Airlines
Air France, 29 rue Esprit-des-Lois (tel 05.56.44.05.69 or 08.02.80.28.02,
www.airfrance.com
); Air Liberté (tel 08.03.80.58.05) has a desk at Mérignac airport (tel 05.56.34.54.55); British Airways (tel 08.02.80.29.02,
www.britishairways.com
) also has an airport desk.
Airport
Bordeaux-Mérignac, 12km west of the city (tel 05.56.34.50.50,
www.bordeaux.aeroport.fr
), is connected by half-hourly shuttle to and from the main tourist office (30-45min; 35F/¬5.34).
Bike rental
Bord'eaux Velo Loisirs (tel 05.56.44.77.31), on quai Louis-XVIII beside the Quinconces boat dock, rents out everything from bikes to roller blades and baby-strollers (closed Mon & Thurs; open afternoons only Oct-May). Another option is Cycles Pasteur at 42 cours Pasteur (tel 05.56.92.68.20).
Books and newspapers
Maison de la Presse, at 61 rue Ste-Catherine and place Gambetta, sells the main English-language papers in addition to some regional guides and maps. Bordeaux's largest bookstore, Mollat, 15 rue Vital-Carles, has a good selection of local guides and maps. They also stock a few English-language titles, though there's a better choice at helpful Bradley's Bookshop, 8 cours d'Albret (
www.bradleys-bookshop.com
).
Car rental
Numerous rental firms are located in and around the train station, including Avis, (tel 05.56.91.65.50); Budget (tel 05.56.31.41.40); Europcar (tel 05.56.31.20.30); Hertz (tel 05.57.59.05.95); and National/Citer (tel 05.56.92.19.62). They all have outlets at the airport as well: Avis (tel 05.56.34.38.22); Budget (tel 05.56.47.84.22); Europcar (tel 05.56.34.05.79); Hertz (tel 05.56.34.59.59); National/Citer (tel 05.56.34.20.68).
Cinema
You're most likely to find original-language (
version originale
, or
v.o.
) films at the wonderful art-house cinema Utopia, 5 place Camille-Jullian (tel 05.56.52.00.03), in a converted church. Other good options include Trianon-Jean Vigo, 6 rue Franklin, near place des Grands-Hommes (tel 05.56.44.35.17), and UGC Cinécité, 13-15 rue Georges-Bonnac (tel 08.36.68.68.58). For more standard fare, there's the vast, new seventeen-screen Megarama (tel 08.36.69.33.17) across the Pont de Pierre in the old Gare d'Orléans.
Consulates
UK, 353 bd du Président-Wilson (tel 05.57.22.21.10).
Emergencies
To call an ambulance, phone SAMU on tel 15 or 05.56.96.70.70.
Hitching
Allostop, 79 cours d'Argonne (tel 05.57.95.60.74).
Hospital
Centre Hospitalier Pellegrin-Tripode, place Amélie-Raba-Léon (tel 05.56.79.56.79), to the west of central Bordeaux.
Internet
Cyberstation
, 23 cours Pasteur, is a friendly and helpful cyber café with rates from 5F/¬0.76 for five minutes to 40F/¬6.10 per hour.
Money exchange
American Express, 14 cours de l'Intendance (Mon-Fri 8.45am-noon & 1.30-5.30pm), handles most travellers' cheques and foreign currencies. The main banks along cours de l'Intendance also offer exchange facilities and 24hr ATMs.
Police
Commissariat Central, 87 rue Abbé-de-l'Épée (tel 05.56.99.77.77), or call 17.
Looking for cheap or discount hotels? Want to find special internet only room rates? EZTrip.com has great hotel specials, including discount hotels in Anaheim, Hawaii, New York, London, Memphis, Paris, Las Vegas, Orlando, San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto - anywhere you want to go! For the best hotel discounts click on 
Copyright Rough Guides Ltd as trustee for its authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved.