BORDEAUX, THE DORDOGNE & THE LOIRE

• Appreciate Bordeaux's historic role as a major riverine port, and understand its modern revitalisation

• Delight in the extraordinary Saint-Émilion region, from its medieval emergence as a centre for wine-making to savouring some of France’s most esteemed appellations

• Marvel at some of Western Europe’s oldest surviving art, in the caves and museums of the Dordogne

• Experience the charm of the Dordogne’s stone villages, including the serene gardens at Marqueyssac and a barge cruise at La Roque-Gageac

• Admire one of medieval Europe’s most outstanding artisanal achievements, in Anger’s Apocalypse Tapestries

• Enjoy the elegance of the château and gardens of the Loire, at Saumur and Azay-le-Rideau

WEDNESDAY 15 OCTOBER 2025 – ARRIVAL (D)

Our tour commences at 4.00pm this afternoon, in the lobby of our hotel in Bordeaux. After introductions, we undertake an orientation tour of the neighbourhood around our centrally-located hotel, before getting to know one another over a welcome drink in the hotel bar. There is a light dinner near the hotel this evening. Overnight Bordeaux.

THURSDAY 16 OCTOBER – EMPORIUM OF THE NEW WORLD & OF WINE (B)

After a talk in the hotel by Dr Olive, we meet a local guide for a walking tour, taking in the elegant modern squares of Bordeaux, such as the Place de la Comédie and the Grand Théâtre, and the districts associated with the city’s role as a marketplace for New World riches, such as the Place de la Bourse and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed quay district. After time for lunch at leisure, we take a short boat ride on the Garonne to the Cité du Vin, a contemporary monument to Bordeaux’s best-known export. A guide introduces us to the history of wine-making in the region, as well as to this striking building, designed to evoke a carafe. Afterwards, we tour the exhibits and sample a glass in the building’s belvedere. We return to the hotel by tram for an evening at leisure. Overnight Bordeaux.

FRIDAY 17 OCTOBER – WINES OF SAINT-ÉMILION (B, L)

The rolling hills outside Bordeaux have been renowned for their excellent produce for millennia. Today we travel by private coach into the Saint-Émilion district, which was established with a unique monoculture of vines in the Roman era and grew in prominence during the Middle Ages, thanks to its location on the famed pilgrimage road to Santiago de Compostela. Four estates in this small district produce wines with France’s highest level of appellation, and we enjoy a lunch combined with a fascinating cellar visit at a highly regarded winery. There is also the opportunity to explore the underground monuments of the Saint-Émilion village and the evocative ruins of the Benedictine monastery, the Abbey of Sauve-Majeure. Returning to Bordeaux, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Bordeaux.

SATURDAY 18 OCTOBER – HISTORY & ART OF AQUITAINE

After a talk in the hotel, we walk to the Musée d’Aquitaine for an introduction to the fascinating history of a region fought over for centuries by the English and French. The collections of Gallo-Roman and medieval sculpture are particularly fine. After lunch at leisure, there is the option to continue to the Musée des Beaux-Arts with Kathleen. This museum of European painting is encyclopedic, and one of its strengths is its collection of French Cubism. Schedules permitting, we attend a performance at the Grand Théâtre this evening. Overnight Bordeaux.

SUNDAY 19 OCTOBER – MONTAIGNE'S CHÂTEAU & TOWER (B, L)

We check out of our hotel this morning and travel east towards the Dordogne. On the way, we call in at the Château and Tour de Montaigne. Michel de Montaigne is one of the European Renaissance’s most fascinating figures, born in 1533 to a wealthy family of Aquitaine and one of the best known statesmen and literary figures of his time. In 1572, he retired to a tower to concentrate on his influential Essais and it, and the nearby château, now form the centre of an 11-hectare wine estate. After our tour of the sites associated with Montaigne, we enjoy a light lunch accompanied by local wines.  In the afternoon, we call in at the Gallo-Roman Museum of Vesunna, a testament to the remains of a luxurious domus or town house uncovered near the town of Périgueux. After our tour of the excavations, and of their context in the fourth-century development of the Gallo-Roman town of Vesunna, we continue to Sarlat-la-Canéda, the pretty village that is our base for the next four nights. Overnight Sarlat-la-Canéda.

