I am home from studying in Bordeaux for a little over 5 months. I traveled to over 6 different countries.
I won’t deny, my first 2 ½ months in Bordeaux were EXTREMELY rough. Everything that could have went wrong, went wrong. However, it became a pretty good experience.
Bordeaux the City:

What I’m going to miss most of all about Bordeaux are the international students I met. They have many great small restaurants. Bordeaux is a very beautiful city, with everything in walking distance. It was only a 15 minutes walk to get from my flat (Victoire tram stop) to the main shopping area (Grand Theatre tram stop). Bordeaux School of Management is definitely a place where you can brush up your ‘soft’ skills, and the school does whatever it can to give their students access to the best education and internships.

However, if traveling there, be sure to brush up on your French. Finding people who speak English in Bordeaux is really a hit or miss. Once, while a large protest was going on, I couldn’t find anyone in the crowd who spoke enough English to tell me what was happening. Also, the French are VERY particular with how things are pronounced; even fluent speaking Canadian-French students had trouble communicating with the natives of France.

Tips if Studying in Bordeaux
1. Get a flat ahead of time. Do WHATEVER you can to get your flat in the city center. All the good stuff of Bordeaux is near the city center. Their trams and buses stop running as frequently after 10pm (they stop all together at 12am), and their taxis are VERY expensive. I knew lots of international students who felt living so far away from the city hindered their experience.

2. Go out to eat! They have amazing 3 course meals for just fewer than 15 euros which is quite the steal. I suggest visiting Rue Saint Remi near Place De La Bourse, it’s a street filled with affordable restaurants. The best restaurants in my opinion are Chez Pascal’s, Le Chine, and Karls.

3. Go on day trips! There are so many amazing near by places to Bordeaux because it is so close to Spain and the ocean. Some suggestions: Arcachon, Dune de Pyla, San Sebastian, and Saint Emillion.

4. Plan ahead! Though traveling in Europe is much cheaper than the US because it’s smaller, still book tickets in advance. Bordeaux’s airport is much smaller than most airports, so you don’t get the best deals compared to a place like Paris.

5. Rent a car! Yes, this is possible. It’s really affordable if you have 4+ people, also if one of them can drive a stick.

6. Take pictures! I brought a camera and took lots of pictures, but looking back, I wish I would have taken more.

– Jerica L