Introducing Bordeaux

Until recently, Bordeaux was a city snubbed by tourists en route to sniff the brambles of the Médoc region’s legendary wines. A practical city with a trader’s soul, Bordeaux grew rich from the region’s cocoa, sugar, and, more infamously, the slave trade. Now, it’s all about wine. Bordeaux is the wine capital of the world, an industry which generates around $15 billion a year. The great news for tourists is that superb cuisine is, generally, a joyful counterpart to a highly civilized wine culture. Throughout the last century, Bordeaux’s resplendent Baroque and Art Nouveau mansions, built during the city’s 18th-century heyday, lay concealed beneath thick coats of grime and graffiti, hence the moniker ‘Le Belle Endormie,’ or Sleeping Beauty. Then, in came former prime minister and Bordeaux city mayor Alain Juppé who took the reins of a mammoth restoration project. The city has now been restored to its former glory. Best explored without an agenda, the Old City is an intriguing warren of ancient streets and medieval squares chock full of newly burnished landmarks, from the Gothic spires of the St. André Cathedral, to the St. Seurin Basilica with its sixth-century crypt, and St. Michael’s Church with its Gothic belfry. The red light district has been cleansed of its neon. Elegant mansions now hug the river’s undulating curves. The grubby warehouses of the Bassin á Flots dockland have been recast as fashionable restaurants and sleek night clubs frequented by a stylish, upwardly mobile crowd.

Airports within a 35-mile radius of the Bordeaux:

  • Merignac Airport (BOD)
    • Atrigues De Lussac Airport (XLR)
    • La Teste De Buch Airport (XAC)
    • Cazaux Airport (LFBC)

Popular aircraft charters* in the Bordeaux area include:

  • Citation Excel (super light)
  • Learjet 45 XR (super light)
  • Citation CJ3 (light)
  • Learjet 31ER 400A (light)
  • Learjet 60 XR (midsize)
  • Citation III (midsize)
  • Gulfstream G200 (super midsize)
  • Citation Sovereign (super midsize)

*This is just a sample. Zephyr provides access to aircraft at every end of the spectrum, from luxurious VIP airliners, to ultra long range business jet, helicopters, and economical turboprops.