My first month in Bordeaux

Arrival date

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Week 1 ·
Settling in: no town-hall registration, but two useful steps
The city's newcomer guide (« S'installer à Bordeaux ») lists housing, transport, schools, waste and leisure, but no compulsory registration at the town hall. Two civic steps are worth doing: sign up for the newcomers' reception, held twice a year in the Hôtel de Ville to meet city services, elected officials and other new Bordelais; and, if you are French or an EU citizen, register on the electoral roll: registration is compulsory to vote and is done in your new commune.
Ville de Bordeaux, S'installer à Bordeaux (newcomers' reception) · Ville de Bordeaux, main procedures (electoral roll)
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Week 1 ·
TBM: one ticket for tram, bus and river shuttle
A TBM single ticket costs €1.90 and gives unlimited rides for one hour after the first validation (€2.10 if bought on board a bus); validate every time you board, even when changing. If you are 28–59, Le Pass costs €55 a month (1st to 31st), or €45.80 a month on the annual plan; 11–27s pay €35.10 a month for the Pass Jeune (fares as of October 2026). The TBM card is free and personal. Buy in the TBM app, at machines at every tram station (24/7, card or cash), or at a Boutique TBM: Quinconces (Pavillon des Quinconces, cours du 30 Juillet) or Gare Saint-Jean (Parvis Sud entrance). Le Vélo, the bike share, has 215+ stations.
TBM, fare guide (PDF) · TBM, where to buy · TBM shops · TBM app tickets · Le Vélo by TBM
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Week 1 ·
Phone: SIM or eSIM
If you keep a phone plan from another EU country, roaming surcharges are abolished across the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway (and, since 1 January 2026, Ukraine and Moldova). When you take a French plan you can keep your existing French number: you only deal with the new operator, which also cancels the old contract; get your RIO code by calling 3179 from your mobile. Porting takes at least 3 working days. Contracts signed online or by phone can be cancelled within 14 days. Problems with an operator can be reported to the regulator, Arcep.
Arcep, keeping your number · Arcep, roaming in Europe · Arcep, before signing a contract
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Week 1 ·
Safety basics
Save 112 (European emergency number), 15 for SAMU medical emergencies, 17 for the police, 18 for the fire brigade, and 114 by text if you cannot speak or hear. To report a theft or file a complaint, go to the police nationale: the Hôtel de Police at 23 rue François de Sourdis is open 24/7. The city's police municipale answers on 05 56 10 20 99. Lost something in the street? Declare it online; the lost property office is at 6 place Rohan, Monday–Friday 9:00–17:00. Items lost on trams or buses go through TBM's own platform.
Ville de Bordeaux, emergency numbers · Police: who to contact · Lost property (Ville de Bordeaux) · TBM lost items
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Weeks 1–2 ·
Residence permit: the official online portal
If you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, residence-permit procedures go through ANEF, the Interior Ministry's digital administration for foreigners in France: log in there and check which procedure matches your visa or permit. For asylum seekers, the city's « Asile et accueil » page explains the first steps in Bordeaux and lists support organisations. This page does not give legal advice: always follow the official instructions for your own situation.
ANEF (Ministry of the Interior) · Ville de Bordeaux, asylum and support
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Weeks 1–2 ·
Health insurance (PUMa)
Anyone working in France is covered for healthcare under the universal health protection (PUMa), with no waiting period. EU citizens who are not working and not covered by their home country have their case examined individually by the local health insurance fund. To register with French social security you will need a birth certificate showing your parents' names (acte de naissance avec filiation) and a passport or national ID card. Cleiss, the public body for international social security, explains each situation.
Cleiss, coming to work in France · Cleiss, coming to live in France · Cleiss, non-working EU citizens
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Weeks 1–2 ·
Your first weekend: free things
Bordeaux's municipal museums (Musée d'Aquitaine, Musée des Beaux-Arts, CAPC, MADD, Muséum and the Jardin botanique greenhouses) are free on the first Sunday of the month, 11:00–18:00, except in July and August: next dates 1 November and 6 December 2026. The Jardin public is open daily (7:00–19:00 in October, 7:00–18:00 from November), and the outdoor gardens of the Jardin botanique on the right bank are free for everyone. The city agenda lists what's on.
Free first Sundays (Ville de Bordeaux) · Jardin public · Jardin botanique · City agenda
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Weeks 3–4 ·
Your first plan to meet people
Get the free library card: it is free for everyone, whatever your situation or where you live; bring an ID. Then try a French as a foreign language (FLE) workshop at the Capucins / Saint-Michel library, look at one of the 11 centres d'animation (social and cultural centres on both banks), and sign up for the next newcomers' reception at the Hôtel de Ville. Or go to one of the events below: they are picked because it is easy to go alone and talk to people.
Library card · Capucins / Saint-Michel library · Centres d'animation (Saint-Pierre) · Newcomers' reception