The Gonzales Family Tour
„The Loire & The Perigord“

You will be arriving in Bruxelles from the US at the Airport Bruxelles.

Enjoy your time in Bruxelles

After breakfast your tour director Volker and your driver Raphaela will pick you up and start your escorted tour. We visit Tongeren, the oldest town of Belgium and see what is left from the roman wall that dates back to the 2nd century. We also stop at the statue of Ambiorix and visit the Basilika dating back to the 13th century.

On we go to the little town of St. Gertruiden where we visit the medieval Beguinage St. Agnes (a home for retired nuns) and the historic town hall with its belfry (bell tower). Here you will have a typical Belgian lunch.

From there we drive to Antwerpen. The city of Antwerpen is worthwile visiting because of the traces of the many nations that have occupied it over the centuries – from Romans to Austrians, French and Dutch. You do the first half of an orientation tour, make a stop and go on to tonight’s destination.

We can show you some interesting restaurants for dinner and as we are in the „Home Country of Beer“. How about a beer tasting?

After a relaxed breakfast we will start the second part of your historical tour through Antwerpen. It will end on the „Grote Markt“ where your next adventure is waiting for you: Antwerp à la carte” tour.

Every city has its own traditional delicacies. So does Antwerp: the handjes, a bolleke, and filet d’Anvers. But Antwerp has many more culinary indulgences in store for you. Your guide will take you to the most beautiful and tastiest spots in the city. It’s lip-smacking good.

Each city has its own snacks and drinks, which are unique and which you won’t find anywhere else. In Antwerp, some of the things that immediately come to mind are the Antwerp hands or handjes, the bolleke beer or filet d’Anvers (smoked meat). But there’s much more to enjoy! Your guide will take you on a tour through Antwerp’s historic city centre. En route you will get a taste of the city, its delicacies and all your senses will be stimulated.

After a typical lunch we head for Bruges – another historic Flemish town. After a city walk we’ll have a coffee in the shade of the gothic cathedral. We’ll take a walk through the cobblestone streets of this beautifully restored medieval jewel. Here you feel like being set back into the times of the Hanseatic League, which your tour director will tell you about.

Overnight in Bruges. We will recommend some Belgian typical restaurants.

In the morning you explore Bruges by boat. Along with a few other canal-based northern cities, such as Amsterdam, Bruges is sometimes referred to as „The Venice of the North“. A capital of the famous „Hanseatic League“ in the 12th century, Bruges today is completely intact as a medieval town because no damages happened during WW II.

In late afternoon we arrive in Paris. You go on the first part of a tour of Paris with a private local guide, partly walking, partly in your private Mercedes and see the highlights in the centre. Get a first impression of this bustling metropolis. See world famous buildings like the Eiffel-Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral and Arc de Triomphe. Also you will explore the Quartier St. Germain des Pres (duration 4 hours). After this tour you will have a very good overview of Paris.

We stay 3 nights at the Hotel in Paris.

After breakfast you will start the second part of your tour of Paris. You’ll embark on an entirely glass-encased restaurant for a truly enjoyable meal. The boat will cast off at 12:30 pm. The view on Paris is breathtaking and the cuisine is excellent.

After lunch you will go on an a unique private tour of Paris, that motors you around the fashion capital by Citroen 2CV (arguably France’s most iconic car). Drive along avenues featuring high-end brands and finish at Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, a shop-till-you-drop destination. Highlights 1.5 hour private Paris fashion tour by Citroen 2CV Drive past Avenue Montaigne, Rue des Francs-Bourgeois and more.

Learn about Parisian fashion from a personal driver-guide. Your driver regales you with the history of Parisian fashion and anecdotes about the fashion world while you admire the sights and take photos.

Your tour ends at the Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann department store, where you can continue shopping and exploring on your own. Sights you’ll see during your drive include: the jewelry heart of Paris, Rue de la Paix, Place Vendôme, the golden triangle of Paris, Avenue Montaigne, Avenue George V, Avenue des Champs-Elysées, Saint-Honoré (the place to be), Saint-Paul (gourmet shopping), Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, Place des Vosges, Palais Royal (arty shopping), Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Place des Victoires.

