FRANCE « The Wine Trail » A minimum of (14 travelers) is required to conduct this tour Itinerary: valid from 01st March 2017 – until 31st October 2017. PARIS – TOURS – BORDEAUX – INTRA DOMESTIC FLIGHT - MARSEILLE – MONTPELLIER – AVIGNON – CHATEAU DE BURNAND – COLMAR – ÉPERNAY – REIMS - PARIS 07 Days / 06 Nights Wine of the Loire Valley – Wine of Bordeaux - Wine of Languedoc- Roussillon - Wine of the Provence - Wine of the Rhône Valley - Wine of Burgundy - Wine of the Alsace - Sparkling Wine of Champagne region FRANCE « The Wine Trail » 07 Days / 06 Nights Sample Itinerary Summary TOUR ID - TAG EU001-FR-07D06N « The Wine Trail » TOUR 07 DAYS / 06 NIGHTS LENGTH TOUR UPDATE EU001 – SMILE OF EUROPE - 2017 – Update 01 – 11.03.2017 REF. ETA Airline Flight ASIA – intra continental flight – EUROPE 00:00am Day 01 day 00.00.2017 PARIS – Orléans – Château de Chambord - Tours (Loire) Day 02 day 00.00.2017 Tours – Poitiers - Bordeaux (Bordeaux) Day 03 day 00.00.2017 Bordeaux – intra domestic flight – Marseille – Montpellier – Avignon (Provence) Day 04 day 00.00.2017 Avignon – Lyon – Mâcon – Château de Burnand (Burgundy) Day 05 day 00.00.2017 Château de Burnand – Beaune – Dijon – Belfort – Colmar (Alsace) Day 06 day 00.00.2017 Colmar – Épernay – Reims - Paris Day 07 day 00.00.2017 PARIS ETD Airline Flight EUROPE – intra continental flight – ASIA 00:00am © Copyright Smile of Europe – Destination Management Company – 2017 / 2018 2 FRANCE « The Wine Trail » 07 Days / 06 Nights Start of services – Smile of Europe – Detailed itinerary Day 1: PARIS – ORLÉANS – CHÂTEAU DE CHAMBORD - TOURS (-) • Available types of accommodation : Hotel (First 3 ½***) - Hotel (Deluxe 4****) – Hotel (Prestige 5*****) – Château (First 3 ½***) - Château (Deluxe 4****) - Château (Prestige 5*****) - Date : day 00 Month -2017. • Arrival at Paris International Airport (Charles de Gaulle) – Airline ? – Flight ? – Arrival Time : ETA 00:00am • Orléans – is a city in north-central France, southwest of Paris. It is the capital of the Loiret department and of the Centre-Val de Loire region. Orléans is located on the Loire River where the river curves south towards the Massif Central. New Orleans (French: La Nouvelle- Orléans), in Louisiana, United States, is named after the city. • Orléans – tours & sightseeing : 1) Cathedral Ste-Croix 2) Parc Floral Orleans 3) Place du Martroi 4) Hotel Groslot 5) Old Town & Cobblestone streets 6) La Maison des Etangs 7) Maison de Jeanne d’Arc • The royal Château de Chambord at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France, is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world because of its very distinctive French Renaissance architecture which blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Renaissance structures. The building, which was never completed, was constructed by King Francis I of France. Chambord is the largest château in the Loire Valley; it was built to serve as a hunting lodge for Francis I, who maintained his royal residences at the Châteaux of Blois and Amboise. The original design of the Château de Chambord is attributed, though with some doubt, to Domenico da Cortona; Leonardo da Vinci may also have been involved. Chambord was altered considerably during the twenty-eight years of its construction (1519–1547), during which it was overseen on-site by Pierre Nepveu. With the château nearing completion, Francis showed off his enormous symbol of wealth and power by hosting his old archrival, Emperor Charles V, at Chambord. In 1792, in the wake of the French Revolution, some of the furnishings were sold and timber removed. For a time the building was left abandoned, though in the 19th century some attempts were made at restoration. During the Second World War, art works from the collections of the Louvre and the Château de Compiègne were moved to the Château de Chambord. The château is now open to the public, receiving 700,000 visitors annually. Flooding in June 2016 damaged the grounds but not the château itself. © Copyright Smile of Europe – Destination Management Company – 2017 / 2018 3 FRANCE « The Wine Trail » 07 Days / 06 Nights • Tours - is a city located in the centre-west of France. It is the administrative centre of the Indre-et-Loire department and the largest city in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France (although it is not the capital, which is the region's second-largest city, Orléans). In 2012, the city of Tours had in the whole metropolitan area a population of nearly 0.5 million people. Tours stands on the lower reaches of the River Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. The surrounding district, the traditional province of Touraine, is known for its wines, for the alleged perfection (as perceived by some speakers and for historical reasons) of its local spoken French, and for the Battle of Tours (732). The city is also the end-point of the annual Paris–Tours cycle race. © Copyright Smile of Europe – Destination Management Company – 2017 / 2018 4 FRANCE « The Wine Trail » 07 Days / 06 Nights • Tours, France – optional