This New Luxurious Prepare Journey Round France Is a Wine Lover’s Dream—Here is What to Know

Le Grand Tour isn’t only a 6-day, 5-night prepare journey round France—it’s a shifting murals. With solely 36 friends aboard 18-cabins, this luxuriously restored Belle Époque-style prepare travels from Paris by the famed areas of Champagne, Bordeaux, and the Loire Valley in a jagged round path. That is boutique journey at its most poetic, a seamless mix of cultural immersion, positive eating, and gradual luxurious. Whether or not you’re new to France or trying to find a contemporary perspective, this curated expertise presents a brand new option to sip champagne, each actually and figuratively. Beneath, what to see, do, and eat aboard this prepare tour. 

What to See

The journey begins within the northeastern metropolis of Reims, the unofficial capital of Champagne, the place Gothic grandeur and effervescent indulgence coexist. Find time for the Reims Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage website the place 33 French kings had been topped, and the adjoining Palais du Tau, a cultural landmark as soon as the Archbishop of Reims’ palace.

Because the prepare glides into the Champagne area, friends disembark for the opportunity of unique entry to the chalk cellars of Maison Ruinart, the oldest established Champagne home. Right here, a guided descent into the luminescent caves unveils centuries of winemaking custom—capped by a tasting, after all.

What to Do

Onboard, anticipate extra than simply white-glove service. Theater artists and storytellers carry out vignettes all through the journey, weaving historic anecdotes and native legends into the itinerary. It is not unusual for a costumed noble to go by the eating automobile mid-dinner or a violinist to serenade passengers at sundown.

Off-train excursions are equally curated. Within the northern city of Épernay, stroll down the well-known Avenue de Champagne—typically referred to as the richest avenue on this planet as a consequence of its amount of champagne saved in underground cellars—the place friends are granted personal tastings, just like the one on the homes Moët & Chandon. Within the Loire Valley, Le Grand Tour friends could discover themselves having fun with an after-hours château go to—no crowds, simply candlelight and clinking glasses.

The place to Eat

Meals on Le Grand Tour are way over sustenance; their narrative experiences. Three-star Michelin chef Alexandre Couillon, who’s the proprietor of the Michelin Inexperienced Star restaurant La Marine, curates menus impressed by the villages you traverse. Suppose: scallop carpaccio with Champagne French dressing, or duck breast with cherries and a discount made out of native Pinot Meunier. Every course is paired with wines and champagnes chosen by an onboard sommelier. 

In Reims, in the event you prolong your keep pre- or post-tour, don’t miss Brasserie Excelsior for an Artwork Nouveau ambiance and contemporary seafood; or the town’s two-star Le Parc restaurant at Domaine Les Crayères lodge, for traditional French delicacies like duck foie gras and herb coulis. 

The place to Keep

Whereas your suite aboard Le Grand Tour is lavish, with plush linens, en-suite bogs, and panoramic home windows, the prepare itself seems like a historic five-star lodge on rails. For these staying in Reims earlier than boarding, La Caserne Chanzy Hôtel & Spa was as soon as the town’s centralfire station earlier than remodeling right into a luxurious lodge simply steps from the Notre-Dame Cathedral. In Épernay, Les Suites du 33—a lodge owned by the Champagne de Venoge home—presents 4 vineyard-adjacent rooms and one residence. 

Remaining Toast

France’s Champagne area has lengthy been synonymous with magnificence, however Le Grand Tour elevates the expertise into one thing transcendent—as a result of each sip tells a narrative, each window frames a chapter, and each mile deepens your sense of place. 

Notice: Scheduled dates for the 2026 season haven’t been launched but. 

Jennifer Schwartz is a member of Journey + Leisure’s A-Checklist and makes a speciality of Iceland, France, and Meals & Wine journeys. You may create a tailored itinerary with Schwartz by contacting her at [email protected].