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Le Verdon (for Bordeaux), France

Le Verdon-sur-Mer: The Atlantic Gateway to Bordeaux Wine Country

Le Verdon-sur-Mer is the village at the northern tip of the Médoc peninsula, where the Gironde estuary opens into the Atlantic, and the Cordouan lighthouse offshore lies within its boundaries. The city of Bordeaux is a long way upriver, so decide before you arrive whether your day is for the city, the vineyards or the coast.

Good to know

What Cruise Travelers Should Know

Ships berth at the deep-water terminal at Le Verdon, on the northern tip of the Médoc peninsula where the Gironde estuary meets the Atlantic. It is a working port that takes ships of any size, so most of what you will want to see is a drive away.

  • Soulac-sur-Mer is under 20 minutes from the quay by road, the Pauillac and Médoc vineyards about an hour and Bordeaux about two hours.
  • Le Verdon is about 87 km from Bordeaux by road, and Royan lies 9.5 km across the estuary.
  • Smaller cruise ships can sail up the river to berths at Pauillac or in central Bordeaux, so check which one your ship uses.
  • France uses the euro.

Le Verdon on Your Own

Le Verdon is a small seaside village, and an independent day here means the beaches, the lighthouses and the estuary rather than the city. Bordeaux is about two hours away by road, so a city visit takes up most of a port day.

  • The Pointe de Grave: At the tip of the peninsula stands the Phare de Grave, built in 1859 and 1860, with a viewing table at the top, 107 steps up. The buildings beside it house a museum of the Cordouan lighthouse and of lighthouses and buoys, open daily in season.
  • A ride across the estuary: A ferry crosses from Port-Bloc at the Pointe de Grave to Royan, 9.5 km away on the far shore.
  • Soulac-sur-Mer: The next town to the south, under 20 minutes by road, has four sandy beaches, seaside villas and a 12th-century basilica that was once buried by sand.
  • By train: TER trains run from Le Verdon station, through Soulac, to Bordeaux-Saint-Jean. The station has no ticket machine, so sort out a ticket before you go, and check the return times against all-aboard.
  • Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own, and the terminal is in a working port, so ask the ship how passengers get to and from the gate.

Getting Around from Le Verdon

Distances on the Médoc peninsula are long, so most visitors go by coach or car. Public transport exists, a regional train line to Bordeaux and a ferry to Royan, so check the times against your ship's all-aboard before you rely on either.

  • The D 1215 road runs south from Le Verdon toward Bordeaux, and the D 101 runs to Soulac-sur-Mer.
  • The Médoc railway line runs from Bordeaux to the Pointe de Grave and has two stations in Le Verdon, one in the village since 1875 and one at the Pointe de Grave since 1902.
  • In July and August, some trains continue past Le Verdon to the Pointe de Grave station.
  • In Bordeaux, trams and buses share one ticket good for an hour of transfers, and the machines at tram stops take cards or coins. You must validate the ticket each time you change.
  • Bordeaux's sights are fairly close together in the old center, and much of it is pedestrian.

What to Eat in the Bordeaux Region

The Médoc is wine country, and the estuary adds oysters and fish. In Bordeaux, the one sweet to try is the canelé.

  • Canelé: A small Bordeaux cake shaped like a fluted cylinder, flavored with rum and vanilla and baked in a mold, traditionally copper, that gives it a thin caramelized crust.
  • Médoc oysters: Le Verdon still has the huts of its old oyster port, and since 2014 Médoc oysters have again been produced, finished in the old marshes, where prawns are farmed too.
  • Médoc red wine: The Médoc appellation covers the northern third of the peninsula, up to Soulac, and it is almost entirely red.
  • Lillet: A wine-based aperitif made since 1872 in Podensac, south of Bordeaux.

Tipping in France

Tips are not expected in France, because the cost of service is included in menu prices and serving staff receive a full wage. When French diners do leave something, they usually round the bill up.

  • Restaurants and cafés: Service is already in the price, so any tip is a small thank-you for good service.
  • Currency: France uses the euro.

Culture and Sights in the Bordeaux Region

Le Verdon's own landmarks are its lighthouses, Cordouan out at sea and Grave on the point. Inland lie the wine châteaux of the Médoc, and upriver the 18th-century waterfront of Bordeaux.

