Lascaux Cave
WESTERN EUROPE
Château de Villandry Outdoor market, Sarlat
ITINERARY
DAY 1 • Depart U. S. Depart on your overnight flight to Nantes, France.
DAY 2 • Arrive in Nantes • Angers Arrive in Nantes and transfer overland to Angers, the gateway to the Loire Valley. Meet your Trip Experience Leader and fellow travelers, including those who took the optional Northern France: Fontainebleau, Bayeux & the Beaches of Normandy pre-trip extension.
Hotel de France or similar
DAY 3 • Angers Enjoy a walking tour of Angers with a local guide. While we stroll, we’ ll learn about Angers’ s luminous past, first as the seat of the Plantagenet dynasty in the twelfth century and later as one of Europe’ s leading intellectual centers during the Renaissance. Gather this evening for a Welcome Dinner.
Meals: B, D | Hotel de France or similar
DAY 4 • Angers • Château de Villandry • Boule de Fort demonstration
Enjoy a guided tour of Renaissance-era Château de Villandry and its formal gardens with a local guide. Later, enjoy a demonstration of Boule de Fort, a type of lawn bowling played in this region of France.
Meals: B, L | Hotel de France or similar
DAY 5 • Limousin • Oradour-sur-Glane • Home- Hosted Dinner and overnight at a chambre d’ hote
Depart for Limousin this morning, stopping to visit the village of Oradour-sur-Glane, which was destroyed and its inhabitants massacred during a Nazi onslaught in 1944. Then, we’ ll check into a family-owned chambre d’ hôte— the French equivalent of a bed and breakfast— where we will enjoy a Home-Hosted Dinner.
Meals: B, L, D | Chambre d’ Hôte in Limousin
DAY 6 • Sarlat Transfer overland to Sarlat, with stops along the way. We’ ll arrive in Sarlat in time for lunch.
Meals: B, L | Grand Hotel de Sarlat or similar
DAY 7 • Sarlat • Optional Rocamadour tour Enjoy a free morning in Sarlat. Or, join the optional tour to witness the hilltop village of Rocamadour. Built into the side of a cliff, Rocamadour is an important pilgrimage site.
Meals: B, D | Grand Hotel de Sarlat or similar
DAY 8 • Sarlat • Lascaux caves visit • Commarque Castle • Visit a foie gras farm
Visit the caves of Lascaux this morning and discover its prehistoric cave paintings, then head to Commarque Castle. Late this afternoon, we’ ll visit a local foie gras farm.
Meals: B, D | Grand Hotel de Sarlat or similar
DAY 9 • Carcassonne • Albi Transfer overland to Carcassonne, stopping in the scenic Parc Naturel Regional Des Causesse du Quercy, an area known for its wooded, verdant valleys and ancient caves, which feature prehistoric wall paintings. Later, enjoy a walking tour of Albi.
Meals: B, L | Hotel les Chevaliers or similar
ADVENTURE HIGHLIGHT
On Day 11, visit a small village in Carcassonne for A Day in the Life experience on a local wine domaine.
Information & Reservations 1-800-955-1925 www. oattravel. com / fra 165