A smart, well-traveled Journey Out guide dedicated to making the art, history and culture of France come alive for you ● A family atmosphere with a group of fewer than 15 gay men, lesbians and their friends – less than half the size of most tours ● 8 nights in three- and four-star hotels, 4 in a two-star candidate for its third star ● All your breakfasts ● About half your lunches and dinners, including two at Michelin-rated restaurants ● Welcome party ● Wine tasting in Amboise and Beaune, plus a full-day tour of the Route des Vins d'Alsace, including wine tasting ● Full-day visit to Loire Valley châteaux ● In Amboise, a visit to the Château Royal d'Amboise, Clos Lucé, independent visit to Pâtisserie Bigot chocolate shop ● In Beaune, an English-language tour of the town, including les Hospices de Beaune ● A tour of Strasbourg by canal boat ● Transportation between Paris, Amboise, Beaune and Strasbourg by train and /or minibus ● Guide to the food and wine of France ● Cooking class taught by a professional chef, with lunch ● Sunset dinner cruise along the Seine ● History lectures, orientation talks and language tips ● All group sightseeing tours, admissions and more ● Optional tour of Paris' tastiest pastry and chocolate shops guided by a professional chef, available as an add-on. Itinerary is subject to change. To book your air travel (not included)
Itinerary
Day0
Monday
Depart USA — Remember, due to the time difference, you'll arrive in Europe the day after you leave the U.S.
1
Tuesday
Paris to Amboise
Morning
Arrive at the Paris airport and travel by train to the town of Amboise. Part of your journey is on France's high-speed TGV train system.
Afternoon
In Amboise, settle into our four-star hotel, a charming 17th century manor house lovingly restored by its owners.
Evening
After a wine and hors d'oevres reception, we dine together at a family-style bistro.
2
Wednesday
Amboise
Morning
Today we visit the Château Royal d’Amboise, The Château was built over the reign of three kings and partly designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Its most prominent occupant was François I, who at 22 enticed 65-year-old Leonardo da Vinci to spend his final days here in Amboise.
We’ll stroll up the hill together to visit Clos Lucé, the 15th century manor house where Leonardo da Vinci settled at the end of his life. He brought with him just four paintings to enjoy, including an unfinished portrait of Mona Lisa di Anton Maria Gherardini, the third wife of a Florentine businessman named Francesco del Giocondo, which is how the world's most famous painting arrived in France.
Afternoon
If you like, have a wine tasting at nearby Le Caveau des Vignerons. You can also visit Amboise's most delectable chocolate shop. Founded in 1913, the shop is run by four generations of women.
Evening
Dinner tonight is on your own. Your Tour Director will be glad to make recommendations.
3
Thursday
Amboise
Morning
If you like, enjoy an all-day outing to visit several châteaux. See why the Loire Valley is known in France as the Valley of Kings.
Afternoon
Free time.
Evening
Tonight we enjoy one of France’s top restaurants. Some highlights from its description:
In the restaurant which overlooks the river and from which one sees the gardens, the cuisine, which has been honored by guidebooks, is light, refined and subtly regional . . . Pascal Bouvier, the head chef, doesn't give in to the nonchalance of this region called the "Garden of France," but instead brings the regional products together with great sensitivity . . . There are more than 10,000 wines in our cellar. The Loire Valley region is richly represented but one finds also Pétrus and Richebourg . . .
4
Friday
Amboise to Beaune
Morning
This morning, sleep in or take one last stroll through the town. Take your time packing.
Afternoon
Our train to Beaune departs Amboise around 12:45. Our travel time is just under seven hours and we have one train change. There will be a dining car on the train for those who would like a sit-down meal or a sandwich that can be taken back to your seat.
Evening
In the old-town center of Beaune we settle into a modest three-star hotel in a charmingly ramshackle old building. Take time to freshen up before you head out to explore the town and enjoy dinner on your own. Your Tour Director will be glad to make suggestions.
5
Saturday
Beaune
Morning
This morning we have an orientation walk through the town, including a visit to Hospices de Beaune. The Hundred Years’ War and the Black Death devastated Beaune, leaving more than 90% of its population destitute. Nicholas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, felt he must do something for his people, so in 1443 he built Les Hospices de Beaune, a flamboyant and richly-decorated hospital for the poor. Also here is Rogier van der Weyden’s dramatic Last Judgment polyptych, or multi-paneled painting. From the courtyard we’ll see the style of tiled roofs that are typical in Beaune and became popular throughout the Côte d’Or region.
Afternoon
Saturday is town market day, so after our tour we’ll visit the market and choose what we want for a picnic lunch. We’ll dine on the steps at a nearby park.
After lunch, we visit the Marché aux Vins wine smorgasbord, the best way to sample Beaune’s impressive array of wines. We’ll take a wine-tasting cup and plunge into a labyrinth of candlelit caves dotted with 18 barrels, each offering a different tasting experience. Wine stewards will guide us through the tasting.
The rest of your afternoon and early evening are free. If you are feeling adventuresome, ask your Tour Director about strolling above Beaune on a segment of its 13-century ramparts, and walking to some vineyards that are just outside town.
Evening
Tonight we enjoy a family-style dinner at a great little restaurant situated in a wine cellar just a few blocks from our hotel.
6
Sunday
Beaune to Strasbourg
Morning
Our train to Strasbourg departs Beaune around 9:00; our travel time is just over five hours and we have two train changes. We arrive in Strasbourg mid-afternoon. There will be a dining car on the train for those who would like a sit-down meal or a sandwich that can be taken back to your seat.
