YOU wouldn’t know it today, but Bordeaux used to be a gloomy place. Its fine buildings were sooty with neglect and the famous old wine city did little to encourage visitors.

Walk around now on a summer’s day and the old Bordeaux is forgotten. A few darkened edifices may lurk down shadowed side streets, but for the most part this city glows in the sunshine.

The tall classical buildings have nearly all been cleaned up, the once-neglected quayside area is smart too, offering a perfect reception to the wide Garonne river, watched over by the now-pristine 18th century riverside facade.

A new tram system is swift and efficient, and has helped remove traffic from the streets, at least in the centre. Further out, the traffic becomes heavier, but the centre is laid open to pedestrians, although it pays to watch out for the trams – and cyclists who weave and whiz without warning.

Liveliness and optimism characterises a city whose wide boulevards throng with people. True, you will see the occasional down-and-out or druggie, including one shaven-headed gentleman of dubious hygiene who took his three unleashed dogs on to the smart new tram early one morning, but mostly this city stands proud.

None of this happened by accident, indeed there is little accidental about Bordeaux, apart from its geographical convenience in the making of wine. The neglected city of old has been transformed by a political act of will, much in line with the origins of a city designed on strict classical lines, the buildings all more or less to scale, and the boulevards following a master plan pursued with ruthless efficiency, for which we can now be grateful.

Alain Juppé, unpopular former prime minister turned mayor, began this process of cleansing and renewal. The result of his work-in-progress is a city that feels washed clean with time. The boulevards are filled with bright shops, bars and restaurants, and locals and tourists mass together even late at night.

All this fine work has been rewarded with Bordeaux having acquired the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a badge of honour being pursued here in York.

Festivals have been used to generate interest in the city. Chief among these is the biennial Bordeaux Wine Festival, a hugely popular event; populist too in a surprising sense, a wine festival for the people rather than the wine snobs, although they come too.

We visited during the recent festival last month, tasting wine with the cheery masses on the quayside, and briefly moving in more elevated circles at a Masters of Wine dinner, attended by hundreds of guests. There were 77 grand Bordeaux wines to sample and we didn’t master all of those – even Brit journalists have their limits – but we did our best.

Our table boasted a local wine-maker, the friendly and knowledgeable Stefaan Massart, of Chateau Villate, whose wine was not on offer that night, although he did serve us some of his wine at a heaving tasting another night, passing the bottle over the heads of the queue when he spotted us.

As this was a wine trip, there were various outings and tastings around the Gironde region, including a fascinating trip to the ancient wine town of Saint-Emilion, which, like its nearby big sister, is also a World Heritage Site.

This beautiful city with its tipping streets, occasional medieval buildings and 18th and 19th century additions is a truly fascinating place, an historical gem nestling amid some of the most famous the vineyards in the world.

The greatest attraction of all is almost hidden from the eye, the underground monolithic church carved out of the rock, and the nearby cave where Saint Emilion himself is said to have lived.

We also sailed the Garonne on a converted barge, enjoying the slow progress down the wide river, followed by a tasting below decks, and then a sunny lunch on Patiras island. The food was good, although attempting to eat artichokes did lead to an outburst of mildly inebriated hysteria among our British quartet (we never did get an answer to the question of how or why anyone would eat this thistle-like vegetable).

There are hundreds of vineyards to visit, and we were taken round three, the best being Chateaux Lynch Bages, where the bottles we sampled come in at the sort of price for which this writer would normally expect half a case at the very least.

Other highlights included a tour of the Entre-Deux-Mers region, which in fact nestles between two rivers and not seas, the tidal Garonne and Dordogne. In the bastide or fortified town of Cadillac, we met the mayor on the sunny street, drank strong coffee in the shade, watched a pram race in which locals competed in their home-made vehicles, and toured the restored chateau.

In the afternoon, those of us who were not interested in witnessing England get thrashed by Germany went on a very nice cycle ride along what was once a railway line. Incidentally, this is a popular area for cycling holidays.

One day was devoted to the coast, with trip to the Bay of Arcachon, where we puffed up the Pilat sand dune, the highest in Europe, then sailed across to Cap Ferret for a waterside lunch. Later, we were taken in a small boat round the bay, an idyllic excursion and one available to tourists who seek out a boatman.

Back in Bordeaux, we were never short of somewhere to eat, and the best by far was La Brasserie Bordelaise, a smashing modern bistro, packed and friendly, and serving the finest steaks around.

Sitting there on our first night and watching the world and his femme go by, a move to Bordeaux fleetingly suggested itself in one of those mad holiday notions.

Oh, well. At least the city will still be there to visit on another occasion, smarter and more welcoming than ever.

Fact file

Julian stayed at the Adagio Aparthotel, a modern apartment hotel whose spacious rooms have basic cooking facilities. For information about the Bordeaux region, visit the Gironde Tourism website tourisme-gironde.fr. Also visit the Atout France website, uk.franceguide.com, phone 020 7061 6646 or email info.uk@franceguide.com Personal thanks to Karin Labardin, of Tourisme Gironde, and Jacqueline Mirtelli, of Atout France, for their trip arranging skills.

Julian travelled by East Coast train to London to join his flight. Standard advance returns, booked online at eastcoast.co.uk, between York and London start from £20. Times and fares also on 08457 225225 or from staffed rail stations.