Construit sous Louis XIV, le Verrou de Vauban protégeait Bordeaux d'attaques ennemies.
La citadelle de Blaye, le fort Pâté (sur l’île estuarienne éponyme) et le Fort Médoc (sur la rive gauche de l’Estuaire) forment l’arsenal défensif imaginé par Vauban pour protéger Bordeaux des invasions maritimes. Ce triptyque construit sous Louis XIV est classé au patrimoine mondial par l’UNESCO.
Custom route
Custom route
3 Vitrezay / Blaye
Reaching the port of Vitrezay, you leave the département (French county) of Charente-Maritime, continuing on the Canal des 2 Mers à Vélo cycle route into the département of Gironde. Bypassing the electricity-producing nuclear power station of the Blayais, a beautiful greenway leads to Blaye and its citadel designed by the great 17th-century engineer Vauban. The citadel and other forts along the Gironde remind you of warring times. A small ferry crosses the estuary from Blaye to Lamarque.
4 Blaye / Bordeaux
From Blaye, cross the Gironde Estuary by ferry to Lamarque, in the midst of the Médoc, a peninsula packed with some of the greatest wine territories (or appellations) in the world. A provisional route takes you along quiet roads through the Médoc’s vines, fields and heaths to the edge of the city of Bordeaux, at Blanquefort. From here, a cycle track leads you gently to the heart of the great wine town. Bordeaux is a splendid, dynamic city, its exceptional architectural heritage listed as a World Heritage Site. Amidst its grand quarters, sample its many lively, trendy cultural and gastronomic offerings.