Stroll the most graceful streets in France, eat well, drink better and then have the liveliest possible time in a city lately in touch with its Latin side. It is no hazard that, following its 2007 classification as a World Heritage Site, Bordeaux in 2015 bagged the title of Europe's Best Destination - against opposition from many of the continent's finest cities. In the past, the place was indeed full of good taste and tradition. “The very essence of elegance,” concluded HM Queen last time she visited Bordeaux. The centre had a grandiose 18th-century harmony unmatched in Europe. It seemed quite possible that the French Revolution never made it this far.

Poor people looked rich and rich people didn’t look at all. But the city felt haughty and aloof. It had also grown shabby round the edges. No longer. Bordeaux has had the renovators in with a vengeance. Most recently, the city has welcomed the riverside Cité-du-Vin- a wine centre-cum-museum-cum-gallery without equal in Europe. It dusts off the wine world, and gives it a playful sheen for the 21st-century. Then again, Bordeaux was already getting up to speed-restoring noble façades, installing trams and reclaiming from dereliction the vast swathe of riverbank. There are few more graceful urban sights in France than the miroir-d'eau reflecting the splendid Palais-de- la-Bourse.

This remains the world HQ of wine and château-owning folk. Many do their business in the Chartrons district, where there’s a lingering air of aristocratic commerce. But there’s also a cracking museum of modern art next door, tapas bars up the road and fusion food in the restaurants. Talking of which, the top-end restaurant scene has been renewing itself in recent years, underlining that Bordeaux really is in the vibe. Philippe Etchebest - lethal host of French TV's version of Kitchen Nightmare - took over the ovens at the Grand Theatre's restaurant in September 2015, while- with pleasing symetry- the original Kitchen Nightmare, Britain's Gordon Ramsay, started running gastronomic operations within the terribly swish Grand Hotel directly opposite.