Cruise FHT 2025 -Wine, culture, gastronomy, from Biarritz to Reims

Culture, Gastronomy & Wine from Biarritz to Reims

13 days / 12 nights

Programme

This 13-day journey through France begins in Biarritz, exploring the villages of Espelette and St-Jean-Pied de Port with wine tastings in Irouleguy. A river cruise from Bordeaux follows, visiting Saint-Emilion, Blaye, and enjoying Médoc wine tastings. The Loire Valley offers guided tours of Chambord and Chenonceau castles, cooking lessons, and wine tastings in Montlouis. The adventure continues in Paris with a degustation in the 800 years old Louvre wine cellars. It ends in Reims with a visit to its world heritage Cathedral, champagne initiation and a farewell lunch. This tour perfectly blends culture, gastronomy, and beautiful landscapes. Sept 8th - Sept 20th 2025 (13 days, 12 nights)

Transportation :
cruise ship, 1st class High Speed train (TGV) and high comfort buses for day visits

Accommodation :
5 nights on a cruise ship 5 anchors (equivalent to 5-star hotel), 3 nights in a 4-star hotel in Tours, 1 night in a 4-star Hotel in Paris and 1 night in a 4-star hotel in Reims,

Pays Basque: 3 nights (1 on the cruise boat), 3 days
Bordeaux: 4 nights on a cruise boat, 4 days
Loire Valley: 3 nights, 3 days, 4-star hotel
Paris: 1 night, 1 day, 4-star hotel
Champagne: 1 night, 2 days, 4-star hotel

Meals :
Breakfast & lunch or dinners included, full pension on the boat,

Day 1 – Meeting in BIARRITZ, Pays Basque

Group settles in 4-star hotel,
Welcome cocktail at 5 pm,
Dinner and night at the hotel.

Day 2 –Biarritz and area, Pays Basque

Visit the lovely city of Espelette and its famous “pepper of Espelette”,
Traditional Basque lunch in Espelette,
Guided visit of the charming village of St-Jean-Pied de Port, on the way to Compostelle before the Pyrenees, one of the most beautiful villages of France,
Wine tasting in Irouleguy wine cellars amid the Basque vineyards,
Back to the hotel in Biarritz, dinner and night at the hotel.

Day 3 –Biarritz and area, Pays Basque

Morning spent in a guided visit of Bayonne old city,
Degustation of a traditionally prepared dried ham, lunch in Bayonne,
Degustation of Basque cider served directly from the barrel,
Then the group goes to Bordeaux by bus, and embarks on the boat,
Welcome cocktail,
Dinner and 1st night on the boat.

Day 4 – Cruise, Bordeaux region
on the river “La Garonne” from Bordeaux to Cussac-Fort-Medoc

Morning: navigation to the Bec d’Ambès, northern islands of Bouchaud and Patiras and then Cussac-Fort-Medoc
Afternoon: free,
(Optional: discovery of the “grands crus du Médoc” and wine tastings),
Back to the boat,
Dinner and night on the boat.

Day 5 – Cruise, Bordeaux region
in the estuary of the river Gironde, from Cussac-Fort-Medoc to Blaye

Morning: navigation and stop in Blaye
Afternoon: guided discovery of Blaye citadel, built by the Maréchal Vauban upon the request of Louis the XIVth, to protect the city of Bordeaux from invasions, (Optional: Visit of the undergrounds of the citadel; the triptych “citadel of Blaye, Fort Paté and Fort Medoc” were called the “verrou Vauban” and are world heritage.)
Back to the boat,
Dinner and night on the boat.

Day 6 – Cruise, Bordeaux region from Blaye to Libourne, on the river Dordogne to Saint Emilion.

Morning: navigation
Afternoon: Free (Optional: Libourne city, bike excursion to discover the famous wine appellation “Pomerol”; wine tasting),
Back to the boat,
Dinner and night on the boat

Day 7 – Cruise Bordeaux
from Libourne to Bordeaux

Morning: navigation
Afternoon: visit of Bordeaux, the quartier des Chartrons; the wine and negoce museum followed by a wine tasting,
Discover “the bassin des Lumières”, the world’s largest immersive digital art center dedicated to great artists of art history & contemporay creation.
Back to the boat,
Dinner and night on the boat

Day 8 – From Bordeaux to Tours Loire Vallée

Morning: disembark and take the High Speed train (TGV) to the city of Tours in the Loire Vallée Group Settles in the hotel in Tours
Afternoon: Private bus for a guided visit of Chambord castle
Back to the hotel in Tours,
Dinner in a restaurant close by the hotel, night in Tours,

Day 9 – Tours, Loire Valley

Morning: cooking lessons followed by the lunch made from the group “output”,
Afternoon: Guided visit of château de Chenonceau,
Free for the evening in Tours and night in Tours.

Day 10 – Amboise, Loire Valley

Morning: Private bus for the day: guided visit of Amboise castle followed by a guided visit of the Clos Lucé (last place where Leonard de Vinci lived and died). Visit of a wine producer cellars in the city of Montlouis. Lunch accompanied by his different wines.
Afternoon: Free
(Optional: guided visit of Château de la Bourdaisière: national conservatory of tomatoes (700 varieties of tomatoes)).
Free for the evening,
Night in Tours.

Day 11- From Tours to Paris by fast train (TGV) Paris

Morning: TGV to Paris Montparnasse; transfer by taxi to the hotel.
Afternoon: 2.5 hour guinguette cruise on the Canal Saint-Martin… a very poetic place, an incredible aquatic alley with romantic walkways, immersed in an unusual, romantic and mysterious Paris; the boat will cross locks and descend to the Seine, at the lock of «La Bastille» ; during the canal cruise, you will enjoy a musical atmosphere thanks to a modern guinguette playlist, linking the history of Paris from yesterday to today.
When you arrive on the Seine, you will see in front of you the magnificent private hotels of the Île Saint-Louis, then Notre-Dame, the Louvre, the Tuileries until you reach the Port Solférino, under the Musée d’Orsay.
Evening: guided tour of the wine cellars of the Louvre museum, 800 years old; the visit will be followed by a wine tasting in the cellars of the Louvre and a dinner nearby.
Transfer by taxi to the hotel,
Overnight in Paris.

Day 12- From Paris to Reims, Champagne

Morning: Taxi transfer to Gare de l’Est and High Speed train (TGV) to Reims,
Afternoon: Guided visit of Reims Cathedral (World Heritage), one of the biggest Christian world cathedrals, and famous for its beauty and historic importance: French Kings were crowned there.
Rest of the afternoon and evening is free in Reims,
Night in Reims.

Day 13- Champagne !

- Morning: by private bus to Ay en Champagne for an initiation to the Champagne at l’Ecole des vins de Champagne,
- Farewell Lunch served with champagne at a wine producer place.
- Afternoon: High Speed train (TGV) from Reims to Roissy airport for those who have planes after 7.30 pm or to Paris.