I have personally designed this tour to provide you with an extensive experience of the sights this area has to offer including visits to Bordeaux, Arcachon, Dune du Pilat, Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Pau, Lourdes, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Albi, Rocamadour, Sarlat and Saint-Emilion.
Before or after it I recommend our Paris tours and other tours in France.
The South-West of France is the home to many famous French Cities including Bordeaux and Toulouse. You will have a real adventure in this part of the country.
Bordeaux is the wine capital of France; you will be able to sample some of the best beverages of Gods here. The city is also littered with 18th Century buildings which are truly a site to behold. Close by you have the town of Biarritz, a popular beach resort that sits right on the Atlantic Coast.
Therefore it is ideal to hire a professional that will help plan your trip and accompany you every single step of the way.
Bordeaux (wine capital), Arcachon, Dune du Pilat, Biarritz, Saint-Jean de Luz, Pau, Lourdes, Pyrénées Mountains, Toulouse, Carcassonne (mediaeval fortress), Albi, Pech Merle, Rocamadour, Sarlat, Dordogne, Saint-Emilion
Your tour begins in Bordeaux where your own A La Carte ™ France tours driver-guide will collect you from your accommodation, airport, or railway station. From here your will enjoy a personally guided tour in France through Bordeaux, and experience tasting of the region's famous wines. You can also visit the city's many attractions including the Gothic Cathedral St-Andre, luxurious 18th century mansions, the grand Place de la Bourse, and a wealth of 18th century buildings made from local ocher stone. Accommodation overnight out of Bordeaux town, in a quiet and picturesque hotel.
Today you will travel to the Arcachon bay area where you can enjoy a mild climate and beach, and view the Victorian style architecture of the Arcachonnaise villas of the town. Your A La ® Carte France tour guide will also take you to view the Dune of Pilat; a huge foredune which stands 120 yards above sea level and is the tallest sand dune in Europe. Travel from here to the luxury resort town of Biarritz, an area made famous in the 19th century by Empress Eugenie. Here you can view an expansive beachside palace, buildings in a variety of architectural styles including belle epoque and art deco, and visit the Musee de la Mer or Musee d'Art Oriental Asiatica.
Accommodation two nights in Biarritz area
Continue exploring Biarritz with your private A © La Carte France private tour guide, and visit the Le Rocher de la Vierge; a statue of the Virgin which was built in 1865 and is reached by crossing a metal footbridge across the surf. From here, you will be taken to Saint-Jean-de-Luz which is home to a number of 17th and 18th century residences including the Maison Joanoenea. Visit the Basque Corniche and view the remains of the neo-gothic Abbadia castle, then take a ride by cogwheel train to the Rhune mountain of the Pays Basque.
Second night in Biarritz.
Today your trip allows you to experience the 11th century city of Pau, the birthpace of King Henry IV of France. Here you can enjoy a guided A La Carte ™ France tour of the National Museum of the Chateau de Pau which is located in the castle where Henry IV was born. Inside this iconic renaissance palace you can view gold threaded walls, coffered ceilings, and Gobelins tapestries. Travel from here to the pilgrimmage city of Lourdes where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared many times, and visit the famous Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes which surrounds the Catholic Grotto and is renowned for reports of its healing water. Two nights in Luz-Saint-Sauveur.
Your stay in Luz-Saint-Sauveur will allow you to enjoy the town's historical heritage by viewing landmarks including the Church of St Andrew and Napoleon Bridge. Your personal A La Carte France tours driver-guide will also take you through the natural landscape of the area as you tour the valley of Juret, visit the Lutour waterfall and the glacial Gaube lake. You will also experience nature walks and scenic views in the Gavarnie valley and Cirque de Gavarnie; a semi circle of limestone cliffs which form an expansive natural amphitheatre.
Second night in Luz-Saint-Sauveur.
Today you can enjoy a relaxing, scenic drive from Luz-Saint-Sauveur to Sainte-Marie-de-Campan. Travel through Tourmalet pass; the highest paved mountain pass in the French Pyrenees, and experience panoramic views over the mountains. The afternoon part of your A La Carte ® France tours drive will then take you through Aspin pass where landmarks include the iconic Oredon and Aumar lakes, and the Neouville mountains and nature reserve. Overnight in Saint-Lary-Soulan.
Travel to the city of Toulouse and experience the 18th century buildings of the Capitole de Toulouse including the opera house and the Donjon du Capitole. You can also see the Cite de l'espace; a space exploration theme park. View the Romanesque Toulouse cathedral and Daurade basilica which was founded as a temple to the Roman God Apollo before its 410AD conversion to Christianity, and enjoy a guided A La Carte France private tour through the Saint-Raymond archeological museum.
