Winter Escape in Chinon

Program

Guests will be shown to their room and have a free afternoon to relax or visit Chinon on their own.
Welcome, introductions around a glass of wine and an apératif dînatoire.

Guided tour of the magnificent Château de Chenonceau, known as le Château des Dames, a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture defined by an almost uninterrupted succession of women who built, embellished, protected, restored and saved it. Beautifully decorated for the holidays, Chenonceau is particularly famous for its stunning floral decorations created by their own floral workshop and florist, Jean-François Boucher, Meilleur Ouvrier de France.
There will be time to wander around the elegant park before lunch.
Lunch at L'Orangerie restaurant.
Return to Chinon for a free afternoon; Jamie and our local guide will accompany those who wish to wander through old Chinon to do a bit of shopping and experience the town’s incredible medieval and Renaissance architecture.
Dinner at Restaurant Les Tannins.

Visit to L’Académie de la Truffe: explore the art of truffle foraging and cultivation in a morning excursion through local truffle fields in Ligré.
And from truffle farm to table… experience a sublime 3-course “all truffle" lunch prepared by chef Martin Bolaers in the domaine’s restaurant Les Jardiniers, awarded a Michelin Green Star in 2023.
Visit to Fontevraud Royal Abbey and museum; visit this medieval abbey and the recumbent figures of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II, Richard the Lionhearted, and Isabelle d’Angoulême; wander through the different rooms of the Abbey and its cloisters, the chapter house, dormitories, and refectory, one room dedicated to its time as a prison, another to the abbesses who oversaw the Abbey from 1115 to 1792. And visit Fontevraud’s Modern Art Museum.
Return to Chinon.
Light dinner at the hotel with local breads, cheeses, wines.

Visit to 2 châteaux, both a part of Noël au Pays des Châteaux, both decorated for Christmas: Villandry château and park, and Azay-le-Rideau château and sumptuous Renaissance gardens.
Lunch in Azay-le-Rideau (restaurant Ripaille).
Free afternoon.
Dinner at restaurant Les Années 30.

Visit to Château du Petit Thouars: the Count du Petit Thouars will take us on a tour through the vineyards and cellars, tell us the fascinating history of this illustrious family and the family domain.
This will be followed by a wine tasting and a convivial lunch in the old stables around a roaring stone fireplace where we will enjoy a hearty traditional meal followed by the local specialty, la tarte vigneronne. Accompanied by the domain’s own wines, of course.
Return to the hotel or guided tour of Chinon’s Royal Fortress; originally built in the 12th century, the Royal Fortress was the home to kings and queens, both French and English, and, most famously the place where Joan of Arc came to find Charles VII to convince him to fight for the reunification of France.
Free evening in Chinon.

Or extend your stay for as long as you like at the event’s discounted B&B rate.