On Sunday 8 November, Bordeaux goes running. Marathon at 8am, half marathon at 10am, the 10 km des quais at 1.15pm: nearly 35,000 runners are expected according to Bordeaux Métropole, between the Jardin Public, the Bassins à flot, the right bank and the Miroir d'eau. Whether you are on the start line with a bib, on the pavement with a sign, or simply trying to work out how to get your car out, here is everything you need to know to enjoy the Marathon de Bordeaux AG2R La Mondiale without any nasty surprises.
Enjoying the marathon and half marathon as a spectator
It may well be the best seat of the day. You do not need to have run a single kilometre to soak up the atmosphere: all three races start on the cours de Verdun, by the Jardin Public, with a start village set up on the Place des Quinconces, and they all finish in front of the Place de la Bourse, at the Miroir d'eau.
Where to stand to see the runners go by
Good news for savvy supporters: the half and the full marathon share their first 18 kilometres. Both courses head down to the Chartrons, run along the quays to the quai Richelieu, come back up via the cours Victor-Hugo, the Place Pey-Berland and the cours de l'Intendance, head out to Fondaudège, then climb towards the Bassins à flot and Bacalan before coming back along the quai de Bacalan. That is where the routes split: the half heads for the finish, while the marathon crosses the Chaban-Delmas bridge for a big loop on the right bank.
- The Chartrons quays: the best-value spot. You see the marathon runners at km 3 and again at km 41, and the half marathon runners at km 3 and again at km 20.
- Place Pey-Berland and the cours de l'Intendance: the historic centre, around km 6 and 7 of both the half and the full marathon. Picture-postcard backdrop guaranteed.
- Around the Chaban-Delmas bridge: marathon runners cross it around km 19, then cross back around km 39. That is when they will need you.
- La Bastide and the right-bank quays: to follow the marathon loop between km 20 and km 38, with a U-turn at the foot of the Simone-Veil bridge around km 34.
- The Miroir d'eau: for the emotion of the finish. Be warned, this is also where the crowd will be thickest.
The 5h30 time limit for the marathon means the show lasts all morning: the first marathon runners will be done well before noon, the last ones early in the afternoon. The 10 km starts at 1.15pm and does not go to the right bank: it runs from the cours de Verdun to the Bassins à flot and Bacalan, then comes back along the quays to the Miroir d'eau.
Getting there to cheer
Forget the car: the organisers recommend walking or cycling. A 1,000-space bike park will be set up under the trees of the Place des Quinconces, near the allées de Bristol and the quai Louis-XVIII, and your bike will be watched for the whole race. On foot or by bike, you can enter and leave the race perimeter, with several crossing points. If you take the tram, check which stops are open: details below.
Running the event: what awaits you
If you have a bib, you are one of the lucky ones: the half and the 10 km are sold out, and only the last marathon bibs were still advertised on the official website at the time of writing.
Before the race: bib pickup
New address this year: bib pickup takes place at the Parc des Expositions de Bordeaux, Hall 1, cours Jules-Ladoumègue, on Friday 6 November from 10am to 8pm and Saturday 7 November from 9am to 7pm. No bibs will be handed out on race day. Bring your ID and make sure your file is complete in your runner account: payment, and a validated Pass Prévention Santé (PPS) or a licence. No paper documents are accepted on site. Someone else can pick up your bib for you, with their ID and yours, even as a photo.
On the day: village, bag drop and start pens
The start village awaits you on the Place des Quinconces, with the bag drop, toilets and a water station to fill your flask. The bag drop is free, from 7am to 4pm, for a small backpack only: check the exact size on the website, any bag that is too big will be refused. Drop it off about 45 minutes before your start. Arrive at least an hour before your race and allow 15 to 30 minutes to reach your start pen, whose colour is shown on your bib. Pacers take their place there 30 minutes before the start, easy to spot thanks to the flag on their back.
The marathon: both banks and the Chaban-Delmas bridge
Start at 8am, in waves until 8.09am. The course covers both banks without ever running the same loop twice: the historic centre, the Chartrons, the Bassins à flot and Bacalan, then over the Chaban-Delmas bridge for a big loop through La Bastide, La Benauge and the quays as far as the Simone-Veil bridge, before crossing the Garonne again to finish along the quays at the Miroir d'eau. Refreshments every 5 km. Pacers from 3h to 4h30, in 15-minute steps. Time limit: 5h30, after which the broom wagon collects your bib.
The half marathon: the city centre in style
Start at 10am, in waves until 10.17am. Same course as in 2025, measured by the French athletics federation and validated by World Athletics, entirely on the left bank: quays, historic centre, Fondaudège, Bassins à flot, Bacalan, then back along the quays. Three refreshment points, at km 5, 10 and 15, plus one at the finish. Pacers from 1h15 to 2h10. Time limit: 3h.
