Day 1 : Monday

• Arrival at the train station of Tours or St Pierre des Corps

• Visit of the gardens of the Castle of Villandry

• Lunch with your exclusive guide in Villandry

Arrival at Tours by TGV, the high speed train from Paris or CDG Airport

You are met at the station of Tours or Saint Pierre-des-Corps. We start our tour, our first stop is 25’ away from the station. You will be hosted by your exclusive guide with a private coach.

Visit of the gardens of the Castle of Villandry

The acquisition of Villandry by Joachim Carvallo i1 1906 marked a return to their roots for the gardens. Already known for their beauty in the Renaissance, different owners successively transformed them, now into a formal garden, now a romantic garden. With a scientist’s meticulousness, Carvallo recreated gardens that were worthy of the restored chateau. Ever since the construction of the Chateau of Villandry in 1532, outstanding gardens have embellished the building. The passage of time and changing fashions meant they underwent drastic changes in appearance. Archeological findings tell us how, in the Renaissance, there was a decorative kitchen garden at close proximity to the chateau.
As a man of science, he used a scientific approach to assemble a series of archeological and literary clues. By comparing the remains of walls and pipes against old plans, such as those of the Marquis de Castellane and the Napoleonic land register, Carvallo was able to recreate the decorative kitchen garden, while works like Les Plus Excellents bâtiments de France or the Monasticon Gallicanum gave him an idea of Renaissance landscaping.
Far from being a mere replica of gardens reproduced in architectural treatises, the gardens of Villandry are a reinvention. From their layout to the choice of vegetables, everything was conceived in terms of a return to the origins of the Renaissance formal garden. True to Joachim Carvallo, his descendants have undertaken to preserve and develop the Villandry estate with the rigour and selflessness that are the making of outstanding gardens. 

Lunch in Villandry

A sweet interlude for food lovers… A delicious moment to share… A restaurant at immediate proximity to the chateau, but which manages to avoid being a tourist trap… Allow yourself to be seduced by a delicate, choice menu which is also quick!

Visit of the castle of Langeais

Around the year 1000, two great lords, the Count of Anjou, Foulques Nerra, and the Count of Blois, Eudes I, fought over the Touraine. At the end of the 10th century, Foulques Nerra conquered Langeais, between Tours and Saumur, and founded a fortress on the promontory overhanging the Loire. A turbulent history then began for Langeais, in turn occupied by the Counts of Blois and of Anjou. During the Hundred Years War, armed bands occupied the fortress. Charles VII bought it in 1422, then ordered that it be destroyed, except for the keep. That keep, moreover, is one of the oldest in stone still standing today. In 1465, Louis XI decided to have a new château built in Langeais. Its architecture reflects the changes taking place as the 15th century drew to a close. On the town side, the façade has all the attributes of a fortified castle : huge towers, drawbridge, parapet walk on machicolations. However, the edifice is no longer a veritable fortress. On the courtyard side, the façade corresponds to what a king or a lord would have wanted from his residence: a pleasant place to live, opening to the outside through beautiful windows. In July 1466, Louis XI ceded the château to his cousin, Dunois, the son of Joan of Arc’s companion. In one of the great halls of Dunois’s château, in the presence of a small gathering of people, the wedding of Charles VIII of France and Anne of Brittany took place, at dawn on December 6, 1491. This marriage marked the beginning of the incorporation of the duchy of Brittany into the French kingdom. The contract granted the spouses mutual rights over the duchy; in addition, Anne promised to wed, if the king died without a son, the new sovereign. Which is exactly what happened: the royal couple’s children died at birth or at an early age. Charles VIII died in 1498 at the château of Amboise. Anne of Brittany then married Charles VIII’s cousin, Louis d’Orléans, who reigned under the name Louis XII. After the end of the 15th century, the château of Langeais was ceded to different people and underwent little maintenance. Jacques Siegfried, a very active businessman and great lover of art of the Middle Ages, acquired it in 1886. He then spent nearly twenty years of his life restoring and refurnishing it, thus reconstructing the living environment of the nobility at the end of the Middle Ages. In 1904, he donated the château and its rich collection to the Institut de France, which is still the proprietor.

Wine tasting in Panzoult

Domaine Hérault is located on the heights of the village, next to the Château de Panzoult. It covers 24 hectares of vineyards, from the plain to the hillside.

Cabernet Franc has been grown here since 1964, and the year 2015 was marked by the planting of the Chenin grape varietal used for AOC Chinon white wine.

