Chinon

Culture & history tours

Escape the busy city of Paris and immerse yourself in the French countryside on this 2 day trip. The tour departs the city and crosses the western districts of Paris along the Normandy motorway to reach your first destination. At Mont Saint-Michel, enjoy a fascinating guided visit of the abbey’s interior and marvel at the Gothic and Romanesque architecture of the building. Spend some free time exploring the rest of the abbey and surrounding village. After the abbey, head towards Château d’Angers for your overnight stay. Check into your 4-star hotel for the night and relax before the second day of the tour. On the second day, wake up to a delicious breakfast and begin your journey to the breathtaking Loire Valley. Upon arrival in the valley, visit the Castle Langeais passing by Cunault and Saumur along the way. Enjoy a guided tour of the Chenonceau and Chambord castles and learn about the rich history of the people who lived here. Finally, on the return to Paris, marvel at the stunning landscape of the countryside as you travel.

Explore the Bourgueil wine region famous for its Renaissance castles and wines. Tour around local wineries, and savor regional wines on this day trip from Tours. Begin by traveling to a traditional winery with your guide and learn about wine production from the grape to the bottle. See the vineyards and learn about the area's soil diversity that gives the wine a delicate and fruity taste. After that, arrive in Chinon, a charming small town surrounded by vineyards. Explore the picturesque town featuring preserved medieval half-timbered and Renaissance townhouses. Have time to stroll the streets, do a spot of shopping, or try some local Chinon specialties such as pork rillettes. After a break, enjoy a wine-tasting session in the famous Chinon wine region. Entice your palate with fine red wines produced in the area and hear how to detect different notes in the wine

Drive through the beautiful French countryside to discover Middle Age and Gothic-inspired architecture, and learn the intriguing history of Normandy and France from an expert guide. Cross to the tidal island of Mont Saint-Michel, and soak up the refinement of prestigious Loire Valley castles, such as the vast royal Château de Chambord. Day 1 (Friday): Traveling by luxury air-conditioned coach, depart Paris via the western districts and take the Normandy motorway as far as Mont Saint-Michel. Arriving at approximately midday, stop for lunch at the 4-star Relais Saint Michel, offering fantastic views across to the island. After lunch, ascend to the Abbey on the summit of the mount for a guided visit of its Gothic and Romanesque interior. Enjoy some time at leisure exploring the narrow, hilly streets before your departure for Angers, cradle of the Plantagenet dynasty, where you will enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at the Hotel Mercure Lac de Maine (or similar accommodation). Day 2 (Saturday): After a hearty breakfast, drive to Langeais, passing Cunault and Saumur en route. Driving by vineyards, enjoy views of romantic castles on the horizon. Arrive at Château de Langeais to explore one of the best-known examples of late medieval architecture. Continue with a guided visit of Clos-Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci's last dwelling place. Stroll through the stunnning gardens of Villandry, and visit the old historic district of Tours on the lower reaches of the Loire. An evening meal will be served at your overnight stop in Tours at the Hotel Mercure. Day 3 (Sunday): Take a guide tour of the Château de Chenonceau, built on the site of an old mill across the River Cher. Continue to the decorative Château de Cheverny, used by Tintin creator, Hergé as the inspiration for his fictional Château de Moulinsart. After lunch at the Hotel Saint-Hubert, go to the Château de Chambord to explore the largest and most imposing castle in the Loire Valley. Admire the distinctive French Renaissance architecture, which blends impressively with traditional medieval forms.

Starting From Chinon, take the cycling path towards the Vienne's river and cross a beautiful countryside for 45 minutes or so. Once you arrive at Candes-Saint-Martin reach the panoramic view and enjoy the confluence of the Loire and Vienne rivers. Make a stop at the bailica of Saint-Martin and enjoy the beauty of the whole village of Saint Martin before reaching Montsoreau and it's beautiful Castle that overhangs the Loire's river. From then, cycle uphill to reach the hill vineyards of the "appellation Saumur Champigny" and cycle across them, making stops at amazing wineries to taste local wines made with the famous cabernet franc and chenin grapes ! After the first visits of wineries, it' s time to enjoy a nice lunch (picinic) on the banks of the Loire. Back on the cycling path, discover the troglodyte villages of Turquant and Souzay-Champigny before visiting other wineries and tasting local wines again ! Once you reach the world famous castle of Saumur and its fantastic panoramic view over the whole city, take a short shuttle (10 minutes) to take you to Bouvet Ladubay's sparkling winery and enjoy another experience on vintage bikes. Put the headlamps on and follow the guide that takes you to underground galleries to finish your fanstastic wine cycling day ! A shuttle (40 minutes) minutes will drive you back to the starting point at Chinon.

