Place de la Bourse

Take a photo in this elegant cobbled square, framed by spectacular architecture and with a beautiful fountain placed in the center, always popular with tourists. The elegant city square is the town's best-known landmark, and at night its surrounding buildings are lit up, creating a very glamorous backdrop for a holiday selfie or two. 

Bordeaux's most iconic square

This square is one of the most famous examples of classical French architecture from the 18th century. Laid out by architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel between 1730 and 1775, it took 20 years to build the square, and as it broke with the city's traditionally medieval style, it symbolized an opening up of the historic center to the River Garonne. Louis XV's top architect's style is evident in the beveled corners, as well as the surrounding buildings' wrought iron structures and ornamental faces called mascarons.

The pinnacle of French neoclassical architecture

Medieval city walls were razed to make way for the vast horse-shoe expanse, framed by elegant palaces. The Palais de la Bourse (today Bordeaux's Chamber of Commerce) sits on the northern side of the square, with the Hotel des Fermes to the south, today the National Museum of Customs, featuring sculptures of Roman goddesses Minerva and Mercury. Meet three famous Bordelaises The equestrian statue of King Louis XV piercing the center of the square was destroyed during the French Revolution in 1789, and briefly replaced by one of Napoleon. The Fontaine des Trois Grâces (Fountain of the Three Graces) has been a much-appreciated landmark since 1869, photographed by tourists from all over the world.

A mirage of elegance and symmetry

Designed by Jean-Max Llorca and architect Pierre Gangnet, Michel Corajoud, the Miroir d'Eau is the world's largest reflecting pool. Covering an area of 3,500 m² of black granite on the quayside opposite the imposing Palais de la Bourse, the 'water mirror' provides breath-taking reflection of the Palais de la Bourse and hours of entertainment on warm sunny days when the reflections in its thin slick of water Every half an hour a dense cloud of mist is ejected for three minutes to add to the fun (and photo opportunities). This is a favorite place for both the Bordelais and tourists to meet. When it's very hot, children can spend hours here, fascinated by the mist, laughing until they drop with fatigue after having run across the pool dozens of times.