Esplanade des Quinconces

Where it is & how to get there

• Tram: Trams B and C stop at Quinconces, the city's main tram hub.
• On foot: 3 minutes from the Grand Théâtre.
• From the station: Tram C from Gare Saint-Jean, about 12 minutes.

The story of the Esplanade des Quinconces

The esplanade covers about 12 hectares on the site of the Château Trompette, a royal fortress built to keep the city under control. It was demolished after the Revolution, and in the 1820s the land became this vast square, named after the quincunx pattern of its rows of trees.

At its western end stands the Monument aux Girondins, built between 1894 and 1902 in memory of the Bordeaux deputies executed during the Terror. Its column is topped by a statue of Liberty breaking her chains, and its bronze fountains of horses and sea creatures are among the finest in France. Two rostral columns by the river represent commerce and navigation.

Best time to visit

Tips before you go

• Fairs and events take place here in spring and autumn.
• Get close to the fountains to see the details of the bronze horses and creatures.
• Walk north to the Jardin Public and the Chartrons wine-merchant quarter.

What's around the Esplanade des Quinconces

• Jardin PublicAn 18th-century English-style park with a natural history museum.
• ChartronsAntique shops, wine bars and a Sunday market by the river.
• CAPCContemporary art museum in a former colonial warehouse.
• Grand ThéâtreBordeaux's opera house, 3 minutes away.

Questions travellers ask