Grand Tour of the Loire: Wines & Chateaux

Day One

Order of activities may vary depending on the season and your start date.

• Arrival at Tours train station on your own.
• A short taxi ride (not included) to your 4-star Hotel de L’Univers (or similar), which is located in the fashionable shopping area of Tours. The hotel offers all the comforts of a grand hotel and has been the hotel of choice for a number of European celebrities.
• Time to relax or explore Tours, the largest city in the Loire Valley. Historically and architecturally speaking, it is one of the cradles of the French Renaissance. Stroll thrown the city and discover the area known as “Old Tours,” pedestrian streets, and numerous 15th and 16th century timer-framed houses, the famous Plumereau, Charlemagne Tower, Saint-Martin collegiate church, and the new Saint-Martin Basilica.
• Dinner on your own.

Day Two

• After breakfast, meet either at your hotel or at the Tours Tourist Office (just 200 meters from the hotel) around 9:00 a.m.
• Your tour today starts at Chateau of Blois, which is unique for its combination of four architectural styles, Gothic, Flamboyant, Renaissance and Classic. As such, the chateau is like a resume of architecture from the Middle Ages to the classical period.
• Driver to Cheverny and enjoy a tasting at a local organic winery. You will discover Cheverny and Cour-Cheverny wines, said to be King François I’s favorite wines.
• Lunch on your own.
• Guided visit of the Chateau of Cheverny. In the 17th century Cheverny was the first chateau incarnating the classical style in the Loire Valley. Built by the governor of Blois city, this chateau is known for the richness of its interiors, which have been kept unaltered thanks to its owners, the Hurault family. Cheverny presents a magnificent collection of furniture and master paintings from the Renaissance period. It is also famous for its tradition of the horse-back hunt and its impressive pack of 100 dogs.
• Visit of the Chateau of Chambord. Chambord was the very first Chateau of the Valley to be proclaimed by UNESCO as a world heritage. Leonardo Da Vinci most likely participated in the conception of the chateau, which has more than 400 rooms.
• Around 5:30 p.m., your guide will return you to the Tours Tourist Office or your hotel.
• Dinner on your own.

Day Three

• After breakfast, meet your driver around 9:00 a.m. at your hotel or at the Tours Tourist Office.
• Head off for a guided tour of Chateau de Chenonceau, which is also known as the “Chateau des Dames,” for the great female figures who have lived here, including Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici. It’s also known for its beautiful gardens.
• Enjoy a tasting of three Loire Valley vintages at a wine specialist’s. cave, formerly a tuff stone quarry.
• Lunch on your own.
• Guided tour of the Royal Castle of Amboise, once residence to Charles VIII, and a young Francois d’Angouleme, future François I. Discover this wonderful castle, a perfect example of the transition from Gothic to Renaissance. The Saint Hubert Chapel today shelters the grave of Leonardo da Vinci.
• Next, visit the Manoir du Clos Luce, a few yards away from the castle. Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life here and died in 1519. Tour his bedroom, office, reception room, and kitchen. His invention room will leave you in awe, as models of his most spectacular machines are displayed.
• Your driver will return you to your hotel or to the Tours Tourist Office around 5:30 pm.
• Dinner on your own.

Day Four

• After breakfast, meet your driver at 9:30 a.m. at your hotel for a private day of touring.
• Guided tour of the Chateau of Azay le Rideau, a gem of Renaissance architecture. Situated on an island on the Indre river, it’s an unforgettable gem that’s been well preserved due to it’s mullioned, pepper pots, dormers, and graceful staircase. Be sure to take a stroll around its charmiing English-style gardens.
• Head to a local organic wine estate for another tasting. The vines here are spread over the entire “terroir” included in the appellation, from the shores of the Loire River to the clay, limestone, and silica soils of the hills overlooking the valley. The red and rosé wines in particularly of note and are of 100% Cabernet Franc grapes, introduced to the area by the monks of the Abbey in the Eleventh Century.
• Lunch on your own.
• This afternoon, explore the Chateau of Langeais. this royal castle, built under King Louis XI, was the wedding site of King Charles VIII and Ann of Brittany. You can discover amazing original tapestries and furniture in the spectacular banquet and wedding halls.
• Next, take a guided tour of a spectacular garden in Touraine, Villandry. With its diversity (love garden, kitchen garden, medicine plant garden, water garden, and sun garden), and its size (15 acres), this is a garden that should not be missed.
• Your driver will return you to your hotel around 5:30 pm.
• Dinner on your own.

Day Five

• Check out after breakfast.
• Meet your driver guide to transfer to a cooking atelier for a cooking class. The boutique Cooking Atelier is composed of a team of 10 Chefs, all passionate about their art and proud to share their know-how and their love for French Gastronomy. Gourmet explorers will love visiting the market with the Chef: you will discover the best vegetables, the tastiest cheeses, the best poultry; you will learn how to select your products, and you will prepare a menu according to the season.
• Back at the cooking atelier, you will cook with the Chef, and will finally enjoy a well-deserved lunch paired with some good wines!
• After lunch, transfer to a goat cheese farm (about 1 hour away) for a tour and tasting. The Loire Valley is one of the premiere goat cheese producers in France. See how the cheese is produced and of course enjoy a tasting.
• In the late afternoon, transfer to Saint Pierre des Corps TGV station.