France... "Wines Tour de France"
|
|
|
Join us for a fifteen day Tour de France through all the major wine regions: Provence, Rhône, Beaujolais, Bourgogne, Savoie, Jura, Alsace, Champagne, Loire, Cognac, Bordeaux, Cahors, Corbières, and Languedoc. Ride on serpentine roads past ancient vineyards, magnificent French castles, and beautiful scenery on one spectacular motorcycle tour!
|
|
|
|
Our tours are limited to 12 motorcycles, and the price includes a support vehicle, a BMW motorcycle (1200, 800, or 650) and accommodations ranging from 3 to 4 star hotels to castles. We'll visit 80% of French vineyards!
|
|
|
|
Tour Details
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Location:
|
Saint Raphaël, France (60km from Nice) (NCEUN1)
|
|
Terrain:
|
Paved roads
|
|
Duration:
|
15 days (incl. arrival and departure)
|
|
Riding days:
|
13 days
|
|
Route Length:
|
4,600 km (2,860 miles)
|
|
Motorcycles:
|
BMW F650GS, BMW F800GS, BMW R1200GS, bring your own
|
|
Group riding:
|
Required
|
|
Accommodations:
|
Included in tour price - 3 to 4 star hotels and castles
|
|
Highlights:
|
French castles and 80% of French vineyards, including the wine regions in Champagne, Bordeaux, Cognac, Provence, Alsace, and more!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tour Difficulty
|
This tour can be customized to suit any skill level
 All-weather motorcycling experience required
Ability to ride tight turns and switchbacks preferred
|
|
|
Tour Dates
|
Want different dates?
Contact us
with the dates
that interest you!
|
Scheduled tours:
|
|
|
June 6, 2010 to June 20, 2010
|
|
|
September 2, 2010 to September 16, 2010
|
|
|
September 30, 2010 to October 14, 2010
|
|
Tour Price
|
PER PERSON
|
|
Motorbike Rider
|
|
|
Renting a BMW F650GS
|
€7060
|
|
|
Renting a BMW F800GS
|
€7170
|
|
|
Renting a BMW R1200GS
|
€7270
|
|
|
Bringing your own bike
|
€6695
|
|
Passenger
|
|
|
Riding two-up or in support vehicle
|
€5170
|
|
Extras
|
|
|
Single room surcharge
|
€1120
|
|
Currency: EURO - CURRENCY ASSISTANT >
|
 Ready to ride? Book here
|
*20% deposit due upon booking. Final amount due 6 weeks prior to tour start.
|
Itinerary
 Day 0:
For those interested, a wine tasting lecture will be organized for the evening prior to the tour departure (not included in tour price, contact for booking).
Day 1:
The tour begins along the Mediterranean coast, through the Châteaux de Provence vineyards, and will offer a mix of coastal sceneries and charming Provencal villages like Saint Tropez, Bandol and Cassis, before riding inland towards that magical place called "Les Baux de Provence" with its delicious wine.
Day 2:
This will be the first day along the Rhône river around the many vineyards located on each side. We will focus on the southern part of the Rhône with a ride through the Côtes du Rhône Provence vineyards, followed by the Côtes du Rhône Villages and finally the Châteaux de Tricastin. We will be leaving the Rhône for the night and experience the "Clairette de Die" on the Vercors mountainside.
Day 3:
Today we leave the Vercors and ride back to the Rhône north of Valence with the Hermitage and Lyonnais vineyards. Next we will say farewell to the Rhône, travelling on to experience the lovely Savoie vineyards and their exquisite dry white wines. But this will only happen once the tour has visited the Chartreuse liquor cellar in Voiron.
Day 4:
Splendid winding roads take the tour through the mountains down to the Saône river valley and will prepare the group to face famous names like Juliénas, Chardonnay, Mercurey, or Meursault. This day is dedicated to the Beaujolais, Mâcconais, and Bourgogne (Côte Chalonnaise, Côte de Beaune) vineyards.
