Vineyards and Valleys of France

Arrive in Bordeaux, a city where grand architecture, riverfront views and a deep-rooted food and wine culture set the tone for your journey through France. After meeting your Travel Director and fellow travellers, get your first feel for the city on an orientation drive through its streets and squares. Your introduction leads to Place des Quinconces, one of the largest public squares in Europe, where you’ll pause for dinner and your first taste of the region.

With a Local Specialist, explore Bordeaux on foot through the heart of its historic centre, from Place des Quinconces to the Grand Théâtre, Place de la Bourse and the Miroir d’Eau along the riverfront. Continue past Porte Cailhau, through the Saint-Pierre Quarter and on to Bordeaux Cathedral, uncovering the layers of history that shaped this elegant wine city. The rest of the day is yours to explore Bordeaux your way, whether that means browsing independent boutiques, sampling canelés, visiting the Cité du Vin or settling into a wine bar for a glass of the region’s most famous pour. This evening, you could join an Optional Experience to Saint-Émilion for wine tasting and dinner.

Leaving Bordeaux behind, you’ll head into southwestern France and stop in Moissac for an orientation of this historic town on the Tarn. Here, you’ll view the Abbey of Saint-Pierre, a UNESCO-listed site known for its Romanesque cloister and sculpted portal, and for its place on the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. The journey continues to Albi, where you’ll visit Sainte-Cécile Cathedral and the Palais de la Berbie Gardens overlooking the Tarn River. Later, the evening is yours, or you may choose to join an Optional Experience walking tour and dinner in Cordes-sur-Ciel.

Travel north into the Dordogne, a region known for its river valleys, villages and long history. In Rocamadour, you’ll have time to explore this UNESCO-listed cliffside settlement, known for its pilgrimage heritage and dramatic position above the Alzou Canyon. Continue to Saint-Vincent-de-Cosse and check in to your Stays with Stories experience at Domaine de Monrecour. Relax and enjoy the setting or join an Optional Experience to Château des Milandes, once home to Josephine Baker. Your Be My Guest experience this evening takes you to Domaine de Vielcroze in Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, where the Chambon family has championed the production of the Périgord walnut and black truffle for generations.

Head to Sarlat, where market stalls fill the old town with foie gras, walnuts, truffles, duck specialities and other local produce that reflect daily life in the Dordogne. There’s time to explore one of the region’s best-known market towns before continuing to Lascaux II, where prehistoric cave replicas reveal the paintings that changed our understanding of early human life. Back at your hotel, the rest of the day is yours to relax and enjoy the setting, or perhaps join an Optional Experience on the Dordogne River with wine and local tastings.

Drive north towards the Loire Valley, with a stop in Argenton-sur-Creuse to stretch your legs and pick up a pastry from a local boulangerie. Often called the Venice of the Berry, this riverside town offers a first look at a quieter side of France before the journey continues to Blois. On arrival, settle in and get to know this Loire Valley town, long linked to French royalty and known for its hillside setting above the Loire River. This evening, you can choose to see Château de Blois illuminated, revealing the facade and history of one of the valley’s best-known royal residences.

Visit Château de Chambord with a Local Specialist and get to know the scale, design and royal ambition behind the largest château in the Loire Valley. Built for Francis I from 1519, Chambord is one of the defining buildings of the French Renaissance. Continue to Amboise, where free time gives you the chance to explore the town and find lunch at your own pace. A MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience at Pâtisserie Chocolaterie Bigot brings you into a long-established Amboise institution, where you’ll learn pastry and chocolate-making techniques rooted in French craft and tradition.

Leaving the Loire Valley behind, you’ll continue to Paris, where a Local Specialist introduces the city on a panoramic tour of the French capital. Then it’s on to the Latin Quarter, where free time gives you the chance to explore one of Paris’ oldest districts, known for its bookshops, cafes and student life. Browse the shelves at Shakespeare and Company, stop for coffee on a terrace, peek into the courtyards and passages around the Sorbonne or pick up macarons and chocolates to take with you. Later, join your fellow travellers for dinner on the final evening of your journey through France.

As your journey through France comes to an end, say goodbye to your Travel Director and fellow travellers and reflect on the places, flavours and stories you’ve discovered along the way.