Bordeaux : The Rugby World Cup 2023 supporter's guide

With a capacity of over 42,000, the Stade de Bordeaux will host five matches of the 2023 Rugby World Cup:

-Ireland/Spain (Pool B) - Saturday 9 September, 3.30pm -Wales/Fiji (Pool C) - Sunday 10 September, 9pm -Samoa/Chile (Pool D) - Saturday 16 September, 3pm -South Africa/Spain (Pool B) - Sunday 17 September, 3pm -Fiji/Georgia (Pool C) - Saturday 30 September, 5.45pm

For more information, visit the online ticketing

From the city centre or the Saint-Jean train station, it is possible to access the stadium directly using the tramway line C. On match nights and during major events, special shuttles are provided to reach the stadium from the other two tram lines. A free guarded car park allows the courageous to reach the stadium by bike. In Bordeaux, public transport is favoured to move easily from one district to another. In addition to the three tram lines and numerous buses, the urban transport network includes self-service bicycles and cars, river shuttles and even hybrid catamarans that allow you to cross from one bank to the other simply by showing your bus and tram tickets!

To make daily life easier for visitors, a City Pass offers unlimited access to trams, buses and river shuttles, as well as entry to monuments.

Getting around Bordeaux and its metropolis Find out more about the Bordeaux City Pass Getting to the Matmut Atlantique stadium

Don't pronounce it Houses of Parliament, but rather Hop, the name of this pub which is a must for Bordeaux's sports nights. In the heart of the Saint-Pierre district, in the old part of Bordeaux, you can enjoy (in moderation) an incredible variety of gins, cocktails and beers, including local beers in bottles or on draught, accompanied by platters of cold meats or cheeses, while watching the matches on the HD screens and the giant screen. Cours d'Albret, the Connemara Irish Pub welcomes fans in style on match nights. And in the trendy Bassins à Flots district, you can immerse yourself in a Californian atmosphere at Café Oz, between surfboards, aboriginal paintings and giant crocodiles, without losing sight of your favourite team, on the big screen.

The Houses of Parliament sports bar Connemara Irish Pub Australian Bar Café Oz

For a fine selection of specialities: an institution, the Brasserie Bordelaise, which cultivates the taste of the South-West, from lamprey à la bordelaise, to shoulder of lamb from Quercy, via Arcachon oysters, served with more than 700 references of wines. Just a stone's throw from the Capucins market, the "belly of Bordeaux", at Gauta (gueule in Occitan), which has been awarded the Green food label, the starred chef Vivien Durand honours grandma's cooking with an abat du jour (but also vegetarian menus) and desserts inspired by the seasons. And in the heart of the Darwin eco-system, you can sit down at the Magasin général, Europe's largest bistro-refectory with a flexitarian menu and a zero-waste policy, or on the terrace overlooking the Garonne at La Belle Saison, created by former scrum-half Jérôme Fillol: you can enjoy small gourmet dishes that are 100% local. Fancy an invigorating brunch the day after a match? Nestled in a former church on Place Camille Jullian, the Utopia café-restaurant (Green food) offers locavore delights: smoked trout from the Pyrenees, organic eggs from the Dordogne, homemade cakes accompanied by Rainforest coffees or organic teas. For sweet treats, head to Chez Baillardran or Maison Lemoine to taste the famous Canelés.

Did you know? Bordeaux has the largest urban heritage listed by UNESCO: 1810 hectares, i.e. half the city (and 350 listed monuments)! A new route marked out on the ground by bronze nails allows you to follow the thread, from the Place de la Bourse (18th century) built as a balcony over the Garonne and its monumental water mirror (3450m²) to private mansions such as Laubardemont (17th century), a rare testimony to the time of Henri IV. A quick trip by bike, tram or river shuttle will take you to the new districts with their contemporary architecture: Bacalan and the Bassins à flots, where three emblematic sites invite you to visit: the Cité du Vin, for a fun and sensory tour of vineyards from all over the world, the Bassins des Lumières, the world's first digital art centre, and the Musée Mer Marine. On the right bank, you can explore the resources of Darwin Ecosystem, former barracks that has become a cultural, sporting and gastronomic third place.

Visit the Cité du Vin Visit Les Bassins des Lumières Visit the Musée Mer Marine

70 km and 1h30 from Bordeaux by TER train and bus, we play the sports card with an ascent of the famous Dune du Pilat*, the highest sand dune in Europe (110m)! At the top, the panorama of the Arcachon basin is a trophy worthy of the effort. Without leaving the town, you can also put on your trainers and walk the first metropolitan GR in France: 160 km through woods, forests and heritage and ecological sites. To explore the wine route, nothing could be easier, a dozen wine châteaux are accessible by tram and city bus or by bike. Another option is to explore the Saint-Emilion-Pomerol-Fronsac region and its prestigious appellations on the right bank of the Dordogne around Libourne, which will host the base camp of the Fiji team. Like the "flying Fijians", you can also get your shirt wet by trying your hand at waterbike riding on the Moulin de Porchères, classified Natura 2000 and a Unesco biosphere reserve, for unprecedented sensations!

*Following the fire in La Teste-de-Buch in July 2022, access to the forest remains forbidden to the public. The Dune du Pilat is nevertheless accessible.

Climbing the Dune du Pilat in the Arcachon basin Walk the Bordeaux Métropole GR Try water-biking near Libourne Sillonner les Routes des vins de Bordeaux autour de saint-Emilion

Facing the lake and the Bordeaux "beach", a stone's throw away from the floral park and an 87-hectare forest, and three tramway (and bicycle) stations from Bordeaux Stadium, the brand-new Live Hotels offers 88 rooms and flats with contemporary decor, topped by a rooftop with a swimming pool and view of the lake. On the kitchen side, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant advocates eco-responsible management (short circuits, waste sorting, zero plastic policy, bulk purchases, etc.).

Stay at Live Hotels Bordeaux Lac