Treasures of South West France

TREASURES of South West FRANCE

Package Description

9 days / 8 nights
exploring "la france profonde"

This is an escorted tour for those visitors who have already seen the tourist spots - Paris, Provence and the Riviera. This tour cuts a swathe through the South-West, exploring an unknown France rich in topography, architecture and history and brimming with unexpected delights: ancient castles, unspoilt villages, vineyards and prehistoric cave paintings.

Price:

€ 2820 per person
(base 2 sharing room)

Single supplement: €535

Availibility:

2007 Dates:

- from 11 June to 19 June

- from 22 Sept to 30Sept

Schedule might change, check availibility by filling out the
form below

Prices Include:

- Accommodation in guest houses or
3* bijou hotels

- Dinners from day 1 to day 8

- Gourmet dinner day 2 and 8

- Drinks included in Guest houses

- Breakfast from day 2 to day 9

- Visits

- Guided tour of Saint Emilion

- 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 Do Not Include:

- Flights.
- Day 8 optional vineyard tour.
- Tips or personal expenses.
Bordeaux vineyards (option)
- Single supplement : 535 euros.
- Insurance.

Highlights

- Toulouse

- Albi

- Rocamadour

- Sarlat

- Lascaux Caves

- Barge Ride in the Marais Poitevin

- La Rochelle

- St Emilion

- Bordeaux

- Boat ride on the Canal du Midi

- Cordes sur Ciel, a secret and magical medieval town

South-West Tour, Off the Beaten Path

Location

Click to enlarge image

Your trip, day by day:

Day 1 Toulouse
Arrive in Toulouse and meet at hotel. Discover the surroundings of your hotel at leisure. Night in Toulouse.

Day 2 Carcassonne/Albi
This morning, explore the largest fortified city of Europe: Carcassonne, classified World Heritage site since 1997. After a boat ride on the Canal du Midi transfer to Albi. Visit of the ‘old town’ and of the Cathedral, a typical example of southern Gothic architecture. Gourmet dinner and overnight in Albi.

Day 3 Cordes sur Ciel/Cahors/Rocamadour
Depart for the little village of Cordes sur Ciel, a secret and magical medieval town. On by way of St Antonin Noble Val in the Aveyron gorges to arrive in the Cahors vineyards. Visit of a wine storehouse followed by wine tasting. Lunch in Cahors and walkabout in the town. In the afternoon, we reach Rocamadour, an ancient pilgrimage town with its impressive belvedere that dominates the Alzou canyon. Night in Rocamadour.

Day 4 Dordogne valley/Sarlat/Lascaux II
Today we head towards the Dordogne. Visit of two villages classified as “most beautiful of France”. Lunch in Sarlat, one of the few French towns that has remained intact since the XVIIth century. Then, be transported back 50.000 years as you visit the “Sistine Chapel” of prehistory, the Lascaux II Caves. Night in Montignac.

Day 5 Périgueux/Angoulême/Cognac
After a tour in Périgueux, we drive towards easy-going Angoulême. Lunch in Angoulême. This afternoon is devoted to the prince of Spirits, ‘Cognac’ which we will examine and taste in one of the most famous distilleries. Finally, visit to Saintes, ancient capital of the roman province of Aquitaine, and where one can still admire numerous monuments of that period. Night in Cognac.

Day 6 Saintes/ Marais Poitevin / La Rochelle
This morning we'll have time to explore the Roman origins of Saintes before setting off for the verdant and natural setting of the 'Marais Poitevin'. You are invited to take an unforgettable ride on board a typical, local rowboat of the ‘Poitevin swamps’. Lunch in the area. In the afternoon we reach La Rochelle, a typical example of classical architecture in a port. Night in La Rochelle.

Day 7 Saint Emilion / Bordeaux
Today we head towards the Bordeaux region via the famous UNESCO classified town of Saint Emilion. Not only is the town renowned for its wines, it also boasts an unusual network of troglodyte dwellings. Lunch and depart for the city of Bordeaux. Visit of the city and its sights and free time to stroll around one of Europe’s largest shopping districts. Night in Bordeaux.

Day 8 Bordeaux
Free day in Bordeaux to explore the city or, as an optional extra, head towards the world famous Bordeaux vineyards like Margaux, Pauillac or Saint Julien to enjoy a wine tasting experience in a famous chateau. Gourmet meal in a top restaurant and overnight in Bordeaux.

Day 9 Toulouse
Breakfast. End of our services

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Departure:
Toulouse

Area:
Midi-Pyrénées

Region Map:

Click to enlarge

About the Region

Midi-Pyrénées is best known worldwide for three local "products" that have achieved world fame: Airbus aircraft, Roquefort cheese, and the Catholic pilgrimage center of Lourdes. This goes a long way into unveiling the extreme contrasts and diversity that exist within the very heterogeneous région of Midi-Pyrénées. Indeed, Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity. It is one of these régions of France created artificially in the late 20th century to serve as an hinterland and zone of influence for its capital, Toulouse, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" (métropoles d'équilibre). Another example of this is the also artificial région of Rhône-Alpes which was created as the région for Lyon. The name chosen for the new région was decided by the French central government without reference to the historical provinces (too many of them inside the région) and based purely on geography: Midi (i.e. "southern regions", in a Parisian perspective) - Pyrénées (Pyrenees mountains that are the southern limit of the région). The French adjective and name of the inhabitants of the région is: Midi-Pyrénéen.

About Toulouse

Born during the Roman Empire, Toulouse was once a major metropolis of western Europe, but it sank into a sleepy regional-level status in the 18th and 19th centuries, completely missing the Industrial Revolution. In the 20th century, relocation of key military and aerospace industries in Toulouse by the French central government have awakened the city again. In an ironic twist of history, what was once a big liability for Toulouse has now become its best asset: no Industrial Revolution meant a falling economic status for the city, but it has spared Toulouse the environmental damages and painful socio-economic restructuring that are plaguing so many northern European industrial cities.

About Us

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.