Authentic Loire Valley Trip

At a glance

Trip Summary

On the morning of day two, after breakfast, you will be met at the Château by an English-speaking driver/guide who will accompany you throughout the day on a private basis. Your first stop will be a 15^th Century wine-making Château in the Chinon appellation, where you will be welcomed by the Count and Countess of the estate. Following a visit to the Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc vineyards and a tour of the cellars, a tasting session will take place in the Château’s historic tasting room. A picnic lunch with a bottle of wine will then be served in the Château’s stunning grounds. You will then be taken to the historic town of Chinon, where you will visit the best wine producer in the appellation (producer of arguably the best red wine in the Loire) for a tour of their vineyards and cuverie before tastings of red wines from several of their different terroirs. In the afternoon, you will enjoy another visit at a premium Chinon winery. You will be taken on a tour of the wine-making facilities and the tour will end with an extensive tasting session of the estate’s wines accompanied by local delicacies.

You will be taken back to your hotel at the end of the tour. After freshening up, you will be welcomed in the Château’s L’Origan restaurant. Here, you will enjoy the Chef’s unique menu using wonderful local produce. The magnificent rotunda dining room boasts a beautiful view over the valley of the Indre. Please note that drinks have not been included as part of the package, and can be ordered and paid for locally on the evening.

For those opting for the four-day break, your English-speaking driver/guide will return on the morning of day three to accompany you throughout a second day of tours. No trip to the Loire Valley would be complete without a visit to one of the enchanting Châteaux of the region. First stop will be the breath-taking Château de Chenonceau, one of the finest examples of the region’s historic Châteaux, where you will spend the morning having an audio-guided tour. You may wish to have lunch at the Château or alternatively, your guide will be more than happy to suggest a restaurant in the nearby town of Amboise depending on how hungry you are feeling on the day.

In the afternoon, a truly unique tasting session of five Vouvray wines will take place in the cellars of a reputed wine merchant in Amboise, who specialises in old wines (some of which date back to the forties). There is a strong chance that you will be able to taste wine from your birth year! Ending the day in style, the remainder of the afternoon will be spent sampling a selection of the best white wines from Vouvray. Here, you will be taken on a private tour of the vineyards, domaine and cellars of a premium winery. The visit will conclude with tastings of five wines, including the domaine’s Réserve Spéciale. A platter of local delicacies such as cheese and rillettes will be served with the wine. You will be taken back to the Château at the end of the tour.

Outline Itinerary

Day three (optional) of your Loire Valley trip

• After breakfast, your English-speaking driver/guide will return to take you on a second day of tours and tastings.
• You will firstly be taken to the historic Château de Chenonceau, where you will spend the morning having an audio-guided tour.
• You will then be given some free time for lunch at the Château or in a nearby town.
• In the afternoon, a tasting session of five Vouvray wines will take place in the cellars of a wine merchant in Amboise.
• The last visit of the day will be at a Vouvray winery to taste some of the best Vouvray white wines.
• You will be taken back to your hotel at the end of the day.
• As always, we would be delighted to reserve you a table if required.

The final day of your Loire Valley trip

• After a leisurely breakfast, check out of the hotel.

Package Prices

• These prices are per person and based on two people travelling together and sharing a twin or double room.
• These are realistic guide prices, based on travel in standard season (usually April to the end of October). Discounts often apply for travel out of season (usually November to the end of March) or if there are more than two of you travelling together. Please let us know your preferred travel dates for a definitive price.
• Although we propose specific hotels as part of our standard packages, we enjoy excellent relationships and preferential rates at the majority of the hotels in each of our featured destinations. Therefore if you would prefer to stay in a different hotel, this can be arranged. Please contact us for the relevant supplements/discounts.
• Other room grades are available at most of the hotels that we work with. Just let us know which hotel you prefer and we will send you the relevant supplements for the various room grades.
• Single supplements and extra night prices are available upon request.

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Further Information