Romantic France

IMPORTANT - IF YOU REQUESTED ADDITIONAL NIGHTS on arrival at the hotel you will have your booking made but the guide of your trip will normally not arrive until the start of the included activities. YOUR TIME BEFORE THIS MOMENT IS THEREFORE FREE. At your hotel they can help you with all the information you need.


NB: The schedules you will find in this itinerary are approximate. The guide, depending on the situation and in order to improve the development of the circuit, may adjust the schedules.





WELCOME TO PARIS!
Transfer from airport to hotel and free time to explore before meeting your guide and fellow travellers. You will receive information about the start of the circuit during the afternoon, or you can check the informative panels in the hotel reception area.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Transfer to Versailles Palace. Funicular ride included to Montmartre district. City tour in Paris.

Early in the morning, we will leave for Versailles, the immense palace of the kings of France. After that, we will return to Paris at lunch time where we provide a transfer to the Montmartre dis­trict. We will ascend by funicular to the hill and admire the spectacular view of Paris from the top. Thisneighbourhood is known for its painters, artists, and its cab­arets… Sit down for lunch and enjoy a magical atmosphere. Then, a scenic guided tour to discover the history, main boulevards and the breathtaking monuments of Paris will take place. Return to hotel.

Total distance covered: 240 km

Scenery: Soothing hills of the Loire Valley.

Before we leave Paris, our guide will offer you some optional activities to complement your visit of the city, such as: a boat trip on the Seine, the Louvre Museum. Otherwise, you can use this time to stroll around the city on your own.


17.30 hrs- Departure from Paris and travel to the Loire Valley.
20.30 hrs- TOURS - Arrival in the beautiful provincial capital of the Loire. We recommend going out for dinner and a stroll in the beautiful old town area.

Total distance covered: 615 km.

Scenery: Beautiful French countryside


08.00 hrs. We will continue our tour and head towards the south of France through fragrant vineyards.
12.00 hrs. We arrive in BORDEAUX whose town centre was declared a World Heritage Site. Here we will have time to have lunch and explore this beautiful city. We suggest that you visit the Port of the Moon and St Andrew’s Cathedral.


14.30 hrs - We continue travelling south, toward the Pyrenees.
18:00 hrs.- Lourdes- Arrival. Our guide will give you some information about this quaint village situated on the Pyrenees, we recommend you to attend to the candle procession, which usually takes place around 21.00hrs (from the end of March to late October). Dinner included for all passengers.

TODAY´S HIGHLIGHTS: Medieval villages of S. Bertrand and Carcassonne.

Following the Pyrenees, we stop at SAINT BERTRAND, a medieval town hung on the mountainside, dominated by its great cathedral. Time for a stroll before continuing to CARCASSONNE, a city surrounded by the most beautiful walls in Europe. Time to stroll and have lunch. In the afternoon, we continue to MARSEILLES, France’s second city, to see its vibrant “Vieux Port” (old port).

Note: If the group is small, the section from Carcassonne to Marseilles may be done by train (our guide will give you the tickets and inform you, and another different guide will be waiting for you upon your arrival in Marseilles).

Total distance: 380km

Scenery: Villages, landscapes, and history, today we see some of the most beautiful places in Provence.


08.00 hrs. Marseille, exit.
09.15 hrs.- Arles. Stop to visit this World Heritage city that shows us its legacy of Roman and medieval times. Its light captivated great painters, such as Van Gogh, who immortalized it in some of his canvases.


10.30 hrs- Arles Departure.
11.00 hrs- In Les Beaux, we get to know this small medieval village and we will include the entrance to Carrieres de Lumiere, an impressive show of art, image and sound underground, in some of its old quarries.


12.15 hrs- Lumiere carriers, departure
13.00 hrs.- Avignon- A time to have lunch and walk in this small walled city of Provence on the
banks of the Rhône that was the seat of the Catholic Popes, becoming the second Rome, until in 1791 when it was integrated into France. Its immense Palace of the Popes reveals its past.


15.30 hrs- Avignon. Departure to the interior of France.
18.15 hrs. Lyon, Arrival in the third city of France, with a remarkable historical past preserved that make it proud. We will be able to walk through the old quarter declared a World Heritage Site and we will include a funicular ride to climb to Notre Dame de Fourviere, an immense basilic from where we have a great view over the city.


When due to it being closed or due to influx of public it is not possible to obtain tickets for the show of Carrieres de Lumière, as an alternative there will be a transfer to the Roman aqueduct of Pont du Gard.

Total Distance: 220 km
Scenery: Burgundy’s wine region with exceptional vineyards.

08.30 hrs.- After breakfast, we will leave Lyon and go towards Burgundy.
10.00 hrs.- Tournus. Time for walking throughout the
pleasant small town with picturesque alleys behind an immense stone gate and
its large abbey, one of the largest Romanesque monuments in France.


11.00 hrs- Tournus, departure.
11.45 hrs- Beaune.
Stop to visit and have lunch in the wine capital of Burgundy. You can
visit the wine museum or the historic hospice.

14.30 hrs- Beaune, departure.
15.00 hrs- Savigny Castle – In the center of this wine region, we
will visit the Savigny Castle, built in the fifteenth century, and where some
extraordinary museums are located (such as motorcycle, race cars, airplanes and
helicopters museums!).

16.30 hrs- Savigny Castle, departure.
17.30 hrs- Dijon, arrival in the capital of Burgundy,
with lively streets and atmosphere. This city that was the capital of a
powerful duchy at the end of the Middle Ages, it preserves a great
architectural heritage of medieval and Renaissance buildings where the palace
of the dukes stands out.

Total Distance: 387km

Scenery: small villages in the Dordogne among relaxing landscapes of hills and vineyards.

08.30 hrs- Dijon, departure. We continue touring Burgundy.
10.00 hrs- Abbey of Fontenay. We include an entrance to visit this abbey, masterpiece of the Cistercian order, today a Unesco World Heritage Site.


11.00hrs- Fontenay, departure.
11.30 hrs. Semur in Auxois. Stop to get to know this charming medieval town of alleys, palaces and half-timbered houses surrounded by impressive walls that will make you travel back in time.


12.30 hrs.- Semur in Auxois. We continue touring the interior of Burgundy.
13.30 hrs.- Vezelay. Time for lunch and stroll in one of the most beautiful villages in France. Its immense basilica was one of the starting points of the Way of St James.


16.00 hrs.- Vezelay. Exit.
19.00 hrs- Paris.


End of our services. Please, check the time of your flight in case you might need an additional night.

Important ote: In case you have to book an external service (plane/train...) on the day of the end of
your tour with activities included, please remember that the schedules of the detailed itineraries are the "planned" ones but may be affected by different circumstances (traffic density, customer delays, breakdowns...). Do not book a flight/train with a tight schedule without taking this into account.
Always leave a margin in the schedule for unforeseen events.