The estate's wines are available in red, with the wines "La Barriquade", "Hérault-Ik", "Cuvée Tradition", and "Vieilles Vignes", as well as “rosé de saignée” and sparkling. The visitors are welcomed in an old cave carved in the “tuffeau stone”.

Transfer to the Chateau de Marçay (hotel)

This 15th century castle is built on the ruins of an 11th century fortress. The successive owners and legacies parceled out this immense domain, hence all that is left is the Château and its outbuildings, a park planted with trees, vines and land over a 15 hectares area. This domain forms an island of greenery in the Chinon countryside, developed into a hotel and a restaurant which opened to the public in 1973.

The Château of Marçay offers 30 rooms, all different. Some have a view on the park, others on the main courtyard. The rooms of the château and its wing have been decorated in a «haute époque» style. Rooms in the Pavillon des Vignes are located on the ground and first floors of one of the dependencies of the château. They are facing the vineyards ; their private and quiet environment makes them a place where families with children can play safely.

You will settle into your room at our chateau accommodations. Enjoy a welcome coffee before heading out to Chinon * see details of accommodation in main menu bar

Dinner at l’Auberge de l’Ile

Monday evening you are the guests of Genevieve and Pierre Koniecko at their gastronomic restaurant L’Auberge de l’Ile. Situated on the banks of the Vienne river, the Koniecko’s welcome you to share in their passion for seasonal and inventive local cuisine. We will dine either on the terrace overlooking the river or in their elegant dining room on Pierre’s contemporary creations dictated by local specialties and the choice of the season.

"This island in the middle of the Vienne river wouldn't be such a bad place to get stranded... as long as you could eat at this restaurant every day! Tuck into carefully cooked dishes made with good ingredients, in the contemporary interior or on the terrace to watch the boats sail by". - MICHELIN guide inspectors

Day 2 : Tuesday

• Visit of the castle fortress and medieval town of Chinon

• Shopping moments in Chinon

• Dinner at Auberge du Val de Vienne

At "Le marché de Bourgueil"

Visit one of the most attractive "marché à la française" and buy food for the next picnic/lunch in a vineyard of Bourgueil ; under the supervision of your guides you will buy your next meal! Enjoy and choose what you would like to discover, taste and eat the fresh food of your market! Most towns and large villages in France have a large market once a week; but in larger towns, markets may take place twice a week, or even every day. Typical French markets are a mix between the farmers' market and a traders' market, with stalls offering local produce straight from the farm standing alongside fruit and vegetable stalls, cheese stalls and other stalls offering a full range of produce. Today they are expanded versions of large weekly markets that attract more traders from a wider area; there will usually be an eclectic and colorful array of ironmonger, clothes stalls, large organic produce stalls, craft stalls, plus the normal range of fruit and vegetable sellers and much more. In rural areas, there is often a small funfair too.

Virtually every French town has its covered market (marché couvert), which is a permanent structure, occupied by an array of market stalls; in a classic "marché couvert", sometimes called "les Halles", and it is the case in Bourgueil.

Market lunch and wine tasting in a vineyard of Bourgueil

Accompanying our delicious picnic will be a private tasting of Bourgueil wines led by an English speaking specialist of the region.

Bourgueil wines are made from the Cabernet Franc grape – the same cepage as Chinon. Bourgueil is often compared to the wines of the Medoc region in Bordeaux.

Enjoy an exclusive guided visit of the castle fortress and medieval town of Chinon

Fortress de Chinon is a castle located on the bank of the Vienne river in Chinon, France. It was founded by Theobald I, Count of Blois. In the 11th century the castle became the property of the counts of Anjou. In 1156 Henry II of England, a member of the House of Anjou, took the castle from his brother Geoffrey after he had rebelled for a second time. Henry favored the Château de Chinon as a residence: most of the standing structure can be attributed to his reign and he died there in 1189.

Early in the 13th century, King Philip II of France fought the English for the lands in France and in 1205 he captured Chinon after a siege that lasted several months, after which the castle remained under French control. When King Philip accused the Knights Templar of heresy during the first decade of the 14th century, several leading members of the order were imprisoned there.

Used by Charles VII in the 15th century, the Château de Chinon became a prison in the second half of the 16th century, but then fell out of use and was left to decay. It has been recognized as a "monument historique" by the French Ministry of Culture since 1840. The castle, which contains a museum, is now owned and managed by the Indre-et-Loire General Council and is a major tourist attraction. In the early 21st century it was restored at a cost of 14.5 million euros.

