Food Wine Culture Tours
216 Lindbergh Avenue
Frederick, MD 21701 USA
Toll free (866) 874-4219
Phone: (301) 663-9160
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:
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