Includes:

• Visits as indicated on the programme
  
• Pick up airport, train, station or hotel in Paris
• Chauffeur-guide services during the 3 days
• Diners, nights and breakfasts in a 2-star hotel on days 1 and 2(price based on 2 people sharing, single (supplement : 75 €)
• Lunches on day 1, 2 and 3
• Transport in air-conditioned minibus
• Drop off in Paris at the end of the trip

Itinerary

DAY1: Angers-Fontevraud

Depart from Paris

Visit of the old part of Le Mans.

In the early Middle Ages, trade was flourishing. In spite of struggles led by the ducs of Anjou and Normandy, the cathedral St Julien was built during the XIIth century. Many houses were also built to lodge an increasing population.

Lunch

Angers  
Visit of the Château and the Apocalypse tapestry
With its 50m high towers, the fortress built by St Louis between 1228 and 1238 shows the feeling of insecurity that reigned during the feudal age. The "Apocalypse tapestry" according to St Jean, was realized between 1373 and 1383. It reflects the fears and and hopes of that era…After terrible ordeals, the Glory of God finally triumphs over the Devil who persecutes the Christians…
Medieval houses of the old days, notably Adam's house, built in the16th century, with characters sculptured on wooden poles ; also the Barrault lodge, built at the end of the 15th century for the king's treasurer and secretary

Dinner and night at the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud,    
a 12th century abbey and the last Plantagenet residence. The kitchen is so vast, that you can imagine the monk's greedy appetite at that time…visit of the abbey.

DAY2: Chinon,Azay leRideau,Villandry

Chinon : visit of the medieval fortress, with its open air romantic ruins overlooking the river Vienne… Some famous names are anchored in this area : Richard the Lion-Heart, John Lackland, Louis XII "the people's father", Cesar Borgia, called the "Prince of Machiavel", Richelieu. During the Hundred Years War, the dauphin Charles, future Charles VII, found shelter and security there. On March 9th 1429, Joan of Arc arriving from Lorraine informed him of her mission to save France… Charles VII had his love affair there with his mistress, the beautiful Agnes Sorel.            

Visit of a wine cellar.

Lunch in the centre of the town.
Had he still been alive, the well-known son of the soil, Rabelais…bon viveur, monk, priest, doctor and writer, would certainly have joined us

Azay Le Rideau
Azay Le Rideau (16th century), has a pure Renaissance style château, sitting on top of the river Indre like a diamond… This château marks the beginning of the Renaissance and stresses a new trend : the triumph of arts…

Villandry

Once upon a time there was a fortress that became a "castle to live in" at the end of the Renaissance…The inside of the castle is filled with furniture, paintings and tapestries… Furniture and paintings of the Spanish school (16th, 17th and 18th centuries) are owed to Joachim Carvallo… And isn't it nice also to be outside !

The gardens of Villandry offer a perfect example of the spirit and architectural layout of that era. The garden has several aspects : water, flowers, vegetables, fruit trees…

Dinner / Night at Amboise. Restaurant L'Epicerie : a colourful and warm atmosphere with traditional cuisine. Hotel Le Blason in the old city centre (or equivalent) : smart country hotel deep in the royal château country. Superb building from the 15th and 18th centuries, le Blason combines charm and comfort.

DAY3: Clos Lucé,Chenonceau,Blois

Amboise,View of the château from outside…
In 1492, upon his return from Italy, Charles VIII who spent his youth in the old castle, has the building renovated and enlarged to turn it into a luxury residence.Italian influence prevails under Francois I. The young king likes entertainment; big parties are organized. Very fond of arts, he invites Leonardo da Vinci and settles him in the Clos Lucé.

Le Clos Lucé. Discover Leonardo's residence and his fabulous inventions…

Chenonceau or the "Ladies' château"…
Built on the Cher, its seems almost unreal, a castle so beautiful and filled with the souvenir of women who marked its history… Catherine Briçonnet was the "builder" starting in 1512, Diane de Poitiers was the prettiest, Catherine de Medicis "the extravagant" and Louise de Lorraine "the disconsolate"…
Many fêtes were organized, the most magnificent was under Charles X…
The philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau stresses that " Chenonceau was great fun" and that he became as "fat as a monk" !                                                                                   

Lunch at Montrichard                                           

Blois.The town was devastated several times by the Normans…
But the castle will remain in our memories with its vast octagonal stairwell in the aisle of François I. It is undeniably the mark of another period : the Italian Renaissance…

Return to Paris.