France and Switzerland Sample Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Paris or Geneva
Pick up car and drive to Beaune to check into your farmhouse in the heart of France's Burgundy wine country.
Day 2: Beaune
This afternoon meet your guide and visit the Hospices of Beaune to see the old hospital that has been renovated to look just as it did in the past. Explore the town of Beaune. Pick up supplies from one of the many gourmet food shops to stock your kitchen.
Day 3: Beaune
Today enjoy a rare opportunity to sample some of the finest wines
of the region. Premier Cru wine represents just 10% and Grand Cru a
minute 2% of the wine produced in Burgundy. The latter is often very
difficult to taste on a day to day basis. On this special tour we take
you to Domaines that produce some of the best known Burgundy Grand
Cru and Premier Cru wines. We will visit three growers during the day
and taste a mix of Premier Cru and Grand Cru red and white Burgundy
plus some excellent Village wines – described by many as Burgundy’s
best-kept secrets.
We drive through Burgundy’s famous wine villages and stop to
take a close look at some of the regions best known vineyards; e.g.
Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, Corton and Le Montrachet. Throughout
the day we provide an informative commentary on Burgundy wine.
Also included is an excellent three-course gourmet lunch, with Premier
Cru wine, in local restaurants famous for their typical Burgundy cuisine.
Day 4: Beaune
Day on your own to bike, go antique shopping, and visit Collegiale Notre-Dame, a Romanesque church with noteworthy woollen and silk tapestries inside. Go wine tasting along the Cote d'Oro. Tonight, 7:30 dinner reservations at La Ferme de Rolle for a special dinner
Day 5: Beaune
Today see medieval Burgundy. Your private tour will visit two of the prettiest medieval villages in France. The tour includes lunch at a Ferme Auberge run by local farmers’ wives, a fun and informative local wine tasting, and an optional walking tour through Flavigny’s delightful streets. You will also visit Chateauneuf and enjoy an early evening aperitif in this stunning hilltop chateau village.
Day 6: Grindelwald
Today, drive to Grindelwald , explore along the way. Grindelwald is a jewel in Bernese Oberland, It's a famous village among the glaciers in the Alps. Enjoy a nice dinner out in this quaint little town after the day-trippers are gone for the evening.
Day 7: Grindelwald
Today, take the mountain railway from Grindelwald up to Jungfraujoch,
perhaps go for a hike. An especially popular half-day hike from Grindelwald
goes to Milchbach, where melting glacial ice forms a milk-colored stream
laden with gravel sediment. After about an hour's climb from Grindelwald,
you'll find yourself at the base of the Upper Grindelwald Glacier (Obere
Gletscher). The Blue Ice Grotto, which is about 45 minutes' walking
distance above the Milchbach, can be visited as part of the same half-day
excursion. After your visit, you can return by either hiking back to
Grindelwald or by climbing aboard any of the postal buses that connect
the Blue Ice Grotto to Grindelwald at hourly intervals.
Day 8: Paris
Drive to the train station in Basel and drop off the car. Take an afternoon train to Paris. Your driver will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. Tonight take one of our restaurant recommendations and get into the Parisien spirit with a wonderful dinner of traditional cuisine.
Day 9: Paris
This morning your guide will meet you at your hotel and take you on
a 3 hour private tour of the Louvre. The Louvre is said to be the largest
museum in the world. Under the Grande Louvre project of the 1980's
and 90's, it's exhibition space doubled. With it's renovations came
the addition of the controversial I.M.Pei glass pyramid entrance and
superb glass covered courtyards displaying French sculpture.
With your guide you won't feel overwelmed by the size of the Louvre.
You will spend as much or as little time exploring its vast collection
of art. Your guide will help you see all the greatest hits in this
amazing museum: Caravaggios, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, and the Venus de
Milo!
Iin the afternoon stroll along the Champs-Elysées, wander through the streets of Montmartre, tour Napoleon’s tomb and Les Invalides, find the best café and bakery in your neighborhood, window-shop through the Marais, Paris’s hippest new district. Finish by feeding the pigeons and people-watching in what may be the most beautiful square in Europe, Place de la Vosges!
Day 10: Paris
Today your guide will meet you in the morning at your hotel and take you on a 2 hour private tour of the Musee d'Orsay. You will discover Impressionism in this wonderful museum housed in a converted railway station. The building itself is a work of art. You will see masterpieces by Manet, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec and many others. Also, learn more about the great and popular era of art history called Impressionism. This afternoon spend some time at Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. You'll have wonderful photos and memories to take home with you.
Day 11: Fly Home
Transfer to the airport for flight home or on to your next destination.