The grand tour of France for groups: Alsace, Corsica and the Loire châteaux

Day 1 : Journey to Champagne

• Morning departure from the location of your choice.
• Drive to Reims, with regular breaks along the way.
• Discovery of Reims Cathedral, where the kings of France were crowned.
• Visit to a champagne house with tasting (on request).
• Check-in at the hotel and dinner (on request).

Day 2 : Journey to Alsace

• Drive to Strasbourg through Lorraine.
• Arrival in the early afternoon and a walk through the Petite France quarter.
• Discovery of Strasbourg Cathedral.
• Check-in at the hotel and dinner (on request).

Day 3 : Strasbourg

• Guided walking tour of the Grande Île, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (on request).
• The cathedral's astronomical clock.
• Commented cruise on the Ill (on request).
• Panoramic coach tour of the European quarter.

Day 4 : Alsace Wine Route

• Drive to Riquewihr and Kaysersberg, flower-decked villages among the vineyards.
• Tasting in a wine cellar (on request).
• Walk in Colmar, in the Little Venice quarter.
• Check-in at the hotel in Colmar.

Day 5 : Journey to Burgundy

• Drive to Beaune through Franche-Comté.
• Visit to the Hospices de Beaune and their glazed tile roof (on request).
• Burgundy wine tasting (on request).
• Check-in at the hotel and dinner (on request).

Day 6 : Lyon

• Drive to Lyon through the Saône valley.
• Climb up to the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, with views over the city.
• Guided tour of Vieux-Lyon and its traboules (on request).
• Dinner in a Lyonnais bouchon (on request).

Day 7 : Annecy

• Drive to Annecy.
• Walk through the old town, along the Thiou and past the Palais de l'Isle.
• Cruise on Lake Annecy (on request).
• Check-in at the hotel for two nights.

Day 8 : Chamonix and Mont Blanc

• Drive to Chamonix, at the foot of Mont Blanc.
• Cable car ride up to the Aiguille du Midi (on request).
• Montenvers train to the Mer de Glace (on request).
• Return to Annecy at the end of the day.

Day 9 : Journey to Provence

• Drive to Avignon through the Rhône valley.
• Visit to the Palace of the Popes (on request).
• Walk to the Pont Saint-Bénézet.
• Check-in at the hotel for three nights.

Day 10 : Pont du Gard and Arles

• Discovery of the Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct.
• Drive to Arles: the amphitheatre, the Roman theatre and the Saint-Trophime cloister.
• Guided tour of Arles (on request).
• Return to Avignon.

Day 11 : Villages of the Luberon

• Drive to Gordes, a hilltop village.
• Sénanque Abbey and its lavender fields, in season.
• Roussillon and its ochre cliffs.
• Provençal market in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, depending on the day.

Day 12 : Marseille and journey to Nice

• Drive to Marseille.
• Climb up to Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde and a walk around the Old Port.
• Visit to the MuCEM (on request).
• Drive to Nice and check-in at the hotel for three nights.

Day 13 : Nice and Monaco

• Walk along the Promenade des Anglais and through Old Nice.
• Drive to Èze, a hilltop village.
• Visit to the Rock of Monaco, the Prince's Palace and Monte-Carlo.
• Visit to the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco (on request).

Day 14 : Free day in Nice

• Free day to enjoy the beach or the markets.
• Excursion to Saint-Paul-de-Vence (on request).
• Group dinner in a Niçois restaurant (on request).

Day 15 : Crossing to Corsica

• Boarding in Nice with the coach for the crossing to Bastia.
• Arrival in Bastia and a walk around the Old Port and Place Saint-Nicolas.
• Check-in at the hotel for two nights.

Day 16 : Cap Corse

• Tour of Cap Corse along the coastal road.
• Stops in Erbalunga and Nonza, a village perched above its pebble beach.
• Patrimonio wine tasting (on request).
• Return to Bastia.

Day 17 : Corte and the Balagne

• Drive to Corte, the former capital of independent Corsica, and its citadel.
• Drive to the Balagne and its hilltop villages.
• Arrival in Calvi and a walk through the citadel.
• Check-in at the hotel.

Day 18 : Calanques de Piana and Ajaccio

• Coastal drive to Porto.
• Boat trip to the Scandola nature reserve, in season (on request).
• Drive through the Calanques de Piana.
• Arrival in Ajaccio and check-in at the hotel for two nights.

Day 19 : Ajaccio

• Visit to the Maison Bonaparte (on request).
• Walk through the old town and around the port.
• Free afternoon.
• Drive to the Pointe de la Parata, facing the Sanguinaires Islands.

Day 20 : Bonifacio

• Drive to Bonifacio via Sartène.
• Boat trip at the foot of the cliffs and to the sea caves (on request).
• Discovery of the upper town perched on the cliffs.
• Check-in at the hotel.

Day 21 : Return to Ajaccio and overnight ferry

• Drive to Ajaccio.
• Free afternoon in town.
• Boarding with the coach for the overnight crossing to Marseille.
• Night in a cabin on board.

Day 22 : Carcassonne

• Disembarkation in Marseille in the morning.
• Drive to Languedoc.
• Discovery of the Cité of Carcassonne and its ramparts.
• Visit to the Château Comtal (on request).

Day 23 : Toulouse and journey to Bordeaux

• Drive to Toulouse.
• Walk from the Place du Capitole to the Basilica of Saint-Sernin.
• Drive to Bordeaux.
• Check-in at the hotel for two nights.

Day 24 : Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion

• Walk from the Place de la Bourse and its Water Mirror to the Saint-Pierre quarter.
• Visit to the Cité du Vin (on request).
• Afternoon in Saint-Émilion, a medieval village among the vineyards.
• Visit to a wine château with tasting (on request).

Day 25 : Journey to the Loire

• Drive to the Loire Valley.
• Visit to the Château de Chenonceau (on request).
• Check-in at the hotel in Tours for two nights.
• Dinner (on request).

Day 26 : Loire châteaux

• Visit to the Château de Chambord (on request).
• Afternoon in Amboise.
• Visit to the Château du Clos Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci's last home (on request).
• Return to Tours.

Day 27 : Journey to Brittany

• Drive to Saint-Malo.
• Walk along the ramparts of the corsair city.
• Free time within the walls.
• Check-in at the hotel and seafood dinner (on request).

Day 28 : Mont-Saint-Michel and the D-Day beaches

• Drive to Mont-Saint-Michel: the coach drops the group off at the car park, with a shuttle to the Mount.
• Visit to the abbey (on request).
• Drive to Normandy: Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer.
• Check-in at the hotel in Bayeux.

Day 29 : Bayeux and Paris

• Visit to the Bayeux Tapestry (on request).
• Drive to Paris.
• Panoramic coach tour: the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower.
• Cruise on the Seine (on request).

Day 30 : Paris and return

• Climb up to Montmartre and the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur.
• Free time in the area.
• Return journey in the early afternoon.
• Arrival back in your region in the evening.