Musée de l’Histoire Maritime de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Musée de l'Histoire Maritime de Bordeaux, at 31 Rue Borie in Bordeaux, tells the story of the city's long relationship with the sea and the river port that made it rich. It matters because Bordeaux's character, from its trade in wine to its colonial goods, was shaped by the ships that came and went on the Garonne.

The story behind it

For centuries Bordeaux was one of France's leading ports. It supplied much of Europe with coffee, cocoa, sugar, cotton and indigo, and wine was the engine of the local economy. Under Louis XVI, regular shipping routes linked the city with North America, Bourbon Island (today's Réunion) and the Caribbean.

The 19th century brought a more inward-looking period, before trade picked up again. A Franco-British treaty favouring free trade, signed in 1860, opened new shipping routes and widened the range of goods bought and sold through the port. The colonial expansion of the Third Republic later gave port activity another boost. The museum is a good place to see how these shifts fit together.

What to look for

• Pay attention to the goods that defined the port's trade, such as coffee, cocoa, sugar, cotton and indigo, and think about how far they travelled to reach Bordeaux.
• Look for how the story of the wine trade is linked to shipping, since wine and the port grew up together in this city.
• Notice the setting on Rue Borie, in a part of Bordeaux where the working life of the river and docks shaped the neighbourhood.
• Watch for references to the routes to North America, the Caribbean and Bourbon Island, and the way they show how connected the city was to the wider world.

Tips for your visit

• Check current opening hours and access details before you go, as they can change with the season.
• Allow a relaxed visit rather than a rushed one, and add extra time if you want to walk the surrounding streets afterwards.
• Pair it with a stroll by the river and the old port districts, which help you picture the trade the museum describes.
• Go with the wine trade in mind: it makes the displays about commerce and shipping easier to place in the story of the city.

See it on a quest

You can reach this stop on foot as part of Whispers of Wine: Exploring Bordeaux's Grand Crus, a self-guided walk with a wine theme. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you, so the port's history comes alive on the spot. You start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join, and one ticket covers the whole group.