sightseeing : 1) Tours Cathedral Saint-Gatien 2) Place Plumereau 3) Old Historical Centre of Tours and its Tudor Buildings 4) Flower Market 5) Ruins of the Basilica of St. Martin of Tours 6) Jardin des Prébendes 7) Hotel de Ville 8) Hotel Gouin 9) Jardin de la Prefecture 10) Pont Wilson. • About « Wine of the Loire Valley » : the Loire Valley wine region includes the French wine regions situated along the Loire River from the Muscadet region near the city of Nantes on the Atlantic coast to the region of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé just southeast of the city of Orléans in north central France. In between are the regions of Anjou, Saumur, Bourgueil, Chinon, and Vouvray. The Loire Valley itself follows the river through the Loire province to the river's origins in the Cévennes but the majority of the wine production takes place in the regions noted above. The area includes 87 appellations under the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), Vin Délimité de Qualité Superieure (VDQS) and Vin de pays systems. While the majority of production is white wine from the Chenin blanc, Sauvignon blanc and Melon de Bourgogne grapes, there are red wines made (especially around the Chinon region) from Cabernet franc. In addition to still wines, rosé, sparkling and dessert wines are also produced. With Crémant production throughout the Loire, it is the second largest sparkling wine producer in France after Champagne. Among these different wine styles, Loire wines tend to exhibit characteristic fruitiness with fresh, crisp flavors-especially in their youth. The Loire Valley has a long history of winemaking dating back to the 1st century. In the High Middle Ages, the wines of the Loire Valley were the most esteemed wines in England and France, even more prized than those from Bordeaux. • Wine Tasting Session LOIRE – « AOC selection » : Smile of Europe • Overnight in Tours (FRANCE) – preferred choice of accommodation as per - Appendix 4 Directory - ( 1 shared dbl / twin room ) Day 2: TOURS – POITIERS - BORDEAUX (B) • Available types of accommodation : Hotel (First 3 ½***) - Hotel (Deluxe 4****) – Hotel (Prestige 5*****) – Château (First 3 ½***) - Château (Deluxe 4****) - Château (Prestige 5*****) - Date : day 00 Month -2017. • Complimentary breakfast at your Hotel or at the Château • Poitiers – is a city on the Clain river in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and also of the Poitou. Poitiers is a major university centre. The centre of town is picturesque and its streets include predominant historical architecture, especially religious architecture and especially from the Romanesque period. Two major military battles took place near the city: in 732, the Battle of Poitiers (also known as the Battle of Tours), in which the Franks commanded by Charles Martel halted the expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate, and in 1356, the Battle of Poitiers, a key victory for the English forces during the Hundred Years' War. This battle's consequences partly provoked the Jacquerie. • Poitiers – tours & sightseeing : 1) City Centre La Place d’Armes 2) Town Hall 3) Baptistry of St. John 4) St. Pierre Cathedral 5) Church of Notre Dame • Bordeaux – is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France. Together with its suburbs and satellite towns Bordeaux is the centre of the Bordeaux Métropole, which has 1,2 million inhabitants in the Metropolitan Area, the sixth largest in France. Its inhabitants are called "Bordelais" (for men) or "Bordelaises" (women). The term "Bordelais" may also refer to the city and its surrounding region. The city's titles are "La perle d'Aquitaine" (The Pearl of Aquitaine), and "La Belle Endormie" (Sleeping Beauty) in reference to the old centre which had black walls due to pollution. © Copyright Smile of Europe – Destination Management Company – 2017 / 2018 5 FRANCE « The Wine Trail » 07 Days / 06 Nights • Nowadays, this is not the case. In fact, a part of the city, « Le Port de La Lune », was almost completely renovated. Bordeaux is the city which has the highest number of preserved historical buildings in France, except for Paris. Bordeaux is the world's major wine industry capital. It is home to the world's main wine fair, Vinexpo, while the wine economy in the metro area takes in 14.5 billion euros each year. Bordeaux wine has been produced in the region since the 8th century. • Cognac – tours & sightseeing : Tour inside « Vicard Cooperage » : oak barrels play an important role in the production of wine and eau de vie. Go inside Vicard Cooperage in Cognac, France for a look at how barrels are made. • Bordeaux – tours & sightseeing : La Cité du Vin – A Voyage of Discovery to the heart of Wine Cultures : embark on an immersive, sensory adventure to discover the cultures and civilisations of wine. In an open exhibition space occupying more than 3,000 m², nearly twenty different themed areas invite you to take a voyage of discovery and enjoy a unique experience exploring the many and varied facets of wine across time and space.