Julie and I went to the Bassin des Lumières a.k.a. the submarine base a few days ago. Let’s face it, you can’t miss it if you’re staying in Bordeaux. Let me explain you why.

Bassin des lumières could be translated to english by “basin of light”. But you can find it on Google maps under the name submarine base.

The submarine base is a fairly new place in a city over 2,000 years old. It was built from 1941 to 1943!

You got it, it was built during WW2. By whom? The German. I should say by Spanish people enslaved by the German.

The decided to have their main submarine base in Bordeaux, because of its privileged location on the Atlantic coast.

Le Bassin des Lumières aka the Submarine Base

We are talkling about a 40,000 sqm building, 7 meters thick walls, 20 meters high under the ceiling. Undestructible. The Americans bombed it in 1944, they barely scratched it while the entire district was wiped out.

The cityhall decided to repurpose the submarine base to a digital art center in 2020. 12,000 sqm are used for the shows. Today, the Bassin des Lumières is the biggest digital art center in Europe and in my view THE BEST thing to do in Bordeaux.

What are we talking about? Light shows, exhibitions.

Until the end of January 2025, the theme of the show is “The dutch masters”, from 16th century’s Vermeer to 19th century’s Van Gogh.

The show bring their work to life. The paintings are projected on the walls, moving, reflecting on the pools where the terrible U-BOATS were built.

I have seen many shows in my life, this one is unreal.

You can hang around 4 pools, all having different layouts. The biggest pool has a sitting platform, but the best thing to do is to explore the place walking even during the shows.

We could see 4 shows: the Dutch masters, Mondrian, Kaze, and Foreign Nature. The main show is almost 45 minutes long. It means that you could spent 1 hour and half there. We stayed 3 hours. We watched the shows twice.

The photos are just a small sample of the excellence of the show.

Spare 2 hours for the submarine base during your stay in Bordeaux, you won’t regret it!

Practical information

Address and Contact

Address: Impasse Brown de Colstoun, 33300 Bordeaux
Telephone: +33 5 35 00 00 90
Email: message@bassins-lumieres.com
Website: https://www.bassins-lumieres.com/en

Opening hours

From April to September and during school holidays:
Sunday to Thursday: 10am – 7pm
Friday and Saturday: 10am – 9pm
From October to March (excluding school holidays):
Sunday to Thursday: 10am – 6pm
Friday and Saturday: 10am – 8pm
Annual closure scheduled from January 30 to February 20 inclusive.

Access

By car

From the A630 ring road, exit no. 4 “Zone Industrielle Blanquefort, Bordeaux-Nord”.
Free municipal parking or reserved parking for 2€ (strongly recommended). Please note that the parking lot is not stabilized and can be congested.

By public transport

From the city center (Quinconces stop):
Tram C (towards Blanquefort or Parc des Expos) to Ravezies.
Then bus no. 9 (towards Brandenburg) to the “Base sous-marine” stop.
From Gare Saint-Jean:
Tram C to Ravezies, then bus no. 9.

By bike

Self-service bike station nearby (Boulevard Alfred-Daney).

Prices

Standard rate: €15 (may vary depending on the exhibition).
Free for children under 5 (ticket to be collected on site).

Accessibility

The Bassins des Lumières are fully accessible to people with reduced mobility.
Accompanying persons benefit from a reduced rate.

Additional information

Online booking strongly recommended during high season to avoid queues.
Last possible entry: 1h15 before closing.
Average visit duration: approximately 1 hour

The submarine base in Bordeaux is a MUST SEE!