MONDAY 20 OCTOBER – VILLAGES & GARDENS OF THE DORDOGNE (B, L)

The Dordogne is renowned for the charm of its stone villages, many of which line the banks of its eponymous river. Today we visit a number of these, commencing with the lovely Château de Marqueyssac. A seventeenth-century castle built by an advisor to Louis XIV, it overlooks the Dordogne valley, and its original garden was attributed to a pupil of Le Nôtre. After falling into disrepair, it was replanted in the 1990s to include a staggeringly beautiful parterre. After admiring its panoramas, we continue to nearby La Roque-Gageac, a small village dwarfed by an extraordinary limestone cliff. Officially designated as one of France’s most beautiful villages, it can be enjoyed from the perspective of the Dordogne as we undertake a cruise on a river barge. Returning to Sarlat-la-Canéda, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Sarlat-la-Canéda.

TUESDAY 21 OCTOBER – CAVES & PREHISTORY OF THE PÉRIGORD I (B)

When, in 1940, a local dog took a close look at a hole left by a fallen tree, the entrance to the extraordinary Lascaux Cave was uncovered. Inside, more than 600 wall paintings were found of large animals, painted over a number of generations and probably around 17,000 years old. These images had a profound impact, on what we know of prehistoric art but also on modern artists seeking to return to Europe’s earliest styles of representations. Over the ensuing decades, the caves have been the focus of extensive conservation efforts and, as we discover on our guided tour this morning, are now showcased in a series of sophisticated replicas. They are also not an isolated occurrence in the Dordogne: since 1575 at least, the paintings on the wall of the nearby Rouffignac Cave were well known. From mammoths to bisons, horses and ibex, they paint an extraordinary picture of prehistoric fauna and can now be admired from the perspective of an electric train! Our final visit today is to the Abri du Cap Blanc prehistoric shelter, with a sculpted frieze of animals that is over 13 metres long. It is considered one of the best examples of Paleolithic sculpture on view. Returning to the hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Sarlat-la-Canéda.

WEDNESDAY 22 OCTOBER – CAVES & PREHISTORY OF THE PÉRIGORD II (B)

With such a wealth of prehistoric sites, the Dordogne was a natural choice for France’s National Museum of Prehistory, located in Les Eyzies at the confluence of the Vézère and Beune rivers. It contains countless traces of France’s prehistoric inhabitants, from their stone, bone and ivory tools and artefacts to graves and a fine collection of Paleolithic sculpture. After our guided tour here, we continue to Font-de-Gaume, a nearby cave with a celebrated prehistoric frieze of five bison. The cave paintings here are remarkable for their polychrome effects. [NB: at the time of this tour’s publication, the Abri Pataud cave shelter was closed. Should the site re-open before our tour departure, it will be included on this day’s itinerary.] Overnight Sarlat-la-Canéda.

THURSDAY 23 OCTOBER – TO ANGERS (B, L)

We check out today and travel to Angers, breaking our journey in Limoges. Famous for the porcelain that made the city’s fortunes from the eighteenth century, it was also a significant medieval centre of production for luxurious works in enamel. We tour a porcelain factory before a light lunch together. Arriving in Angers, we check into the hotel. The evening is at leisure, with your tour leader at hand to help with independent dining arrangements. Overnight Angers.

FRIDAY 24 OCTOBER – MEDIEVAL ARTS & CRAFTS (B)

After a talk in the hotel, we meet a local guide for a walking tour of Angers, commencing with a visit to the castle that contains the celebrated Apocalypse Tapestry. Woven in Paris in the years 1377-1382, the six surviving tapestries from this monumental end-of-times series represent one of the most important medieval monuments to the artform. After a visit to the Galerie David d’Angers, a collection of fine neo-classical statues displayed in a well-restored Gothic abbey church, there is an opportunity to compare the craft of the Apocalypse Tapestry with the work of modern master Jean Lurçat. Inspired by the great artisans of the Middle Ages, he created the political manifesto of the Chant du Monde from 1957, and since 1967 it has been housed in the twelfth-century Hôpital Saint-Jean. The evening is at leisure. Overnight Angers.

