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Escorted In-Depth Very Small Group Personalized Attention Fine Dining |
Tour 2
The Burgundy Wine Region

SPLENDORS OF
EUROPE offers this week long luxury escorted tour to Burgundy France. This is a small group luxury tour of Burgundy that includes walking tours and excursions which highlight history, architecture, art, and gourmet culinary experiences. This tour has a regional focus and provides wonderful in-depth cultural experiences in Burgundy. Two professional escorts ensure that our small group of 12 or less has a friendly and personally rewarding experience. The tour includes escorted museum visits in Beaune and Dijon and visits to the most beautiful vineyards and villages of Burgundy. You’ll enjoy multiple wine cellar and wine tasting visits. The tour also includes hot air ballooning, first class high speed trains, visits to a castle and château and all of the best sights in Burgundy. Travel to Burgundy France and enjoy the charming Burgundy Wine Region tour with Splendors of Europe. You'll have the best vacation trip ever. Visit the hotel, restaurant, and tour photo galleries at the end of this page.

B
urgundy provides endless views of the charming French countryside and features numerous adorable villages. Here you’ll explore medieval walled towns, storybook castles, and ancient stone churches. You will visit the quaint stone villages featured in "The Most Beautiful Villages of Burgundy", with names synonymous with great wines like BEAUNE, POMMARD, MEURSAULT, and PULIGNY-MONTRACHET.This tour indulges the wine enthusiast in the pleasures of Burgundy wines. You’ll see the legendary vineyards of Burgundy as you travel the picturesque wine route. You will visit several famous wine cellars and wine bars, to taste some of the world’s most famous wines. You will enjoy wine tasting visits at local châteaux and cellars, and at Clos Vougeot, an old Cistercian winery with a six century cellar and a sixteenth century castle.
You will stay in medieval Beaune, the gastronomic and wine center of Burgundy. Here you’ll dine on delicious Burgundy cuisine at award winning restaurants, and of course savor some of the world famous wines! Your last evening is spent in a wonderful château in the Chantilly forest.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
1. All of "Our Special Features and Qualities" listed in the table of contents.
2.
Airport greeting and transfers to and from Charles De Gaulle airport, near Paris3.
Ground transportation throughout your tour4.
Two Professional Escorts5.
Seven nights in deluxe character hotels. See the "Tour 2 Hotel Photo Gallery" at the bottom of this page.6.
All hotel taxes and gratuities7.
Award winning dinning. See our "Gallery of Restaurants" at the bottom of this page.8.
Seven Breakfasts9.
Seven Delicious lunches10.
Six Gourmet dinners11.
Café refreshments12.
Beverages, mineral water, coffee, and dessert with all dinners13. All restaurant gratuities
14.
Admission with choice of escorted or self discovery visits to approximately 35 sites15. Interactive discussions with authentic local experts.
9 Day Itinerary
SATURDAY International flight to Paris Charles De Gaulle airport
SUNDAY - Arrive at Charles De Gaulle airport near Paris.

Meet your escorts at the airport. After a brief taxi ride we check you in our Parisian hotel and relax before lunch at a local restaurant. Get acquainted with your hosts and fellow travelers.
We enjoy a quiet afternoon relaxing in Luxembourg Garden. The garden is attractively located in front of the magnificent Palais du Luxembourg, now the home of the French Senate. It’s one of the most beautiful parks in Paris and popular with Parisians. This afternoon we also visit St. Sulpice church featured in the "Da Vinci Code".
This evening we enjoy welcome cocktails at our hotel before we savor dinner at a very nice nearby restaurant. L+D
MONDAY - Train to Burgundy and the Town of Beaune

We travel by the world’s fastest train, the TGV to Beaune where we check into our beautiful hotel, only a 3 minute walk to the center of Town.

Beaune
We have lunch in the vineyards near Meursault.
This afternoon we take a walking tour of the medieval walled town of Beaune, the center of the regions wine culture. Next we visit the Notre Dame Church of Beaune.
After, relax and explore the wonderful boutique shops of Beaune.An evening stroll around Beaune is a pleasure. Dinner is enjoyed in Beaune near our hotel. B+L+D
TUESDAY -
Champagne Balloon Ride in the morning, Beaune in the afternoon.
This morning we enjoy a ballooning adventure. We meet our pilots and soon we’re floating over Burgundy, enjoying views of the vineyards, villages, châteaux, and castles. When we land, we pop the corks and enjoy a Champagne celebration. See more ballooning photos at www.air-escargot.com.
Next we t
ravel
the wine route to the elegant Chateau Gilly where we enjoy a delightful lunch on
the terrace.
Later we visit Clos Vougeot, Here we learn about the history of the wine making by the Cistercian monks, and "La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin" (Brotherhood of the Knights of Wine).
Chateau Gilly
This afternoon we return to Beaune. We visit the Hotel Dieu, an architectural jewel of the middle ages. Refreshments are
enjoyed at a local café after which you are free to explore this wonderful
medieval town.
Dinner is at your leisure this evening. B+L
Hotel Dieu
WEDNESDAY - Drive the scenic wine route, visit châteaux, vineyards a castle and enjoy wine tasting.
We ride through the vineyards and the most beautiful villages
of Burgundy including Pommard and Saint-Romain.
In Saint-Romain we make a brief stop at the barrel makers shop and witness this ancient craft.
On to the cliff side village of Orches. Here we enjoy the panoramic view of the
valley. Next we visit Rochepot, the story book image of a Castle. We tour
this large well preserved castle, built high on a rocky cliff.
Rochepot Castle
We enjoy lunch in an ancient salt cellar where your meal in grilled in a fireplace in the dining room.
After lunch we pass through the vineyards and villages with names that are synonymous with great wines, like Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, Volnay and Pommard. This afternoon we enjoy a wine tasting visit at the cellars of the majestic Château de Meursault. Afterward, we return to Beaune. We visit the cellars of Marché aux Vins and enjoy wine tasting. Stroll around this charming medieval village, with many attractive shops along the narrow pedestrian only streets.
Tonight we enjoy another gourmet dinner at La Grilladine in Beaune. After dinner enjoy wine tasting or beer tasting at Pickquicks Pub, a "British Pub" in the heart of France that is frequented by the English speaking. International beers are severed upstairs while downstairs there is a well stocked wine bar. B+L+D
THURSDAY – Wine Tasting in Medieval Cellars and Beaune.

