SUMMARY ITINERARY

DATES Monday, 2^nd September to Wednesday 11^th September ( 10 days/9 nights)

  The tour starts and finishes with a Dover to Calais ferry crossing with an option to use the overnight Hull to Rotterdam crossing for those participants travelling from the north of England.

Our afternoon ferry from Dover arrives in Calais around 5.00 pm and it is then less than 25 miles to our chateau hotel in Tilques, near St. Omer.

The following day our tour starts with two nights in France's Epernay region, the centre of the Champagne area, two nights in the Beaune region, the wine centre of Burgundy, three nights in the beautiful Alsace region in eastern France and one night in Echternach, in Luxembourg a stone's throw from the German border. On the last day we drive to Calais or Rotterdam to catch the car ferry back to England.

 

 

DATES: 10-DAY TOUR SEPTEMBER 2nd-11th  2024  ( 10 days/ 9 nights  )

COSTS,

1. SHARING A CAR WITH DOUBLE/TWIN HOTEL ROOMS 

COST PER PERSON: £2,985/ €3,435 per person, based on two people per car, sharing a hotel bedroom

2. SHARING A CAR BUT SINGLE HOTEL ROOMS 

COST PER PERSON: € 4,275/ €4,915  per person, based on two people per car but with separate hotel bedrooms

The costs include the following:

 

• Accommodation in stylish hotels, ( 9 nights)
• 3-course dinners each night ( 9 nights)
• Continental breakfast daily
• Rally plates
• Comprehensive road books with daily itineraries and detailed route notes
• Michelin  map of France with highlighted route
• Copy of DK's Eyewitness travel guide "France"
• Services of a CCTI Tour Director throughout the tour
• DFDS daytime car-ferry crossing Dover to Calais return, with VIP lounge access. ( there is a £200 reduction/car if you do not need the DFDS ferry service )

NOT INCLUDED ARE THE FOLLOWING :

• Lunches, snacks, coffees, etc.
• Drinks with dinner including bottled water, coffee, wine, alcohol, etc.
• Entry to places of interest
• Autoroute tolls

 

 

TOUR ITINERARY

Day 1 Monday 2nd September

Afternoon ferry from Dover to Calais

Then drive from Calais to Tilques ( 25 miles )

Alternatively, for those participants using the Hull-Rotterdam ferry the distance to Tilques is 185 miles

Our tour starts with a 2.00 pm DFDS ferry crossing from Dover to Calais, see photos below:

  

You will have priority status so will be first to board and disembark and once on the ferry, you have access to the Premium lounge where there are complimentary beverages and snacks.

Arriving in Calais at 5.00 pm, French time, we then drive 25 miles south to our Chateau  Hotel in  Tilques near St Omer

Day 2 Tuesday 3rd September   

Tilques to L'Epine     ( 195 miles )                           

We leave Tilques, take the motorway and head southeast for 125 miles to Laon, our morning coffee stop.

Our lunch stop is a hotel a few miles south of Laon overlooking a lake.

After lunch, we visit the war memorial in nearby Cerny La Laonnais.

Our afternoon coffee stop is the Marfaux War cemetery.

In the afternoon we arrive in Epernay and drive along the Avenue de Champagne,  where we will return tomorrow morning.

Our hotel is in the village of L'Epine 3 miles from Chalons-En-Champagne

 

Day 3 Wednesday 4th September            L'Epine, Epernay local excursion ( 54 miles )

Today we explore the champagne region,

We start with a visit to Epernay where you can visit several of the champagne houses on the Avenue de Champagne.

In the afternoon we drive along the Champagne Route before returning to our hotel.

 

Day 4 Thursday 5th September                 L'Epine to Meursault, Beaune   ( 218 miles )

Leaving our hotel, we drive south for 80 miles to Chailley, our morning coffee stop.

Our lunch stop is the charming wine town of Chablis.

Our afternoon coffee stop is 40 miles away in Fontenay where we visit Fontenay Abbey.

Finally, we arrive in the wine village of Meursault, near Beaune, where our hotel for the next two nights is located.

Day 5  6th September

Today we explore the wine region around Beaune.

Our morning coffee stop is a  Chateau Museum just a few miles north of Beaune.

The museum has a unique collection of Abarth Racecars, Motorcycles and airplanes.

We then return to Beaune, our lunch stop where, after lunch, we explore this charming town.

Day 6 Saturday 7th September               Meursault to Kayserberg   ( 202  miles )

Leaving Meursault, we take the motorway east to Cernay where we drive into the mountains to our lunch stop. After lunch, we drive a scenic route to Kayserberg in France's Alsace region where our hotel for the next three nights is located. Our 5* hotel is a member of the Relais et Chateaux Hotel Group.

 

Day 7 Sunday 8th September                   Kayserberg, local excursion ( 30 miles )

In the morning there is an option to visit the Sclhumph Classic Car Museum in Mulhouse

For those not visiting Mulhouse, our morning coffee stop is Equisheim, one of France's most beautiful villages.

Our lunch stop is the charming town of Colmar

We then return to our hotel for dinner.

Day 8 Monday 9th September                  Kayserberg, local excursion ( 19 miles )

Today we visit several of France's most beautiful villages, including Hunawhir, Kayserberg, Eguishem, Riquewihr and Ribeauville.