Gourmet Paris & Bordeaux

Begin your unforgettable adventure in the City of Lights, flying into Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport where you’ll be met by your private driver. Transfer will be provided to the fashionable neighborhood of Saint-Germain, a beloved community of many artists, writers and intellectuals from Voltaire and Picasso to Hemingway. After checking into your boutique hotel, enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure, perhaps resting after a long flight and enjoying a short stroll with many upscale shops, cafes and restaurants just steps away. Find an idyllic spot to sip a glass of wine or another refreshing beverage while watching the world go by.

An exciting day awaits, revealing many Paris highlights with your own private driver/guide. A full day out, your excursion through the city can be customized to your particular interests, without a set itinerary. Or, simply let your guide reveal the most impressive sights. Some of what might be included are, of course, the Eiffel Tower, the city’s iconic symbol of love built as a centerpiece for the 1889 World’s Fair. Other must-see landmarks include Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe and Sacré-Cœur Basilica. By climbing the 300 steps to the top of the basilica, your reward is a spectacular panoramic view.

A day trip to the Palace of Versailles is something that really shouldn’t be missed by anyone who visits Paris, so we’ve included a half-day tour that will bring you there with your own private driver/guide. You’ll be able to admire the breathtaking Hall of Mirrors, a definite highlight with individual mirrors on all of the 17 arched windows, as well as tour the opulent Louis XIV State Apartments. The magnificent gardens are spread across 250-acre grounds with meandering garden paths that provide views of the colorful flowers, ornamental lakes and the canal where King Louis XIV himself once enjoyed rides on a gondola.

Today brings a visit to the world’s most visited museum on a private three-hour tour. Your guide brings expert knowledge and experience to reveal the most impressive works. Marvel at Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa while contemplating the artist’s remark: “A face is not well done unless it expresses a state of mind.” See the Venus de Milo, uncovered on Milos Island in Greece – while the artist is unknown, it’s believed to have been sculpted around 130 BC. The Wedding at Cana is another highlight, painted in 1563 by Paolo Caliari measuring 267” x 391” as the largest painting preserved in a French museum.

It’s time to say farewell to Paris, taking private transfer to the train station for the 2-hour ride to the famous Bordeaux region. The historic center of Bordeaux is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with many delights to discover. Today you’ll explore it’s 2,000-year history on a walking tour through the port city that serves as the hub of the renowned wine-growing region. It includes many 18th and 19th century mansions and the grand Bordeaux Cathedral built in gothic-style with its stone-carved façade, 11th-century nave, gorgeous arches and a bell tower. See the medieval gateway known as Porte Cailhau which dates from the late 15th century and remains impeccably preserved, with Renaissance and gothic elements. The separate 37-story bell tower at Saint-Michel Basilica is yet another highlight.

It’s time for a discovery of what makes Bordeaux so well-known, it’s wine. Head out with your private driver/guide to explore the vine-filled region while enjoying tastings in some unique and breathtaking settings. Bordeaux wines are some of the most highly acclaimed in the world and the first cabernet sauvignon and merlot vines even originated here. They still make up more than 90 percent of the grapes grown here, although there are some whites, particularly in the Entre-Deux-Mer area. Another highlight of your day will be a visit to the 12th-century underground monuments of Saint Emilion which includes Europe’s largest subterranean church.

On your final full day, your private driver/guide will bring you on a tour of the Medoc wine region which lies between the Gironde estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. It’s been one of the most popular in France for some 300 years, known for its tradition of crafting and blending the benchmark merlots and cabernet sauvignons. Medoc hosts some of the most prestigious wine-producing villages which include Pauillac, Saint-Julie, Saint-Estephe and Margaux, making some of the world’s most expensive wines. Your tour includes visits with tastings at three different chateaux which are sure to feature Bordeaux’s celebrity grapes along with some lesser-known gems.

After an unforgettable week through Paris and Bordeaux, your journey will soon come to an end. Your private driver will provide transfer from your hotel to the Bordeaux train station so you can take the train to Paris. Upon arrival, you’ll take a private transfer to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. From there, you might head out on further travels or catch your flight home. Should you need assistance with either, as always, our travel experts are here to assist.