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BORDEAUX - PUBLIC TRANSPORT |
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"Transportation and infrastructures
Get in
By plane
Bordeaux-Merignac Airport (IATA: BOD) (ICAO: LFBD), is west of the city. Its a regional airport which serves mostly domestic flights, though there are international flights as well connecting Bordeaux to some European "hub" airports like Paris (Orly and Roissy), London (Gatwick and Luton), Madrid, and Amsterdam.
A express bus runs every 45 minutes to the city center, with stops on the demand. The same bus runs from Gare St. Jean to the airport with three stops:
1. . Office de Tourisme 12, cours du 30 juillet
2. . Place Gambetta Arret 50-16-13 (devant le 38 & 39)
3. . Barriere Judaique (devant le 9 av. de Rublique)
The fare is 7€, a reduced fare for under 26 and over 60 is available for 6€.
Alternatively, you can take the bus no. 49 towards "Bordeaux 2" and stop at "Lycée Mérignac." From there you can take the tram line A towards the city centre with just one ticket (€1.40) since it won't exceed the one hour limit for the validity of the ticket.
By train
The main train station (Gare Saint Jean) is located about 4km from the center of town. Several trains per day (around one every two hours) go north (to Paris, about 3 hours 30 , Angoulème, Poitiers), south (to Toulouse, Marseille, Montpellier (about 4 to 5 hours), up to Nice), and east (to Périgueux and Clermont-Ferrand).
Buses and taxis leave from in front of the station. Catch the tramway to go to the inner center.
By car
You can reach Bordeaux by car from north (taking the A10 highway or N10), south (taking the A63 highway), and east. A beltway goes around the city.
If possible, avoid driving between 8-10AM and 4-7PM, as the beltway is usually overcrowded.
By bus
The bus station is located just in front of the train station, in the center of the town. Eurolines provide bus service to the city.
If you're travelling with bikes European Bike Express run a route from north of Leeds, stopping through the UK to Dover and then on towards Bayonne via Bordeaux. Passengers normally travel from the UK to Europe.
By taxi
Taxi providers offer service to and from the airport. For taxi services, you can go directly to Bordeaux Airport taxi rank or make an advance booking with one of the companies at your service Taxi Bordeaux Taxis de Merignac ( +33 5 56 97 11 27 ), Taxis Girondins ( +33 5 56 80 70 37 ), Allo Taxi 7/7 ( +33 5 57 77 75 55 ), Taxi 33 ( +33 5 56 74 95 06 ), and Aquitaine Taxis Radio ( +33 5 56 86 80 20 ).
Get around
Bordeaux is quite a big city; however, most of the interesting attractions are in the town center. It is not recommended that visitors drive as it is always a hassle to park it (and car parks are expensive), and there are often traffic jams in the small, old streets of the city.
The most interesting way to explore the city is by walking. As most of the town center is a 'pedestrian area', this is easy to do. If you like sports, you can rent roller-skates or a bike (see below) or you can make your way in town using the various bus lines. A small ferry boat permits to go from the western shore of the river to the eastern shore, and vice-versa.
Three efficient tramway lines are also available (A, B, and C), tickets cost 1.40€ and covers unlimited journeys within one hour of validation.
Bike and rollerblade rental
It is possible to rent roller-skates at a small sport-shop called "Pierre Qui Roule", situated on the western side of Place Gambetta, north of the pedestrian area.
By bus
The bus network is organized around three main places, where it is possible to take buses to almost every destination in the city :
* Gare Saint-Jean (railway station, bus lines going to town center, university, and north of town, TBC agency),
* Place de la Victoire (bus lines going to town center, to the railway station, to the University, north and south-west of town,
* Place Gambetta (bus lines going to la Victoire, the railway station, west, north-west, north of town, TBC agency ).
* Quinconces (TBC agency).
Tickets can be purchased on the bus; however, that is expensive and you cannot change buses with the tickets bought on the bus. The best thing is to buy tickets either at the TBC agencies (Gare Saint-Jean, Gambetta, Quinconces), at almost any tobacco store, or at the tourist offices (Quinconces, Gare Saint-Jean).
A 10-trip ticket will cost 8.60€. Each trip comprises up to 4 bus changes within one hour. You have also the possibility to buy tickets that will enable you to access freely the bus network for one to six days--those tickets cost from 3.75€ up to 11.80€. Students and elderly persons can buy tickets at a reduced price.
One peculiarity of Bordeaux buses is that you can get in the bus using whatever bus door you want--use the automatic machines to perforate your ticket, thus validating your trip. Don't try to cheat — fines are high.
Avoid the buses on peak hours (8-10AM, 4-7PM) as the town center is usually totally jammed (and cars often block bus tracks), and buses are overcrowded.
By ferry
Le Bus du Fleuve, as it is called, links the western part of the city and the eastern part of the city by a small cruise on the river. It is managed by the CGFTE, and you can theredore get in the boat using a standard bus ticket. The bus goes from the Southern part of Quai Richelieu to the Place Aristide Briand, very close to the Aquitaine Bridge (one of the must-see in Bordeaux).
By electric bus and tramway
A new tramway serves the town, crossing the Garonne via the Pont de Pierre. A distinctive feature of the tramway is that within the inner city, it has no overhead wires although this may change due to recent issues with the ground-level power supply system.
The electric bus, called la navette du centre-ville, is the only public transportation on pedestrian roads. There are no bus stops for this one: to board an electric bus, wave your hand to the driver - he will stop the bus and let you on. When you want to go out, just tell the driver.
All the maps, fares and times are on the TBC Web site (in French). Also, maps and times can be easily accessed with Google Maps, just select route "By public transit" when getting directions.
By Taxi
You don't have much time, but you would still like to do some sightseeing ? Bordeaux taxi drivers and tourist office offer an overview tour of the city Taxi Bordeaux."
This articol is release from Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0. It use material from Wikitravel voices: "Bordeaux".
Public Transport Cities:
L - La Paz - Lagos - Lahore - Las Palmas - Las Vegas - Leipzig - Lille - Lisbon - Liverpool - Lyon - Lomè - London -
- Los Angeles - Luxembourg - Luxor -
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