Two nights near Carcassonne.
Today begins with an exploration of Carcassonne, which is home to Europe's largest fortress - a medieval structure built in Gallo-Roman times which is surrounded by a double wall containing 36 towers. Following your tour through this landmark, your A La Carte France tours driver-guide will take you to the Abbey of Villelongue where you can view the romantic style ruins of its cloister (which is decorated with flowers, leaves, and animal and human figures), the 12th century chapter house which displays an intact ribbed ceiling and the remains of the abbey church. Travel from here past Clamoux gorge towards the picturesque village of Conques-sur-Orbiel.
Second night in Carcassonne.
Experience an A La Carte © France guided tour of the city of Albi. Here you can view the Gothic-French architecture of the 13th century Sainte-Cécile cathedral, enjoy a stroll along the red brick and hue stone of the Albi la rouge, and visit the Toulouse-Lautrec museum. From here, you will be driven to Ambialet village where you can visit its fortified castle and Romanesque chapel and enjoy views across the landscape from the priory. Finally, continue on to the medieval town of Cordes-du-Ciel where your guide will take you for a walk through its array of Gothic architecture.
Overnight in Cordes-du-Ciel.
Today your A La Carte France tour guide will take you on a tour of the Pech Merle Caves, one of the few prehistoric cave painting sites that is open to the public. The walls of these caves are painted with murals dating back to Gravettian times (25000 years BC), and Magdalenian times (16000 years BC). Within the caves deep chambers you can see images of various animals painted and engraved on the walls and prehistoric footprints preserved in clay. Travel from here to the historic town of Rocamadour where your personal guide will show you through its complex of pilgrimage buildings and monastic churches. Overnight in Rocamadour area.
Travel through the Dordogne valley and enjoy the green woods and meadows, picturesque chateaux and villages that make up the landscape. View the many castles of the area including Chateau de Castelnaud which houses a museum of medieval warfare, and visit the cliffside village of Beynac-et-Cazenac. Travel to the medieval town of Sarlat where you can experience a private guided A La Carte France tour through its old town along the Rue de la Republique and view landmarks such as the Cathedral with its mix of Roman and Gothic architecture, the Place de Payou and Hotel de la Boetie and the bullet shaped La Lanterne des morts. Overnight in Sarlat.
On the final day of your tour, your A La Carte France tours driver-guide will take you to the village of Saint-Emilion. Here you can enjoy a walk through steep cobbled streets and view the 13th century Tour du Roy tower and the town's Romanesque church. You can also experience a tasting of the famous wines of the region which are mainly made from Cabernet Franc and Merlot and are popular worldwide. From here, you will be driven back to Bordeaux or Bordeaux airport for your transfer back to Paris. Au revoir et bon voyage, honorés voyageurs.
bookings for tours shorter than 10 days.
no refund for cancellations received
later.
Today Carcassonne is one of France's most popular tourist sights. Carcassonne's fortunes fluctuated over the centuries in the struggles for control of southern France. It is satisfying to visit because you can see what these great citadels were like in use. It has been declared a World Heritage site and is a powerful fortress. Carcassonne has long been favoured by film makers as a medieval backdrop, from Renoir's feature film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The medieval town, about 25 acres in total area, is completely encircled by a double wall of fortifications punctuated by massive towers. At the heart of the Cité is the Château Comtal, a castle within a castle, where every possible military defence tactic can be seen: watch towers, posterns... and this includes the Musée Lapidaire (collection of archaeological fragments and frescoes). The basilique St-Nazaire has some of the finest medieval stained glass in the midi. You can also visit the Musée de l'Inquisition
featuring instruments of torture from all over Europe.
The resort of Biarritz is the biggest on the French Atlantic seaboard, a great swath of wide sandy beaches interspersed with rocky headlands which are planted with exotic plants. It's thoughtfully threated with footbridges and promenades for strolling and viewing the thundering Atlantic surf. The best view is from the top of the light house to the north. Biarritz's perfect situation between the Pyrenees and the sea makes for mild climate. You can see the wide sweep of the bay, the deep green Atlantic water and the façades of the grand hotels, in particular the imposing red-brick façade of the legendary Hôtel du Palais. The main beach is the Grand Plage, and behind it is the equisitely restored Art Deco Municipal Casino, with an elegant coloned café right next to the beach. Beyond the Grand Plage is the Port des Pêcheurs, linking the promenade with the craggy islet of the Rocher de la Vierge with its statue on top. There are several museums worth a visit: the Musée de la mer,
the Musée Historique de Biarritz and others.
