DAY 1

Arrive Paris

Meet your local representative on arrival and privately transfer to your charming boutique hotel situated close to the Ile de la Cité, historic heart of the capital and home to the cathedral of Notre-Dame and Saint-Chapelle. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure before meeting your tour director for welcome drinks followed by dinner at the historic nearby restaurant Lapérouse.

Overnight: Relais Christine
Meal Plan: D

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DAY 2

Paris - Reims - Tinqueux

This morning transfer to the station to take a TGV east to Reims. Since the Middle ages Reims has been associated with the production of gingerbread and a visit will be made to a traditional biscuit factory. Afterwards enjoy lunch before joining your local guide for a city tour. Reims is home to some of the biggest names in champagne - Taittinger, Piper-Heidsieck and Mumm and these can be combined with visits to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Basilica St-Rémi, the Palais du Tau (formerly the Archbishop’s Palace) and the magnificent 13th century Gothic Cathedral of Notre-Dame where traditionally the Kings of France were crowned throughout the centuries. At the end of the afternoon check in to your hotel. Dinner tonight is at leisure.

Overnight: Hotel L’Assiette Champenoise
Meal Plan: B,L

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DAY 3

Tinqueux - Hautvillers - Épernay - L'Epine - Tinqueux

Drive south to Hautvillers, where the monk, Dom Pérignon invented champagne and is buried in the Benedictine abbey church. Afterwards, a few miles south, arrive at Épernay, the real centre of the Champagne industry centered around Moët & Chandon established in 1743, enjoy a tasting of several of their vintages before continuing to L’Epine to enjoy a fantastic gastronomic lunch of regional specialties complemented by excellent wines at Aux Armes de Champagne.

Later in the afternoon return to your hotel where the remainder of the day is at leisure.

Overnight: Hotel L’Assiette Champenoise
Meal Plan: B,L

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DAY 4

Tinqueux - Pierry - Bouzy - Nancy

Departing from the hotel after breakfast our first stop is in nearby Pierry to visit a traditional chocolate atelier. Afterwards something very different – in Bouzy you will visit a snail farm, discovering how France’s most famous delicacy is bred. Afterward, for those who wish, you have the opportunity to taste. Enjoy lunch in a country inn before visiting a farm which produces some of the region’s best foie gras. Later continue east through the wooded Argonne region, arriving at the end of the afternoon in Nancy and to your hotel located on place Stanislas, an elegantly proportioned square laid out in the 1750s. Lining the square are pavilions including the Town Hall and several restaurants; an Arc de Triomphe leads to a tree-lined square to the north.

Dinner tonight is at leisure.

Overnight: Grand Hotel de la Reine
Meal Plan: B,L

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DAY 5

Nancy

Nancy is a grandiose city filled with glorious 18th century architecture that was designed to impress. However, our focus this morning is Art Nouveau which was inspired and coordinated by the glass master Émile Gallé who founded the L’École de Nancy in 1901. After a visit to the Musée de L’École de Nancy take a leisurely stroll along Avenue Foch to the Old Town, admiring numerous fine examples of this sinuous architectural style concluding with lunch at Capucin Gourmand which has  Art Nouveau décor.

This afternoon is at leisure – you may wish to visit the Fine Arts Museum or the Lorraine History Museum, housed in the old Ducal Palace. At tea time, succumb to some of Lorraine’s sweet delicacies, such as Nancy macaroons (delicious biscuits made of a delicate mixture of egg white, sugar and almonds), Boulay macaroons (much liked by General de Gaulle), Bar-le-Duc redcurrant jam de-seeded with a goose quill (nicknamed “Lorraine caviar”), Nancy bergamot orange – certified to be the genuine article by the Lorraine Label, cracknel biscuits and “visitandines” from Nancy, the renowned madeleine de Commercy, or the less well-known but just as tasty Liverdun Madeleine.

Dinner at leisure

Overnight: Grand Hotel de la Reine
Meal Plan: B,L

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DAY 6

Nancy - Rouffach

This morning depart your hotel to visit a modern family-owned cheese dairy which has remained faithful to an authentic tradition of manufacturing Munster cheese. You can see the process from curd making to molding, salting and ripening, and enjoy a taste of the finished product accompanied by a crisp glass of Alsatian wine.

