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

7 nights/8 days

Champagne • Burgundy • Berry • Loire Valley

An enchanting self-drive touring holiday which combines some of the best-loved vineyards and wine producing regions of France with some of its most beautiful gardens, both well-known and elusive. Start in Calais before journeying southwards through the varied scenery and vegetation at the heart of France and visit the magical gardens of the Prieure d’Orsan.
Holiday price guide

Available year-round subject to the opening period of the hotels, from £1,690 per person.

Luxury self-drive tailor-made holiday to the gardens and vineyards at the heart of France

Highlights

Epernay • Visit Reims • Visit Troyes • Visit Dijon • Cote d’Or vineyards • Cote de Beaune vineyards • Visit the gardens of the Prieure d’Orsan • Visit le Marais in Bourges • Visit Saumur • Amboise • Visit Chateau Cheverny • Visit Chateau Chenonceau • Visit Chateau d Villandry • Vineyard visits • Visit Chateau d’Azay-le-Rideau • Go to a Son-el-Lumiere • Chinon

Day by day

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.

Special offers for this holiday>

Excellent. So much easier coming to you than trying to book accommodation ourselves. Will certainly come to you again, especially for a self-drive holiday.
Mr D, Sep 2023

Holiday price guide Prices from £1,690 per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room.

Holiday Code FRSD07

Luxury self-drive tailor-made holiday to the gardens and vineyards at the heart of France

Special offers for this holiday>

Excellent. So much easier coming to you than trying to book accommodation ourselves. Will certainly come to you again, especially for a self-drive holiday.
Mr D, Sep 2023

Holiday price guide Prices from £1,690 per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room.

Holiday Code FRSD07

Our prices include ● Eurotunnel return crossing from Folkestone to Calais for car and passengers
● 2 nights’ bed and breakfast in a Classic double room at La Briqueterie near Épernay
● 2 nights’ bed and breakfast in a Classic double room at the Hostellerie de Levernois near Beaune
● 1 night’s bed and breakfast in a Standard double room at the La Borde en Sologne, near Blois
● 2 nights’ bed and breakfast in a Classic double room at the Domaine de la Tortiniere, near Tours
● Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints

Our prices do not include ● Early check-in or late check-out at any hotels (although we can arrange this on request at additional cost)
● Any other services not mentioned above, such as transfers and meals except breakfast at hotels
● Personal holiday insurance. This is essential and cover should be in place from when you book the holiday.
● Local tourist tax, usually between Euros 1 and 3 per person per night, and payable locally to the hotel

Additional information Driving times
Calais to Épernay 3 hours
Épernay to Gilly-lés-Cîteaux 2 hours 50 minutes
Gilly-lés-Cîteaux to Sologne 5 hours
Sologne to Tours 1 hour 30 minutes
Tours to Calais 5 hours 10 minutes

Luxury self-drive tailor-made holiday to the gardens and vineyards at the heart of France

Expressions Holidays includes these hotels in this touring holiday as suggestions, but they can be substituted by others in the same region, if you have a preference to stay elsewhere.
Hotels included in this tour

Special offers

Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.

Excellent. So much easier coming to you than trying to book accommodation ourselves. Will certainly come to you again, especially for a self-drive holiday.
Mr D, Sep 2023

Holiday price guide Prices from £1,690 per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room.

Holiday Code FRSD07

Luxury self-drive tailor-made holiday to the gardens and vineyards at the heart of France

Highlights of Burgundy

Cultural highlights include Burgundy wines and marcs, local wine festivals, the Beaujolais vineyards, and the Romanesque architecture.

Climate of Burgundy

Average air temperatures in centigrade: Jan: 6.1, Feb: 5.9, Mar: 10.3, Apr: 15.3, May: 15.8, Jun: 23.8, Jul: 25.8, Aug: 26.1, Sep: 21.2, Oct: 15.5, Nov: 9.1, Dec: 6.2. Source: Direction de la Meteorologique de France.

Luxury self-drive tailor-made holiday to the gardens and vineyards at the heart of France

Highlights of Champagne

Champagne cellar visits in Reims, Epernay and in vineyards along the Aube; the old town of Charleville Mezieres, capital of the Ardennes department; Charles de Gaulle's country residence and burial site, Colombey les Deux Eglises; Reims, with one of the finest medieval cathedrals in France, once the coronation place of French kings, now with one of the best son-et-lumieres in France; Reims' magnificent Roman triumphal arch; Lac du Der, the biggest reservoir in Europe, one of the most important migration routes for Europe's waterfowl, sheltering vast flocks of cranes, passing through in their thousands in spring and autumn; the fortified hill town of Langres, ‘Carcassonne of the North’ - minus the crowds; la foret d'Orient near Troyes and Montagne de Reims, both Regional Natural Parks; river trips along the Seine, the Marne, and the Aube; the 13th century gothic cathedral of Troyes, with its spectacular stained glass windows; autumn wine festivals.

Travel around the Champagne region

The Champagne region is reached very easily from the UK by air and rail. With the most extensive rail network in Western Europe, France is a great country to explore by train. The nationally owned SNCF (Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer) runs fast, efficient services between the main towns. Buses cover the rural areas, but services can be rather sporadic, with departures often at awkward times. To visit Champagne's cellars - the main reason for being here - by far the best option is to rent a car.

Luxury self-drive tailor-made holiday to the gardens and vineyards at the heart of France

Highlights of the Loire Valley

Cultural highlights include wines and wine vinegars, wild mushrooms - (visit the mushroom museum), the Troglodyte caves, and local art exhibitions.

Festivals in the Loire Valley

Son et Lumiere in the chateaux in the summer months. Summer festival in Chinon in August.

Climate of the Loire Valley

Average air temperatures in Centigrade: Jan: 7.8, Feb: 6.8, Mar: 10.3, Apr: 16.1, May: 16.4, Jun: 23.6, Jul: 25.8, Aug: 24.5, Sep: 21.1, Oct: 16.2, Nov: 11.2, Dec: 7.0. Source: Direction de la Meteorologique de France.

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