People are often surprised when we tell them winter is one of our favorite times of year in Bordeaux. The summer crowds are long gone, the vineyards go quiet, and the city dresses itself up for the holidays.
The Bordeaux vineyards in winter
The vines are bare in winter, and this is when the pruning gets done, all by hand. You’ll see the crews out in the rows, bundled up, with little fires going to burn the cuttings. It’s a side of wine country most visitors never see.
The châteaux are calmer too. With fewer visitors around, the person pouring your wine usually has time to talk, and those conversations tend to be the ones guests remember the most.
Some châteaux close for a stretch around Christmas and New Year, so we plan around that when we build your days. You can check out our Winter Holiday in Bordeaux tour page on our website.
Winter nights at the Bordeaux Christmas market
This year’s Christmas market runs from November 27 to December 27, 2026. Filling Place des Quinconces with over a hundred little wooden chalets, and the ice rink just next door on the Allées de Tourny.
Last year the market stayed open every day until 9:30 in the evening, and honestly the evening is the time to go. Have dinner, then wander over once the lights are on and pick up a cup of vin chaud. It’s also an easy place to find small gifts.
Bordeaux Tasting Event, December 12 and 13
If your trip lands on the second weekend of December, you’re in luck. The Bordeaux Tasting is held on December 12 and 13 this year at the Palais de la Bourse, right across from the water mirror. It’s organized by the wine magazine Terre de Vins, and this will be its 15th year.
More than 100 winemakers pour over the weekend, and there are masterclasses if you want to go deeper. Buy tickets ahead, get there early on Saturday before it fills up, and don’t be shy about using the spit buckets ^^ everyone does.
Sunday morning at the Chartrons market
Every Sunday morning, all year round, a big open-air market sets up along the riverfront on the Quai des Chartrons. Locals used to call it the Marché Colbert, after an old navy ship that was moored there as a museum years ago.
There are somewhere around 60 to 70 stalls: cheese, fruit and vegetables, flowers, rotisserie chickens turning on the spit, and plenty of seafood. The food stalls run from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the places serving food usually keep going until about 3. You look out over the Garonne the whole time, with the big lift bridge at the end of the quay.
We recommend walking the whole market first. Then either pick up some oysters, a cone of shrimp and a bottle of white from the stalls and have a picnic on the riverfront, or just pull up a stool at one of the seafood stands and order oysters, shrimp and a glass of white wine like everyone around you. Winter is the best time for oysters, by the way, and in Bordeaux, a plate of Arcachon oysters is part of how people celebrate the holidays.
Getting there is easy. Tram line B stops at Chartrons, right by the market.
Then the Cité du Vin in the afternoon
On most of our tours we keep Sunday as a free day, and this is the reason. Spend the morning at the market, then head up the river to the Cité du Vin, the big wine museum near the Bassins à Flot. It’s a nice walk along the water, or a few stops further north on the same tram line.
Planning your winter in Bordeaux
If you travel with us on a guided tour, all of this is taken care of. Your private guide and driver, your hotels, your château visits and the planning all come together around what you want to see, and we’ll leave your Sunday open so you can enjoy the market and the museum at your own pace.
We hope to see you here this winter. And don’t forget to bring your scarf. 🍷
