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"AFFORDABLE LUXURY" tm
June 4-14, 2010
Call For Pricing
Our grand circuit of France's A, B, C of wine regions begins in Burgundy at Auxerre with Chablis before arriving in Beaune, the center of the Cote D'Or, the wines of Burgundy and history of the Crusades. Lazy rivers and canals run the Saone valley below pinot noir vine covered ridges producing the notable Montrachets, Mercureys, Pommards, Meursaults and others. You will taste the wines, lazily boat on a canal, tour the Hospice de Beaune and Hotel Dieu of the crusaders and dine sumptuously before transferring on to Alsace, the home they say of France's best chefs, its wine road of lesser-known whites, museums and a different feel close to the Rhine River and Black Forest. Champagne and Reims with its magnificent Cathedral, cheeses, escargot and the sparking creation of Dom Perignon await you. You will have enjoyed ample time to stroll country villages and medieval cities before closing with a guided tour of Paris and a day all your own to choose from shopping, the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Seine or the left bank. Come learn your A B C's with us!
Package includes:
- 10 Days / 9 Nights accommodations - Auxerre (3 nights) Beaune (2 nights), Colmar (2 nights), Paris (2 nights) in 3 star Hotels
- Breakfasts daily, 5 dinners, 3 lunches, and 1 Brunch with Champagne
- Six wine tastings and visit to vineyards
- Cooking lesson in Soultz
- Transportation by private deluxe motor coach with tour escort throughout
- A bilingual guide for some excursions
- Cruise on the Yonne River
- Guided visit of Beaune, tour of Hospices de Beaune
- Visit and wine tasting at Chateau de Meursault and Chateau de Clos de Vougeot
- Tours of Riquewhir and Colmar, visit the Unterlinden Museum
- Visit of Cathedral de Notre Dame de Reims and the museum
- Time to explore Paris on your own with suggestions
- Plenty of leisure time and flexibility to adjust your daily excursions
and activities
ITINERARY
Fri - USA to Paris CDG
Day 1 – Sat Arrival – REIMS AND EPERNAY
(CHAMPAGNE)
Upon arrival in Paris, meet your tour escort and transfer via motor coach
to Reims, home, along with Epernay, to several of the great Champagne
houses of France. It is also a city with ancient landmarks, including
the Gothic Cathedrale de Nortre Dame de Reims. Reims is also noted for
its chic fashion, boutiques, restaurants, and wine bars. After champagne
brunch in Reims, you will travel to Epernay where you will visit and taste
Champagne in one of the most famous cellars. Travel on to Auxerre where
you will spend the next 3 nights. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 2 – Sunday - AUXERRE AND CHABLIS VINEYARDS
After breakfast, you will cruise the Yonne River and enjoy an aperitif
on board.
After lunch, you will have ample time to explore Auxerre. This ancient
town,
located on a hill overlooking the Yonne River, has many churches and homes
with tiled
roof’s that contribute to the beauty of the area. There will be
a special wine-tasting in the evening. Your tour leader will suggest restaurants
for dinner. Hotel in Auxerre.
Day 3 – Monday - CASTLES AND GASTRONOMIC VISITS
After breakfast, you will visit "Château d’Epoisses",
a famous cheese maker.
You will enjoy a gastronomic lunch in Avallon, a very scenic village along
with vineyard visits in the Chablis region. Hotel in Auxerre.
Day 4 – Tuesday - BURGUNDY WINES AND THE CRUSADES-BEAUNE
After breakfast you will be transferred to Beaune where you will spend
the next two nights. Along the way, you will stop at Nuits Saint Georges
for a special wine tasting. After lunch, you will have the option to visit
"Château de Clos Vougeot". This massive, walled 12th century
chateau, was home to an exclusive brotherhood of monks dating to the 12th
century who made wine. You will be given a guided visit of Beaune with
its ancient center, narrow streets, medieval houses, grandiose mansions,
and a Romanesque church. Beaune is famous for its Medieval hospital, the
Hotel Dieu, founded in 1441 and its wine museum. Burgundy produces some
of the greatest red and white wines in the world. Dinner suggestions will
be provided.
Day 5 – Wednesday - VINEYARDS SOUTH OF BEAUNE
After breakfast, you will have free time to visit Chassagne Montrachet
and its vineyards,
home to some of the worlds finest white burgundies. Visit and wine-tasting
in "Chateau
de Meursault", one of the greatest and most dramatic wine cellars
in the region. The
cellars are a work of art. You will have time to enjoy lunch and for shopping
in
Meursault. Upon returning to Beaune, you will have time to explore this
beautiful village. We will enjoy a gastronomic dinner at "Auberge
Bourguignonne". Hotel in Beaune.
Day 6 – Thursday - COLMAR – ALSACE
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Colmar where you will have
plenty of time to
visit, tour, and enjoy lunch. The Alsatian wine region’s central
town was once the royal
residence of the emperor Charlemagne and has the look of a Rhine River
town. Great sections of the village have been restored, mostly with half-timber
15 and 16th century building. The historic neighborhood of La Petite Venise,
named for its many bridges, showcases picturesque homes, stores, and artists
studios perched along the backs of the Lauch River. After a tour along
the Alsatian wine road and wine tastings in Guebwiller and Eguisheim,
you will be taken to your Chateau Hotel in Soultz. Dinner will be at the
hotel’s gastronomic restaurant.
Day 7 – Friday - THE VOSGES MOUNTAINS
After breakfast, there will be a coach excursion to the Vosges mountains
on the "Route
des Crêtes". You will stop in Munster to visit a cheese maker
and for lunch at a farmhouse in the Mountains. You will enjoy winetastings
in Ribeauvillé and Riquewhir, officially designated one of the
most beautiful villages in France. After you return to Soultz, you will
enjoy a cooking lesson on the region's specialities and dinner with the
hotel chef.
Day 8 – Saturday - FROM ALSACE TO PARIS
After breakfast, we will transfer to Paris where you will settle into
your hotel in the center of Paris. You will have the afternoon and Sunday
to visit the Louvre, Ile de la Cite, Notre Dame Cathedral, Bastille Square,
Sorbonne, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triumph, Eiffel Tower, Concord Square,
and Opera Square among other attractions. Dinner suggestions will be provided.
Day 9 – Sunday - PARIS AT LEISURE
A full day to enjoy Paris on your own capped by a gala dinner with your
tour guide.
Day 10 – Monday - Departure
Breakfast and transfer to the airport for departure to USA