Close your eyes, and picture your happy place. If you're surrounded by bottles and bottles of good wine, glass in hand, good news: That figment of your imagination actually exists.
It's called La Cité du Vin—The City of Wine—and you'll find it in Bordeaux, one of France's most storied wine regions. The theme park-meets-museum cost 80 million euros to be made, but it was well worth it: It's become a veritable mecca for oenophiles.
There aren't any zero-to-60 roller coasters or 20-story drops, but the destination's not completely without thrills. Brace yourself: Eight hundred varieties of wine from 70 different countries are stored at La Cité du Vin's restaurant, and they're all available for tasting and ordering. Plus there are 20 wine themed sections and exhibits, including a totally immersive, simulated boat ride. It shows what it was like to be a globe-trotting, sailing wine merchant.
Even the building's design speaks to what's inside: The twisted metal structure is supposed to evoke wine swirling around a glass, according to the architects. Consider the whole experience to be a wine-loving adult's Disney World — minus the steep entrance cost. Tickets start at around just $25...and include a glass of wine.
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