Day 5:
In the morning we will enjoy some more Bourgogne vineyards such as the Côte des Nuits, where famous wines like Nuits Saint Georges and Gevrey-Cambertin are produced. Then it's time to go east and enter Alsace! Before reaching Thann and the beginning of the Alsacian wine road, the tour will take lovely meandering roads along the Swiss border until we reach the start of the Vosges mountains and the road that climbs the famous Grand Ballon d'Alsace.
Day 6:
This day is dedicated entirely to the Alsace wine road. Along this 150km road, tiny ancient villages follow each other around the curves while the famous white storks of Alsace keep an eye on the vineyards and the many wine cellars where Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Muscat d'Alsace, Tokay Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Gewurztraminer are produced. The tour will overnight around Strasbourg at the northern end of the wine road. It is very close to Strasbourg, so there will be plenty of time to visit there and taste the local beers and food.
Day 7:
The tour is reaching its half-way point, and what better beverage than Champagne for such a special moment? But before arriving in the Champagne region of France, where the world-famous sparkling white wine is produced, the tour will first experience the undulating roads of the Vosges mountains and cross places full of history like Verdun, where some WWI battles reached their climax. Our reward will be to ride around in the champagne vineyards and visit their cellars.
|
Click here for more photos!
|
Day 8:
With our heads a bit lighter from all the Champagne bubbles, the ride will be easy towards the Loire valley, with its astonishing castles and spectacular wines. The Orlénais vineyards and the Chambord Caslte are but two examples of the wonders that we will experience during this stage of the tour.
Day 9:
This is a busy day - visiting the Nemrod vineyards around Cheverny and its castle and the Gamay de Touraine before pressing on towards Chenonceaux and its wonderful castle, Amboise, and the Touraine vineyards. This day will be made perfect with a bit more riding along the Loire to enjoy places like Azay-le-rideau and Chinon. The day will be capped off with a visit to Saumur, where the world-famous Cadre Noir equestrian school is based.
Day 10:
Following the Loire through the Coteaux de Saumur vineyards, the tour will reach the Vins du Nantais road near Nantes. Jumping from one curve to the next, we will travel to the port of La Rochelle, a perfect place to enjoy delicious wines and seafood, and take a good rest before the next day's ride.
Day 11:
On this day, the tour will ride through vineyards that produce a great, strong and oak-cask matured Eau de Vie called Cognac. The end of the day will be spent on the Atlantic coast.
Day 12:
After a quick ferry ride over the Gironde, we start a day dedicated to the Bordeaux wines. Starting wit hthe Châteaux du Médoc vineyards with names like Saint Estèphe, Lafite-Rotschild, Pauillac, Margaux, and many more. After a quick ride through Bordeaux, we'll come across the Pomerol vineyards with the world-famous Saint Emilion, followed by the Pecharmant, Côtes de Bergerac, and Montbazillac. Such a ride deserves a good rest at the gates of the Dordogne.
Day 13:
A great variety of vineyards awaits us on this day, leaving the Bergerac area for the Cahors and its delicious wines. After having enjoyed the Gaillac vineyards, many curves will help us keep the rhythm on the way down to the world heritage historical fortress known as the Cité de Carcassonne. Once in Carcassonne it will be a great idea to taste the Blanquette de Limoux sparkling wine produced just to the south.
Day 14:
This day will be spent riding across the most productive wine regions in France, starting with the Minervois and going through Béziers (the wine capital of France). We will continue on towards Frontignan and its wine, the Montpellier Muscat, followed by the Vins des Sables on the Mediterranean coast before going to Nîmes and its Costières de Nîmes.
Day 15:
This last day will take the tour back to the French Riveria through more vineyards like the Clairette de Belgarde, Châteaux d'Aix, and some more Côtes de Provence.
Note: We reserve the right to make changes.
Ready to ride? Book here
|
|
|