This morning we visit the the wine museum, and then through the vineyards to a small traditional cellar in Aloxe Corton.
Lunch is enjoyed in Beaune.
Château Bellecroix
This afternoon you are free to further explore the extraordinary medieval town of Beaune, with many attractive shops along the cobbled pedestrian streets. A gourmet dinner with aperitifs is enjoyed at exquisite Château Bellecroix, head quarters of the legendary Knights of Malta. B+L+D
Wine Tasting in Burgundy
FRIDAY Dijon, Capital of Burgundy. Travel to the Chantilly
Forest.

We start at the park like Place Darcy and see the Triumphal Arch.
We make a visit to the well known Grey Poupon mustard shop. From here we go to Place Francois Rude and enter old town Dijon. We stroll the narrow cobbled streets and see the renaissance facades on rue de Forges.
We visit the Gothic Eglise de Notre-Dame with its many gargoyles. We walk past charming medieval half timbered on our way to the renaissance style hotel de Vogue. From here we walk past medieval stone and timbered houses.
We enjoy a delicious lunch at a fine local restaurant.
Next we visit the former regal palace of the Dukes of Burgundy. We explore the courtyards and the Tower Philippe-le-Bon. From the top, we enjoy a wonderful view of Dijon and the surrounding countryside. Next we explore inside where we find the Museum des Beaux Arts, the best art museum in France after the Louvre.
After the art museum we investigate the many fine shops in the area. The
Cathedral of St. Bénigne, famous for its outstanding 11th-century crypt by Volpiano can be visited before we depart Dijon.
This evening we leave Dijon by high speed TGV train and travel to Paris. Tonight, you’ll enjoy the romantic lights of Paris while cruising on the Seine.
We'll dine in Paris at a fine restaurant at Place Dauphine. After dinner we head for the enchanting Chantilly forest where we find our elegant Château. B+L+D
SATURDAY- Château Chantilly

After breakfast at our Château, we make a visit to the magnificent French Renaissance Château Chantilly.
Chantilly is considered one of the most beautiful in all Europe. Here we visit the Château and the Conde Museum. We see beautiful furnishings and great works by van Dyck, Botticelli, Rubens and many other great masters.
Château Chantilly
Lunch is enjoyed in the hameau hidden in the trees near the palatial French gardens.
We also visit the , with stables fit
for a king.

After our visit of Château Chantilly we return to our Château. Here the lovely setting offers splendid forest views and quiet walks around the grounds.
Tonight we enjoy cocktails before an elegant farewell dinner while we regale about your wonderful holiday.
B+L+DSUNDAY - Airport transfer to CDG airport at your convenience and your return flight home, or extend your stay in France. B
Museum Vivant du Cheval
INCLUDED SITE VISITS AND EXCURSIONS
1. Luxembourg Gardens.
2. St. Sulpice Church
3.
Wine museum of Beaune4.
Wine tasting at the Cellars of Maison Champy5.
Notre Dame Church of Beaune6.
Medieval Beaune7.
Barrel Makers shop8.
Excursion to Rochepot Castle9.
Château Bellecroix10.
Village of Pommard11.
Pommard wine maker visit and wine tasting12.
Beer or Wine Tasting at a British Pub13.
Hot Air Ballooning Adventure, (Included on luxury tour, optional on deluxe tour)14.
Clos Vougeot excursion15.
Nuits St George17.
Hôtel Dieu visit18.
Patriarche Cellars wine tasting19.
Village of Meursault20.
Wine tasting at the wine cellars of the Château de Meursault21.
Dijon22.
Place Darcy23.
Grey Poupon mustard store24.
Place Francois Rude25.
Eglise de Notre-Dame26.
Palais des Ducs de Bourgogne27.
Musée des Beaux Arts28.
Tower Philippe-le-Bon29.
Dijon Shopping30.
Cathedral of St. Benigne31. Seine River Cruise
32.
Château Chantilly33.
Conde Museum34.
Museum Vivant du Cheval35.
Our Chantilly Forest Châteauóóóóó Tour 2 Photo Galleries óóóóó Luxury Hotel Gallery Deluxe Hotel Gallery Restaurant Gallery
óóóóó 2008 Tour 2 Schedule and Prices óóóóó
Luxury Tour Prices Deluxe Tour Prices Luxury and Deluxe Class
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2009 Tour 2 Schedule and Prices óóóóóLuxury Tour Prices Deluxe Tour Prices Luxury and Deluxe Class