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Discovering
Tours "A la Carte" 2
2 DAYS / 1 NIGHT |
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PROGRAMME
DAY 1
Arrival in Tours in the morning. Setting up at your 2 or 3 or 4 star hotel or bed and
breakfast in the city centre of Tours. |
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During the morning :
You will discover the Archbishops' palace, a beautiful XVIIth- XVIIIth c. building which
has been turned into the FINE ARTS MUSEUM.
Works of art partly coming from the destroyed châteaux of Richelieu and Chanteloup as
well as great abbeys of Tours; a collection of paintings dated from the XIVth and XVth c,
with in particular two paintings by Mantegna (Christ in the Olive Garden and the
Resurrection), which used to be part of the San Zeno Maggiore reredos in Verona,. Each one
of those masterpieces contribute to make this Fine Arts museum one of the richest in
France. You will admire the masterpieces: A. Mantegna, XVth c.; Rubens and Rembrandt,
XVIIth c.; Nattier, Lemoyne, F. Boucher and J-B Perronneau, A. Roslin, XVIIIth. ; E. Degas
and E. Delacroix, XIXth c., etc. Most of those works are displayed inside magnificent
reception rooms richly furnished which evoke the life in a XVIIIth c. provincial
archbishop’s palace.
Lunch on your own
During the afternoon :
Then visit of the "MUSEE DU COMPAGNONNAGE".
Unique in the world. Located inside the reception room (XIth c.) and monks' dormitory
(XVth c.) of the former Saint Julien abbey.
This museum tells the history, customs, and techniques of these training associations
which also defended the workers rights. You will discover a great variety of crafts still
existing or having disappeared, (locksmiths, confectioners, carpenters, roofers, etc.),
tools, all sorts of masterworks the "Compagnons" had to create to deserve their
title and honour "the fine work".
Then, departure to Vouvray with your car, small village built at the foot of
the cliff where cave dwellings are dug in the rock. Ii is also the Vouvray wine area,
famous for its white wine from the IV th century, during which Saint Martin introduced the
vineyards. Guided tour of the "Cave des producteurs de Vouvray" and tasting.
Located in the heart of the Vouvray vineyards, this wine cellar groups together 50 wine
producers attached to their land, traditions and quality. The wines are strictly selected
and bottled, are aging inside the cellars, galleries dug into the rock which are more than
2 kilometres long. Deep inside those cellars, you will be told the secrets of the making
of the sparkling and still wines.
Back to Tours at the end of the afternoon.
8:00 pm
Dinner in a city centre restaurant of Tours. Accommodation at your 2 or 3 or 4 star hotel
or bed and breakfast in the city centre of Tours.
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DAY 2 |
Breakfast
8:50 am
Meeting at the tourist office.
9:00 am
Departure with an air conditioned minibus with a driver for a half day sightseeing of the
Loire valley. You will visit 2 monuments on your own : |
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Sightseeing of the chateau of Chenonceau.
Built in the XVIth c., it is one of the purest Early French Renaissance style works. The
square dwellings, built in the riverbed itself on the piles of a fortified mill, the
square building is the original chateau. On the bridge built by Diane, rises The two-level
gallery completed by Catherine de Medicis. . You will discover the guardroom, the chapel,
a superb 60 metres long gallery above the Cher river, Diane de Poitier and François 1st
rooms. In the upper levels, you will admire the bedrooms of Gabrielle d'Estrees, Catherine
de Medicis and Louise of Lorraine… Settled inside the two piles of the former mill
anchored in the Cher river bed, the kitchens will reveal the art and ingenuity of the
Renaissance builders. Not far from the gardens of Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de
Medicis, stands "La Galerie des Dames de Chenonceau" settled in the former Royal
stables. Here are told the dreams, ambitions, the great projects and the destinies of
those women who made the history of the place. A walk in the French style gardens will
provide a pleasant end to your tour |
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Free visit of the chateau of Amboise.
Built during the XVth and XVIth centuries by Kings Charles VIIIth, Louis XIIth and
François 1st, Amboise was really the first royal residence. You will discover
its French Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles. |
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Today,
the chateau still owns an exceptional collection of furniture, beautifully preserved.
Leonardo da Vinci is buried inside the St Hubert chapel, built during the XVth century in
the Flamboyant Gothic style. From the gardens, overlooking, the town of Amboise, you will
discover one of the most beautiful panoramas of the Loire valley.
End of our
services
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| Visit on your own the GARDENS OF
VILLANDRY They surround like, a
jewellery box, the last great Early French Renaissance château built on the banks of the
Cher river (1536). |
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You will walk through one of the most
beautiful gardens in France distributed on three levels : the water garden, surrounded by
a cloister made of linden trees , the ornamental garden, displaying its "love",
"music" and herb gardens, the kitchen garden, over 12,500 m2, which reproduces
the shape of an authentic multicoloured checkerboard divided in nine squares where
vegetables and fruit trees are symmetrically planted.
Back to Tours at the end of the afternoon. |
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| Price per person
in a double room : |
| 2
star hotel |
118,50
Eur |
| 3
star hotel |
148,50
Eur |
| 4
star hotel |
188,50
Eur |
| Guest
Room |
118,50
Eur |
| Extra charge for
single room : |
| 2
star hotel |
30,00
Eur |
| 3
star hotel |
50,00
Eur |
| 4
star hotel |
69,00
Eur |
| Guest
Room |
30,00
Eur |
| Price per
person for extra night with half board : |
| 2
star hotel |
67,00
Eur |
| 3
star hotel |
97,00
Eur |
| 4
star hotel |
137,00
Eur |
| Guest
Room |
65,00
Eur |
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The price includes : |
It does not include : |
Dinner (drinks not included) in a city centre restaurant of Tours, day 1
Accommodation (depending on your choice) in Tours on the basis of one room for 2 people
the first day.
The sightseeing of the wine cellar of Vouvray and wine tasting
Breakfast, day 2
Entrances to the Fine Arts museum and to the Compagnonnage museum, day 1
Entrances to the châteaux of Chenonceau and Amboise, day 2
Transportation in an air conditioned minibus with driver for a half day tour (morning),
day 2
Booking charges |
Transportation (except minibus excursion)
Return ticket Paris/Tours/Paris.
Extra charge 80 Euros
Drinks
Lunches, days 1 and 2
Personal expenses
Guided tour of Tours. Extra charge 5.50 Euros (schedule available at the tourist office).
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