France 2026
Proposed Itinerary France 2026
18 Days - 21st June – 9th July
Please email me for a tour price. Athough we have maintained the tour prices from 2025. The Zealand exchange rate has made a significant diiference.
We can only hope it will improve in the next 6 months
My tours are all-inclusive:
• 17 nights hotel accommodation in Boutique hotels and Chateau Quatre Saison
• Daily breakfast
• I have allocated a dinner or lunch each day, inclusive of beverages and wine. Including pre-dinner drinks at the Chateau
• Visits and guided tours are all included
• Tipping is included
*Airfares are not included in this price
*All other meals will be at your own expense
The French tour is one day longer :
1 night in Leon
5 nights in Burgundy
4 nights in Loire
7 nights Chateau Quatre Saison – Normandy
Total 17 nights
For 7 years, I visited Beaune with tour groups on my Italy / France tours. It remains a favourite destination and has enabled me to make good friends with the Martin family. They own La Terre D’Or. In the past we have always stayed in a hotel, but the opportunity arose that we could stay for 5 nights at La Terre D’or and I am super excited.
https://www.laterredor.com/en/
During our five days based in Beaune, we will be kept busy getting to know this exquisite French town in the heart of Burgundy. We have a lot to learn about the wine and food. Vincent and Jean Louis from La Terre D’Or will help us discover the beautiful Burgundy region.
Beaune enjoys a long tradition of famous wine production as well as being a key part of the rich gastronomic pageant of French food. We will visit wonderful wine producers who, in Burgundy, are generally smaller and therefore offer a very personal tasting experience.
From Beaune, we are going to take a slightly longer route to visit an outstanding garden that Philip and I visited several years ago. Le Prieuré Notre Dame d’Orsan is an extraordinary garden of intimate rooms, precision hedging, all inspired by the art, spirit and romance of the medieval world.
For the next 4 nights we will be in the heart of the Loire. Philip and I did a research trip there this year. So guess what !!! We will have wonderful, famous Chateau visits, which all come with an intricate history and are surrounded by equally intricate gardens. We have wines to taste, food to experience and a chance to become acquainted with this lovely lovely region.
Normandy has also been on itineraries for many of my tours. This region is rich in history from the time of 1066 when the Normans invaded Britain to the D-Day landing beaches in the Second World War. There is a lot to take in and do. Beautiful Normandy towns of Honfleur, Deauville and Bayeux. The city of Caen. The tastings of Calvados and Camembert. Known for rich, creamy, and apple-infused cuisine, a mix of coastal seafood traditions and dairy farming heritage.
For 7 nights we are staying in our own Château https://www.oliverstravels.com/france/normandy/chateau-quatre-saisons/
From here, we will explore Normandy by day and enjoy Allesandro’s cooking in the evenings. Maybe after you have played a game of tennis or been for a bike ride!!! We will visit the gardens of De Brecy and le Jardin de Castillon. Spend a Day at Mont Saint Michele and on our return to Paris, stop at Giverny and the famous garden of Claude Monet.
Day 1 - 21st June
Leon
Meet and greet. I don’t have accommodation as yet. I am waiting for confiramtion.
Emirates flies here by 1.30 pm is an easy destination .
Transfer to the hotel
Pre- dinner drinks and Dinner to meet with everyone before we depart in the morning .
Day 2 - 22nd June
Beaune
We leave after one night in Lyon and will follow the Saone River south until we turn west up into the hills to Cluny. Its famous Benedictine Abbey dates back to the year 910 and reached its peak during the Middle Ages.
It was the largest Christian building in the world until the construction of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome in the 16th century and remains a centre of spiritual influence. We will enjoy a walk through the complex and the delightful little town. Then we proceed through Macon and along the River Saone to Beaune.
Day 3 - 23rd June
Beaune
A walk through the old town of Beaune with a visit to the venerable Hotel-Dieu is a great way of preparing ourselves for the next three days. Our guide will show us through the Hospices du Beaune, where you will be intrigued and fascinated by its revered history. We will sit in the town square for a coffee and a chance to watch the locals.
On our first day we will have a typical French lunch in Beaune.