Climb aboard a vintage vehicle for a 2-hour tour of Chinon. The driver, who has been living in Chinon for 20 years, will tell you all about the town's history in a simple and entertaining way! An unusual tour to share with your family or friends (up to 7 people)!

As a small group of a maximum of 8 people, you'll explore two wine estates with your local expert guide and have the opportunity to taste a variety of wines from the region. This tour provides a perfect introduction to Loire Valley wines! After leaving Tours, we'll head towards the Vouvray area, specifically to Domaine Le Capitaine. There, we'll take a stroll through the vineyards while your guide shares insights into the geography, soil composition, terroir, and winemaking process. You'll have the chance to visit the incredible wine cellar, carved directly into the tuffeau stone in the 11th century. During the visit, you'll taste a selection of typical Vouvray wines, including dry, semi-dry, and sparkling varieties, paired with local cheeses. Next, we'll proceed to Montlouis-sur-Loire, where we'll visit Maison Laudacius. Your guide will lead you on a tour of the picturesque cave-dwelling winery, followed by an extensive tasting of Montlouis wines, as well as red wines from other parts of the Loire Valley such as Chinon, Bourgueil, and Touraine Chenonceau, accompanied by local charcuterie. Throughout the transfers between locations, you'll have the opportunity to admire the beautiful Loire landscapes through the windows of our comfortable chauffeured Mercedes minivan. At around 12:30, your guide will return you to Tours.

We start are amazing 2 days wine cycling tour right at 20 km on the Eastern Chinon near by the Vienne river. Straightaway beautiful vineyards appear and we make some stops to visit famous local wineries. As we come closer to the city of Chnon, amzing churchs, castles and momunents show up. We have lunch (picnic) right in front of the fortress of Chinon making it an unfogettable experience. Right after lunch we keep on cyling on the south bqnk of the Vienne river towards the soils made of cflint and clay where the best red wine is produced ! After another wine tasting session we take the direction of our hotel where a nice swiming pool will help you to relax and finish this first cycling stage in a beautiful way ! Diner will be served at the accomodation in a nice restaurant. Right after breakfast, we take the bikes and cycle in the direction of Saumur to get to know the famous appellation of Saumur Champigny ! after cycling through picturresque villages we arrive at Candes Saint Martin where both Loire and Vienne rivers meet ! After visiting both villages of Candes Saint Martin famous for its basilica, and Montsoreau for its middle ages castle, we climb to reach the hillside vineyards. to have a amazing view of the Loire river and its wonders ! After the lunch break (picnic) we are back in the vineyards crossing beautiful villages and visiting some nice wineries to taste Chenin and Cabernet Franc. afer leaving the vineyards we cycle through troglodyte villages such as Turquant and Souzay and are back to the Loire river that we follow until we reach the Castle of Saumur, end of this amazing cycling experience !

As a small group of a maximum of 8 people, you'll explore three wine estates with your local expert guide and have the opportunity to taste a variety of wines from the region. After leaving Tours, we'll head towards the Vouvray area, to visit a first wine estate. There, we'll take a stroll through the vineyards while your guide shares insights into the geography, soil composition, terroir, and wine making process. You'll have the chance to visit the incredible wine cellar, carved directly into the tuffeau stone. During the visit, you'll taste a selection of typical Vouvray wines, including dry, semi-dry, and sparkling varieties, paired with local cheeses. Afterward, we'll head over to a family-owned Château wine estate in the Bourgueil region. You'll get to tour the vineyards and winery, and you will enjoy another wine tasting session, featuring a range of red and white wines sourced from various terroirs. Following that, you'll enjoy lunch at the same Bourgueil wine estate, indulging in a delightful "Gastronomic Picnic with a stunning view of the surrounding vines. You'll appreciate the chef's commitment to using locally-sourced ingredients, embracing a "zero-kilometer" philosophy. Then, we’ll make our way to one last wine estate within the Chinon “appellation” area. Here, you'll have the opportunity to explore an organic vineyard, along with the unique cellar painstakingly dug by the winemaker over three decades. You'll be treated to an extensive tasting of their organic red wines, perfectly paired with local charcuteries. Ultimately, you will have the occasion to enjoy some free time to wander around the quaint city of Chinon. Throughout the transfers between locations, you'll have the opportunity to admire the beautiful Loire landscapes through the windows of our comfortable chauffeured Mercedes minivan. At around 6:30 pm, your guide will return you to Tours.