🇫🇷 🏰 Loire Valley, Bordeaux & Burgundy, France — 10 Days
🇫🇷 🏰 Loire Valley, Bordeaux & Burgundy, France — 10 Days
Description
Loire Valley, Bordeaux & Burgundy
Châteaux · Joan of Arc · Grand Cru Wines · Hot Air Balloon · Burgundy Cellars · 10 Days
Châteaux Circuit → Bordeaux
Grand Cru Country → Saint-Émilion
Medieval Wine Village → Burgundy
Côte de Nuits → Dijon
Mustard & Markets
The Loire Valley — the Garden of France — contains the highest concentration of Renaissance châteaux on earth, built by French kings who transformed Italian Renaissance architecture into the distinctly French châteauesque style. The valley of the Loire River stretches 280km through the heart of France, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of white tuffeau stone castles, formal gardens, and royal hunting forests. Chambord alone has 440 rooms and 365 fireplaces — one for every day of the year.
Bordeaux and Burgundy represent the two poles of French wine civilisation — Bordeaux's Gironde produces the most financially valuable wine region on earth, while Burgundy's Côte d'Or produces the world's most expensive wines by the bottle. This 10-day expedition moves through all three worlds — the châteaux of the Loire, the Grand Cru estates of Bordeaux, and the ancient cellars of Burgundy. Daylite Digital places an Ambassador at your side throughout.
Joan of Arc, the Vintners & the Garden of France
The Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) between France and England was fought largely in the Loire Valley — Joan of Arc, the illiterate teenage peasant girl who claimed divine visions and led the French army to victory at Orléans in 1429, came from Lorraine but fought her decisive battles here. She was captured, tried for heresy, and burned at the stake in Rouen at age 19 — and canonised as a saint 500 years later. The Loire Valley's châteaux were built by the very kings she saved.
Bordeaux's wine culture stretches back to Roman occupation — the Gironde region produces the most financially valuable wine region on earth, with châteaux like Pétrus and Margaux fetching prices that rival fine art. Burgundy's wine tradition is even older — Cistercian monks in the 12th century mapped the Côte d'Or's individual vineyard plots (called crus) with a precision that modern viticulture still follows. A single bottle of Romanée-Conti can sell for over $20,000.
Your Daylite Digital Ambassador connects you to this layered world — the hidden château gardens, the family domaines that don't appear in wine guides, and the France that exists between the famous labels.
From Renaissance châteaux to Grand Cru cellars, from Joan of Arc's battlefields to hot air balloons over the Loire — this expedition covers the full depth of France's most storied interior.
- 10 days · 9 nights accommodation (tier selected)
- Silver: B&B / Guesthouse · breakfast at own cost
- Gold: 4-star Château Hotel · daily breakfast included
- Platinum: 5-star Château Hotel · all breakfasts · all transfers
- Digital itinerary · all tiers
- Silver: Loire Valley château self-drive map
- Silver: Bordeaux Saint-Émilion village walk · Burgundy wine village trail guide
- Gold: Guided Loire château circuit (Chambord, Chenonceau)
- Gold: Bordeaux wine tasting with sommelier · Burgundy Côte de Nuits vineyard tour
- Platinum: Private Bordeaux Grand Cru château dinner
- Platinum: Hot air balloon over Loire Valley · Burgundy private cellar tasting with winemaker · Dijon mustard & market tour · all transfers
Silver: breakfast at own cost · Gold: daily breakfast included · Platinum: all breakfasts + all transfers included
All experiences below are paid directly to local operators at point of service.
Optional services paid directly to Daylite Digital at time of booking.
Paris CDG or Tours Airport · Ambassador contact established · hotel check-in · evening Loire Valley orientation · overnight Loire Valley
Château de Chambord · 440 rooms · 365 fireplaces · double-helix staircase · royal hunting forest · guided (Gold/Platinum) · self-drive (Silver) · overnight Loire
Château de Chenonceau spanning the Cher river · Orléans · Joan of Arc House (Gold/Platinum) · Cathedral of the Holy Cross · overnight Loire or Bordeaux
Platinum: dawn balloon flight over Loire châteaux · Chambord from above · champagne landing · Silver/Gold: Amboise château & Clos Lucé (Da Vinci's home) · overnight Bordeaux
Bordeaux UNESCO city · Place de la Bourse · Miroir d'Eau · Cité du Vin wine museum · Quai des Chartrons · overnight Bordeaux
Médoc wine route · Château Margaux exterior · sommelier-led tasting (Gold/Platinum) · private Grand Cru château dinner (Platinum) · overnight Bordeaux
Saint-Émilion UNESCO village · monolithic church · underground catacombs · village wine walk · overnight Bordeaux or Burgundy
Gevrey-Chambertin · Nuits-Saint-Georges · Côte de Nuits vineyard tour (Gold/Platinum) · private cellar tasting with winemaker (Platinum) · overnight Burgundy
Dijon old town · Maille mustard shop · covered market · Ducal Palace · mustard & market tour (Platinum) · Beaune Hospices · overnight Burgundy
Breakfast (tier-dependent) · final Burgundy village walk · Ambassador departure coordination · Lyon or Paris airport · end of Loire-Bordeaux-Burgundy Expedition
Silver
9 nights B&B / Guesthouse · breakfast at own cost · 10 days
- 9 nights · B&B or guesthouse
- Breakfast at own cost at reception
- Digital itinerary included
- Loire Valley château self-drive map
- Bordeaux Saint-Émilion village walk
- Burgundy wine village trail guide
Gold
9 nights 4-star Château Hotel · daily breakfast · 10 days
- 9 nights · 4-star château hotel
- Daily breakfast included
- Guided Loire château circuit (Chambord, Chenonceau)
- Bordeaux wine tasting with sommelier
- Burgundy Côte de Nuits vineyard tour
- Joan of Arc heritage · Orléans
Platinum
9 nights 5-star Château Hotel · all breakfasts · all transfers · 10 days
- 9 nights · 5-star château hotel
- All breakfasts included
- Hot air balloon over Loire Valley
- Private Bordeaux Grand Cru château dinner
- Burgundy private cellar tasting with winemaker
- Dijon mustard & market tour
- All transfers included
Currency prices indicative · subject to live exchange rates · international flights excluded · all activities paid directly by traveler at point of service
Late Spring
Château gardens in bloom · 16–24°C · pre-harvest · ideal château & vineyard conditions
Autumn
Grape harvest · 14–22°C · golden vineyards · Beaune Hospices auction (November) · exceptional
Summer
Warm · 20–28°C · peak château season · long evenings · book well in advance
Spring
Mild · 10–18°C · bud break in vineyards · quiet châteaux · good value
Reserve Your France Expedition
From $1,650 per couple · 10 Days · Ambassador-Assisted · Accommodation Included
Reserve Your France ExpeditionTerms & Conditions
- Pricing per couple sharing · accommodation included as per tier selected
- Silver: breakfast at own cost · Gold: daily breakfast included · Platinum: all breakfasts + all transfers
- Daylite Digital provides accommodation booking only · Ambassador assistance is optional and subject to availability
- All activities, transfers (Silver/Gold), tours, entry fees, and meals outside tier inclusions are paid directly by traveler
- International flights to/from France not included
- Schengen visa may be required · arranged independently by traveler
- Minimum 30 days advance booking required · full payment required to confirm reservation
- Cancellation policy: 50% refund if cancelled 30+ days before departure
- Itinerary subject to minor adjustments based on site availability and local conditions