The 10 km des quais: short, fast, by the water
Start at 1.15pm, in waves until 1.23pm. From the cours de Verdun, the course goes up the cours Saint-Louis towards the Bassins à flot and Bacalan, then comes back down the quai de Bacalan and the quai des Chartrons to the Miroir d'eau. One refreshment point at km 5. Pacers from 32 minutes to 1 hour. Time limit: 1h30.
At the finish, a refreshment bag and a medal are waiting for you. GPX tracks of all three courses are available on the marathon, half marathon and 10 km pages of the official website.
Road closures and parking: what to plan for
Saturday 7 November: move your car before 4pm
From 4pm on Saturday, parking is banned on the cours de Verdun between the Place Tourny and the rue Cornac, on the quays including the service roads, and in the allées between the Place des Quinconces and the Maison écocitoyenne. Further bans will be put in place along the courses: follow the temporary signs. And watch out for the trap: a car allowed to stay parked on the course will not be able to move during the races.
Sunday 8 November: closures from 2am
At 2am, the cours de Verdun closes in both directions from the Place Tourny to the cours Portal inclusive, as do the quays between the quai Louis-XVIII and the quai de Richelieu, at the Porte de Bourgogne. At 7am, all the courses are closed to vehicles, including the Chaban-Delmas bridge, along with nearby streets. As long as the security set-up is in place, you cannot drive into or out of the race perimeter. Heavy crowds are expected at the start in the streets between the Quinconces and the cours de Verdun: rue d'Enghien, rue Blanc-Dutouilh, cours de Gourgue, rue Ferrère, cours Xavier-Arnozan and rue Constantin.
Estimated reopening times from Bordeaux Métropole: Bassins à flot, Bacalan and Chartrons disrupted from 7am to 4pm; city centre inside the course and the right bank from 8am to 2pm; Chaban-Delmas bridge around 3pm; quays around 4pm. Everything should be back to normal around 7pm.
Car parks closed or with restricted access
From 7am on Sunday. Left bank: Grands-Hommes, Victor-Hugo, Pey-Berland, Bourse-Jean-Jaurès, Tourny, Bassins à flot, L'Hôte, Clémenceau Auditorium, Allées de Chartres, Bord'eau Village, République, Croix de Seguey, Bordeaux Les Bassins, Cité du Vin and Cité Mondiale du Vin. Right bank: Interparking Bastide-Niel, Interparking Queyries, Mégarama, and the TBM park-and-ride sites at Stalingrad and Galin. The Bourse-Jean-Jaurès car park will only be accessible via the Place Jean-Jaurès, in and out, between 2am and 7am. Car parks will gradually reopen from 11.45am, depending on the area.
Tram: every line affected from 6am to 6pm
- Line A: no trams between Mériadeck and Buttinière from 7am to 12.30pm.
- Line B: from 6am to noon, only between Saint-Nicolas and Pessac; from noon to 4pm, between Quinconces and Pessac. The northern part of the line, up to Berges de la Garonne, stays closed until 4pm.
- Line C: no service between Grand Parc and Saint-Michel from 6am to 4pm, then between Quinconces and Saint-Michel from 4pm to 6pm.
- Line D: from Cantinolle, trams terminate at Barrière du Médoc from 6am to 12.30pm, at Fondaudège from 12.30pm to 2pm, then at Quinconces from 2pm to 6pm.
- Line E: no service between Grand Parc and Stalingrad from 6am to 8am, between Grand Parc and Buttinière from 8am to 12.30pm, between Grand Parc and Porte de Bourgogne from 12.30pm to 4pm, then between Quinconces and Porte de Bourgogne from 4pm to 6pm.
- Line F: no trams between Mériadeck and Saint-Michel from 7am to 11.45am.
Some buses will be diverted, with longer journeys, and some regional coach lines will also be disrupted.
Our tips
- Move your car by Saturday lunchtime if you need it on Sunday. A fifteen-minute walk beats a car stuck behind the barriers until 4pm.
- Runners: pick up your bib on Friday if you can. On Saturday the queue is likely to be longer, and there is no second chance on Sunday.
- Supporters: pick a bank and stay on it. Switching banks during the marathon is the surest way to miss your runner. The Chartrons quays let you see them go by twice.
- Agree on a precise meeting point after the finish, away from the Miroir d'eau: a street name, a shop, a statue. Mobile networks often get overloaded at events like this.
- Write their name in big letters on your sign. At km 35, a name shouted from the pavement is worth all the energy gels in the world.
- Plan your day off the course: Sunday morning markets and religious services go ahead, the Tissot swimming pool stays open but without its usual car park, and the Jardin Public only opens at 2pm.
Useful links
- The official website of the Marathon de Bordeaux AG2R La Mondiale, with a page for each race and the GPX tracks (in French)
- Bib pickup and start and finish (village, bag drop, start pens)
- Parking, traffic and bike parking from the organisers
- The runners' FAQ
- Road closures and car parks, by Bordeaux Métropole, with the official disruption map
- The detailed map of tram closures (TBM) and live traffic updates on infotbm.com
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional coaches