DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1: Calais to Champagne

You start this self-drive touring holiday of eastern France with a crossing on the Eurotunnel for your car and passengers. The crossing takes just 35 minutes with frequent departures each hour. What you can fit in today once you arrive will depend on how early you leave Folkestone. The drive from Calais to Epernay is about 3 hours. You spend two nights in the Champagne region.

Day 2: In Champagne

You have one full day to explore the Champagne region. From your base in Épernay, you have the champagne houses on your doorstep. Further north, there is Reims, although you may want to visit here on the first day.

Venture into the nearby countryside to see the Aisne and Marne Valleys, which see the vineyards thrive, before viewing and tasting the produce of this landscape in one of the hundreds of underground chalky wine cellars in either Épernay or Reims. These Gallo-Roman cellars notably belong to champagne firms of international repute, such as Moët et Chandon and Mercier.

Champagne Tribaut, a family-run business that supplies companies such as Krug and Taittinger, open their cellars and vineyards to guests for tours and wine-tasting sessions. This intimate, homely experience lets the visitor see an alternative side of wine-growing to large scale production.

Equally, just across the Marne Valley, you can find the vineyards that produce Pinot Noir, or head southwards through the Côte des Blancs to taste the local mineral-packed Chardonnay. Aside from vineyards and galleries, Reims offers a wealth of impressive architecture and culture, from the Gothic Cathedral of Notre-Dame with its wine-grower carvings, and the Palais du Tau, to the floral delights of Nanteuil-la-Forêt.

Day 3: Champagne to Alsace

Today you will leave Épernay and drive east to Strasbourg, the capital of the Alsace region. The drive will take approximately 3 hours 30 minutes. The most direct route takes you through the department of the Meuse and near to the city of Verdun, scene of the longest battle of the First World War in 1916. You skirt the Parc Naturel Regional de Lorraine and continue into Alsace with your route taking you along the southern edge of the Parc Naturel Regional des Vosges du Nord. The forested hills give way to a rolling landscape and south of here are the fertile fields of hops and orchards, for which Alsace is renowned.

Days 4 & 5: In Alsace

You have two full days in Strasbourg to explore the city and surrounding region. Strasbourg is a bustling city on the river Rhine. Explore the Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame and wander the cobbled streets lined with shops and cafés. The old quarter, known as la Petite France, is worth visiting with half-timbered buildings, typical of the Alsace region.

Museums to visit include the Museum of Alsace and the Museum of Fine Arts. You may want to spend one of your days exploring the wine route of Alsace. The wine road stretches along the bottom of the Vosges mountains from Marlenheim to Thann. There are many pretty villages along the way where you can stop to sample or purchase products as well as many walks in the vineyards. Places of interest include of Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé and Obernai.

Day 6: Alsace to Burgundy

Today you drive from Strasbourg to Burgundy, your last region visited on this tour. You may wish to stop on the way in Colmar or Mulhouse if you haven’t already visited these towns. These towns are noted for their fine half-timbered, regional architecture and museums depicting local life and traditions. You reach your hotel in Gilly-les-Citeaux, equidistant between Dijon and Beaune.

Day 7: In Burgundy

From your base in Gilly-les-Citeaux, you are in the heart of the famous Cote de Nuits wine district and a region that is home to many Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards. The Burgundy region is best known for its Pinot Noir red wines, and Chardonnay white wines; however, Gilly-les-Cîteaux is perfectly suited for an exploration of all the wines Burgundy has to offer. In the immediate vicinity there are the wine villages of Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-Saint Denis, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanee and Nuits-Saint-Georges.

Visit the Christian Clerget estate, which has vineyards in the area and the Château de Clos, which has four huge 12th century winepresses, and taste the wine produced there. Venture further out to visit the famous Chablis or take a tour of the white wine vineyards and cellars on the hillside village of Montagny-lés-Buxy, once the residence of the Dukes of Burgundy,

Beaune is a pretty town that maintains its medieval city walls and is at the centre of the wine trade of Burgundy. There is a wine museum and wine cellars to visit as well as the strikingly attractive Hospices de Beaune with its flamboyant Gothic architecture. In Dijon, visit the Baroque palace of the Dukes, the fine art museum containing the tomb of Philip the Bold and the Gothic cathedral of Notre-Dame.

Day 8: Burgundy to Calais

Leave the hotel after breakfast and drive back to Calais for your return Eurotunnel crossing.

PRICING

Price is based on two adults sharing en-suite accommodation on a bed & breakfast basis, including Eurotunnel crossing from Folkestone to Calais. Alternative you can opt for the ferry from Dover to Calais, or one of the other ferry routes between England and France.

We offer a choice of hotels at different prices, so please discuss your requirements with us. All hotels are subject to availability.

Before your departure, you will receive personalised holiday information including recommended routes and suggestions on places to visit, to help you get the most from your holiday.

It is essential that you have personal holiday insurance, vehicle breakdown cover, a Green Card from your insurance company for taking your car abroad and an appropriate driving licence. All these items should comply with whatever rules are in place at the time of travel. The AA and the FCO should also be consulted.