{"id":9911,"date":"2026-10-06T15:46:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T13:46:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bordeaux-citytours.com\/?p=9911"},"modified":"2026-10-06T15:47:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T13:47:05","slug":"dinosaurs-bassins-des-lumieres-bordeaux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bordeaux-citytours.com\/en\/top-picks\/dinosaurs-bassins-des-lumieres-bordeaux\/","title":{"rendered":"Dinosaurs take over the Bassins des Lumi\u00e8res in Bordeaux"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

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At a glance<\/p>\n

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Exhibition<\/strong>Prehistoric Planet: Dinosaurs<\/span><\/div>\n
Venue<\/strong>Bassins des Lumi\u00e8res, submarine base, Bacalan<\/span><\/div>\n
Dates<\/strong>3 October to 1 November 2026<\/span><\/div>\n
Duration<\/strong>About 1 to 1.5 hours<\/span><\/div>\n
Prices<\/strong>From \u20ac7, free for under-6s<\/span><\/div>\n
Bordeaux City Tours stop<\/strong>Stop no. 10, 9-minute walk<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n The experience<\/span><\/p>\n

What can you see at the Prehistoric Planet: Dinosaurs exhibition?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n The short answer:<\/strong> a 360\u00b0 immersive projection that brings life-size dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures back to life on the walls and in the water of the old submarine pens. The story draws on footage from the Apple TV documentary series Prehistoric Planet.\n<\/div>\n

A 66-million-year journey, from T. rex to mosasaurs<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The show follows the life of these animals, chapter by chapter:<\/p>\n

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01<\/div>\n
First steps<\/div>\n
The fragile birth of young dinosaurs and the bonds that hold families together.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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02<\/div>\n
Giants of the Cretaceous<\/div>\n
Colossal herbivores moving in herds right before your eyes.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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03<\/div>\n
The great predators<\/div>\n
The night hunt of Tyrannosaurus rex, the climax of the show.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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04<\/div>\n
Secrets of the fossils<\/div>\n
What science has learned about these animals, and what they tell us about life today.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Apple TV footage, the voice of G\u00e9rard Lanvin, music by Hans Zimmer<\/h3>\n

The experience was designed by London studio Lightroom, co-written with Apple TV and produced by Culturespaces Studio. French actor G\u00e9rard Lanvin narrates the journey, while the original score by Hans Zimmer, An\u017ee 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.<\/p>\n

L’\u00c9chapp\u00e9e des lignes, the contemporary piece in the Cube<\/h3>\n

Your ticket also gives access to the Cube, a space dedicated to contemporary creation. Artist Olivier Ratsi presents L’\u00c9chapp\u00e9e des lignes, an installation where light and geometry merge to a soundscape by Thomas Vaqui\u00e9. A more abstract, hypnotic interlude to round off your visit.<\/p>\n

\n The venue<\/span><\/p>\n

Why are there dinosaurs in a former submarine base?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n The short answer:<\/strong> because the Bassins des Lumi\u00e8res occupy Bordeaux’s submarine base, built by the German army during the Second World War in the Bacalan district. Its water-filled pens, massive concrete walls and darkness make it a one-of-a-kind setting for giant projections.\n<\/div>\n

Built from 1941 on the edge of the Bassins \u00e0 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 Lumi\u00e8res here, billed as the largest digital art centre in the world.<\/p>\n

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 Lumi\u00e8res<\/a>. On site, Le Kiosque des Bassins des Lumi\u00e8res<\/a> is the place for a break before or after the show.<\/p>\n

\n Families<\/span><\/p>\n

Is the Dinosaurs exhibition suitable for children?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n The short answer:<\/strong> yes. The experience is open to all ages, free for under-6s and lasts about an hour, a format that suits children well. The hunting scenes and the darkness may, however, frighten very young children.\n<\/div>\n

4 things to know before going with children:<\/p>\n