left side of the building, then turn right towards the exit of Place de Longchamps. Turn left onto Rue Saint-Laurent. Cross Rue Fondaudège, a large shopping street, and continue along Rue du Docteur Albert Barraud. After 50 metres, on the left, you will see the Roman ruins of the Palais Gallien.

(2) Continue for another 50 metres and take the^first right, Rue de Naujac, then the^second right, Rue Paulin (a magnificent but inaccessible garden at no. 91, Bordeaux-Métropole Water Service). Turn right onto Rue Fondaudège and walk a few metres, then cross the charming little Place Marie Brizard and turn left onto Rue du Temps Passé. Continue along Rue de l'Arsenal, then after 150 metres, take^{the fourth} right onto Rue Camille Godard and continue to the entrance to Parc Rivière.

(3) Enter the park, go straight ahead, then turn left to take the small west exit. Follow Rue de Rivière on the right, then take^{the first} left onto Rue de Moulis (nice mosaic on the façade of No. 6). Turn left onto Rue de Tivoli, then quickly right onto Rue Nicolas Beaujon. At the end, turn right onto Rue de la Croix de Seguey and cross a large boulevard at Barrière du Médoc. Follow the boulevard to the left for about 50 metres, then turn right onto Avenue d'Eysines. Take the^first left onto Avenue Félix Faure (lined with trees and pretty villas), then turn right onto Avenue Carnot. Continue to the monumental entrance to Parc Bordelais.

(4) Cross the park, going around the lake on the right. Head for the south-east exit.

(5) Continue straight ahead on Avenue du Général de Gaulle (lots of traffic), cross the boulevards and continue straight ahead on Cours Marc Nouaux. After 100 metres, turn left onto Rue de Bel Orme to discover the charming little Jardin de la Visitation, then retrace your steps and continue straight ahead on Rue Des Deux Ormeaux. Turn left onto Rue de Caudéran, then right onto Rue de la Benatte. Take^{the third} right onto the small Rue Kieser and continue straight ahead onto Passage Kieser (quiet and leafy). Turn right, walk 20 metres, then turn left onto Rue Georges Mandel.

(6) Walk along the Basilique Saint-Seurin on your right, crossing the Place des Martyrs de la Résistance (very tree-lined). Turn left onto Rue Rodrigues Péreire, then quickly turn right onto Rue Thiac. Turn left onto Rue du Palais Gallien, then immediately right onto Rue Huguerie; continue to Place Tourny. Continue along Cours Tournon (lined with trees) to Place des Quinconces (S/E).

(S/E) Place des Quinconces: 12 ha Monument des Girondins, toilets and bicycle parking also available.

(1) Jardin Public - 10 hectares - WC - every day from 7 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. or later depending on the season. See two of Bordeaux's seven remarkable trees: a Mexican bald cypress, easy to spot on the large lawn, surrounded by a fence, and a huge pecan tree located almost opposite the entrance on Rue du Jardin Public. See the Botanical Garden and Natural History Museum.

(2) Ruins of the Palais Gallien - a 22,000-seat amphitheatre dating from the 2nd century, a rare reminder of Bordeaux's Roman past.

(3) Parc Rivière - 4 hectares - toilets - open every day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. or later depending on the season. On your right is a bald cypress, one of Bordeaux's seven remarkable trees. Take a stroll through this park, which features a gardeners' house and shared gardens.

(4) Parc Bordelais - 28 hectares - toilets - open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. or later depending on the season. A true green lung in western Bordeaux, with a lake covering more than one hectare, a farm with animals from the south-west, a mini forest of hundred-year-old oak trees, a tourist train, a bar, and more.

(5) Jardin de la Visitation - 0.3 hectares - open daily from 8 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. or later depending on the season - LPO bird sanctuary.

(6) Place des Martyrs de la Résistance - WC - Saint-Seurin Basilica, UNESCO World Heritage Site.