All through the Burgundy region wine is stored in labyrinths of underground storage rooms. We will be visiting Marche aux Vins to begin our lesson on Burgundian wine and its classification. We will very soon know about the terms – Village Wine, Premier Cru and Grand Cru. In a tour through the wine caves under the centre of Beaune, we will get an idea of the extent of this complicated wine system.
There will be plenty of time in the evenings to experience special illumination displays throughout the late summer. This is fun to do in the evening by walking around the 8 displays and at the same time learning about the history of Beaune and maybe making a stop for a glass of wine!
Day 4 - 24th June
Beaune
Jean Louis has a marvellous Clos - a walled garden full of everything from grapes, truffle trees, vegetables, currants. I haven’t been there since 2019. His enthusiasm is infectious and Im not sure yet – but hopefully we will have a picnic-style lunch immeresed in his creative wonderful garden.
In the afternoon, we will explore Côte de Nuits with the expert guidance of Jean Louis or Vincent. These guys are true locals and we are very privileged to have them as our guides. We will drive through the vineyards, visit Clos Vougeot Chateau, walk through Vosne-Romanée past areas where some of the most expensive wine in the world comes from and end with a wine tasting (of course). This is a special day with locals showing us their region, providing us with their expert guidance and knowledge.
During our time in Beaune, we will be kept busy getting to know this exquisite French town in the heart of Burgundy. We have a lot to learn about the wine and food.
Beaune enjoys a long tradition of famous wine production as well as being a key part of the rich gastronomic pageant of French food. We will visit wonderful wine producers who in Burgundy, are generally smaller and therefore offer a very personal tasting experience
Day 5 – 25th June
Beaune
On our way to lunch at my favourite L’Escale we will be stopping at Chateaux Meursault.
This is a lovely opportunity to see inside a working vineyard and imagine where the aristocracy lived. A short drive set in the countryside beside a canal is L’Escale – I love it here and it shows how French food is true and wonderful wherever you are.
Day 6 - 26th June
Beaune
Apart from being the capital city of the Burgundy (Bourgogne) region in eastern France, famous for its rich history, medieval architecture, wine, and of course, mustard.
Stunning half-timbered houses fill the medieval centre, along with Renaissance mansions, and the Palais des Ducs (Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy). Dijon mustard originated here in the 14th century, although today most mustard seeds are imported the mustard tastes amazing. We will do a walking tour before having time you yourselves
Day 7 – 27th June
Loire
This is our travel day. However, I would love to start with a rather quick visit to the Beaune market, which is famous in the region.
Here we can experince a typical French market where locals come and buy their weekly food and produce - from whole Bresse Chickens complete with their blue feet, trays of terrines, cabinets of the best cheese you have ever seen, Veal, Beef and Lamb, fantastic artistic stands of fruit and vegetables along with Autumn Mushrooms and Truffles. You won’t have any problem amusing yourself in this market. You can take home hand crafted knives or lovely cotton handkerchiefs
We will take a slightly longer route so we can visit an incredible Garden
In the heart of Central France, Orsan Priory hides a one-of-a-kind vegetable garden where beauty meets practicality. Inspired by medieval monastic designs, the Orsan garden and potager (“vegetable patch”) is a unique and I hope you find it as enchanting as we did a few years ago
Drive onto our accommodationin the heart of Amboise
Day 8 – 28th June / Day 9 – 29th June /Day 10 - 30th June
Loire
In no particular order, we will be visiting:
· Chateau Villandry. Famous for its gardens, laid out in perfect geometric patterns.
· Chateau Chenonceau, sometimes called the “Ladies’ Castle” because of the remarkable women who shaped its history.
· Amboise : A very picturesque town in the Loire Valley, famous for its Renaissance château, royal history, and Leonardo da Vinci’s final years. It sits on the River and blends medieval charm with the refined elegance of the French Renaissance.
The Loire Valley isn’t only famous for its castles — it also produces some of France’s finest sparkling wines.
