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discover burgundy & alsace route map

Begin your adventure in Auxerre, a historic Burgundian city on the Yonne River, where half-timbered houses stand alongside Saint-Étienne Cathedral and the Saint-Germain Abbey.

Around 6pm, say bonjour to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead.

Your tour leader then ensures a big French welcome by arranging a group dinner.

Want more time in Auxerre or Paris? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

Meals: Dinner

Embark on a guided tour of Auxerre this morning with a local guide, in which we take time to admire the half-timbered houses of the old city. We also see the 15th-century clock tower and Saint-Germain Abbey, a monastic complex founded by Queen Clotilde in the fifth century.

We then transfer (20 minutes) to Chablis to visit Maison Brocard, a biodynamic vineyard still run by the Brocard family. Here, we enjoy a wine tasting and picnic lunch.

Afterwards, transfer (40 minutes) to the medieval town of Vézelay with time to explore. The abbey here is said to hold the remains of Saint Mary Magdalene, making it a major pilgrimage site and a traditional departure point for those hiking the Camino de Santiago.

Meals: Breakfast,Lunch

Depart this morning for our transfer (1hr 30min) to Dijon. Here, we enjoy a guided tour of the UNESCO-listed historic centre, seeing the Palace of the Dukes and States of Burgundy, Notre-Dame Church, medieval streets, and historic townhouses.

After free time to lunch (your tour leader can provide recommendations), we drive (30 minutes) to Château du Clos de Vougeot, a castle founded in the 12th century by Cistercian monks and now known as one of the premier vineyards in Burgundy. Take a tour with a local expert and enjoy a tasting of three wines.

Meals: Breakfast

We drive (45 minutes) to the Hospices de Beaune this morning. Built as a hospital during the Middle Ages, this magnificent collection of gothic buildings is one of the most important historic monuments in France, while also being renowned for producing exceptional wines, which are sold at auction on the third Sunday in November. Join a local guide to witness the beauty of the buildings and learn all about their history and wine production.

After free time for lunch, transfer (20 minutes) to Maison aux Milles Truffes. Here, owner Thierry and his colleague Nicolas invite us to discover the fascinating world of truffles. After introducing us to their work and sharing truffle secrets, they take us into the grounds to demonstrate how truffle hunting is carried out with Taïga, their trained dog.

Meals: Breakfast

Bid adieu to Dijon this morning, as we take the train (1hr 45min) to Colmar, in the Alsace region. Mid-morning, we have a guided tour of this picturesque town of cobbled streets, colourful half-timbered houses, and Renaissance buildings.

It’s also a canal town, earning it the nickname Little Venice, and we take a private boat trip on the waters.

The afternoon is free for you to further explore. Options include exploring Colmar Covered Market by the Lauch River, visiting Unterlinden Museum, part of which is housed in a 13th-century convent, or exploring the Bartholdi Museum, where artist Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who designed the Statue of Liberty, was born.

Meals: Breakfast

Embark on a drive down the Route des Vins d’Alsace today, passing historic vineyards and medieval villages.

Leaving at 9am, our first stop is Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg, the largest castle in Alsace, which is gloriously perched high on a rocky plateau. After our tour, we drive to Kientzheim, a wine-growing village founded in the eighth century, where we meet winegrowers to learn about their work and take a 1hr 30min hike through the vineyards.

After lunch at Kientzheim, our return route takes us to the beautiful medieval villages of Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé. At the latter, we visit Maison Trimbach, a celebrated wine producer since 1626, which is now run by the 13th generation of the owning family.

This evening, we have a celebratory farewell dinner, an excellent chance to raise a toast to our adventure together.

Meals: Breakfast,Dinner

You’ve sampled world-leading wines with expert producers, toured grand châteaux, and explored some of the most beautiful towns in Europe, but now it’s time to begin your return journey home.

Alternatively, if you’d like to extend your adventure, speak to your sales representative to discuss our large range of extension options.

