Getting around Bordeaux: public transport, passes and taxis

Bordeaux is compact and flat, so the choice is mostly between walking, the tram and a bike. The tram network covers the station, the historic centre, the university side and the lake district; buses fill the gaps. Taxis and ride-hailing are for specific jobs, not for the daily hop between sights.

TBM runs the trams and buses. Buy at station machines, some tabac kiosks or on the TBM app; validate every trip. Ticket conditions — how long a single stays valid and whether transfers are included — change, so read the machine screen or the app before you buy (check).

If you plan more than two or three rides a day, a 24-hour pass usually pays for itself. A 7-day pass suits a full week. There is also a family or group day ticket worth checking at the machine if you are three or more travelling together. Keep the paper ticket or the app QR until you leave the last vehicle; inspectors do check.

The old town is a walker's city. From Place des Quinconces to the Miroir d'eau, then along the quays to the Chartrons, is a flat 30–40 minutes at an easy pace, with cafés the whole way. Most central hotels put the main sights within 20 minutes on foot.

V3 self-service bikes are the fast option for the riverside and the Chartrons. Docking stations are dense in the centre; take a bike only if you are comfortable in traffic, and lock it properly at the dock. Bordeaux is flat, which makes cycling genuinely useful rather than a novelty.

Bordeaux-Mérignac (BOD) sits west of the city. Bus 1 (Lianes 1) runs to Gare Saint-Jean and takes roughly 30–45 minutes depending on traffic; the tram does not reach the terminal, so plan the bus or a taxi. Check the current airport bus fare and route before you travel, and note that it may differ from a standard TBM ticket (check). A taxi or ride-hailing car from the centre to the airport is roughly €35–45 (2026 estimate) and takes 20–30 minutes outside peak hours (check).

Gare Saint-Jean is the TGV hub for Paris, Toulouse and the coast. Tram C stops at the station and runs into the centre in about 10 minutes. If you are arriving by train and staying centrally, you rarely need a taxi.

Taxis are metered and can be flagged in the centre or found at ranks by the station and Place des Quinconces. Ride-hailing apps work well in Bordeaux and are easy to book; fares vary with demand, and surge pricing after concerts and late nights can push the price above a metered taxi (check).

Use a car for the airport with luggage, for late nights after the trams stop, or when you are three or four people and the per-person maths favours it. For everything else in the centre, walking or the tram is faster than sitting in traffic.

A car is not useful inside Bordeaux and parking is expensive. It becomes useful for wine country, Arcachon and Soulac-sur-Mer, where trains run but timetables are thin. If you only want Saint-Émilion or Arcachon, the train is simpler and avoids the parking problem.

If you do hire a car, collect it at the station or the airport rather than in the centre, and check the low-emission zone rules and any Crit'Air sticker requirement before you drive into the city. Automatic gearboxes cost more and sell out in summer.

A day of tram and bus travel costs about €5.60 with a 24-hour pass, or about €3.80 for two singles (2026 estimate). A week on the 7-day pass is about €16.30. Bike share adds about €5 a day. Taxis and ride-hailing are the wildcard: short central hops are roughly €10–15, the airport €35–45 (check).

For a couple staying centrally, walking plus a 24-hour pass on the days you range further is the cheapest sensible plan. A car only earns its cost on a multi-stop day outside the city.

Keep your ticket until you exit the last vehicle; inspectors fine unvalidated riders. Trams are busy at school-run hours (about 08:00 and 17:00) and after big matches at the stadium, so allow extra time. Sunday and public-holiday services are thinner, and some bus lines stop earlier than the trams.

If you are staying outside the centre, check the nearest tram stop before booking; a hotel 15 minutes from a tram line is often better value than a central one with no parking. For phone data to run the TBM app and ride-hailing, sort an eSIM before you land.