· We will be doing a tasting of Crémant de Loire involving a long lunch during our 4 days
Day 11 – Wednesday - 1st July
Normandy
Drive from Loire to Saint Lo, stopping at the beautiful city of Renne for a lunch stop
Chateau Quartre Saison
Day 12 – Thursday - 2nd July
Normandy
Starting with a walking tour with a local guide we become acquainted with Bayeux and its long historical journey including the famous Bayeux Tapestry masterpiece created in the 11th Century. Bayeux was the first French town liberated in World War 2.
Our day culminates with an introduction to a formal French garden called Jardin du Chateau de Brecy. It is one of the few 17th-century gardens remaining and is a fabulous visit.
Chateau Quartre Saison
Day 13 – Friday - 3rd July
Normandy
A short distance away, we are at the landing beach of Omaha which had an integral role in operation Overlord in the Normandy landings. Visiting the vast American Cemetery is an overwhelming surreal visit and time spent here is heartfelt. The excellent interactive museum helps put everything in context.
Chateau Quartre Saison
Day 14 – Saturday - 4th July
Normandy
Our day is taken up with a special visit and lunch to the picturesque Village of Honfleur.It is Market day here today, so we get to see what the locals buy and learn about their favourite delicacies. We have a very special walk with my Dunedin French friends Jacques and Anny and you will have time to explore, lunch at one of the many restaurants or spend your time in the Eugine Boudin Museum. We head to our second garden visit of Normandy called “Castillon”. I fell in love with this garden on our first research trip to Normandy and wouldn’t visit the region without going back.
Chateau Quartre Saison
Day 15 – Sunday - 5th July
Normandy
We travel today to St Malo through the Normandy countryside. I love this small city it is an historic port city in Brittany,famous for its walled old town, corsair (privateer) history, and dramatic tides — among the highest in Europe.
We do a walk around the ramparts and have lunch before returning via the Abbey ‘Mont Saint Michele’ It’s a chance to become familiar with the legend of the Monastery . It sits on an island by itself and towers out of the water surrounded by the village at its feet and the surging waters with very dangerous tides. This remarkable medieval walled city, crowned by its great gothic abbey, is built on a small granite outcrop standing all by itself in the flats of the estuary of the river Couesnon, in an area now known as Mont Saint Michel Bay. Mont Saint Michel was one of the first monuments to be classed as a UNESCO world heritage site, as far back as 1979.
Chateau Quartre Saison
Day 16 – Monday - 6th July
The twin seaside towns of Deauville and Trouville on the Normandy coast sit cheek-by-jowl. The only thing that separates them is the narrow, winding Touques River where it discharges into the English Channel.
I really don’t think you can go to Normandy without a visit to these glamorous towns. Famous for years to artists, luxury hotels and their pristine beaches.
Your will have time to spend some leisure time here and hopefully taste the famous dish of Mussels served with chips.
Chateau Quartre Saison
Day 17 – Tuesday 7th July
An opportunity to find out about Calvados and Camembert Cheese. Heading south today the culture of cheese making and the production of Cider will come alive. It will be a tasting eating drinking day
visiting local producers.
Chateau Quartre Saison
Day 18 - Wednesday 8th July
Our coach will drive 2½ hours to the famous garden of Claude Monet at Giverny. The gardens change with the seasons and the Clos–Normand is an never-ending display of colours planned by a painter who was crazy about flowers.
You will have time to visit the garden and the Musee des Impressionism Giverny where major artists of Impressionism are displayed in a very lovely modern gallery.
We then have another 1 ½ to drive to Paris – where you may choose to stay or catch the Emirates flight in the evening
You may prefer to go directly to Charles de Gaul airport for the evening Emirates flight . Or hop on a ferry across the English Channel to the UK or be dropped in Paris for a Parisian experience.
Tour inclusions:
· Accommodation for 17 nights (4 star and special category Chateau)
· All breakfasts included along with either a Dinners or Lunch each day including wine
· Tips accounted for
Travel is to be organised by you.
Philip and I will already be in Europe and will meet you in Lyon
I deal with Kay Dunn: kayd@travelmanagers.co.nz | 0275222389
She knows all my tours and is amazing
I am more than happy to have a chat on the phone and go over any queries you may have - 021735617
Let me know if you would like a booking form.
