Six days from £699 per person
Selected departures July to October 2012
Fully Escorted
You'll love this tour if you like:
- Abbey towns and hilltop villages
- Real French local character
- Rich red wine - Cahors wine is delicious
- Impressive cathedrals - Toulouse boasts two
- Dramatic, unspoilt countryside and villages
The Lot, Tarn and Haut-Garonne constitute a wonderful combination of dramatic scenery, historic architecture, gastronomic excellence and velvety rich red wines.
Based in the beautiful abbey town of Moissac, highlights of this superb tour to the undiscovered south west of France include Toulouse, Albi, Cordes, Montauban, St Cirq-Lapopie and the lovely wine town of Cahors.
DAY TO DAY ITINERARY
Day 1: Travel by Eurostar from St Pancras or Ebbsfleet to Paris and onwards to Agen by TGV. On arrival transfer by coach under tour manager’s direction to hotel in Moissac (about 40 minutes) for check in for 5-night stay on dinner, bed and breakfast basis
Day 2: Full day tour to Cordes and Albi
Day 3: Morning free for market day in Moissac and afternoon visit to Auvillar & the pretty village of Lauzerte
Day 4: Full day tour to Toulouse and Montauban
Day 5: Full day tour to Cahors and the Lot Valley including St. Cirq-Lapopie
Day 6: Transfer to Agen for TGV to Paris via Bordeaux and onwards by Eurostar to Ebbsfleet or St Pancras
NB: Exact order of itinerary of this tour may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion.
INCLUDED
- Return Eurostar/TGV from St Pancras/Ebbsfleet to Agen via Paris including transfer in Paris
- 5 nights' accommodation on dinner, bed and breakfast basis at Moulin de Moissac Hotel, based on shared occupancy of twin room
- Transfers and full coach touring itinerary as detailed
- Tour manager throughout
NOT INCLUDED
- Single room supplement
- Holiday insurance
- Standard Premier/1st Class upgrade on Eurostar/TGV. On the Eurostar this constitutes upgraded seating and light meal with complimentary drink with upgraded seating only on the French railway leg
- Meals other than those stated
- Items of a personal nature such as drinks, laundry, telephone calls.
- Porterage and gratuities.
PLEASE NOTE: As with most trains, passengers are responsible for carrying baggage onto and off the train. Baggage can be stored on overhead shelves or at the entrance to the carriages.Trollies are available at St Pancras and Lille, but bags do need to be carried on to the platform.
Travel Editions recommends a luggage delivery service called Carry My Luggage, where your suitcase can be picked up from your home before departure and delivered straight to your hotel; therefore removing the worry about carrying your cases onto and off the trains. Please click here for more information and a 20% discount exclusive to Travel Editions clients off the Carry My Luggage service.
PLEASE NOTE 2: Eurostar have changed their upgraded service from September 2010 from "Leisure Select" to a new service that they are branding as "Standard Premier." This service includes the upgraded seating on the train but now includes only a cold, light meal and a drink.
PLACES OF INTEREST VISITED ON THE TOUR
Moissac & Auvillar
Our base for this tour is the pretty abbey town of Moissac, nestling amongst vineyards of sweet Chasselas grapes. The main sight of the town is the abbey of St Pierre founded in the 7th century, but whose impressive church and cloisters date from the 11th century. Free time will also be allowed to visit the traditional weekly market. Nearby Auvillar is the perfect complement to Moissac, one of the loveliest hilltop villages in France with a triangular marketplace lined with half-timbered arcades at its heart and lovely views of the Garonne river.
Cordes & Albi
Occupying a glorious site overlooking the Cerou Valley, quaint Cordes was once a wealthy town. Testifiying to this are the superb Gothic houses dating from the 13th century which line the steep cobbled streets. Birthplace of Toulouse-Lautrec, the rose-red town of Albi is constructed almost entirely from the clay bricks dug from the river bed of the Tarn. The main sights of this gorgeous medieval town are the stunning 13th century Cathedral of St Cécile and Bishops’ Palace (now the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec).
Toulouse & Montauban
The most important town in southwest France, Toulouse is the 4th largest city in France and a major aerospace and university centre (Concorde and the Airbus were both developed here). Best seen on foot, the city offers a distinctive local cuisine, two striking cathedrals and a superb rose-red old town, which the French say is “pink at dawn, red at noon, mauve at dusk.” Montauban is a delightful town with 17th and 18th century arcaded main square, stark Cathedrale Note-Dame and Musée Ingres.
Cahors, the Lot Valley and St Cirq-Lapopie
Dating back 2,000 years, Cahors is famed for its rich wine which has been produced since Roman times, and its truffles. Encircled by the natural defences of the Lot river, sights here include the fortified Pont Valentré, Cathedral of St Etienne and the ornate 16th century Maison de Roaldès. Flanked by spectacular limestone cliffs, the Lot Valley features ancient, medieval villages and castles, narrow gorges and rushing waterfalls. Probably the prettiest village of all is St Cirq-Lapopie, perched high above the river, with a 15th century church and timber-framed houses built into the cliffs.
PRICES & AVAILABILITY
| Departure Date | Duration | Status | Per Person | Single Supplement | Board Basis |
| 05-Jul-2012 | 5 | Available | £699 | £150 | Dinner and Breakfast |
| 30-Aug-2012 | 5 | Available | £699 | £150 | Dinner and Breakfast |
| 04-Oct-2012 | 5 | Available | £699 | £150 | Dinner and Breakfast |
