You know about the great wine in Bordeaux. But there’s a lot more to this proud region of France, which claims a stirring history that goes back millennia.

Roman legions conquered France – Gallia Transalpina or Gaul – in 60BC. One of Gaul’s three parts was Aquitainia, whose capital city, Burdigala, is today’s Bordeaux.

In the the 1200s, an ambitious aristocrat born Eleanor of Aquitaine (right) became Duchess of Aquitaine, then Queen of France, then Queen of England. That’s a career.

Nowadays, roamin’ legions of luxury travelers conquer Bordeaux one wine château at a time. And a stay in Bordeaux’s handsome and delicious capital city, conveniently also dubbed Bordeaux, is a must.

One inspired place to stay is MGallery Hôtel Burdigala.

It’s an oh-so-tasteful design hotel with a warm plate of canelés perpetually awaiting guests. A canelé involves eggs, butter, sugar, and a pinch of alchemy. Add a glass of vintage Bordeaux, and…la vie, c’est belle.

• Why a Bordeaux city visit is essential to a French wine trip, with designer digs at MGallery Hôtel Burdigala >>

Photos: Top: City Lion Avenue in Bordeaux. (Nope; it’s one of the city’s entrance arches.) Face: Eleanor of Aquitaine, in Bordeaux’s Cathedral of Saint-André. Street scene: Medieval clock tower in Bordeaux. © Karen Tina Harrison. Just above: Room detail in © MGallery Hôtel Burdigala.