PARIS & THE LOIRE VALLEY
Paris
ÎLE-DE- FRANCE
FRANCE
WESTERN LOIRE
Cléré-les-Pins Angers
Montreuil-Bellay Cunault
Luynes Saumur Tours Chinon
Amboise Villandry VALLEY LOIRE
Kick back tonight at our cocktail reception that welcomes with Parisian refreshments. Revived, we’ll head out to a small island for a fun welcome dinner at a local restaurant. Meals D
Visit the gardens at Château de Villandry and toast your own cooking in Paris!
A moveable feast...
Culturious invites you inside fabled places in Paris and the Loire Valley with a resident’s perspective that informs and inspires... and welcomes you as a local. Learn how to cook like a Parisian chef, sampling regional culinary secrets not commonly divulged. Find yourself in a village market, on a picnic and at a wine tasting, quintessentially French. Canoe along the whisper-quiet Vienne River near Chinon, visit da Vinci’s home, learn the “art de vivre à la Francaise” from a Countess at her private family-owned castle experiencing dinner below the stairs in the old kitchen with singing, storytelling and merrymaking for Tauck guests only.
1. ARRIVE PARIS / PARISIAN RHAPSODY Tour begins: 2:00 PM at Hôtel Vernet. Upon arrival, we’ll transfer you to your boutique hotel in Paris’ Right Bank. Settle in, freshen up and meet us for a walking tour through the Latin Quarter. Cross the bridge onto the Ile de la Cité to Notre Dame Cathedral.
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2. A BIKE RIDE & A COOKING CLASS After a delicious petit dejeuner (a term you will speak with ease after tomorrow’s informal French lesson), hop aboard a bicycle for a ride in nearby Le Marais. Don your apron and chef’s hat for a hands-on cooking class, à la Julia Child, as you learn how to prepare a mouth-watering, regionally inspired meal, paired with the perfect wine and cheese. Walk off your gourmet lunch this afternoon as you explore the city on your own. Meals BL
3. CHÂTEAUX... AND CHÂTEAUX It’s all aboard the high-speed TGV train for a ride out to Angers, home to the moated Château Angers, a castle that took 100 years to build. Go inside a specially constructed part of the château to get a close look at the astounding 77-piece tapestry, the Apocalypse of St. John, commissioned by 14th-century Dukes. Half-timbered homes were in style in the 15th century; see them on a walk through town, then head out to your lovely château hotel overlooking the Loire River. A language lesson during your drive introduces the basics of conversational French. Meals BD
4. A BIKE RIDE TO A COUNTRY CASTLE The day begins with a little shopping at the local market for a picnic... followed by a bike ride along country lanes, past vineyards to Breze for a visit to the still privately owned Château de Breze, weather permitting. If you’re game, challenge yourself to a stroll down in the castle’s labyrinthine tunnels that date to the Middle Ages. Enjoy your picnic lunch... and a wine tasting... before returning to the hotel where the evening is yours. Meals BL
TGV High Speed Train
Loire River
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