Live like a king in the heart of some wonderful Châteaux

Come to Bordeaux, the worldwide capital of wine, for an unforgettable experience. Whether you arrive at Bordeaux Mérignac airport or by TGV at Bordeaux Saint Jean station, our bilingual English speaking chauffeur will be waiting for you to board a luxury private vehicle, before taking you to your **** Hotel, situated right in the heart of Bordeaux.

At the end of the afternoon, you can take the opportunity to stroll around the town, and discover the architectural gems of the 18th century. Don’t forget to wander along the banks of the Garonne with its amazing façades, listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The recent development of the riverbanks has given this area an "art de vivre" where you can go to relax, dream, and get caught up in its magic. Here you can admire the Grand Théâtre, one of Bordeaux’s most beautiful sites, as well as the Hôtel de Ville district where the Cathédrale Saint-André stands, as well as the historic pedestrian district with its numerous restaurants and cafés. These brighten up the area and give you the opportunity to stop for a delicious bite to eat, or just to enjoy their sunny terraces.
There are many guided tours of Bordeaux available through our agency.

For shopping lovers, Bordeaux has many luxury boutiques in an area which the people from Bordeaux call “The Golden Triangle”, where you can find top brands such as Cartier, Kenzo, Hermès etc. You can also go down rue Sainte-Catherine, the longest pedestrian road in Europe, where you will be amazed by the wide range of boutiques. We will provide you with a list of gourmet restaurants, which we would be happy to reserve for you at your request.

In the evening, meet over a glass of Bordeaux wine in a magical place. You can discover the flavours of a new ‘cru’, be advised on its appellation, and you will be given the choice of a vintage wine or a red, dry or sweet white, rosé, Clairets, in a setting specially designed to take you on a voyage of discovery of Bordeaux wines.

After breakfast, your chauffeur will drive you 40km North East of Bordeaux, to the heart of the Libournais vineyards, where Saint-Émilion, famous for its art and its history, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. This wine region, where the majority of the estates are no bigger than 10 hectares, is home to a large number of legendary wines such as Pétrus, Ausone, Cheval Blanc, to name but a few.

You can then enjoy an exclusive visit of Saint-Émilion’s Premiers Grands Crus Classés and of the widely renowned and prestigious appellation Pomerol châteaux, which is home to the most famous of all crus, Pétrus.

A visit to a fabulous 18th Century chartreuse (bourgeois country house, very popular during the 18th and 19th century in Bordeaux vineyards). The Guggenheim family fell in love with it and ordered a 1930s American architect to reproduce it for them in Long Island. This area, which covers 20 hectares, produces numerous wines of a distinguished quality using specialised guides.

You will then be welcomed into a family area, thought to be one of the top 5 "Grand Crus Classé" in Saint-Émilion in 1868. This area kindly opens its doors to you for an exclusive visit of its installations.

For food lovers who want to experience the perfect blend of food and wine and create unforgettable memories, we can reserve a table for you in a prestigious restaurant, boasting 2 Michelin stars.

After lunch, you are free to guide yourself around the city of Saint-Émilion, founded by a monk at the beginning of the Middle Ages. You can visit the grotto which sheltered Saint-Émilion for 17 years and the monolithic church, entirely carved out of rock between the 9th and 11th century by Benedictine monks. From the bell tower, after 198 steps, the brave among you can admire a beautiful view of the village, its monuments and the vineyard. Your tour will take you to the Trinity Chapel, the collegiate church and its cloister, the “Tour du Roi”, where you can enjoy an incredible view from the top. Another unmissable architectural gem, the Cordeliers cloister, built in the 14th century.

Before you leave Saint Emilion, you will experience an incredible visit to a listed château. In the same family since the 13th century, its owners will open their doors to you and talk passionately to you about their incredible land and wine making methods, which are always in keeping with their love of perfection.

After these incredible moments, we can reserve a table for you in a restaurant of fine French cuisine.

After breakfast, your chauffeur will take you along the “Route des Châteaux”, where you will find some legendary wine-making areas - of which the names alone will make your mouth water. You will pass by Châteaux Margaux, Latour, Mouton-Rothschild,...

You will have the privilege of being welcomed into 2 famous 1855 "Grand Crus Classé" (officially classed by Napoléon III). These Châteaux will open the doors of their wine storehouses for you to discover the winemaking and maturing techniques. A wine tasting session will give you the opportunity to get to know all the elegance and delicacy of these famous crus which have such a big reputation.

You will learn the stages and the vocabulary of wine tasting in an initiation lesson led by professionals before heading off to a famous Michelin star restaurant.

At the heart of the Medoc vineyards, you will enter into a mythical world of fine cuisine. You can sample some of the amazing creations of its chef, voted chef of the year by the Gault Millau Guide in 2005.

After breakfast, you are invited for a visit of the vineyard which dominates the Gironde estuary. You can start to better understand the importance of their land, what happens to the grapevines and learn winemaking techniques through a visit to the fermenting room and the barrel storehouse. You will have the opportunity to taste 2 wines from one of the Pauillac appellation’s most unforgettable products.

Then, fine wine lovers will have the pleasure of discovering some of the secrets of a prestigious Cru Classé. On your arrival, you will be amazed by the château’s architecture, which is one of the treasures of the Médoc, and has been highly sought after by powerful families since it was built in the 17th century.
You will visit the technical installations and when it comes to your wine tasting session, you will get to know the aromas of the wine which will caress your palate.

At the end of the afternoon, another renowned Château will open its doors to you and you will be offered its complete attention. We will have organised a private visit for you, giving you the opportunity to really get to know this property which covers 90 hectares and really captures the spirit of its creators. You will stay for dinner where you will enjoy an incredible meal, blending food and wine perfectly, in a private room of the château.