Meals: Breakfast

What’s included

All on-trip transport by private minibus and train as per the itinerary.
Arrival transfer from the designated train station and a group departure transfer to the train station.
Expert tour leader throughout, plus local expert guides for city and site tours.
6 breakfasts, 1 picnic lunch in a Chablis vineyard, and 2 group dinners (welcome dinner in Auxerre and farewell dinner in Colmar). Vegetarian options can be accommodated; vegan choices may be limited in this region.
6 nights in comfortable, locally owned hotels in central locations: 2 nights Auxerre (Hotel Les Maréchaux or similar), 2 nights Dijon (Hôtel des Ducs or similar), 2 nights Colmar (Hotel Saint Martin or similar).
Listed activities and entrances, including guided tours of Auxerre, Dijon, and the Hospices de Beaune; tour and tasting at Château du Clos de Vougeot; wine tasting and picnic at a Chablis vineyard; truffle-hunting demonstration at Maison aux Milles Truffes; private boat trip in Colmar; full-day Alsace Wine Route with castle visit, vineyard walk, and visits to medieval villages; and a visit to Maison Trimbach.

What’s not included

Private room (single supplement) is available on request for an additional cost.
International flights to/from the tour are not included.
Travel to the start point in Auxerre and from the end point in Colmar (e.g., rail or other transport to/from the meeting points) is not included.
Travel insurance must be arranged by the traveller.
Visas (if required) are the traveller’s responsibility.
Any recommended or required vaccinations are not included.
Meals and drinks not specified in the itinerary (including lunches and dinners not listed, and beverages other than those provided at tastings).
Extra hotel nights before or after the main itinerary can be arranged for an additional cost.
Optional activities during free time (e.g., museum visits in Colmar) are at your own expense.

Additional information

Join a guided tour of Dijon’s UNESCO-listed centre to see the Palace of the Dukes, elegant Place de la Libération, and the owled facade of Notre-Dame de Dijon. Thread medieval streets where guild houses and arcades speak to mercantile might.

Hear how the Valois dukes projected power across Europe and how today’s city balances heritage with café culture. Look up to slate roofs and patterned tiles that signal Burgundy’s identity while you pause for photos and reflection at storied corners.

Explore the Hospices de Beaune with a local expert, entering a courtyard ablaze with polychrome glazed tiles. Rooms and wards reveal the story of a medieval charitable hospital set amid Burgundy’s wine town.

Founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, the complex is a jewel of Flemish-Burgundian art and philanthropy. Hear how its vineyard holdings fund care to this day, culminating annually in the renowned wine auction held each November.

Explore Colmar with a guided walk through Petite Venise, the Koïfhus and lanes lined by pastel half-timbered houses. Bridges over the Lauch River frame flower-draped views and intimate courtyards at every turn.

Absorb Alsace’s borderland character—French and Germanic influences in gables, cuisine and language—and see the former Dominican church that anchors the Unterlinden Museum. Your guide weaves stories of merchants, tanners and vintners who shaped this prosperous town.

Meet your fellow travellers and meet your tour leader in historic Auxerre for a convivial orientation, followed by a hosted welcome dinner. Settle into Burgundian rhythms as you taste regional specialties paired with local wines in a characterful brasserie near the Yonne River.

Hear an insider’s preview of the days ahead and toast to new company with a crisp Chablis or silky Pinot Noir. This relaxed evening sets the tone for a journey steeped in Burgundian gastronomy and village charm beneath timbered facades and lantern-lit lanes.

Join a guided walking tour through Auxerre’s cobbled core to admire half-timbered houses, the 15th-century Clock Tower, and the riverfront quays along the Yonne. Trace narrow lanes to the Gothic Saint-Étienne Cathedral, whose sculpted portals crown the skyline.

Continue to Saint-Germain Abbey, where centuries of monastic life echo in Romanesque halls and ancient crypts. Your guide connects architecture and trade routes that shaped this Burgundian crossroads, revealing how merchants, monks and river pilots forged Auxerre’s prosperity from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.

Visit the Brocard family’s estate to sample regional wines and learn how biodynamic practices shape the purity of Chablis. Compare citrus-bright, mineral-driven expressions while your host explains Kimmeridgian limestone and the influence of cool northerly slopes.

