Until 1 November 2026, the Bassins des Lumières travel back 66 million years with Prehistoric Planet: Dinosaurs, an immersive experience for the whole family inside Bordeaux’s former submarine base.
Until 1 November 2026, Bordeaux’s submarine base travels back 66 million years. In the vast concrete pens built during the Second World War, a Tyrannosaurus bursts out of the water, sauropods stride across the walls and mosasaurs glide beneath your feet. Prehistoric Planet: Dinosaurs is Bordeaux’s family event of the autumn, in the heart of the Bacalan district.
At a glance
It all begins among the volcanoes of the Deccan, in present-day India, alongside giant plant-eaters. Then the scenery shifts: forests, plains, ocean depths. Pterosaurs glide overhead, velociraptors dart across the walls, Dreadnoughtus reveals its colossal frame and a mosasaur slips through the water of the basins, where every image is mirrored.
The show follows the life of these animals, chapter by chapter:
The experience was designed by London studio Lightroom, co-written with Apple TV and produced by Culturespaces Studio. French actor Gérard Lanvin narrates the journey, while the original score by Hans Zimmer, Anže Rozman and Kara Talve gives the hunting scenes a cinematic intensity. The result is spectacular and educational in equal measure, for children and adults alike.
Your ticket also gives access to the Cube, a space dedicated to contemporary creation. Artist Olivier Ratsi presents L’Échappée des lignes, an installation where light and geometry merge to a soundscape by Thomas Vaquié. A more abstract, hypnotic interlude to round off your visit.
Built from 1941 on the edge of the Bassins à flot docks, the base was designed to shield submarines from Allied bombing. Its exceptionally thick walls came through the war almost intact. Since 2020, Culturespaces has run the Bassins des Lumières here, billed as the largest digital art centre in the world.
There is something dizzying about meeting a Tyrannosaurus in a place so steeped in history: two eras worlds apart, brought together under the same concrete vault. Find out more about the site on our page about the Bassins des Lumières. On site, Le Kiosque des Bassins des Lumières is the place for a break before or after the show.
4 things to know before going with children:
On board, children also get their own special commentary for kids, full of stories told just for them.
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | Bassins des Lumières, Impasse Brown de Colstoun, 33300 Bordeaux |
| Dates | 3 October to 1 November 2026 |
| Opening hours | 7 days a week, usually 10am to 7pm, until 8pm on Saturdays. Hours vary by period: check the calendar on the official website. |
| Last entry | 1 hour before closing |
| Prices | From €7, free for under-6s. Tickets can be exchanged up to 24 hours before your visit (€2 per ticket). |
| Bordeaux City Pass | Entry without prior booking |
| Language | French narration, English subtitles |
| Accessibility | Fully accessible to people with reduced mobility. Our bus also holds the Tourisme & Handicap label. |
| Bordeaux City Tours stop | Stop no. 10 “Bassins à flot / Base sous-marine”, 9-minute walk |
💡 Bordeaux City Tours tip
Make Bacalan your half-day out. The Bordeaux City Tours Hop-on Hop-off bus serves two neighbouring stops: the Cité du Vin (stop no. 9), then the Bassins à flot (stop no. 10). Start with lunch at the Halles de Bacalan food hall, carry on with the dinosaurs, then hop back on to return to the historic centre without worrying about getting there.
The Jacques Chaban-Delmas bridge is 1 minute away, the Cité du Vin a 4-minute walk.
A gourmet break in the food hall, overlooking the Bassins à flot.
The bus drops you a 9-minute walk from the submarine base.
Prehistoric Planet: Dinosaurs, then L’Échappée des lignes in the Cube.
Hop back on at stop no. 10 to continue the loop towards the Quinconces and the historic centre.
Bordeaux is rich in history and heritage with its 350 UNESCO listed buildings. Each one more unusual than the next, don’t miss out on discovering them.
We have put together a list of the most important places in the Port de la Lune to visit…
The exhibition *Circasciences en piste*, organised by Cap Sciences, is part of an initiative to bring advanced science to the general public through the lens of the circus arts. The exhibition design features a series of interactive installations that allow visitors to analyse the physical mechanisms employed by performers during their acts. This educational approach transforms a fun experience into a genuine scientific laboratory accessible to the general public.
Located on the quays of Bordeaux, right next to the Cité du Vin, this exhibition benefits from a strategic position within a well-established tourist ecosystem. This location makes it easy to incorporate into a wider urban discovery itinerary, particularly through organised tours.
Until 1 November 2026, the Bassins des Lumières travel back 66 million years with Prehistoric Planet: Dinosaurs, an immersive experience for the whole family inside Bordeaux’s former submarine base.
On the quays of Bordeaux, a stone’s throw from the Miroir d’eau, the Musée national des Douanes opens the door to the history of the coastguards and smugglers who shaped the French coastline. The exhibition “La douane aux frontières du large” runs from 2 April to 22 November 2026, in the heart of the Saint-Pierre district.
