Often renowned in a typical holiday guide for being one of France's seven major wine regions and championed for its award-winning reds, there is far more to Bordeaux than initially meets the eye.

The compact old town centre has all the refined style one would expect from 18th-century neoclassical architecture, while its wide avenues and green spaces further add to the aura.

Throw in plenty of museums, beaches in close proximity, the chance to get a good value hotel and a vibrant nightlife and anyone contemplating where to go on their summer holiday could do worse than book flights to Bordeaux.

Traditions and culture in Bordeaux

The region has been a lively trading centre ever since the Romans discovered it in the third century BC and is still the regional transport hub for Aquitaine even today.

It has since passed through English ownership through Henry II's marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, before being regained by France in 1453 with its reputation for quality wines firmly established.

It has since found wealth through trading in slaves and sugar, before emerging as the largest fine wine-producing region in the world, with its 247,000 acres of vineyards.

Bordelais are traditionally extremely proud and independent, as shown by the fact that the region's resistance activities prevented it from being decimated during the second world war.

Things to do in Bordeaux

Bordeaux has a buzzing nightlife, with the majority of dance clubs such as La Plage and Shadow Lounge situated along the southerly quai du Paludate and a wide range of blues/jazz, alternative and contemporary music venues also spread around.

Naturally, wine tasting is the main activity in the region, with the annual festival taking place in late June and early July, while exhibitions, traditional dance and music performances, and local cuisine offer the chance to keep the wine flowing.

The region is also bursting with architectural exuberance, best discovered by exploring the different 'quartiers' where theatres, cathedrals, museums and riverside quays decorated with grand buildings are all worth visiting.

Weather in Bordeaux

In terms of other holiday information, Bordeaux is certainly at its best weather-wise during spring, while the warm autumn days are also particularly pleasant, if a little short.

The relatively mild climate is as a result of the region's proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, which helps to stave off extreme weather at both ends of the scale.

Temperatures rarely drop below 9C during the winter and rise quickly towards a high of 24C in April, May and June and a high of 27C in July through August and September.

Destination checklist for Bordeaux

Bordeaux has a metropolitan population of around 1.2 million, an urban area population of just over 1 million and a city centre population of 230,600.

The city is one hour ahead of BST time.

The official currency is the euro.

French is the official language spoken.

Bordeaux's international dialling code is +33.