Saying you can sample France has never made a taste sound so delicious. You immediately think of creamy chocolate ganache and buttery sauces. Lavish estates filled with oceans of vineyards run for as far as the eye can see. On your custom tailored French food and wine tour in the Loire Valley and Bordeaux, you aren’t just sampling the cuisine, but savoring the countryside, exploring medieval villages, and experiencing the wealth of culture spanning centuries, if not millennia. Visit ornate castles...
Customizable Itinerary
Day 1
Paris - Sampling the City
Your tour of France begins in Paris. The city is renowned for the beauty of its architecture, indulgent flavors, and its locals who understand a particular quality of living. Decadent chocolate truffles fill window displays outside celebrated chocolateries. The aroma of freshly baked baguettes spills out of quaint bakeries. Nineteenth century buildings line wide shaded avenues that brush the entire cityscape with classical artistry.
People line up outside of Angelina’s, Audrey Hepburn’s favorite café, and wait to taste the creamy and rich hot chocolate. Macaroons decorate the window showcasing the rainbow colors and flavors of the moist treat. Lush gardens blossom in relegated areas bringing a countryside ambiance to the city center.
Your private transfer meets you at the airport upon your arrival and takes you to your hotel situated in the heart of the city. After you settle into your hotel, your guide meets you in the lobby ready to escort you through Paris on a private tour.
The Luxembourg Gardens were designed in the 17th century creating an inner-city oasis. Chestnut groves shade the lush lawns over taking 56 acres behind the Palais du Luxembourg. A large octagonal pond stands at the center of the gardens adorned with a trickling fountain. There are over 100 statues, monuments, and fountains decorating the entire area, some standing on the two terraces flanking the pond. Your guide points out one of the small Statue of Liberties standing around an arch of greenery, a unique welcome adding to the endless surprises of the celebrated city.
What's Included:
Day 2
Loire Valley - Embracing the Valley
Day 3
Loire Valley - Finding Valley Flavor
Day 4
Montbazon - Inside History
Day 5
Bordeaux - Enjoying the Wine and the Region
Day 6
Bordeaux - Mesmerizing Medoc
Day 7
Bordeaux -Villa by the Water
Day 8
Bordeaux - Au Revoir Atlantique
Trip Highlights
- Journey through the Bordeaux countryside on an exclusive wine tour across historic estates
- Enjoy a Cognac tasting where you learn all about the production of the spiced spirit
- Stroll along the picturesque medieval streets of Old Tours, situated in the Loire Valley countryside
- Witness the grandeur of storybook castles in Loire Valley, including the lavish Chateau de Chambord and its elegant double-helix staircase
- Delight in a wine tasting located in the historic natural wine cellars of the Domaine Marc Bredif
- Venture past the largest sand dunes in Europe to take pleasure in the simple, but decadent, flavors of fresh oysters
Detailed Description
You stand in an ancient wine cellar and feel the cool air. Uncountable barrels line the walls of the natural cave. Your private guide pours you a sample of the wine produced in the vineyard and the earthy aroma of the cellar blends with the limestone and citrus fruit nose of the wine. Your 8-day French food and wine tour in the Loire Valley and Bordeaux gives you a sampling of France. Go beyond the vines and into the tasting rooms of historic chateaus, along with discovering the eclectic beauty of the landscape, medieval villages, and exquisite traditional flavors of the land and sea.
Your flavorful journey begins with your arrival in Paris. Your France travel agent will have your private transfer meet you at the airport. You will be whisked into the city and brought to your centrally located hotel. Your guide meets you in the lobby ready to take you on a panoramic tour of the city, from the Grande Bibliotheque to Ile de la Cite where Notre-Dame is situated.
The following day, you leave the city behind making your way south to the Loire Valley. You stop en route in Orleans, home to Joan of Arc, before visiting the storybook edifice of the Chateau de Chambord. Visit the town of Amboise set alongside the Loire River. Later in the day you venture to the sensational Vouvray cellar, at the Domaine Marc Bredif, where you will sample some of the wines from the award-winning vineyard in the unique subterranean setting. Your guide leads you through the Tours, an ancient village made of narrow streets with 15th century timber homes. Continue to Chenonceau to see the Renaissance architecture of the riverside town.
Your guide leads you to Bordeaux, the famous wine-producing region in central France. From April to October, you have the ability to stop in Cognac and learn the technique of production before delighting in a tasting. Once in Bordeaux, you follow your guide through the remarkable streets lined with 17th and 18th century mansions.
Next, step into the Medoc Region for a wine tasting tour situated in the grand estates along the riverbanks. The following day, you make your way to Arachon on the Atlantic, exploring the villa, the bay, and the scrumptious oysters in the town of Le Cap-Ferret before returning to Paris. After breakfast on your last day, your private transfer meets you at your hotel and escorts you to the Charles de Gaulle Airport for your flight home.
Starting Price
$3,600 per person (excluding international flights)
Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.
What's Included
- Accommodations
- In-country transportation
- Some or all activities and tours
- Expert trip planning
- 24x7 support during your trip
Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.
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