Place de la Bourse & Miroir d'eau
Place de la Bourse / Miroir d'eau
An 18th-century royal square facing the Garonne. Home to one of the world's largest reflecting pools, which mirrors the palaces in symmetrical images and sprays mist at intervals, like a dream.
Place de la Bourse was built between 1730 and 1775, designed by the Gabriel father-and-son architects, chief architects to Louis XV. It marked Bordeaux's opening of its walls toward the river. The symmetrical palaces on either side now house the Customs Museum and the Chamber of Commerce, and the Fountain of the Three Graces stands at the center. Across the riverbank, the Miroir d'eau (Water Mirror), completed in 2006, covers about 3,450 square meters and is one of the largest reflecting pools in the world. A granite surface covered with about 2 cm of water cycles between mirror and mist modes. In mirror mode, the square's architecture is perfectly reflected. In mist mode, you feel as if you are walking among clouds, and children love running through it. The best time is after sunset, when the square is lit and the water is calm. The water mirror usually operates from spring to autumn and is shut down for maintenance in winter. The Quais riverside promenade along the Garonne is a good place to walk or cycle, and on weekends there is a market in the Chartrons district. Admission is free. Getting there: take Tram Line C to the Place de la Bourse stop, or walk about 8 minutes from the Grand Théâtre.
Opening hours
Open all day; water mirror operates approx. late March–October
Nearby sights
- Porte Cailhau
- Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
- Rue Sainte-Catherine
- Esplanade des Quinconces & Monument aux Girondins
- Bordeaux Old Town (Saint-Pierre)
- Grosse Cloche
- CAPC Musée d'Art Contemporain
- Pont de Pierre