Tailormade tour Gardens and vineyards at the heart of France self-drive tour France

Today, your self-drive touring holiday of the gardens and vineyards at the heart of France starts with your drive from Calais to the Champagne region. What you can fit in today once you arrive will depend on how early you leave Folkestone. The drive from Calais to Epernay is about 3 hours. You spend two nights in the Champagne region.

You have a whole day to explore the Champagne region. From your base in Epernay, you have the champagne houses of Epernay on your doorstep. Further north, there is Reims, although you may want to visit here on the first day. Venture into the nearby countryside to see the Aisne and Marne Valleys, which see the vineyards thrive, before viewing and tasting the produce of this landscape in one of the hundreds of underground chalky wine cellars in either Épernay or Reims. These Gallo-Roman cellars notably belong to champagne firms of international repute, such as Moët et Chandon and Mercier. Champagne Tribaut, a family-run business that supplies companies such as Krug and Taittinger, opens their cellars and vineyards to guests for tours and wine-tasting sessions. This intimate, homely experience lets the visitor see an alternative side of wine-growing to large scale production. Equally, just across the Marne Valley, you can find the vineyards that produce Pinot Noir, or head southwards through the Côte des Blancs to taste the local mineral-packed Chardonnay. Aside from vineyards and galleries, Reims offers a wealth of impressive architecture and culture, from the Gothic Cathedral Notre-Dame with its wine-grower carvings, and the Palais du Tau, to the floral delights of Nanteuil-la-Forêt.

Your drive today from door to door is about 3 hours, but you may want to stop for sightseeing along the route. Troyes and Dijon are obvious places of interest. In Dijon visit the Musée des Beaux-Arts, for a short tour of its many tombs and ancient structures, and see the statue of Bareuzai the wine grower, on the Rue des Forges, who acts as a guiding spirit for the whole of Dijon. Your destination for today is near to the wine region town of Beaune.

The Burgundy region is best known for its Pinot Noir red wines, and Chardonnay white wines; however, Beaune is perfectly suited for an exploration of all the wines Burgundy has to offer. Venture north to visit the relatively small vineyard of Vougeot, though the neighbouring, more recently cultivated vineyard of Clos de Vougeot is home to the produce of 70 wine growers. From here visitors can explore the Christian Clerget estate and the Château de Clos, which has four huge 12th Century winepresses, and taste the wine produced there. In nearby Chenôve, the Cuverie des ducs de Bourgogne houses two 13th Century winepresses, for visitors to view. Marsannay-la-Côte produces a selection of rosé wines that are obtained after a short maceration of Pinot Noir grapes. These wines can be tasted at the Domaine Regis Bouvier and the Château de Marsannay. However, the most famous of the Côte de Nuits wines is Chambertin, produced in Gevrey-Chambertin, a village very close to Gilly-lés-Cîteaux. When sitting down for a meal, partake in the tradition of drinking a kir before your meal, as this blend of crème de cassis and white wine, produced locally, is the perfect start to a delicious evening. Venture further out to visit the famous Chablis or take a tour of the white wine vineyards and cellars on the hillside village of Montagny-lés-Buxy.

Today you are heading for the very centre of France in the region of Berry, and to the beautiful garden of the Prieure d’Orsan, near Bourges. This garden is the main focus of the day and should be visited. The priory, which dates from 1107 when it was founded by Robert d’Arbrissel (who also founded the Abbey of Fontevraud, burial place of Richard the Lionheart and numerous other Plantagenets including Eleanor of Aquitaine), is now delightfully restored, as are the gardens, inspired by the mediaeval monastic gardens that would have been here for years after the founding of the priory. The gardens have come to the interest of the British public recent years due to being featured in Monty Don’s recent BBC Two programme on French gardens and deserve to be visited almost more than any other garden in France. The gardens are situated between the priory buildings and are divided into individual areas of intense interest: there are vines, fruit trees, a flourishing kitchen garden, a maze, lavender beds and wild flower meadows. It is an artistic creation that resembles a tapestry yet where organic crop rotation is practised. The thought and the care that goes into the attention to detail is spectacular. It is a truly wondrous place. The gardens are peaceful, the birdsong is vibrant and butterflies abound. You can also walk on the grass! We also recommend a trip into the surreal, but magnificent city of Bourges, with its charming medieval streets and fantastic cathedral. In the centre of Bourges lies the Marais, an area set aside for locals to cultivate their own gardens, veined with canals perfect for the small wooden boats that residents use to navigate them. The Marais is so large that it has led to Bourges being named one of France’s greenest cities. Springtime in Bourges and the International Ecological Film Festival are two festivals, among others, not to be missed in spring and summer. Just north of Bourges, La Borne is a village famous for its stoneware and ceramics. The Centre for Contemporary Ceramics offers a valuable insight into the Berry way of life. A little off the most direct route to your stop for the night is the wine-village of Sancerre, again another recommended stopping off point. The Domaines Vacheron and Henri Bourgeois are owned by two of the oldest and best reputed wine-making families in the area. To pick up more information about the wines of the area, visit the Maison de Sancerre in the old town and take the interactive tour, which culminates in a wine tasting. Nearby is Chavignol, home of the Crottin de Chavignon, a versatile goat’s cheese that goes well with the local wine.

Today you are on the doorstep of the Loire Valley, known as the Garden of France, and you should start to enjoy the rolling, fertile landscape with its orchards and vineyards as well as the magnificence of its abundant chateaux and their gardens. It is worth heading north first to visit the Chateau de Cheverny, home to the same family for 600 years. Many treasures can be found at Cheverny including a 17th century Gobelin tapestry on display in the Arms room and a Louis XIV chest of drawers in the Boulle style. The park contains four distinct gardens: a tulip garden, a pleasure garden, a maze and a vegetable garden. From here you can go further north to Amboise. Amboise, on the banks of the river Loire, is home to the Chateau d’Amboise, a 15th century residence of Charles VIII and where you will find the tomb of Leonardo da Vinci. Nearby is the Chateau du Clos Lucé where Leonardo Da Vinci lived. In the grounds are displays of working models of this designs. South of Amboise is the Château de Chenonceau, known sometimes at the ‘Ladies Castle’ due to its string of female owners, such as Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers, and not to be missed. This château offers an extensive art gallery and a collection of exquisite Flemish tapestries, as well as wine-tasting opportunities. The gardens have lawn and wide flower beds, spectacularly colourful in summer. Your stop for two nights is south of Tours.

The historic city of Tours with its mediaeval old town and cathedral is about 15 minutes’ drive away; the magnificent chateaux of the Loire Valley such as Chenonceau, Amboise and Chaumont in one direction and Azay-le-Rideau, Langeais and Villandry in the other. The Maison de Balzac is in nearby Saché and the town of Chinon has a fascinating mediaeval history and has associations with the writer Rabelais who was born nearby. Chinon is also known for its red wine as is St Nicholas de Bourgueil on the northern bank of the river Loire. To the east of Tours the white wine route runs along the Loire valley through Montlouis and Vouvray. There are outstanding gardens at the Chateau de Villandry and the Chateau de Chaumont, where every year 24 different landscapes from around the world are featured.

Leave the hotel after breakfast and drive back to Calais for your return Eurotunnel crossing.