After Breakfast, your chauffeur will drive you to Cognac,worldwide capital of a renowned business. On your arrival, in the heart of the vineyards which brought about the famous Cognac VSOP, XO, and even Napoléon and Louis XIII appellations, you will get settled in a 19th century castle circled with a park of 2.5 hectares, where the owner will welcome you.

Come to Charente, truly means discovering the secrets of how Cognac is made, this eau-de-vie which is exported to more than 160 countries worldwide. This bordered region is home to the Larges Houses which have a global reputation, supplied by a large part of some 5900 businesses, which provides the Cognac wine and even the eau de vie itself.

You will have the enormous honour of spending the day in the private property of one of the most famous Cognac House, the “Rémy Martin House”, where you can make the most of having a VIP Pass.

You will start the day by discovering the vineyards, before moving onto the distillery where you will witness the birth of Cognac, accompanied by the Master distiller and your English guide.

A private tasting session of the Eaux-de-vie and Cognac in the historic home of Rémy Martin, accompanied by small apperitifs prepared by the house’s head chef, will give you the chance to teach your nose and your palate the different flavours which distinguish Cognac. It will also allow you to try out different ways of drinking this liqueur which is drunk both pure or with various mixers, before, during or after meals throughout many countries in the world.

We then invite you to a lunch in the heart of the distillery, and taste a range of different typical “Charente” meals in an outstanding setting.

François I was born in Cognac and you are invited to visit the famous Château which carries his name and is now home to another large Cognac House. You can stroll up and down the alleyways of the old town, which will take you back to the gates of Saint-Jacques and lead you on to François I Place.

At the end of the afternoon, you will be driven to the family property of Rémy Martin and have the privilege of going inside its doors. In this place, so full of history, you will visit all the first wine-making installations and the historic rock stills.

You will then have the privilege of sitting down to a prestigious dinner in the heart of the historic distillery or in an intimate dining room.

After a delicious breakfast in the château, you will head towards the coastline of Charente Maritime where you will discover its treasures from the comfort of a helicopter. On board the helicopter you will fly over the islands and famous monuments and discover the oyster-farming basin of Marennes Oléron, the most important in Europe, with 6000 hectares of parks and oyster pits. You will fall in love with the very typical Charente marshland, dotted with charming little traditional cabins, generally made of wood, painted in vivid colours and with tiled rooves, built alongside the channels.

You will make an incredible stop at an oyster-farming park and will be welcomed by a oyster-farmer who will talk to you about his job and his knowledge which has been handed down from generation to generation. You will discover how the oysters are ripened in their oyster pits, and old salt marshes, where their colour and flavour are finalised and will be invited to a delicious lunch.

After lunch, you are invited to discover La Rochelle, a maritime city and one of the biggest French ports for economy and tourism. Chosen specifically by cruise lovers, La Rochelle is the Atlantic stopover for large cruise ships and a prerequisite for your stay on the Atlantic. Explore the 2 towers of its protected fortified port, dating back to the 14th and 15th century.
You can explore the shopping area of the Saint-Sauveur district. These typical streets with their arcades give the old town a great deal of charm and make this area unforgettable.

During a private visit, you will admire the houses from the Middle Ages, the richness of the 16th and 17th century sculpted rock façades, the nobility of the 18th century shipowner’s hotels. Your stroll will lead you to the Hôtel de ville, the most visited monument in La Rochelle, which you can get to know over the course of a guided visit.
Other guided visits of the old town are available at your agency.

To leave an incredible French gastronomic experience, we will recommend and reserve upon request, a restaurant which cannot be missed.

After lunch, you will head off to discover the many marvels of the Loire Valley, where you will stay in an incredibly elegant 18th century 4* Château Hôtel. Not far from Tours, a town of Art and History, former Gallic-Roman city, then capital of the kingdom of France, you can make the most of your incredible location right in the centre of the famous Loire Valley.

You will have lunch at the restaurant in the Château where the head chef will offer you local cuisine : fish from Loire, meat from Touraine, which you can enjoy in 1 of the 3 lounges or 2 dining rooms.

After lunch, you will discover, in private, the Amboise Château, Royal residence of Charles VIII and François I, where your guide will take you round the royal dwellings, the Orient garden, the basement and the towers.

It was here at Amboise that Leonardo da Vinci came to live in 1516 and here that he finished his life in 1519. He was buried in the cloister of the Château before being transferred, it is thought, to the Saint-Hubert Chapel, a gem of Gothic art.
François I had the Château de Cloux converted for him, today called Clos-Lucé. Your guide will take you behind the scenes of this home as well as the park which offers a cultural experience, where you can enjoy the art and visions of this Italian genius.

Don’t forget to do a tour of the Chanteloup Pagoda which offers one of the most beautiful views of the valley and a taste of China.

After your breakfast at your château/hotel, you will be driven to Blois, a town which was right at the heart of historic and artistic activity during the 15th century and the Renaissance.
Built on a headland overlooking the Loire, the Blois Château is an absolute masterpiece.
The town is easy to visit by foot, and offers splendid private hotels and beautiful 15th and 16th century houses. You can enjoy an incredible view of the Loire from the Evêché gardens.

It would be our pleasure to reserve a table for you in a restaurant of regional gastronomy for lunch.

You will then visit the largest and most extravagant of all the Loire châteaux, the Château Royal de Chambord, which was built under François I in 1519.
Chambord, which comprises 440 rooms and no less than 83 staircases, had to immortalise both the splendour of the French monarchy and the excesses of the young King. It stretches over 5000 hectares of land (nearly the size of Paris !) and is surrounded by 32 kilometres of wall.
No doubt you would like to tour the park by bike ?

Take your time enjoying your breakfast at your hotel, your guide will take care of your transfer to Tours station or to the airport.