Alsace and Burgundy Walk

Upon arrival at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, we transfer to our château hotel in Chailly. Gather this evening for a festive welcome reception and dinner at our hotel.

Our first walk begins in the beautiful valley of the Cure River just below the Vézelay Abbey. Visit this magnificent building, perched on the summit of a nearby hill and the starting point for many medieval pilgrims bound for Spain’s Camino de Santiago.

Drive to the medieval town of Flavigny to begin our walk across the hills to Mont Auxois, site of Gallic ruler Vercingetorix’s last stand against Julius Caesar’s legionnaires. After a picnic lunch, walk along the valley to the Fontenay Abbey. Continue this afternoon to the beautifully preserved town of Beaune, famous for the Hospices, a former charitable foundation that now hosts a famous annual wine auction. Stay in the heart of town at one of France’s best-loved hotels.

Today walk through the world-renowned vineyards of the Côtes de Beaune. The villages here are inhabited by just a few hundred people, but the village names reverberate around the world: Pommard, Montrachet and Volnay. We have a chance to taste some of these famous wines after our afternoon walk. The evening is at leisure.

Drive south to the Mâconnais, a lovely white wine region of rolling hills, and walk across the hills toward Cluny. In the afternoon visit the Cluny Abbey, once the most important religious institution in the Christian world and the largest church ever built until the completion of Saint Peter’s in Rome. Return to Beaune by road. Enjoy dinner independently.

Today we walk through the Côtes de Nuits, the region of such famous wine villages as Aloxe-Corton, Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-Saint-Georges. In the afternoon we continue to Château du Clos de Vougeot before returning to Beaune for dinner.

Depart Beaune and drive to the little-known departement of Haute-Saône. This morning, explore Plâteau de Milles Étangs and the numerous ponds and lakes that give the area its name. After lunch, pause in Ronchamp to admire the stunning work of Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier, his Roman Catholic chapel Notre-Dame du Haut. From here we continue by road to Alsace and our elegant hotel in Rouffach.

Spend the day high up on the Route des Crêtes, which was built during World War I as a military road. Today the road provides superb access to some of the finest scenery in France and, if the weather is clear, we can enjoy views of the Alps and the nearby Vosges range. After our walk return to Alsace for the evening.

Begin the day at the Haut-Koenigsbourg castle, which stands in a magnificent setting high above vineyards. From here opt to follow trails through vineyards and hills covered in lush forest to the little town of Ribeauvillé. Alternatively, spend the morning in the charming Alsatian town of Colmar and visit its great Unterlinden Museum. After lunch both groups convene and continue to the picture-postcard village of Riquewihr, famous for its wines. Later stroll through vineyards to the delightful village of Kaysersberg, a fairy-tale-like town of distinctive Alsatian architecture.

This morning, we drive back into the hills high above the vineyards to walk a high ridge in the Vosges, looking out looking out across the Rhine to Germany's Black Forest, descending past scenic lakes on our return to Kaysersberg.

This morning, drive to the historic city of Strasbourg, situated on the banks of the Rhine and serving as the seat of numerous European institutions, including the European Parliament. Visit the city center and the magnificent Strasbourg Cathedral. This afternoon, check in to our hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure before gathering to toast our journey at tonight’s farewell reception and dinner.

Transfer to Frankfurt’s International airport for flights home or to the Strasbourg-Ville train station to connect with TGV high-speed trains.