Loire Valley & Burgundy Tour Snapshot
Come with us on a unique adventure to the heart of France – the Loire Valley and Burgundy. You will be wined and dined at the finest French hideaway restaurants. Stay in an authentic 16th-century château. Meet the Tourangeaux, France’s purest blue-blooded French. See the majesty of the magnificent châteaux built by France’s royalty from medieval times to the Renaissance days of splendor. Relax in quaint cafés looking out onto 10th-century ruins and wander through picturesque streets too narrow for automobiles, lined with 14th-century half-timbered houses. Taste the finest wines from the Loire Valley and Burgundy. Clink your glass with private viticulturists in their 500-year-old caves. Take a fun cooking class, and then feast upon your chef-d’oeuvre! Best of all, let the French show you their timeless art of la joie de vivre and how to relax in true French style.
Tour Dates: September 20 – October 3, 2024
Tour Price: $7,888
- Airport transfers*
- 12 nights deluxe accommodations of regional character : Paris (1), Truyes (4), Chablis (2), Beaune (3), Lyon (2)
- All breakfasts, 3 lunches, 10 dinners
- Full-time tour leader
- 4 winery visits and tastings: 2 in the Loire Valley and 2 in Burgundy
- Transportation by comfortable mini-coach or mini-van
- Highlights include: Paris, Chartres, Loire Valley Châteaux: Chambord, Loches, d’Ussé, Chenonceau, and Langeais; wine regions of Chinon and Montlouis
- Highlights in Burgundy include: Sancerre, Vézelay, Chablis, Cluny, wine regions of Chablis, Beaujolais, Côte de St. Georges, Côte de Nuits
- Private guided visits of Loches, Chinon, Tours, Vézelay, Beaune, Dijon, Lyon
- Cooking class in a chef’s kitchen
- All museum and monument entrance fees, tips, and taxes
Loire Valley & Burgundy Itinerary
Depart the US, flying overnight to Paris
Day 1, Paris: City of Light and of dreams. Boat ride on the Seine River and gourmet welcome dinner. Stay in a charming hotel in the St. Germain des Prés quarter.
Days 2-5, Truyes: Visit Chartres Cathedral en route to the Loire Valley. Visit Chambord Château, the largest château in the Loire. Four nights at a warm, family-run “gîte” in a 16th century château, where you will make friends with the hosts. Tour royal châteaux, quaint villages, and beautiful vineyards. Take a cooking class in your host’s kitchen. Wine-tasting lunch and gastronomic dinners. Visits to Loches, Chenonceau, Ussé, Chinon, Langeais, Tours, and the Montlouis wine region.
Days 6-7, Chablis: Visit the famous wine region of Sancerre for a tour and tasting. Visit the historic hill-top village of Vézelay. Have a glass of chablis in Chablis! Explore the charming medieval village of Noyers before returning to our hotel for a gastronomic dinner.
Days 8-10, Beaune: Stay in the town center of Beaune, capital of Burgundy. Take a walking tour of this picturesque town, including a visit to the 14th century Hospices de Beaune. Learn about Burgundy wines at a tasting class. Excursion to Dijon. Follow the wine route home through the Côte de Nuits and Nuits-Saint-Georges wine regions, stopping for a winery tour and tasting.
Days 11-12, Lyon: Head south to the historic Cluny Abbey, along the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Stop for a wine tasting lunch in the beautiful Beaujolais wine region. Spend two nights in the wonderful city of Lyon, known as the culinary capital of France. Our grand finale farewell feast is a Michelin-star affair.
Day 13: Depart for Lyon St. Exupéry Airport for the flight home.
