Bordeaux is the capital of southwest France’s wine country, with a beautifully restored UNESCO-listed centre, a fast train link to Paris, and easy access to the Atlantic beaches. It is an increasingly popular student city, and the growth shows: rents have crept up over the past decade even as the quality of life has stayed a genuine draw.

Universities and major institutes

University of Bordeaux
Bordeaux Montaigne University
Sciences Po Bordeaux
KEDGE Business School
Bordeaux INP (engineering)

Cost of living

Bordeaux is moderately priced for France, though rents have risen with its popularity. Expect €450 to €700 a month for a room in a shared flat, with Talence and Pessac generally cheaper than the historic centre around Victoire. CROUS restaurants near the main campuses offer canteen meals at a fixed, subsidised price, a long-standing fallback that keeps food costs manageable even in a city where eating out has become fashionable and pricier. CAF housing assistance is available to some students, depending on nationality, income, and scholarship status; the rules for non-EU students without a social-criteria scholarship have tightened recently, so check your own eligibility with CAF rather than assuming it will cover part of the rent. A tram pass and modest grocery budget round out a fairly predictable monthly cost of living here.

Getting around

Bordeaux has no metro, but its tram network more than makes up for it: three main lines link Talence and Pessac’s campuses to the historic centre and out towards the river and the newer Euratlantique district. Trams are frequent, and student travel cards bring a meaningful discount on top of already reasonable fares. The city is famously flat and cycle-friendly too, with dedicated lanes along much of the tram routes, so a bike is a genuinely practical option for students living within a few kilometres of campus.

Weather and lifestyle

Bordeaux sits in a mild, maritime pocket of the southwest: winters are damp rather than cold, and summers are warm and often dry, closer in feel to the Atlantic than to the deep south. Wine bars and café terraces spill onto the pavements from spring through early autumn, part of a broader culture built around long meals and slow evenings. August brings the usual French pattern of shuttered independent shops and restaurants as owners take their own holiday, so check ahead if you are relying on a particular spot.

Working while you study

Non-EU students can generally work up to 964 hours a year on a student residence permit. Realistic options with limited French centre on hospitality and retail, both plentiful given the city’s tourism around wine and the old town, along with campus jobs through CROUS. As French improves, positions in the wine trade, events, or international companies based around Bordeaux become more realistic, though most students start with something simpler in the first year.

Neighbourhoods for students

Victoire: the central student hub, lively nightlife.
Saint-Michel: diverse, central, more affordable.
Talence / Pessac: home to the main university campus.
Chartrons: trendy and characterful.

Studying in Bordeaux