The Bordelais (Bordeaux region) is a place of ancient towns and timeless serenity. The city of Bordeaux itself boasts magnificent architecture and fine museums (especially the Musée d’Aquitaine and Cité du Vin) and has completed a 20-year renovation of the superb 18th-century limestone buildings that make up its core. These include the majestic Place de la Bourse (the former stock exchange designed by King Louis XV’s architect, Ange-Jacques Gabriel), the opera house and miles of elegant riverside façades.