Bordeaux transportation
Bordeaux is an important road and motorway junction and its public transport system, TBC, is run by the Connex group. There have been several plans for a subway network to be set up but they were given up for both geological and financial reasons.
Getting to Bordeaux
By air
- Bordeaux is served by an international airport, Aéroport de Bordeaux Mérignac (IATA: BOD) located 8 km from the city centre in the suburban city of Mérignac.
- In addition to almost a flight per hour to Paris and daily flights to the major French cities, the airport offers daily and weekly flights to a large number of European and international destinations.
- An 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. The fare is 7€, a reduced fare for under 26 and over 60 is available for 6€.
By rail
- The main train station (Gare Saint Jean) is located in the city centre.
- 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), and east (to Périgueux and Clermont-Ferrand).
- Buses and taxis leave from in front of the station.
By road
- The city is connected to Paris by the A10 motorway, with Lyon by the A89, with Toulouse by the A62, and with Spain by the A63. There is a 45 km ring road called the Rocade which is often very busy.
- If possible, avoid driving between 8 – 10 a.m. and between 4 – 7 p.m., as the ring road is usually overcrowded.
- The bus station is located just in front of the train station, in the center of the town.
Getting around Bordeaux
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).
Tickets can be purchased on the bus, however the best thing is to buy tickets either at the TBC agencies, at almost any tobacconist, 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.
- There are also tickets allowing free access to 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.
By tram, bus, boat
- The electric bus (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.
- There are 3 tram lines (A, B and C), 75 bus routes, all connected to the tramway network (from 1 to 96) and 12 night bus routes (from S1 to S12).
- There is also a boat shuttle on the Garonne river, Le Bus du Fleuve.
- The public transport network operated by TBC runs from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m.
(Source: Wikipedia)