Imagine you’re a pilgrim en route to Santiago de Compostela. You’re tired, thirsty and hungry. Where would you most like to stop? A town known for liberally poured hospitality might seem a good bet, so it’s no wonder Bordeaux was a popular halt on the pilgrims’ trail. By the late 20th century, however, the city suffered from a grittier reputation. When current mayor, Alain Juppé, was elected ten years ago, his then day job as Prime Minister allowed him to make expensive changes. A new tramway was built, grand but grubby buildings were cleaned and the docks reclaimed. Whether M Juppé remains mayor depends, of course, on the results of his appeal against a conviction of presiding over illegal party funding in the 1980s and ’90s.

The riverfront is lined with fine 18th-century buildings from the port’s heyday. Look out for the place de la Bourse, designed by Jacques Ange Gabriel, architect of place de la Concorde in Paris. One of the buildings on the square is now home to the Musée National des Douanes (1 place de la Bourse, 05 56 48 82 82, closed Mon), the resting place of a collection of curios connected with customs and excise. Behind it lies the cobbled place du Parlement, and a charming maze of narrow streets and small squares around the Gothic church of St-Pierre. Two medieval gateways still remain in place from the old city wall.

Downriver sits the vast esplanade des Quinconces. At one end, the Monument aux Girondins is a bronze confection of fountains and sea life. To the south, on the site of a Roman temple, is the Grand Théâtre (place de la Comédie, 05 56 00 85 95, www.opera-bordeaux.com), which is used for opera and dance events.

South of the shopping quarter are the sprawling Gothic Cathédrale St-André (with panoramic views from its belfry) and the Hôtel de Ville, which occupies an 18th-century palace. In the garden wing is the Musée des Beaux-Arts (20 cours d’Albret, 05 56 10 20 56, closed Tue), with a rich collection of Dutch paintings, as well as works by Titian and Delacroix.

North of the Quinconces, an early 19th-century warehouse contains the CAPC Musée d’Art Contemporain (7 rue Ferrère, 05 56 00 81 50, closed Mon), noted for its arte povera, experimental art of the late 1960s, and temporary shows. Beyond is the Quartier des Chartrons, with churches and antiques.

Sunday mornings see a food, flower and book market along the Quai des Chartons, where you can eat cheaply and well for under €10 at tables in the shadow of the battleship Colbert.

The first Sunday of the month is the best day for a stroll, when 100 streets in central Bordeaux are closed to traffic from 10am-7pm.

• Tourist information: 12 cours du 30 Juillet (05 56 00 66 00, www.bordeaux-tourisme.com).