Bordeaux

The Celtic Bituriges Vivisci founded Burdigala, which became a Roman trading town for tin and lead. The marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry Plantagenet brought the city under English rule for three centuries, and the wine trade with England flourished until the city was taken by France after the Battle of Castillon in 1453.

The 18th century was Bordeaux's golden age, built on trade with the colonies, including the Atlantic slave trade, and the wine trade. Royal intendants commissioned the Place de la Bourse from 1720, built between 1735 and 1755, and the city's classical ensembles took shape. A major urban renewal from the late 1990s cleaned the façades, reclaimed the quays and introduced the tram from 2003. UNESCO inscribed the Port of the Moon in 2007, and the city has more protected buildings than any other in France except Paris.

Bordeaux has a young, busy feel with a large student population. Locals eat canelés, small caramelised cakes flavoured with rum and vanilla, along with oysters from nearby Arcachon Bay and entrecôte à la bordelaise. Markets such as the Marché des Capucins and the riverside Sunday market are popular gathering places, and wine bars serve local reds and whites by the glass.