3 Best Sights in Bordeaux and the Wine Country, France

The centerpiece of the left bank is this open square built in 1729–33. Ringed with large-windowed buildings, it was beautifully designed by the era's most esteemed architect, Jacques Gabriel, father of Jacques-Ange Gabriel (who went on to remodel Paris's Place de la Concorde). Across the road from the square, just beside the river is the Miroir d'Eau (Mirror of Water), a large rectangle of shallow water that reflects the sky and periodically comes to life as a fountain.

From the castle ramparts, cobbled steps lead down to Place du Marché, a leafy square where cafés remain open late into the balmy summer night—just be prepared for the inflated prices they charge.

A few blocks southeast of Place de la Bourse, Place du Parlement is also ringed by elegant 18th-century structures and packed with lively outdoor cafés.