We will give you some recommendations for dinner for example:
A very unusual place called Restaurant IL Vino

In the morning you do a tour with a local guide especially to the famous Sacre Coeur Cathedral and the probably most famous quarter of Paris „Montmartre“.

It is a suburb up a hill with a breathtaking view over Paris. The Montmartre quarter is what we all know from numerous movies playing in Paris, where you find the street painters, bookstores, etc. Lunch at the famous Montmartre area, we will show you some special places. This Sightseeing Tour ends in front of the Hotel. Rest of the day at leisure and explore Paris on your own.

We will give you recommendations for dinner for example:
Restaurant LES OMBRES LE RESTAURANT DU MUSÉE DU QUAI BRANLY situated on the roof of a museum next to the Eifel Tower, which is illuminated in the night. The walls and the roof of the restaurant are all made of glass, so that you have a fantastic view over Paris and the Eifel Tower is „kind of sitting on your table“. This place takes reservations now for the year 2017, is very frequented but we will get a table for you if you want.

After breakfast are you ready for another experience? Stroll through the famous Louvre and meet Mona Lisa – we will arrange the tickets in advance, so you can skip the longest line in France. We will pick you up for lunch and then we proceed to Orleans, where we will be walking in the footsteps of Joan of Arc. During the 100 year war between France and England in the 15th century she led French troops against English troops that had invaded France. She is a very well known national heroine of France.

We do an orientation tour, make a stop and go on to tonight’s destination – the little town of Onzain, situated by the River Loire – most famous area of France when it comes to wine, castles & food. Here you will spend two nights at a Castle Hotel.

Tonight you will dine at their very well known restaurant.

This morning a local expert comes to pick us up for a day tour of two of the most beautiful castles by the River Loire. We will visit Castle Chambord, situated in a national game reserve as big as the city of Paris. With more than 400 rooms Chambord is a unique monument by its architecture and proportions. Leonardo da Vinci took part in the conception of the whole project.

For lunch we stop at a nearby winery where our friend Daniel, a well-known oenologist will welcome us in his caves, former tuff stone quarries, for a tour of his cellars. Later you will have a tasting of the best matured Loire Valley Wines accompanied by a selection of delicatessen and local cheeses, selected by Rodolphe Le Meunier, the 2007 „cheese refiners world champion“.

In the afternoon you will visit Chateau Amboise, Europe’s most perfect example of the transition from Gothic to Renaissance and here you also see the grave of Leonardo da Vinci, who lived and worked here the last years of his life. Tonight we can bring you to a romantic town called Blois, here you will have an outstanding dinner at the Restaurant Orangerie.

L’Orangerie du Chateau is home to an incredibly passionate chef, Jean-Marc Molveaux, who honours quality and precision in his menu. His passion and talent to create authentic cuisine can be attributed to his lifelong experience in the world of gastronomy, his attention to detail, and his commitment to the land and to showcasing the character of the products of the Loire Valley. Upon arrival you will be greeted by a warm and high-skilled and professionally trained staff lead by Jean-Marc Molveaux’s wife, Karine.

A taxi service will bring you back to the hotel after a meal you will never forget. Overnight at the Loire Area.

Our destination today on our journey to the Perigord is the little town of Brantome. Nicknamed „Venice of Perigord“ it is the perfect place to wander around with its charming river banks, its Benedictine abbey and its garden – great for relaxation.

Stroll through the narrow medieval streets of Brantome and before we take you to tonights’s destination – a castle built in the 15th century and founded by Duke Arnaud de Laudibus during the 100 year war and was transferred into a hotel in 1989.

When you have dinner here on the terrace of the castle and listen to the wind in the trees and admire the building and the antique furniture you feel like set back into the middle ages.

