Champagne - Burgundy - Berry

Pick-up at 9 am from Paris, drive strait to Reims, the Capital of Champagne.

Visit and tasting of a prestigious Champagne house with characteristic chalky cellars in Taittinger, Veuve-Cliquot, Pommery, Mumm, or Ruinart... You will see also the majestic Reims Gothic cathedral where most French Kings were crowned and the lively city center. Lunch in Reims or on the way to Epernay.

Visit Hautvillers, attractive village on the southern slope of the Montagne de Reims, with old houses and hand-painted wrought-iron signs, it forms part of the three top wine-growing areas of Ay, Hautvillers and Avenay.
Dom Perignon (1638-1715), who is buried in the old abbey church, was in charge of the cellars of the Benedictine abbey. The monk was the first to blend various wines to produce Champagne. He also supervised the double fermentation process and initiated the use of cork. Dom Perignon invented the science of Champagne and personifies the spirit of the Champagne people, a mix of method and audacity.

Epernay is with Reims, the main wine-growing center of the Champagne region and the meeting point of three major wine-growing areas: the Montagne de Reims, the Côte des Blanc and the Marne Valley. Visit a famous Champagne house on the avenue de Champagne.

In the afternoon, visit to a smaller Champagne producer in the 'Montagne de Reims' or in the Marne valley.

Dinner and accommodation near Epernay

Pick-up at 8 am from Reims, drive straight to Dijon.

Former capital of one of the most important duchy in Europe, Dijon offers an exceptional cultural patrimony, such as the 'Palais des Ducs' and the Fine Arts Museum. Walking tour and lunch.

In the afternoon, departure for our tour of great Vintage Wines Road (Route des Grands Crus) :

Drive through the vineyards that hold the illustrious names of the Burgundy wines to get to the town of Beaune

Tour of the historical Clos de Vougeot, built by Cistercian monks in the 12th century. Surrounded by magnificent vineyards, it houses prestigious cellars and collections of winepresses from the Middle Ages.

Arrival in Beaune, ancient city with a splendid architectural heritage and Capital of the Burgundy wines. Visit the 'Marché du Vin' wine cellars, dating from the 13th/14th century, where you will be able to taste about 16 different kinds of wine!

Dinner and accommodation near Beaune

Visit the Hôtel-Dieu, a marvel of Burgundian-Flemish art.

The medieval building, with its preserved decor and magnificent colored glazed tiles, houses the famous polyptych of the Last Judgment, by Rogier van der Weyden, masterpiece of Flemish art.
From the 15th century until recently it served as a charitable hospital, it is now an impressive repository of art and mementos of customs and medical practices in medieval Burgundy.

Drive to Tournus in southern Burgundy. Guided tour of the 10th-century Saint-Philibert Abbey. Walk in the old feudal market town of Brancion, perched on a promontory overlooking deep ravines, and the tiny village of Chapaize. Visit and guided tour of the château of Cormatin, a jewel dating from the beginning of the 17th century.

The Cluny Abbey was before the destructions of the Revolution, the largest Abbey church of all time.

Dinner and accommodation near Beaune.

Picturesque drive through the vineyards of the white Burgundy from Beaune to the impressive setting of château de La Rochepot.

Wine tasting in the little town of Meursault, where the white wines, with a taste of hazelnut, dry and mellow at the same time, are considered among the best in the world.

Lunch in Pommard. Who has never heard this famous name, inextricably linked with the tradition of wine-making ? The village huddles tightly around its square bell-towered church as if to leave room for the vines ! Appreciated by such great men such as Victor Hugo, the wines of Pommard are outstanding.

Vezelay. Built on the top of a hill overlooking a small river valley. The basilica of Sainte-Madeleine, towering over the town with its old houses and ramparts is a masterpiece of the Romanesque art in Burgundy, and one of the treasures of France.

Dinner and overnight at La Verrerie a lovely castle built in the 15th century, nestled alongside a romantic lake and surrounded by a large forest, near the Sancerre vineyards (see also picture above, right).

Wine tasting in Menetou-Salon chalky-clay hillsides close to Sancerre produce very good, expressive, fresh and balanced white (Sauvignon) and red wines (Pinot Noir)

Bourges. Capital of the Berry region, visit St Etienne cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece and the Palais Jaques Cœur.

Born in Bourges around the year 1400, Jacques Coeur rapidly rose to the top of the social ladder. After he became Finance Minister to the King Charles VII and a nobleman, he began the construction of his Palace, which was finished around 1450. This monument unique in France for its time illustrates the original personality of its builder.

Fontainebleau. With its richness and power to surprise, the magnificent castle of Fontainebleau sums up the history of France. From Francis I (the castle was his favorite residence) to Napoleon III, each sovereign left a unique mark on the structure and its grounds.

Return to Paris, end of our services.