ALSACE & BLACK FOREST TOUR

Chateau Tilques is the perfect place for starting this tour, especially for those coming from the UK, as this hotel is just 24 miles from the Eurotunnel, near Saint-Omer.

The present castle, built in 1891, replaced an old 17th century manor house and is a superb example of neo-Flemish architecture.

A Welcome dinner and Briefing will take place tonight.

In the morning the drive will be to Reims, where there will be a visit to the Vranken-Pommery Champagne cellars, followed by a tasting with appetizers (light lunch)

After the visit and tasting, there will be a short drive to the nearby village of l’épine, where the stay will be at the Armes de Champagne hotel.

The Basilique Notre-Dame de l'Épine, just a few steps from the hotel, is worth a visit. This Gothic masterpiece is listed in the UNESCO world Heritage List.

Dinner will take place at the hotel.

Today’s drive will take travellers across beautiful French roads and there will be many tips in the roadbook for lunch and visits during the stage.

The destination will be the spa town of Gerardmer, located on the Vosges Mountains.

Situated in a picturesque lake area, the resort town is located below the Col de la Schlucht Mountain, about 1,000 meters above the surrounding countryside. 

In Gerardmer the hotel will be Le Grand Hôtel & Spa, where dinner will take place.

After a beautiful drive on the “Ballon d’Alsace” roads you will arrive to the Cite de L'Automobile in Mulhouse, the biggest and most prestigious car museum in the world.

Over the years, the Schlumpf brothers collected the most beautiful and fastest vehicles, including Ettore Bugatti’s personal collection, as well as Rolls-Royces, Ferraris and much more.

When their company went bankrupt, they run away and the workers broke into the closed buildings and discovered the collection which is now government owned.

After visiting the museum, another beautiful drive will take you back to the hotel in Gerardmer. Dinner will be at the hotel.

Another great drive will take travellers to the Maison Cattin, a prestigious producer of fine Alsatian wines.

The history of this family-owned winery goes back to 1720, when founder Joseph Cattin started the business.

A private visit to the winery will take place followed by lunch.

Back at Gerardmer, dinner will be at one of the hotel’s restaurants.

Today’s itinerary will take travellers to the Black Forest, where the stay will be at the Parkhotel Adler.

The drive will be through beautiful scenery, including amazing vineyards and some of the best roads of the area.

Dinner will take place at the hotel.

A bus will pick participants from the hotel today to go to Freiburg on a relaxing non-driving day.

In Freiburg, a guided visit to the medieval city will take place, followed by some free time to walk around and have lunch before going back to the hotel.

One of the big pleasures of Freiburg city's old town is wandering around the compact pedestrian zone. Freiburg Münster, the cathedral, has a massive but elegant spire at the heart of the medieval city centre.

Visitors can climb part of the 116-metre-high spire for fabulous views out over the city.

Dinner today will take place at the hotel.

The Black Forest has been known for cuckoo clock making for many generations.

Today’s drive will include amazing back roads through never-ending forests and a visit to a cuckoo clock factory.

After the visit the group will return to the Parkhotel Adler where dinner will be served.

Although the cuckoo clocks are the most iconic in the black forest, being so close to the Swiss border, we wanted to visit one of the most iconic and famous watch makers around, and that is IWC (International Watch Company) in Schaffhausen.

Today’s itinerary will follow beautiful roads and cross the border for a private visit to IWC’s state-of-the-art watch factory and museum.

After the visit the group will return to the Parkhotel Adler where dinner will be served.