Unfold a picnic amid the vines for a relaxed countryside lunch. The setting brings Burgundy’s idea of terroir into focus—sun on the rows, chalk underfoot, and the quiet of open country—making this tasting both instructive and deeply atmospheric.

Explore the hilltop village of Vézelay, pausing on stone terraces to take in sweeping views over the Morvan foothills. Wander lanes lined with honey-colored houses toward the Romanesque Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, a UNESCO site renowned for its sculpted tympanum.

Absorb the aura of a major pilgrimage site—a traditional starting point to the Camino de Santiago—and pause for photos and reflection in the broad forecourt. The village’s quiet rhythm and lofty setting impart a sense of time slowed by centuries.

Step inside Château du Clos de Vougeot, founded by Cistercian monks, to see monumental presses, a medieval cuverie and storied halls. Walk the edge of the walled clos where vines trace perfect rows across the Côte de Nuits.

Conclude with a tasting of three wines, discovering how exposition and soils translate into power and finesse. Learn about the Chevaliers du Tastevin brotherhood that champions Burgundian traditions within these venerable rooms.

Visit Maison aux Milles Truffes to learn how Burgundy’s elusive truffles are cultivated, identified and prized in local cuisine. Engage with Thierry and Nicolas as they demystify aromas, seasons and the terroirs that favor these underground treasures.

Head into the grounds to watch Taïga, the trained truffle dog, in action during a live demonstration. The experience blends rural tradition with gastronomy, revealing why chefs revere the region’s Burgundy truffle and how careful stewardship sustains the hunt.

Glide through Colmar’s canals on a private boat trip, drifting beneath flowered balconies and stone archways in the quarter known as Little Venice. The flat-bottomed craft offers a serene vantage close to the waterline.

Listen as your boatman shares vignettes of market gardeners and tanners who once plied the Lauch River. Reflections of painted facades ripple beside you, creating gentle, photogenic moments away from the bustle of the streets.

Visit Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg, a red-sandstone fortress commanding the Rhine plain. Cross the drawbridge to ramparts, towers and furnished chambers that evoke sieges, hunts and imperial pageantry.

Restored under Kaiser Wilhelm II in the early 1900s, the castle crowns a ridge with panoramic views toward the Vosges and the Black Forest. Its position reveals why Alsace has long been a strategic corridor between cultures.

Set out on a guided vineyard hike above Kientzheim, tracing paths between low stone walls and rows of Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. A local winegrower explains pruning, exposure and the rhythms of the year.

Feel the slope underfoot and the breeze off the Vosges as the notion of terroir becomes tangible. With church spires and tiled roofs below, the landscape tells the story of viticulture practiced here for centuries.

Stroll the picture-book lanes of Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé, admiring fortified gates, clock towers and brightly painted facades that line cobbled streets. Timbered gables and carved oriels showcase Alsatian craftsmanship.

With hillside vineyards rising to ruined castles above Ribeauvillé, these towns encapsulate the Alsace Wine Route’s charm. Take time to pause for photos and reflection in flower-framed squares or beneath vine-covered archways.

Visit Maison Trimbach, a family wine estate established in 1626 and now guided by the thirteenth generation. Hear how a steadfast house style emphasizes purity and longevity, hallmarks of Alsace’s noble varieties.

Learn about emblematic sites around Ribeauvillé and how meticulous selection shapes acclaimed Rieslings and Pinot Gris. The encounter connects centuries of know-how to today’s bottles, illuminating the culture behind Alsace’s most storied labels.

Gather for a celebratory farewell dinner in Colmar to savor Alsatian cuisine—perhaps tarte flambée, baeckeoffe or choucroute—paired with regional wines such as Riesling or Crémant d’Alsace. Laughter and clinking glasses mark the close of your journey.

Recount favorite moments amid half-timbered surroundings and candlelit tables. The evening’s warm hospitality and generous plates mirror the region itself, sending you onward with a final taste of Alsace’s convivial spirit.

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