Your Go Get Lost adventure starts mid-morning today at our meeting point, the lobby of our centrally located hotel in Bordeaux. (You'll be provided with detailed arrival and departure instructions to help you coordinate your flights and travel. Ask about arriving a day or two in advance and enjoying the sites of Paris or Bordeaux) You'll meet your private guide, your traveling companions, and start with a walk to an ancient merchant's storehouse close to the river in the Chartrons district. Here we'll have a lovely introduction to the history of the wine trade in Bordeaux. Later we'll sit down to a wonderful lunch in a local brasserie. Later after lunch we'll walk along the river to the new "Cité du vin" museum ...called by some the "Guggenheim Museum of wine" being such a spectacular high tech and interactive presentation of everything about wine.
Tonight, we'll roll up our sleeves for a private cooking class to learn from some true experts in French cuisine, at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Of course, afterwards we'll relax and enjoy the fruits of our labors and have a very special group arrival dinner! A perfect way to end your first day in Bordeaux!

After our delicious French breakfast, we'll relax for a short, scenic drive into the countryside. Amidst the enchanting landscape we'll have a short walk through the vineyards to Chateau Carbonnieux, one of the most highly regarded estates in the Graves area, renowned for their excellent white wines. After a visit and wine tasting we'll continue on to the Atlantic coast at Pilat for our picnic with local specialities - on top of the Dune of Pilat, also called Grande Dune du Pilat...the tallest sand dune in Europe! The views from our lunch spot are wonderful, to say the least. The area around the Bassin of Arcachon is one of the great places in France for oyster production and we shall try some later before driving back to Bordeaux.

Tonight, you're free to wander, explore and get lost in the streets of Bordeaux. With its ample supply of shops, bars and restaurants, you'll have no trouble finding the perfect spot for dinner!

Today we'll make our way to Saint Emilion, the mythical and quaint medieval village and center of some of the finest wines produced in the "Entre-deux-Mers" region. After visiting the village we'll enjoy a wine tasting and an exquisite lunch in Chateau Simard. After lunch we can relax and enjoy the charming scenery as our private coach takes us through the Perigord region and along some of the prettiest villages on the Dordogne. This pastoral landscape might seem peaceful today, bit there are ample remnants of the medieval times when war was raging between the English and the French. The Périgord is said by locals to have “1001 fortified castles”, which still dot the countryside and contribute to the history and ambiance of the area.

We'll stop in Sarlat-la-Caneda for a stroll through the historical center before we continue on to the stunning village of Rocamadour, a medieval pilgrim's site spectacularly built into the rock of a mountain! Time allowing we'll visit the village just before dinner - when the day visitors have long gone, and the place recovers it's magic. We'll relax and enjoy our dinner here before moving on to our 3-Star Hotel du Chateau, located in the nearby countryside.

After another exquisite French breakfast we'll visit the cave of Peche Merle, famous for its prehistoric cave paintings and one of only a few such sites open to visitors. Extending for more than a kilometer from the entrance are caverns whose walls are painted with murals dating back to 25,000 B.C.! Since our morning will be spent partially underground, it's only fitting that our lunch be spent in the sunshine...our private coach will whisk us to a scenic spot where we can enjoy a picnic and a wine tasting of some other French varieties. To make up for our indulgence we'll have an easy walk through the rolling, green hills along the river Lot to the tiny village of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie - perched on a cliff three hundred feet above the river, the town is considered to be one of the prettiest medieval villages in France. After a stroll around here we drive to medieval Cahors, known for its deep red wine, elaborate municipal gardens and the Pont Valentré, a medieval bridge with 3 towers, considered the best preserved fortified, medieval bridge in France.
Cahors old town features half-timbered houses and narrow alleyways, the perfect setting to experience a wine tasting of the local wines, which are dominated by the Malbec grape, and increasingly appreciated in all of Europe.

Later this afternoon we'll arrive at our home for the night...and what a treat it is! A medieval fortified chateau renovated to luxury standards, featuring a Michelin starred restaurant and a renowned chef! We'll indulge ourselves here with an exceptional meal, featuring wine pairings for each course, selected by the chef. An after-dinner apéritif on the patio under the stars might be an excellent way to end your day.

After breakfast, this morning we drive to Carcassonne, stopping en route at the lovely medieval village of Cordes-sur-Ciel for some exploration. Surrounded by mountains and vineyards, the scent of pine shrubs, spicy herbs, and sweet flowers is carried on the cool winds. Known as the garrigue, it is the signature scent of the south of France. In the early afternoon we reach Carcassonne. The medieval walled city sits in the picturesque valley of the Aude River—the gap between the Pyrenees and the Massif Central. With its extensive ramparts and myriad turrets, the citadel of Carcassonne dominates the surrounding countryside. It's a UNESCO- listed World Heritage Site and embodiment of a fairy-tale castle. After checking into the hotel, we enjoy a stroll through the fortified city. We then explore the center of town and get a glimpse of the Canal du Midi, one of the greatest French construction works of the 17th century, the 241 km canal connects the Garonne River with the Mediterranean Sea. In a local wine store, we will meet up with the owner Alex who will introduce us to some very interesting local wines from this lesser-known region.

You'll have the evening free tonight to explore the amazing Cité.

This morning, we drive to the hilly region southwest of Narbonne to visit the magnificent Cistercian Abbey de Fontfroide. They have been producing wine as well there for centuries and we will join a wine tasting and enjoy a wonderful lunch. We then continue to our journey's end, the historic village and old fishing port of Collioure on a stretch of the Mediterranean Sea known as the Vermilion Coast. The small town has a strong Catalan culture and is famous for its anchovies and history as an artist's colony - Derain, Picasso and Matisse all painted here. For many this is the prettiest place to be found on the French coast west of Marseille. The afternoon leaves some free time for strolling around at your own pace or even for a swim in the usually crystal-clear water of the sea.

This morning, we mix with the natives and use the local bus to take us out to a particularly scenic part of the coast, where we'll come upon the fascinating remains of one of the largest dynamite factories in France, owned by Alfred Nobel. The area is converted into a museum now and overlooks a lovely stretch of beach, inviting for a swim (depending on season of course). Here we'll enjoy a relaxing coastal walk along the lovely, rugged Mediterranean coast until reaching Banyuls, another nice old fishing village famous for its very particular sweeter dessert wines produced only in the hills around the town. You're free for lunch, after which we take the bus back to Collioure and enjoy a wine tasting in a local bodega, featuring some of the very interesting local wines including the Banyuls dessert wines.

Tonight, we'll have an amazing farewell dinner in a superbly located restaurant, overlooking the sea. with lots of toasts. laughing, eating, and of course, wine.

After breakfast today you'll have an early morning group transfer to the Barcelona airport, where your Go Get Lost tour will end. From here you can opt to stay in Barcelona for an extension, catch a flight to anywhere else (Paris maybe?) or board your flight to return home.