Things to Do in Bordeaux in April

April is the month when Pomerol and Saint-Émilion estates unlock their doors without appointment. Bud-break is just starting, so you watch the entire annual cycle poised to launch. Morning fog peels off the Dordogne by 10am, good for photos, while barrel rooms still breathe last year's harvest. Saturday tastings pour 10am-4pm; arrive at 11:30am when the first tour buses have rolled out.

The 50 km (31 mile) Roger Lapébie bike path dries out in April after winter rains, smooth asphalt threads vineyards from Bordeaux to Sauveterre-de-Guyenne. Mornings open at 8°C (46°F) so layers beat a single jacket, and poplars along the canal are just unfurling. Break at Créon's Wednesday market for strawberries that taste like the ones your grandmother grew.

Every April Sunday, the Marché des Quais sprawls 2 km (1.2 miles) along the Garonne, 200 vendors selling everything from Art Deco silver to Basque linen. At 9am the low sun strikes the stalls and makes brass and copper glow. Coffee carts fire up around 8:30am. Dealers arrive at 7am for first pick. But casual shoppers score better deals from 11am when vendors start packing.

April marks the last winter harvest for oyster farmers, shellfish are fat and briny from cold Atlantic water. Drive 55 km (34 miles) to Cap Ferret and watch wooden boats glide home at 10am, mesh bags slapping hulls. The farmers' huts shuck them straight from the sea with lemon and shallot vinegar, nothing else required. Tide tables count: low tide at 11am lets you stroll between the oyster beds.

Saturday mornings at Marché des Capucins are where locals stock up on spring goods, white asparagus from Blaye, early strawberries from Lot-et-Garonne, first gariguette berries that taste like candy. Vendors holler 'Un euro le kilo!' under the covered hall while the cheese aisle reeks of aging comté and fresh goat cheese. Cool April air keeps fish pristine, line-caught sea bass from Arcahcon lands around 9am.