© 2008 Intimate France
20 April 2008
Enjoy some of France's best cuisine - Book it!
12 days - May 3-15, 2009
Tour begins and ends in Bordeaux
$3,895* per person, double occupancy - Singles, add $450
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Detailed Itinerary Day 1 (Sunday, May 3) From our meeting spot, the lobby of the Hotel Novotel Bordeaux Aéroport, it's a one-hour drive to the Médoc wine region of Bordeaux, world famous for its reds. In late morning we arrive in Pauillac and visit the venerable and highly respected winery of Château Lynche-Bages. After lunch we visit a wine information center in Pauillac. Later in the day we make our way to lovely St. Emilion, a hill village occupying a privileged site. After checking into our hotel, we take a get-acquainted stroll around town., followed by DINNER. OVERNIGHT – ST. EMILION Day 2 (Monday, May 4) This morning, after an orientation to the historical land of the Dordogne and to our tour, we visit St. Emilion's Monolithic Church – Europe's largest church carved out of living rock. A treat is in store in the afternoon – a tour of the Pottery Museum with an introduction to the land of Aquitaine and its fabled duchess, Eleanor. You'll find the talk by museum owner Alain Querre fascinating. We have DINNER in our hotel's highly regarded restaurant. OVERNIGHT – ST. EMILION Day 3 (Tuesday, May 5) Leaving St. Emilion, we head to the lively town of Périgueux, the capital of the Dordogne region. We check into our comfortable, city-center hotel, then enjoy a guided stroll through the charming old city. In the afternoon we'll visit Périgueux's curious domed cathedral, whose earliest parts date from 1173.. OVERNIGHT – PERIGUEUX Day 4 (Wednesday, May 6) In the morning, we drive to nearby BRANTOME, a gem of a village on the banks of the pretty Drônne River. Here, we visit an abbey founded by the emperor Charlemagne in 769. In the afternoon, come along as we tour the magnificent Château of Hautefort, perched on a lofty ridge and surrounded by beautiful gardens. The castle is so perfectly Renaissance that it served as the setting of the film Ever After, with Drew Barrymore. Late in the day we return to Périgueux, where we have DINNER. OVERNIGHT – PERIGUEUX Day 5 (Thursday, May 7) Today we visit Périgueux's oldest district, called La Cité. Here we'll see vestiges of the city's Roman past, including a ruined tower and an amphitheater. At mid-day we travel to Champagnac for one of our best meals – LUNCH at the Moulin du Roc, a converted walnut oil mill that proudly holds a Michelin star. It is a fabulous meal in a gorgeous setting – a gracious, riverside garden – that you will long remember. Later still, we stroll around the pretty village of St. Jean-de-Côle, officially classed as one of the most beautiful villages of France. OVERNIGHT – PERIGUEUX Day 6 (Friday, May 8) It's time to leave Périgueux. In late morning we arrive at Collonges-la-Rouge, an exceptionally beautiful village built of red stone. After sightseeing and lunch, we head south into the heart of Périgord, to one of the few remaining walnut oil mills in the Dordogne. At day's end we come to pretty Sarlat-la-Canéda, a magical town of authentic Renaissance architecture. In the evening, we have DINNER in the old town, illuminated by gaslight. OVERNIGHT – SARLAT Day 7 (Saturday, May 9) Sarlat-la-Canéda has what many consider France's most renowned outdoor market. Along with the imposing church and the ancient town, the market is well worth a a half-day's exploration. We shop in the market for a picnic lunch, then head for the magnificent gardens of Marqueyssac, where we picnic before touring the grounds. OVERNIGHT – SARLAT Day 8 (Sunday, May 10) The wild country to the east is on our agenda as we make a day trip to the area's most revered pilgrimage site – medieval Rocamadour. Here we visit the astounding village, clinging to the face of its cliff, as well as the site of several pilgrimage churches. In the afternoon we descend to the Dordogne River and the pretty village of Carennac. OVERNIGHT – SARLAT Day 9 (Monday, May 11) This morning we learn why this part of France has been called the World Capital of Prehistory. Our first visit is to the pretty village of Les Eyzies and its newly remodeled National Museum of Prehistory, which chronicles 500,000 years of human habitation in these valleys. In the afternoon, we visit two sites inhabited in prehistoric and medieval times – the remarkable cliff of Roque St. Christophe, and the Château de Reignac, built into niches in the cliff. Returning to Sarlat, we have DINNER. OVERNIGHT – SARLAT Day 10 (Tuesday, May 12) This morning we pass through beautiful and unspoiled back country, then cross the Dordogne River to the Château of Les Milandes, once owned by American singer-dancer Josephine Baker. After a visit, we climb to the perched village of Domme, where we have an exceptional LUNCH at the Hôtel-Restaurant Esplanade, which enjoys a view over miles of Dordogne River countryside. Following free time in Domme, we descend to the Dordogne and the remarkable village of La Roque Gageac. Here, we board a boat, a replica of the old river craft called garbares, for a cruise. OVERNIGHT – SARLAT Day 11 (Wednesday, May 13) We get our chance today to see prehistoric cave art – the real thing, at the Grotte de Font de Gaume in the morning, and the uncanny replica of the cave at Lascaux in the afternoon. Font de Gaume is one of the last in France still open to the public in which multi-colored prehistoric paintings are found. Also on today's itinerary are strolls through two pretty villages: St. Léon-sur-Vézère, which boasts two châteaux and an uncommonly beautiful church, and St. Amand-de-Coly. OVERNIGHT – SARLAT Day 12 (Thursday, May 14) Leaving the Dordogne, we head east, back toward Bordeaux. Along the way we stop at the bastide (new town) of Monpazier, founded in the 1200s. After LUNCH, we visit one of the top sights of the Dordogne – the Château of Monbazillac, a castle and winery. Finally, at day's end, we arrive at Bordeaux airport and check into the comfortable, convenient Novotel. OVERNIGHT – BORDEAUX AIRPORT Getaway day (Friday, May 15) It's time to say au revoir to France as you take the hotel shuttle to the nearby Bordeaux airport for your flight home.
Notes MEALS – Tour includes breakfast every day, as well as eight other meals (lunches and dinners), as indicated in BOLD CAPS on the itinerary.
OUR HOTELS Palais Cardinal, St. Emilion Hôtel Mercure Périgueux Centre, Périgueux Hôtel de Selves, Sarlat Hôtel Novotel Bordeaux Aeroport
HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS – Subject to change according to availability.
* TOUR PRICING – Price quoted is based on the U.S. dollar/euro exchange rate as of 3/27/08 and could change if there are significant exchange rate fluctuations. Call us for details - (800) 676-1247.
ITINERARY – Details of this preliminary itinerary could change. A final itinerary will be issued closer to trip departure.
SIGHTSEEING – All sightseeing listed in itinerary is included as part of the tour. |
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