SATURDAY 25 OCTOBER – FONTEVRAUD ABBEY (B)

The morning is at leisure, with time to explore the shopping streets of Angers or perhaps to stretch your legs alongside the Maine river. There is the option to join your tour leader, Dr Olive, on a visit to the town’s Musée des Beaux-Arts. After an early lunch at leisure, we meet in the hotel lobby to travel to Fontevraud Abbey. This UNESCO World Heritage site was in many ways the heart of the Angevin Empire, a powerful French state whose influence spread as far afield as Naples and Sicily. Henry II of England and his wife, the fascinating Eleanor of Aquitaine, were buried here, together with their son Richard the Lionheart. Their tomb effigies, and the surviving buildings of this massive complex, offer a fascinating glimpse of royal power in the Middle Ages. The evening is at leisure. Overnight Angers.

SUNDAY 26 OCTOBER – SAUMUR & SPARKLING WINE (B)

The pleasant locale of the Loire Valley – and its relative proximity to centres of power, such as Paris – have long made it a choice for the élite’s castle and garden-building. As we discover at the Château de Saumur today, these elegant complexes often arose out of fortified medieval strongholds, but the relative peace of the French Renaissance allowed them to become style-setting icons of architectural and garden design. Our program today also takes in Cunault Abbey, a monumental Romanesque church that is known for its more than 200 sculpted capitals and wall paintings. The day is rounded out with a visit to a local cellar that produces a Brut de Loire wine, using the exact process as that of Grand Marque Champagne. Of course, there is a wine tasting to allow us to enjoy this sparkling drop! Returning to Angers, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Angers.

MONDAY 27 OCTOBER – CHÂTEAUX AND GARDENS IN THE LOIRE (B, L, D)

We spend today exploring some of the Loire Valley’s most celebrated castles and their gardens. At the Château de Langeais, we survey one of the most elegant domestic examples of the fifteenth century’s so-called Flamboyant Gothic. The scene of diplomatic exchanges – such as the marriage of Anne of Brittany to Charles VIII of France in 1491 – it is also known for its series of Flemish and Aubusson tapestries. We have a simple lunch together before a visit of Azay-le-Rideau castle, an exquisite example of French Renaissance architecture that is set on an island of the Indre river. A small but perfectly formed building, it makes a picturesque impression on the visitor that is far bigger than its physical dimensions. Our final stop today is at the Château deVillandry. Here it is particularly the gardens, laid out as a careful and almost geometrically perfect Renaissance parterre, that capture one’s attention. Returning to Angers, we enjoy a farewell dinner together in one of the town’s excellent restaurants. Overnight Angers.

TUESDAY 28 OCTOBER – DEPARTURE (B)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast in our hotel. There are regular high-speed train departures for Paris, with the journey taking between 2.5 and 3 hours. Get in touch to discuss your options for an independent departure from Angers, or to speak with our partners at Mary Rossi Travel. They will be happy to advise on post-tour accommodation, transfers and onward travel arrangements.

Hotels have principally been chosen for their comfort and location, particularly with a view to minimising coach use on our walking tours. Hotel rooms in historic buildings in European cities and towns are never as large as those in purpose-built modern hotels on the outskirts of the historic centre, but all three properties are recently renovated.

Hôtel De Sèze 4* Bordeaux, 4 nights

https://en.hotel-de-seze.com/

A well-located boutique hotel in an elegant building.

Hôtel Plaza Madeleine 4* Sarlat-la-Canéda, 4 nights

https://www.plaza-madeleine.com/en/

Located within the village of Sarlat, the hotel has a swimming pool and treatments can be booked in its spa facilities. (We recommend making bookings before the tour’s departure – contact us for more information.)

Hôtel d’Anjou 4* Angers, 5 nights

https://www.hoteldanjou.fr/en/

A centrally-located hotel in walking distance of the Maine river. The hotel’s restaurant, Odorico, is highly regarded.

NB: hotels of a similar standard may be substituted.

• 13 nights’ accommodation at 4* hotels

• All breakfasts, 7 lunches or dinners and 3 wine tastings

• All ground transport, guided tours and entrance fees to sites as mentioned in the itinerary, and tipping

• Expertise of and commentary by an Australia tour leader throughout, including talks in the hotel

• Expertise and assistance of a French-speaking tour manager throughout

A $1,500pp deposit is required at the time of booking to hold your place on tour.

We will invoice you for final payment for the tour, due on 01 August 2025.

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