Afternoon
On our arrival in Strasbourg, we settle into our three-star hotel, a small, quiet, charming hotel in the historical town center near the Cathedral. Late afternoon, we meet for an orientation walk through the town.
Evening
In the evening we tour Strasbourg by canal boat and enjoy a traditional Alsatian dinner at a nearby restaurant (you must try the Tarte à l'Oignon!)
7
Monday
Strasbourg
Morning and Afternoon
Today you will enjoy an all-day visit to nearby Colmar and a Route des Vins tour, which takes you to outlying villages along France's Wine Road in Alsace. Wine tasting is included.
Evening
Free time. You are on your own for dinner tonight. Your Tour Director will be glad to help with restaurant recommendations.
8
Tuesday
Strasbourg
Morning
Free time.
Afternoon
This afternoon we lunch at one of Strasbourg's best restaurants. Michelin stars are the source of intense pride and pain in the great restaurants. Only a handful of restaurants in France have ever achieved three stars. Each year Michelin’s new ratings spark not only celebration but also despair, even suicide. Chef Emile Jung writes:
My wife Monique and I took over the restaurant thirty years ago. The Michelin Guide to gourmet cooking recognized its excellence in 1989 by bestowing upon it a third star, which has been our constant source of pride for the past thirteen years. The loss of that mark of distinction came as a shock to all of us. There are no words to express our pain . . .
Despite loss of the star, we trust our restaurant will provide a memorable dining experience. Our lunch will be a full four-course meal with drinks.
After lunch you will have time to relax and explore the town.
Evening
Free time. Enjoy dinner on your own, and perhaps a visit to one of Strasbourg's gay bars.
9
Wednesday
Strasbourg to Paris
Morning
Your morning is free today. You are welcome to leave your bag at the hotel after checking out while you enjoy a last look at Strasbourg and perhaps have an early lunch.
Afternoon
Our train to Paris departs Strasbourg around 1:00 p.m.; our travel time is about four hours and we have no train changes. There will be a dining car on the train for those who would like a sit-down meal or a sandwich that can be taken back to your seat.
We arrive in Paris and transfer by Métro to our hotel in the Marais, Paris' gay quarter. You will have plenty of free time to settle in and unwind.
Evening
This evening we meet in the lobby for an orientation talk. Pick up your Paris toolkit: Métro pass, museum pass, map, and hop on / hop off tour bus pass. Afterward we walk to dinner together at a very special local restaurant where our menu is prepared by the chef just for our group.
10
Thursday
Paris
Morning
Free time. Enjoy Paris at your own pace, seeing what most interests you. Your guide will be glad to help with ideas, recommendations, and logistics. Start with the convenient hop on / hop off bus. It takes you all over Paris, stopping at all the major sights. Your two-day pass allows you to get on and off as many times as you like.
Today you may join cookbook author and chef David Lebovitz for an amazing tour of the famed bakeries and pastry shops that make Paris, the destination for pastry and chocolate-lovers. Your six-hour tour is the perfect way to see specialty bakeries, and to learn about the pastries and confections from a professional pastry chef and tour guide. Your day will begin with morning pastries at a famous, stunningly renovated bakery and coffee-house on the Champs-Elyées. Steaming bowls of café au lait and café noir will accompany baskets of fresh, buttery croissants, tartes, almond-scented brioche, and rich pain au chocolat. Afterwards we'll head over to La Maison du Chocolat for their thick, rich hot chocolate and to sample to best chocolates in the world. And this is just the morning . . . ! (This excursion is available as an add-on. Cost is dependent on the number of people in the group.)
Afternoon
You can't stop in Paris without a visit to the world's greatest museum, the Louvre. Don't waste precious time standing in line to get in. We'll show you the one entrance that almost never has a wait. Then use the museum map and our self-guided walking tour to see the best the Louvre has to offer.
Evening
Free time. You are on your own for dinner tonight. Your Tour Director will be glad to help with restaurant recommendations.
11
Friday
Paris
Morning
Free time. Consider a day trip. One of our favorites is a day-long visit to Versailles, "Sun King" Louis XIV's astonishing palace, just half an hour outside Paris by train. Or to Chartres, to visit the greatest cathedral in France -- check at the gift shop for the English-language tour schedule. Consider walking the labyrinth set into the floor of the cathedral -- it can be a life-changing experience. You could even spend a day at Disneyland Paris, where Main Street has a definite Parisian flavor, Mickey Mouse speaks French and you can have wine with your lunch.
Afternoon
Free time. If you've stayed in Paris, today is a perfect day for a picnic lunch on Pont des Arts, the pedestrian bridge across the Seine. We like to pick up lunch treats on the cheap at Monoprix, the department store with a little of everything, including quiche, pastries, bread, wine and fresh vegetables. Afterward, may we suggest a stroll along rue du Bac? There you'll find art galleries with museum-quality originals for sale. Yes, you really can own an original Marc Chagall!
Evening
Free time. What are you in the mood for? Whether it's live jazz, the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower at night, or a romp through Paris' gay bars, we'll be glad to make recommendations and help with logistics.
12
Saturday
Paris
Morning and afternoon
Today we hone our cooking skills in a private cooking class with professional French chefs. You'll bring home recipes and skills to impress all your friends! Plus, we get to enjoy the fruits of our labor, enjoying our lunch in a private dining room.
Evening
Tonight we enjoy a farewell cruise along the Seine with a sumptuous four-course dinner, wine and live music. Over the course of the evening we’ll see the great monuments of Paris illuminated as the sun sets.
13
Sunday
Tour over after breakfast — This morning we say our final goodbyes and head for home. Au revoir et merci!
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