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 make your tourist planning easier and to help you discover the most interesting places, I've made it my mission to find out which are the most important festivals and events in Bordeaux during the month of October.

The Bon! Food Festival aims to promote the pleasure of good cooking and good food by bringing together local chefs and associations to share their sustainable and healthy recipes with the public.

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

If at the end you are still hungry for more and want to learn more 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. Mouth watering?

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

This event is a festival that aims to connect city-dwellers with local agriculture by holding 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 Bordeaux city centre.

Useful information

• Date: early October, probably during the first week of the month.
• Location: always changing, but most likely to be organised 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 often hold an open-door 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 discover its fields and its facilities free of charge for mid-October. Almost always for the second weekend of the month.

For this kind of experience you will need to be aware that you will need a means of transport 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 Châteaux de Graves

If you don't have the possibility of renting a car, but you still want to taste good local wines, I recommend you to buy tickets to the Bordeaux Wine Museum.

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

Near Bordeaux there are many towns 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 little further afield and travel to the much larger cities of Biarritz and Toulouse.

The best thing is that because it's October, a low tourist season, bus tickets and accommodation hire will be much cheaper.

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

Luckily for you, during October there is the Bordeaux International Art Festival, which is a multicultural event that usually runs 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, attracts some of the best-known names on the international contemporary art scene.

Useful information

• Price: Most are usually free, while others require an entrance fee.
• Location: it is common for there to be shows in up to 20 different venues across the city.

La Foire aux Plaisirs is the name of one of Bordeaux's most interesting autumn traditions. It is a fair that takes place in the famous Place de Quinconces and is the ideal place for children as well as for 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 small roller coasters, kiddie trains, bumper cars and lots of food such as cotton candy and crepes.

It is one of the best things to do with kids in Bordeaux during the autumn season and is a must see.

Useful information

• Date: from the beginning of October to the beginning of November.
• Opening 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 focused on Asian pop culture and therefore brings together many elements such as karaoke, cosplay, Yosakoi dance and J-POP.

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

Useful information

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

The literary industry also has its place in Bordeaux's October cultural agenda. If you consider yourself a lover of reading, you should attend the Lire en Poche festival, a festival of paperbacks.

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

If you are visiting Bordeaux by car and have the possibility to drive to this part of its suburbs, then this is a highly recommended plan. Especially as 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, organises a very interesting event during the second or third weekend of October.

This is the Village des Sciences and is basically a themed event where 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 around 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 held in the region of the same name.

It is a tradition that celebrates the beginning of the distillation period of the world-famous 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...

Useful information

• 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 favourable in spite of the French autumn. Maximum temperatures are usually around 18°C while minimum temperatures can reach 8°C on the coldest nights of the month.

The number of tourists in Bordeaux during the month of October is not so high because autumn is synonymous with rain and clouds and many people do not want to face these weather conditions.

It should also be noted that during this month there are no school or university holidays in France and therefore tourism is not significant within the city.

Spending on a Bordeaux holiday in October is lower 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.

• Shoes that are 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 within the city and in plans for the surrounding countryside.