French wine & cuisine

from the Corbières to St Emilion

Carcassonne - Limoux - Corbières
Albi - Gaillac - Quercy
Lascaux - St Emilion - Bordeaux

9 days / 8 nights - €2690 per person

“Live like a Prince – cuisine and wine tour”

This escorted tour concentrates on what the French do best: food and drink. Starting in the relatively unknown wine regions of Corbières and Limoux the tour visits two UNESCO world heritage sites before heading into deepest Quercy and Perigord for some real french cuisine experiences. It finishes in style among the prestigious vineyards of Bordeaux. map

Day 1 Carcassonne
The tour members gather in Toulouse where they are met by their guide. Departure for Carcassonne, where you will settle into your comfortable hotel and explore the immediate surroundings. Before dinner, you are invited to a wine initiation by a professional sommelier. Dinner and overnight in Carcassonne.


Day 2 Corbières vineyards/Carcassonne
Depart for the Corbières vineyards, an AOC located in the heart of the Aude region. Here we will taste different types of wine that will give you a better idea of the regional taste. After lunch, visit of the mediaeval city of Carcassonne classified World Heritage site by UNESCO since 1997. Night in Carcassonne.


Day 3 Vineyard of Limoux/Cruise on the Canal
In the morning, depart for Limoux to visit a wine cellar. The strength of Sieur d'Arques is based on the harmonious combination of the sense of tradition, experience, modernity and rigour of the wine grower. After lunch return to Carcassonne for a unusual cruise on the Canal du Midi. Finally transfer from Carcassonne to St Beauzeil where you’ll be welcomed at a magnificent château. Night in St Beauzeil.


Day 4 Cooking lessons/Foie Gras museum
Guy Hérault, the chef, welcomes you into his kitchen for a hands-on session all about the preparation and service of foie gras, fish or dessert. For lunch you will enjoy the fruit of your own labours! Wine is included. In the afternoon, visit of a foie gras museum. In the evening, before dinner, a visiting oenologist will reveal the particularities of the Cahors wines. Dinner and overnight in château. Night in St Beauzeil.


Day 5 Lascaux II / Sarlat
Departure to visit the Lascaux II Caves, an experience that will transport you back 50 000 years. Then free visit of Sarlat. This bustling, beautiful market town is the capital of the Perigord Noir, so called because of the areas dense forests. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. Night in Sarlat.


Day 6 Saint Emilion/Bordeaux
Departure for Bordeaux. Lunch at Saint Emilion; its inclusion on the World Heritage list is fully justified. During the afternoon a guide will take you on a tour of Bordeaux to visit its main monuments and the old town. Night in Bordeaux.


Day 7 Bordeaux vineyards
This morning departure for the celebrated 'Route des vins' to discover some of the most prestigious names and chateaux that made french wine famous all over the world. From Pauillac to Margaux, niched along the Gironde river, you'll visit or drive through some of the most prestigious locations. Of course one cannot explore the area without the experience of a wine tasting session in an intimate wine tasting cellar. Tonight enjoy a gourmet dinner in a famous restaurant. Night in Bordeaux.


Day 8 Bordeaux
A free day in Bordeaux: plenty of time to shop, visit some of the finest wine bars, or, on option - tour some of the region's better known vineyards with your guide. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.


Day 9 Bordeaux
Breakfast at your hotel - end of our services.

Download the 2008 version of the tour pdf

BOOK this ESCORTED TOUR

Our escorted tours are for small groups of 4 to 6 guests, travelling in comfort aboard an air-conditioned minvan. The driver is also your guide: an english-speaking expert on the villages, vineyards and sights you will see. Accommodation is top class bijou hotels, chateaux and guesthouses

2008 Dates:

from 19th to 27th April
from 31st May to 8th June
from 20th to 28th September

Public Price: €31950 per person (base 2 sharing room)
single supplement: €420

Prices include:
- Accommodation in bijou 3* hotels.
- Dinners from day 1 to day 8, including gourmet dinner day 7.
- Breakfast from day 2 to day 9.
- Visits:
     Corbières vineyards
     Boat ride on the Canal
     Cooking lesson in the Quercy
     Entrance to Lascaux II Caves
     Bordeaux and its vineyards
- The services of a professional driver guide throughout the tour with commentaries in English.
- Tolls, fuel and parking.
- Accommodation and meals included for the driver.

Prices don’t include:
- Flights.
- Drinks.
- Any other options (eg 2nd vineyard tour day 8).
- Tips or expenses.
- Supplement single: € 425
- Insurance.