Grand Rhône Valley Wine Tour
7 nights from $5,119pp
Savour the flavours of the Rhône Valley on this eight-day self-drive adventure, which takes you from the gastronomic city of Lyon to the Provençal town of Avignon. Contrast the steeply terraced vineyards and powerful Syrah and Viognier-dominated wines of the north, with the Mediterranean climate and famed blends of the south on private wine tours, and taste the best of the region at Michelin-starred eateries and vineyard restaurants.
Highlights of our Rhône Valley Wine Tour
- Two-night accommodation in a boutique hotel in the heart of gastronomic Lyon, and the opportunity to visit Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse
- Sample the bold, aromatic Syrah and Viognier varietals of the northern Rhône Valley with two days’ private chauffeured wine tours
- Two-night accommodation in Mirmande, one of the prettiest villages in France
- Three-night accommodation in an elegant hotel, set in a period property in the heart of Avignon
- Discover the bold blends and celebrated vineyards of the southern Rhône Valley, including Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Vacqueyras
- Explore Avignon’s walled city and historic Palais des Papes
- Savour the flavours of the Rhône Valley, including an exquisite vineyard lunch with wine beneath the castle walls in Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Day 1: Arrival in Lyon
Self-drive to Lyon, France’s third largest city and its gastronomic capital. Located at the north of the Rhône Valley, it’s the ideal place to begin your week’s exploration of Rhône wines.
After checking into your period hotel in the heart of the Vieux Lyon, you’re free to start exploring the city. Treat your taste buds to a visit to Les Halles de Lyon, Lyon’s indoor food market, which has acquired an almost mythic reputation among lovers of gastronomic tours. Or get your week off to a flying start with a meal at the Michelin two-star restaurant Paul Bocuse.
Day 2: Private Northern Rhône Valley Wine Tour
After breakfast, your private guide will collect you for a full-day chauffeured wine tasting tour in the northern Rhône Valley, concentrating on Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu.
Côte-Rôtie is a prestigious red wine appellation famed for its robust Syrah, while Condrieu specialises in Viognier. You’ll visit a selection of family-run vineyards, some of which span both appellations, where you can sample these intense, aromatic wines and enjoy a vineyard lunch paired with local wines.
Day 3: Exploring the Villages of the Drôme Valley
After breakfast, make your way to the Drôme Valley, a drive of around 90 minutes. Check in to a château boutique hotel, with stunning mountain and valley views, Michelin-starred dining and a range of Provençal experiences, from lavender field picnics to cycling through the woods.
You then have the option to explore local villages, regarded as some of the prettiest in France. Grab a glass of local rosé to sip as you wander between stone houses adorned with flowers and peer over rooftops to the unspoilt countryside beyond.
Day 4: Crozes-Hermitage and Cornas Wine Tours
After breakfast, your private guide will collect you for a full-day chauffeured wine tour spanning a different region of the northern Rhône Valley. You’ll explore the vineyards and terrior of the Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage and Cornas appellations, and sample a selection of their famed vintages.
As with all northern Rhône appellations, the majority of wines produced here are powerful Syrah reds, though there are some interesting whites to sample too. You’ll also savour the flavours of the region with a local lunch paired with wines.
Day 5: Transfer to Avignon
Today you’ll drive to the southern Rhône Valley, responsible for 95% of all Rhône wines including the prestigious appellations of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Vacqueyras. Your base for the next two nights is a luxurious hotel set in a sixteenth-century manor house in the centre of Avignon, a drive of a little over an hour.
Spend your afternoon exploring the walled old town and UNESCO-listed Palais des Papes. And after all that wandering, why not treat yourself to a Michelin-starred dinner at your hotel?
Day 6: Private Southern Rhône Valley Wine Tour
Today you’ll start to experience the differences between the wines and terroir of the northern and southern Rhône, with a full-day private chauffeured wine tour of Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Beaumes-de-Venise.
Reds still dominate in the south, but blends are more common with Grenache, the dominant varietal. As well as bold reds, you’ll savour some whites, rosé and the sweet Muscat-based wines of Beaumes-de-Venise, and tuck into a local lunch with wine pairings.
Day 7: Châteauneuf-du-Pape Wine Tour
Your final full-day wine tour takes you to the original cru of the southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape – the wine of popes and kings – where you’ll visit one of the appellation’s most celebrated vineyards for a tour and tasting.
The day includes a fine vineyard lunch of Provençal cuisine completed by wines and a superb view over wine terraces and castle walls. You’ll also visit the nearby appellation of Lirac and sample the dry rosé wines of Tavel.
Day 8: Final Day in the Rhône Valley
Your Rhône Valley wine tour draws to a close today so it’s time to head home with happy memories – and a case or two of wine!
If you’re not yet ready to return home, perhaps you’d like to extend your trip to see a little more of Provence with our Avignon to Cannes Tour along the glitzy French Riviera?
We craft each itinerary just for you. Contact our Travel Designers to plan an unforgettable wine tasting journey through the Rhône Valley.
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