Description

Day 1: Paris
Arrival in Paris. Meet your tour escort and transfer to your hotel. Dinner and welcome meeting at hotel in Paris.

Day 2: Paris
Our morning city tour features a visit to Notre Dame Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe, the Opera, the Louvre and the Champs-Elysées. Remainder of the day at leisure. Optional afternoon excursion to the Palace of Versailles. Dinner and overnight in Paris.

Day 3: Paris – Tours
Drive from Paris along the Loire Valley to Chambord Castle. Enjoy a visit to one of the most recognisable châteaux in the world due to its very distinctive French Renaissance architecture. Continue on to Tours. Dinner and overnight in Tours.

Day 4: Tours – Loire Valley – Tours
After breakfast, a scenic drive along the Loire Valley – also known as the “Garden of France”. In the afternoon, explore the local vineyards and visit a Brandy/Cognac distillery to taste some of the world’s finest brandy. Return to Tours. Dinner and overnight in Tours.

Day 5: Tours – Bordeaux
The highlight of this day will be the trip to Chenonceau Castle, the most visited and photographed chateau of the Loire Valley. It is often described as ‘the ladies chateau’, as throughout its history it is they who have most influenced its design and its destiny…it was not always the chateau we see today. Afternoon trip to the hilltop town of Bordeaux in the heart of the wine country. Enjoy wine tasting at a typical French winery. Dinner and overnight in Bordeaux.

Day 6: Bordeaux – Armagnac / Lourdes
Morning city tour of Bordeaux. Continue to the area of Armagnac/Lourdes. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner and overnight in Armagnac/Lourdes.

Day 7: Armagnac / Lourdes – Sete
Drive to Carcassone for a short orientation tour of this beautifully preserved and completely walled medieval town. Enjoy a walking tour along the city’s narrow cobblestone streets, admiring Carcassonne’s Gothic architectural treasures including its cathedral. Continue to Sete – a large, cosmopolitan town between the Etang de Thau and the Mediterranean, referred to by the locals as the “Venice of Languedoc”. It is the largest fishing port on the French Mediterranean coast. Dinner and overnight in Sete.

Day 8: Sete – Avignon
Morning journey to the 2000 year old Roman city of Nimes. Visit the Arena which is the best preserved amphitheatre of the Roman era. Drive further to Avignon, considered to be one of the most ancient towns in Europe. After arrival, visit the Palace of the Popes, the largest gothic building of the Middle Ages and described as “the most beautiful and strongest house in the world”. Also see the famous four remaining arches of Avignon bridge, originally completed in 1185. This bridge is the origin of the famous children’s song “Sur le pont d’Avignon” Dinner and overnight in Avignon.

Day 9: Avignon – Lyon
After breakfast drive to Lyon, France’s third largest city. Outstanding museums, a dynamic cultural scene, vibrant nightlife, a thriving university and fantastic shopping lend the city a distinctly sophisticated air, while adventurous gourmets can indulge in their wildest gastronomic fantasies. Free time after city tour. Farewell dinner and overnight in Lyon.

Day 10: Lyon
Transfer to Lyon Airport.