Romantic France

This romantic, indulgent private tour takes in cultural, culinary and geographic highlights of France while staying at the country's most acclaimed hotels. Arrive in Nice and transfer by private car to Eze, a hamlet clinging to the rocky coast of the French Riviera. Spend three nights at the luxurious Chateau de la Chevre d'Or, enjoying spectacular views of the Mediterranean from the hotel's stone terraces. Stroll around the medieval village center and relax in the lush Jardin Exotique. Browse at art galleries, boutiques and artisan shops. During a leisurely half-day excursion with a private driver, explore luxurious villas, sheltered bays and beaches along the Cote d'Azur.

Continue on to Menerbes and spend three nights at La Bastide de Marie, a luxurious farmhouse set among vineyards of the Luberon Valley. Take a full-day private excursion, exploring the surrounding countryside— some of the most picturesque in Provence—and stopping in rocky hill towns such as Bonnieux, Lacoste, Gordes and the ocher-colored Roussillon, farm villages such as Lourmarin and Menerbes, and L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, a town spread across several islands in a river.

Next, transfer by private car to the Beaujolais wine region, just outside Lyon. Spend two nights at the spectacular Chateau de Bagnols, a meticulously restored 13th century castle of golden stone, antique furniture, wall paintings and Gothic fireplaces. Explore the vineyards, ancient villages and chateaux of the hilly Beaujolais, stopping to sample local food and wine along the way. Also visit Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France and a center of the silk industry, to dine at some of the country's best restaurants and explore the Roman ruins, Romanesque churches and museums throughout the city.

Transfer by private car to Paris, touring the beautiful medieval towns of Dijon, famous for its mustard and other culinary offerings, and Beaune, the capital of Burgundy wine country, en route. Beaune is an excellent place to taste and buy the region’s superior wines, including Puligny-Montrachet and Pommard. In Paris, stay three nights at the sophisticated Park Hyatt Place Vendome, within walking distance of superb restaurants and upscale shopping streets. Enjoy private city touring and explore the city at your own pace. One evening, enjoy a gourmet dinner cruise on the Seine. First-time visitors to Paris may wish to visit major attractions such as Notre-Dame, St-Chapelle, the Eiffel Tower, the Luxembourg and Tuileries Gardens, and major museums such as the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay. Other possibilities include an epicurean tour of specialty chocolate shops, fromagerie, copperware stores and tea sellers; walking tours through the exclusive residential streets on Ile St-Louis, the old Jewish quarter in the Marais, the former art colony of Montmartre, the medieval streets of the Latin Quarter, or to Left Bank cafes made famous by poets and philosophers; and shopping for antiques in flea markets or haute couture in fashionable boutiques.