DAYS
FROM ONLY £989
DORDOGNE , ALBI & CARCAS SONNE
• Return flights or return standard class Eurostar and Intercités train
• Seven nights' four and three-star superior accommodation with breakfast and five dinners
• Walking tour of delightfully medieval Sarlat
• Tour of the meticulously reproduced prehistoric cave paintings at Lascaux depicting fauna from the Stone Age
• Travel by traditional flat-bottomed boat through the river Dordogne valley
• Visits to some of France’s most attractive medieval villages: Domme, Rocamadour and Roque-Gageac
• Stroll around the typically formal gardens at Marqueyssac
• See Cahors’ fine examples of medieval military architecture
• Visit Albi with its remarkable Gothic Cathedral, home town of Toulouse-Lautrec
• Walking tour of the dramatic 13th century fortress city of Carcassonne
• Escorted by our experienced Tour Manager
Immersed in France’s bucolic rural heart, see its charming honey-coloured rural villages, sophisticated pre-historic art, gorgeous gardens and timeless medieval towns bursting with market-day life
DAY 1 - ARRIVAL IN SARLAT Fly to Toulouse or Carcassonne, or take the train via Paris to Souillac. A coach will take you to your hotel on the edge of Sarlat, for four nights with dinner. The three-star superior Relais de Moussidiere is beautiful located in 15 acres of rolling countryside, and is tastefully converted from a 17th century farmhouse. You will dine in the hotel’s restaurant.
DAY 2 - SARLAT The timeless market town of Sarlat is constructed from the local luminous golden stone, with 13th century buildings lining its narrow twisting alleys, we have a guided tour of this provincial French town. In Lascaux, our ancestors created some of the world’s finest cave art. This original cave is closed because of damage caused by CO2 exhalation from visitors, so what you are viewing is actually a copy, but the site has been perfectly reproduced to a tolerance of 3mm!
DAY 3 - ROCAMADOUR Today we visit one of France’s most instantly recognisable sights – the village of Rocamadour. Journeying up twisting, ever-ascending lanes, the
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view of this almost vertical village assaults you. This afternoon, we take a delightful trip on a restored 19th century train.
DAY 4 - BEYNAC & ROQUE-GAGEAC Today we experience centuries of history and varied cultural delights which make the Dordogne one of the most special parts of France. The fortress of Beynac, towering above the river dominates one of the ‘Most Beautiful Villages in France’. Next we visit the ‘Overhanging Gardens’ of
Marqueyssac, with one of the best panoramic views in the Dordogne. At almost perfect Roque-Gageac, we board a ‘gabare’, once common traditional boats plying the picturesque river. Finally, we explore Domme and its array of fine medieval dwellings.
DAY 5 - CAHORS Today you visit Cahors with its splendid 14th century fortified bridge and continue our journey through the ever changing landscape to Carcassonne where we stay for the next three night with breakfast and one dinner. You will stay at either the family run three- star superior Hotel Le Donjon which consists of three separate, superbly renovated medieval houses, or
their sister hotel the four-star Mercure set at the medieval gates of the old city. Some dates may stay in Albi at the four-star hotel Saint-Antoine centrally located just a few minutes’ walk from the sights and has an excellent restaurant.
DAY 6 - CARCASSONNE Nothing is quite like the medieval citadel, fairy tale-like cone-topped turrets and serrated cream- coloured battlements of Carcassonne. You will have a guided tour during which you will experience a wonderful sense of timelessness. The citadel remains a living village and this afternoon you will have time to discover its more peaceful corners.
DAY 7 - ALBI Albi’s overall ambience is more Mediterranean in character and during our guided tour we will learn all about this once independent state, featuring a visit to the Cathedral, the world’s largest brick building - with a breath taking interior.
DAY 8 - RETURN JOURNEY You return to the airport or Montpellier station for your homeward journey.
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