Bordeaux has been a major port in the Gironde estuary since ancient times, a natural crossroads between land, river and sea.

The Bituriges Vivisques, descendents of Celts who moved south, were attracted by the convenient location and settled at Bordeaux in around 300 BC. Bordeaux soon earned a reputation as an active centre of maritime trade, with exchanges of metals, wine, oil, copper and pottery making the port a key point in the Mediterranean – Atlantic axis.

The origins of the town