10 Things to Do in Bordeaux in October

The best things to do in Bordeaux during the month of October are quite different from the kind of activities you might enjoy if you decide to travel in May or April.

To facilitate your tourist planning and help you discover the most interesting places, I have taken it upon myself to find out what are the most important festivals and events in Bordeaux during the month of October.

The 'Bon! Food in Bordeaux' gastronomic festival aims to promote the pleasure of cooking well and good food by bringing together local chefs and associations to share their sustainable and healthy recipes with attendees.

In its first edition in 2023 (which lasted from Monday October 2 to Sunday October 8) there were more than 50 activities such as conferences, workshops, tastings, games and shows, all around gastronomy and learning key issues of it.

If at the end you are still hungry for more and want to continue learning about the gastronomy of the area, I also recommend you to book a gastronomic tour of Bordeaux where you will taste organic wines, a traditional Bordeaux lunch, typical sweets and exclusive chocolates. Are not your mouth watering?

The world of agriculture is also very important in the culture of Bordeaux. That is why an event like the Grande Transhumance Urbaine is part of the best things to do in this city during the month of October.

This event is a festival that seeks to connect city dwellers with local agriculture through sheep marches, French music concerts and craft markets.

The experience is a great way to get to know the suburbs of the metropolitan area, which can complete your urban exploration after booking a tour of downtown Bordeaux.

Information of interest

• Date: early October, probably during the first week of the month.
• Location: always changing, but most likely to be organized somewhere in Villenave d'Ornon, one of Bordeaux's most important southern suburbs.
• Price: free of charge.

Throughout the year, different wine-growing areas in and around the Bordeaux district usually hold an open doors weekend. This type of event consists of the possibility to enter the châteaux that are part of the cellars of some of the most important wine companies in the region.

The village of Graves reserves its opportunity to get to know its fields and its facilities free of charge for mid-October. Almost always for the second weekend of the month.

From this type of experience you have to know that you will need a means of transportation to get to these wine fields. However, it is worth it because they usually offer free tastings and even workshops related to the wine making process.

Alternative to the castles of Graves

If you do not have the possibility of renting a car, but still want to taste good local wines, I recommend you not to stay with the desire and buy tickets to the Bordeaux Wine Museum.

In addition to visiting a historical space and see classic objects of the time, the ticket includes a tasting of local wines with varieties produced in an artisanal way in the area.

In the vicinity of Bordeaux there are many cities worth visiting, especially during the special autumn season. For this reason, if your trip is long enough, it is a good idea to take one of the best excursions from Bordeaux:

• Booking an excursion to Arcachon with its famous dunes and beautiful bay is an ideal alternative.
• You can also go a bit further and travel to Biarritz and Toulouse, much larger cities.

The best thing is that since it is the month of October, a season with low tourist influx, bus tickets and accommodation rentals will be much cheaper.

Bordeaux is one of the most important cities in all of France and, as a result, aspects such as art history are also of significant relevance to this community. Even at the same level as in other metropolises such as Marseille or Paris.

For your luck, during October there is the Bordeaux International Art Festival, which is a multicultural event that usually takes place from the beginning to the middle of the month.

It is one of the biggest events dedicated to the art world in Europe and, year after year, it attracts some of the best-known names in the international contemporary art scene.

Useful information

• Price: most are usually free plans while others require an entrance fee.
• Location: it is common for there to be shows at up to 20 different venues around the city.

La Foire aux Plaisirs is the name of one of Bordeaux's most interesting autumn traditions. It is a fair that is organized in the famous Place de Quinconces and is the ideal place for both children and people with a young spirit.

It is the French version of the typical American village fair. Therefore, when you visit this place you will find a big Ferris wheel, as well as several roller coasters of a small size, children's trains, bumper cars and lots of food like cotton candy and crepes.

It is one of the best things to do with kids in Bordeaux throughout the autumn season and it is a plan that you should not miss.

Interesting information

• Date: from the beginning of October to the beginning of November.
• Hours: every day of the week from mid-afternoon.
• Price: no entrance fee is required to visit, although several of the activities require a fee.

Festivals abound throughout October in Bordeaux and one of the most interesting is Animasia. It is a festival oriented to the pop culture of the Asian continent and therefore brings together many elements such as karaoke, cosplay, Yosakoi dance and J-POP.

The site also brings together different activities oriented to martial arts, video games and board games that come directly from the eastern end of Asia.

Information of interest

• Date: mid-October and almost always a two-day event.
• Location: at the Parc de Expositions in the city of Bordeaux.
• Price: between 10 and 40 euros

The literary industry also has its space within the cultural agenda for the month of October in the city of Bordeaux. If you consider yourself a lover of reading, you should attend the Lire en Poche festival, a festival of paperback books.

The whole thing becomes even more interesting when you learn that there is also a wide range of activities for tourists and locals to enjoy themselves. These include reading sessions, theater performances, live music concerts and many educational workshops for children and teenagers.

If you visit Bordeaux by car and have the possibility to drive to this part of its suburbs, then this turns out to be a highly advisable plan. Especially since it fits perfectly into the itinerary of a three-day visit to Bordeaux.

Useful information

• Date: during the end of the second week of October.
• Location: in the Grandignan district, in the southern suburbs of Bordeaux.

Cap Sciences, the science museum of the city of Bordeaux, organizes a very interesting event during the second or third weekend of October.

This is the Village des Sciences and is basically a thematic event in which issues such as climate or biodiversity are chosen to offer a series of interactive exhibitions both at the museum's main site and in other public spaces in the city.

Attending this site is free, which makes it a highly recommended plan even for those making a one-day visit to the city of Bordeaux.

Armagnac en Fête is a popular festival organized in the region of the same name.

It is a tradition that celebrates the beginning of the distillation period of the world-renowned brandy produced within this French region. The event has all the activities you would expect from a rural fair.

The experience becomes even more recommendable knowing that this liquor is of utmost importance for the region, as it stands out for its quality in an area where wine is the real protagonist within the production industry...

Information of interest

• Date: during the last weekend of October.
• Location: in the main square of La Bastide d'Armagnac, one of the most beautiful villages in the area.

October temperatures in Bordeaux are quite favorable despite being the French autumn. The maximum temperatures are usually around 18°C while the minimum temperatures can reach 8°C on the coldest nights of the month.

The tourist flow in Bordeaux during October is not so high because autumn is synonymous with rain and clouds and many people do not want to face these weather conditions.

Also keep in mind that during this month there are no school or university vacations in France and, therefore, tourism is not significant within the city.

The amount you will spend on a Bordeaux vacation in October is less than in the summer. This has to do with the fact that demand decreases and, as a result, accommodation and many restaurants lower their prices making the experience much cheaper.

• Footwear that is suitable for walking in the rain.
• A good coat that is versatile enough to be worn during the day or at night.
• Clothing that is comfortable and can be worn both in the city and in plans related to the surrounding countryside.