  • Cordouan lighthouse: Built between 1584 and 1611 on a rocky islet off the estuary mouth and raised in 1789, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since July 2021. Visitors arrive by boat and can climb the stairs to the top.
  • Basilica of Notre-Dame, Soulac: Built in the second half of the 12th century, when Soulac was a stop for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela, it was buried by drifting sand by 1744 and dug out again in the 19th century.
  • Pauillac: Three of Bordeaux's five first-growth châteaux are in this commune, Latour, Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild. Some châteaux in the region take drop-in visitors, and others only by appointment.
  • Bordeaux: Its waterfront, the Port of the Moon, named for the crescent the river makes through the city, was listed by UNESCO in 2007 with about 1,800 hectares of the city around it. The Place de la Bourse was built from 1730 to 1775, and the Grand Théâtre opened in 1780.
  • The Miroir d'eau: Opposite the Place de la Bourse, this granite slab is covered with 2 cm of water to make a mirror, then turns to mist up to 2 m high, in a repeating cycle.
  • La Cité du Vin: A museum of wine and its cultures by the river in Bordeaux. Check prices before you go.

History of the Bordeaux Region

Le Verdon was long a hamlet of salt pans at the mouth of the Gironde. The railway made it a town in the 1870s, and its deep water has since brought ocean liners, container ships and now cruise ships.

  • 11th century: Monks of the priory of Saint-Nicolas de Grave, a house of the Cluny order, kept the fire burning on Cordouan. The priory was later buried by sand.
  • 1154 to 1453: Bordeaux and Aquitaine were under English rule after Eleanor of Aquitaine married the future Henry II, until France took the region back and cut off the wine supply to England.
  • 1584 to 1611: The Cordouan lighthouse was built off the estuary mouth, and it was raised in 1789.
  • 18th century: Bordeaux built the Place de la Bourse from 1730, and the city took part in the triangular trade with France's Caribbean colonies.
  • 1855: The châteaux of Bordeaux were ranked in a classification that is still widely used today.
  • 1874 and 1875: Le Verdon became a commune of its own, separate from Soulac, and the railway from Bordeaux reached the village the next year.
  • 1930s: The largest liners of the day called at a passenger pier at Le Verdon, joined to land by a viaduct more than 340 m long. German forces destroyed it in November 1944.
  • 1942 to 1945: German forces blew up the monument at the Pointe de Grave to Lafayette's departure in 1777 and to America's entry into the First World War. The pocket of Royan and the Pointe de Grave was retaken by the French army in April 1945, with heavy losses.
  • 1976: The Port of Bordeaux opened its container terminal at Le Verdon.
  • To learn more ashore: The Musée d'Aquitaine, at 20 Cours Pasteur in Bordeaux, traces the history of Bordeaux and Aquitaine from the Stone Age to the present day.

Family Experiences in the Bordeaux Region

With children, the easiest day stays on the coast: a beach at Le Verdon or Soulac and the lighthouse museum on the Pointe de Grave. A trip to Bordeaux works better with older children who can manage a long drive.

  • Younger children: A beach day at Le Verdon or Soulac keeps travel short; pick one of the supervised beaches.
  • School age: The lighthouse museum beside the Phare de Grave covers Cordouan and the history of lighthouses and buoys.
  • Teenagers: A boat trip to Cordouan ends with a long stair climb to the top of the lighthouse, a climb for fit teenagers. In Bordeaux, the Miroir d'eau's mist fills an afternoon.
  • On a long drive: If you are heading to Bordeaux, pack water and snacks for the long ride each way.

Accessibility at Le Verdon and the Bordeaux Region

The terminal is in a working port and the trip to Bordeaux is long, so ask your cruise line how it handles mobility needs ashore. In Bordeaux itself much of the old center is pedestrian.

  • Cordouan is reached only by boat, and steps lead up to the door, the courtyard and the top, so it is not suitable for wheelchair users.
  • The Phare de Grave has 107 steps up to its viewing table.
  • In Bordeaux, a small electric shuttle bus, the navette du centre-ville, runs through the pedestrian streets.

Shopping in the Bordeaux Region

Wine and canelés are the things to bring home from this corner of France. In Bordeaux, the pedestrian center has shops of every kind, from clothes to crafts, food and wine.

  • Rue Sainte-Catherine: Bordeaux's long pedestrian shopping street runs through the old center.
  • Canelés: The Confrérie du canelé de Bordeaux, founded in 1985, spells the name with a single n to set apart the cakes made in Bordeaux.
  • Before you buy wine: Check your cruise line's rules on bringing bottles back on board.

Beaches Near Le Verdon

Le Verdon has six beaches, two of them supervised: Saint-Nicolas on the ocean and La Chambrette on the estuary. The other four are wild ocean beaches without lifeguards.

  • The Plage des Arros, one of the wild beaches, lies at the edge of Soulac and is sometimes counted as Soulac's.
  • Soulac-sur-Mer has four sandy beaches backed by dunes, from the north beach to the Plage de l'Amélie.
  • Cordouan lighthouse is visible offshore from the coast at Soulac.
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