The historic town of Chinon is on the banks of the Vienne river about 10 kilometres (6 mi) from where it joins the Loire. Settlement in Chinon dates from prehistoric times with a pronounced importance for both French and English histories in the Middle Ages. At this period rivers were the main trade routes, and the Vienne River joins both the fertile regions of the Poitou and the city of Limoges, and is a tributary of the Loire, which acted as a traffic thoroughfare. The site was fortified early on, and by the 5th century a Gallo-Roman castrum had been established there.

Dinner at Auberge du Val de Vienne

Trained at the cooking schools of Tours and Blois, Jean-Marie Gervais wanted to become a cook from the age of seven, and it was the love of Florence, his wife, who inspired him, in 1992, to launch his own restaurant. Started from scratch in an old road stop in 1992, the Auberge du Val de Vienne and "this young chef with inventive cuisine" was discovered by “Bottin Gourmand” in 1994, and then by the “guide du Routard” in 1997 and by the “Gault & Millau” guide in 2000. Fascinated by Asian cooking, Jean-Marie Gervais likes "to work simple things, to make the terroir speak", while adding a point of exoticism. His wild duck in spicy crust, his rack of lamb with thyme or his mellow chocolate cake are the pillars of a menu that changes with the seasons.

Make a gastronomic stop in this former post house (1870) in the heart of the Chinon vineyards. Warm décor blends perfectly with quality contemporary cuisine. - MICHELIN guide inspectors

Day 3 : Wednesday

• The Chapel of Sainte Radegonde

• A gourmet picnic aboard a traditional river boat*

Visit of Ste Radegonde Chapel

Following breakfast, we explore the secluded Chapel of Sainte Radegonde in the hills behind Chinon.

Our exclusive guide will reveal the fascinating history of this chapel half built into the rock face on the eastern outer limits of the town. During Antiquity, a natural underground spring at the back of the actual chapel was a site used for pagan worship.

The site was Christianized in the 6th century when Queen Radegonde, later named a Saint, supposedly came to visit the hermit John who lived there. The name of the sanctuary comes from this event. The chapel is decorated with some of the most beautiful and well preserved frescos of the 12th century which tell the story of the power and intrigue of the Plantagenet family in Chinon.

A gourmet picnic aboard a traditional river boat*

We will then raise a glass of sparkling wine to toast our morning tour as we float down the Vienne river, enjoying our on board picnic prepared by Jean Marie Gervais, Auberge de l’Auberge du Val de Vienne, as we cruise by riverside villages and the vineyards of the valley.

 Visit "Château d'Azay le Rideau"

The first medieval château of Azay was built around 1119 by one of the first lords of the area, Ridel (or Rideau) of Azay, knight to Philippe Auguste, who built a fortress for defense in order to protect the road between Tours and Chinon. The château was burnt down by Charles VII in 1418 when the king, staying in Azay on the way to Chinon, was provoked by the Burgundy troops who were occupying the stronghold. During the reign of Francois I, 1514 to 1527, reconstruction work of the château began in an attempt to reconcile the French art of building with Italian-style architectural forms and ornamental decoration. The château is thus one of the masterpieces of the early French Renaissance. In June 1528, the king confiscated the estate and offered it in 1533 to one of his companions in arms, Antoine Raffin, captain of the guard. In 1791, the château "abandoned and very run down" was sold to the marquis Charles de Biencourt, deputy for the noblesse at the States General. The château remained empty until it was purchased by the State on August 11, 1905, when it was immediately classified as a historical monument.

"Winery visit and private sparkling tasting at Chateau de l’Aulée”

The Château de l'Aulée and its cellars were built in 1856. Since 2004, the Château de l'Aulée has been the passionate story of a wine-making woman and her husband from Tours and an exceptional estate. "We settled on the estate with the desire to develop wines of high expression". Marielle (champagne oenologist, trained in houses such as Pommery, Bricout or Bollinger) is committed to a reasoned culture and qualitative development in respect of the expression of the terroir and biodiversity. In 2008, 6.50 hectares of vines in the Chinonais were added to produce red and rosé AOC Chinon and pink bubbles in Touraine and Crémant de Loire. In 2010, we planted 1 ha of Grolleau that did not exist on the estate. This vine originating from the region, old, is entirely adapted to our soil. It will allow us to present among others a rosé AOC Touraine Azay-Le-Rideau. With an annual production of about 230,000 bottles, 80% are devoted to sparkling wines that remain our specialty.

Return to Tours train station

Return to the station with your private coach. Please note that TGV may go direct from Tours/St Pierre des Corps to Roissy CDG