Cours de l'Intendance, Shopping street in central Bordeaux, France
The Cours de l'Intendance is a busy shopping street in central Bordeaux running from Place Gambetta toward the Grand Theatre, lined on both sides by limestone buildings with multiple stories. It houses upscale fashion boutiques, watch shops, and antique dealers that occupy the ground floors of these former mansions.
During the 1700s, wealthy merchants and nobles built grand mansions along this route, which originally occupied the site of a filled-in city moat. The gradual transformation into a wide promenade occurred as the city modernized its infrastructure and the street became a center of commerce.
The street forms part of Bordeaux's Golden Triangle, a shopping district where locals and visitors stroll and browse shops selling luxury goods and antiques. The mix of historic buildings with contemporary retail creates a place where the city's past blends with present-day commerce.
The street is easily accessible on foot with multiple entry points from different sides, making navigation simple. Visitors should know it can get crowded during peak shopping times and weekends, so visiting on quieter weekdays tends to be more pleasant.
Many of the original architectural details from the 1700s mansions remain hidden beneath modern shop fronts and entrances but are still visible in the upper floors and ornamental features. Photographers appreciate the clean facade lines and how daylight plays across the limestone surfaces.
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