SMALL GROUPS 
Code: LE04FRFrom: 1990.- EUR
DAY 1:
LONDON - CARCASSONNE
We pick you up at your selected hotel in London and drive you to the airport from where we take the morning flight to the city of Carcassonne. You meet your DG at the airport, board your maxi-van and start the expedition. The first stop is the beautiful walled town of Carcassonne itself. Dinner and overnight in Carcassonne.
DAY 2:
CARCASSONNE
Breakfast. Strolling around La Cite which is the largest fortress in Europe and protected by UNESCO. The ramparts, the towers, the castle and the basilica with its beautiful stained-glass windows make a picture-pretty medieval stronghold. We also check out the lower commercial city by the canal. Overnight in Carcassonne.
DAY 3:
TOULOUSE
Breakfast. Even though Toulouse may be known as the air/space center of Europe connected with names like Concorde, Ariana and Airbus, it is also a very nice historic town and the old capital of Languedoc - which has many interesting red brick buildings and one outstanding Romanesque cathedral. But if you prefer Space you should visit Cite del'Espace. Overnight in Toulouse.
DAY 4:
ALBI - CAHORS
Breakfast. Albi - with a red-brick colossus Cathedral of St. Cecile, built in the 13C to reestablish the might of the Catholic church after the Crusade, is also a birthplace of Toulouse Lautrec. We visit his museum. Cahors: the old center is surrounded by river Lot and boasts a magnificient Medieval bridge - Pont Valentre. Overnight in Cahors area.
DAY 5:
LOT - CONQUES
Breakfast. Our expedition takes us in the heart of the Central Masif and the canyons of the rivers Lot, Dordogne and Vezere. First, the Lot valley drive between the cliffs, fortresses and feudal villages ends in Conques, a little village occupying a stunningly beautiful site. Its abbey is worth seeing solely for its magnificent tympanum and treasury. Overnight in the Lot area.
DAY 6:
ROCAMADOUR - DORDOGNE
Breakfast. The spectacular sight of a pilgrimage town Rocamadour, a part of which is built half way up the cliff is our first stop of the day. The next one is the "hole in the ground", Gouffre de Padirac, which was supposedly made by the devil himself. In the Dordogne river valley we shall see the riverside towns and castles like the impressive Castelnau castle and picturesque Beaulieu village. Overnight in Dordogne area.
DAY 7:
DORDOGNE - SARLAT
Breakfast. More of Dordogne today - maybe even some kayaking. On the way we see the rivaling castles Castelnaud and Beynac, and Les Milandes which is connected with the legendary Josephine Baker and her "rainbow tribe". Sarlat is one of the best preserved cities anywhere, looking beautiful in the mellow, pale ochre- colored stone it is built from. Overnight in Sarlat area.
DAY 8:
LASCAUX - VEZERE
Breakfast. Visit of the world-famous Lascaux caves. It is true that the original is closed to the general public, but an exact replica has been made in the ground to make the experience as similar as possible to the original. The valley of the river Vezere has many other (less well-known but still open to the public) painted caves like the cave of Font-de-Gaume, which may also be visited. Overnight in Sarlat area.
DAY 9:
BRANTOME - COGNAC - ROYAN
Breakfast. Brantome is where Charlemagne formed the abbey in 769 AD in front of the troglodyte caves in the cliff-side which have been inhabited from man's earliest days. Cognac; the famous name says it all. We visit the cellars where the famous French brandy is made. Overnight in Royan.
DAY 10:
MEDOC - BORDEAUX
Breakfast. We stroll along the beachfront of Royan, which was heavily bombed by the allies after WWII., before taking a ferry across the mighty Gironde. We then drive the backroads of Medoc, a very well known wineproducing area where we taste the local wine. An evening stroll and overnight in Bordeaux.
DAY 11:
BORDEAUX
Breakfast. Paris of the west - Bordeaux was practically rebuilt in the 18C when it was the biggest and most important port in France. The grand boulevards and triumphal arches, the merchant mansions and palaces are all to be seen in the area known as the Golden Triangle. Overnight in Bordeaux.
DAY 12:
DES LANDES
Breakfast. At the Bay of Arcachon we visit the oyster farm, where we sample the freshest oysters with a glass of white wine, take a 2-hour relaxing boat trip and walk the grand dune of Pilatus, which is the biggest sand formation in Europe. Overnight in Bordeaux.
DAY 13:
BORDEAUX - LONDON
Breakfast. to the airport from where we fly to London. End of our expedition.