On the way we will visit the caves Grotte de Rouffignac. Located in the middle of the Black Périgord, a few kilometres from the prestigious Vallée Vézère, Rouffignac is a huge cave. Successively occupied by cave bears and prehistoric artists, it still beholds the spectacular testimonies of those passages. More than 250 animal figures are scattered in this underground maze, where they were left 140 centuries ago. Set aboard an electric train, you will dive into the mysterious cave world and discover the art of the prehistoric human beings.

After a long relaxing breakfast we head for Sarlat la Caneda. For lunch we introduce you to Eric Allegret owners of La ferme La Truffière les Hyacinthes. In Sarlat de Caneda, at the heart of the Périgord noir between the Vézère and Dordogne rivers, Eic Allegret offer to share with you his passion for truffles at La Truffière le hyacinths. After visiting the truffle farm, we welcome you to a tasting of Truffle Products during a little „degustation“.

In time for dinner we will arrive in the little enchanted town of Sarlat la Caneda, which will be our home during our stay in Perigord. Called „Town of Art and History“ it is the capital of the area called „Perigord Noir“ (Black Perigord). This architectural jewel built in the luminous golden stone of the surrounding countryside has stood the test of time after a long and troubled thousand year history.

We stay 4 nights at a Hotel in Sarlat.

After breakfast you will stroll the gardens of Jardins du Manoir d‘Eyrignac bei Salignac – a highlight for nature lovers and photographers. And then you will conquer the fortress Chateau Beynac offering a fantastic view from a cliff across the river running through a gorge. Later we walk or drive down to the pitoresque little village of Beynac (population: 50)!

A 10 minute drive along the River Vezere takes us to the romantic village of Roque Gageac. Here you will have lunch in a typical traditional restaurant – La Belle Etoile (the Beautiful Star). After a light lunch on the terrace under the trees your next adventure is waiting for you. A boat trip in a traditional wooden boat gives you an unforgettable experience – view the castles of: Château de la Malartie and Château de Marqueyssac.

In the 19th century this type of flat-bottomed boat used to carry goods down the river. In late afternoon we will be back in Sarlat and would like to take you to a picnic with some Cremant, light white wine and few hors d’oeuvres in the jungle-like garden of our friend Jean-Marc with his dog Jeannie. Just sit under a 100 year old tree, relax and enjoy your snacks. Time at leisure.

Overnight in Sarlat.

Todays highlight: Biketour trough the Perigord. Bicycle Trip Simple route accessible to the entire family. Take a path or a small road and enjoy the peace of nature. Admire the dry-stone huts and tobacco barns. Discover the area with a local guide by bike (Duration 3 hours).

After this adventure for lunch we have a very special location for you. Visit of Chateau Belingard. The Visit includes a light lunch and a wine tasting. After our lunchstop, we will show you the Castle of Monbazillac, property of the Monbazillac Family. The building is a unique and original architectural blend of medieval defensive fortifications and Renaissance exuberance. Set in the heart of the prestigious vineyard of the same name, the Château de Monbazillac’s garden terraces afford stunning views across the Dordogne valley. It is one of the very few chateaux that are fully furnished with antique furniture.

May the tour director and driver have 30 minutes for a private side trip and go to their favourite wine store near Monbazillac? Want to come along?

Day at leisure because today is farmer’s market half a day long in Sarlat la Caneda. Sarlat, town of Art and History is the capital of the Perigord Noir. This architectural jewel built in the luminous golden stone of the surrounding countryside has stood the test of time. After a long and troubled thousand year history. One of the highlights is the market; visit this lively event and enjoy an afternoon at leisure to take a walk or just relax in the shade of one of the old olive trees. One of you might like to visit a special event – in July & August the town of Sarlat hosts the National Photographic Exhibition.

After breakfast we take you back to Paris. Lunch stop en route. Last night at the Charles de Gaulle Airport Hotel.

Today you will depart Paris and fly home.

End of the Tour.