Experience the famous Beaujolais Nouveau Festival; France's famous grape harvest festival. Beaujolais Nouveau Day is marked in France on the third Thursday in November with fireworks, music and festivals and is released at 12:01 am, just weeks after the wine’s grapes have been harvested. Parties are held throughout the country and further afield to celebrate the first wine of the season. This tour has been created with lovers of the “grape” outdoors in mind and there is simply no better way to experience this truly unique region than by travelling through the vineyards and along countryside roads, from village to village.
Day 1 TUESDAY We drive to Dover and take the short-sea ferry crossing over to France. We continue south, making an overnight stop in the Reims area. Dinner is included at the hotel this evening.
Day 2 WEDNESDAY Depart after breakfast and continue south to your hotel near Mâcon. After check-in, the rest of the day is at leisure with dinner included at the hotel this evening.
Day 3 THURSDAY Enjoy a full day excursion by coach accompanied by an English-speaking guide through the vineyards and famous places in the south of Burgundy. Highlights include the Rock of Solutré, an important prehistoric site. Many horse bones, flints and coins have been discovered at the foot of this limestone cliff. It was used as a hunting site for over 25,000 years. Visit Château de la Chaize, a family-owned wine-producing estate since 1676, with a guided tour of the exterior of the Château and gardens to admire Jules Hardouin-Mansart’s architecture, and the formal French and vegetable gardens designed by André Le Nôtre, finishing the tour in the historic winery with its 108-meter-long (354 feet) 18th century cellar. The visit ends with a tasting of three of their finest cuvées. Return to the hotel for included dinner this evening.
Day 4 FRIDAY After a leisurely start to the day, meet up with a local English-speaking guide for a tour of the town of Mâcon. The centre has a fantastic mix of diversified and imposing architecture with houses and private mansions dotted about the old town. Enjoy a guided visit of the Hameau Duboeuf, Beaujolais Wine Park. The Hameau Duboeuf has a unique collection of displays which present a wonderful journey through the trades of the vine and wine. Explore the legendary wine route: the Paris-Lyon-Mediterranean line and the ‘Jardin en Beaujolais,’ where you can learn about the fragrances of the flowers that make up the rich aromas of wine. Return to the hotel for included dinner this evening.
Day 5 SATURDAY Depart after breakfast for the homeward journey, stopping once again for an overnight stay. Dinner is included at the hotel this evening.
Day 6 SUNDAY Drive to the north French Coast for our sailing back to the UK and then we are homeward bound.
The Ibis Mâcon Sud is located in Crêches sur Saône, 7 km from the centre of Mâcon on a wine trail that takes in vineyards producing Mâconnais and Beaujolais wines. The hotel offers 80 warm and cosy rooms, with TV, Wi-Fi and hairdryer. There is a restaurant, bar with terrace, and a lift.