Continue to the Domaine du Bollenberg where you can enjoy lunch in the restaurant before a taking guided tour of the wine cellars,  the traditional distillery which produces eaux de vie, mirabelle plum brandy, pear brandy, kirsch brandy, raspberry brandy, sloe brandy, and strawberry brandy, and finally the marmalade factory to see how the local ‘confiture’ is made.  Afterwards drive short distance to the Chateau d’Isenbourg.

Dine à la carte this evening at your hotel.

Overnight: Chateau d’Isenbourg
Meal Plan: B,L,D

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DAY 7

Rouffach - Colmar - Rouffach

This morning drive to the nearby medieval merchants’ city of Colmar whose cultural highlight, housed in the Musée d’Unterlinden is the stunning Isenheim Altarpiece, a powerful 16th century painting of mysticism and realism by the master Matthias Grünewald. Afterwards enjoy a stroll and see some of the bright colourful houses in the area of La Petite Venise before a relaxing cruise in small flat-bottomed boats on the quiet Lauch River. Later, after a lunch of hearty Alsatian specialties in a rambling riverside inn, depart to visit a family-run vineyard where you can enjoy a tasting in the cellars. The afternoon concludes with a visit to Eguisheim, an ancient town ringed by medieval houses that produces two grand crus; Eichberg and Pfersigberg. Dinner this evening is at leisure.

Overnight: Chateau d’Isenbourg
Meal Plan: B,L

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DAY 8

Rouffach - Riquewihr - Ribeauville - Haut Koenigsbourg - Selestat - Dambach-La-Ville - Strasbourg

The picturesque Route du Vin, meanders over 100 miles past vineyards nestled amid the Vosges foothills and through pretty, flower-strewn medieval villages of pointed half-timbered houses from Marlenheim to Thann. 

This morning we depart north to Riquewihr, a showcase of medieval and Renaissance houses with a steep main street, ramparts and winding alleyways, architecturally scarcely changed in hundreds of years. Afterwards proceed a few miles north to Ribeauvillé, set amidst rolling vineyards and famous for its Riesling. Enjoy more hearty Alsatian cuisine in a traditional Winstub before making a visit to a family-run distillery which produces eaux de vie, mirabelle plum brandy, pear brandy, kirsch brandy, raspberry brandy, sloe brandy, and strawberry brandy. 

Later in the afternoon enjoy a visit to the Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg. Dating from the 12th century the castle was presented to the German Emperor Wilhelm II in 1901, Alsace having been ceded to Germany in 1871, and not recovered by France until 1919. Nearby in Sélstat you can visit the weekly organic produce market. Later in the afternoon stop for refreshments and a stroll in the fortified medieval town Dambach-la-Ville before proceeding to Strasbourg. Upon arrival, check in to your luxury hotel in the attractive south-western part of the town.

This evening dine at leisure.

Overnight: Hotel Regent Petite France
Meal Plan: B,L,D

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DAY 9

Strasbourg

Explore beautiful Strasbourg, famed for its graceful beauty, and enjoy a walking tour of the Petite France district with its carved, half-timbered Renaissance houses and cobbled streets. Visit the soaring gothic Cathedral, with its pink sculpted façade and 465-foot-tall spire, admire the Musée de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame, a fascinating collection of religious artifacts, and visit the lavish 18th century Palais Rohan built by the prince-bishops Rohan who once ruled the city. This afternoon you are free to discover Strasbourg in greater detail on your own before your farewell dinner at one of the city’s premier gastronomic restaurants.

Overnight: Hotel Regent Petite France
Meal Plan: B,L,D

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DAY 10

Strasbourg - Paris

This morning transfer to the station and take the TGV back to Paris. Upon arrival enjoy lunch in a local brasserie and check in to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure although you may wish to join your participate in a visit to the one of the city’s famous cooking schools. This evening meet for cocktails after which dinner is at leisure.

Overnight: Four Seasons Hotel George V
Meal Plan: B,L

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DAY 11

Depart Paris

Transfer privately to the airport to board your homebound flight.

Meal Plan: B

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