Catalonia, south of France, Burgundy, Alsace and Black Forest (2024)

Day 1

Welcome to your Europamundo journey!We travel to the north of Catalonia. GERONA, time in this city with a magnificent historic center dominated by medieval buildings and Roman, Arab and Hebrew reminiscences. We suggest visiting the Cathedral of Santa María, an impressive Gothic structure in the upper part of the city, and the old Jewish quarter with its narrow and picturesque streets. We continue to the small medieval town of BESALÚ, where we will have time for lunch and walk through its streets, its impressive, fortified stone bridge, its castle, the Jewish baths and the old pilgrim hospital. After lunch time we continue towards French Catalonia. COLLIURE, is a small coastal town full of charm, its beach, its port, its alleys and its impressive castle built on an ancient Roman castrum that housed the court of the kings of Mallorca. If you’d like to, you could see the tomb of the poet Antonio Machado. In the evening arrival in CARCASSONNE, considered the best walled city in Europe. We suggest going to see the walls illuminated at night and having a dinner in one of the hundreds of small restaurants in “la cité”.

Day 2

The morning in Carcassonne. With our guide we will go to its impressive county castle (entrance included) and its medieval walls. Later you will have free time for a walk. After lunch time we will continue to NARBONNE, a time to explore this occitan city with its picturesque historic center. In the evening we arrive in MARSEILLE, the second city of France, we recommend you taking a walk through its “Vieux Port” full of life and small restaurants.

Day 3

Villages, landscapes, history, today we see some of the most beautiful places in Provence. ARLES, a world heritage city, shows us its legacy of the Roman and medieval times and reminds us of Van Gogh. In LES BEAUX, we have the chance to visit this small medieval village and we will include admission to the CARRIERES DE LUMIERE, an impressive show of art, image and sound underground, in some former quarries. Time for lunch and stroll in AVIGNON, with its immense Palais des Papes. We continue to LYON, where we can walk through the World Heritage Site old town and we will include the cable car to climb Notre Dame de Fourviere, a huge basilica from where we have a great view over the city.Note: When due to closure or influx of public it is not possible to obtain tickets for the show of Carrieres de Lumière, as an alternative there will be a transfer to the Roman aqueduct of Pont du Gard.

Day 4

We will set off from Lyon and head to the Burgundy region. We stop at TOURNUS, a quaint little town with an imposing stone gate and a large abbey. After that, we will travel to BEAUNE. Time to have lunch and explore a bit through the wine capital of Burgundy. We recommend you to visit the wine museum or the historic hospice. Next, we will visit the CASTLE OF SAVIGNY situated in the heart of this winemaking region. The castle was built in the 15th century and houses some extraordinary museums (museum of motorbikes, racing cars, planes and helicopters!). We continue to DIJON, capital of Burgundy, which boasts of lively streets as well as numerous medieval and Renaissance buildings, among which, the palace of the dukes stands out.

Day 5

Yet in the Burgundy region we make a stop in BESANÇON, a city of Roman origin with a beautiful historic center and citadel of the 17th century that dominates the city. We continue our route towards Alsace, a French region disputed over the centuries between France and Germany, which maintains its own German dialect, “the Alsatian” and the architecture and traditions with deep Germanic roots. We make a stop in COLMAR, a city with unique architecture, with colorful wooden houses and canals that cross it. It is known for its white wine and its gastronomy. We will have time to have lunch and a walk. In the afternoon we visit two of the most beautiful towns in Alsace RIQUEWIHR, a medieval town with cobblestone streets and colorful houses that seem to come out of a fairy tale and that inspired scenes of the Beauty and the Beast movie. RIBEAUVILLE, with its historic center and ruined castles that dominate the town. STRASBOURG, arrival in the evening. We suggest walking through the cathedral area and Petite France, full of charming places and small restaurants.

Day 6

Time in STRASBOURG, the capital of Alsace. The city is the seat of the European Parliament. Its historic center is beautiful, with its picturesque medieval streets, its impressive Gothic cathedral and its canals and flowers. We include a boat trip through the canals of Petite France. After that we go to Germany, admiring beautiful mountain landscapes and towns of the Black Forest. In FREIBURG, we have time to have lunch and walk through this university city with its medieval center and its cathedral. Among wonderful landscapes we will continue to TRIBERG, one of the most picturesque towns in the Black Forest known for its cuckoo clocks. We include the admission to the Triberg Falls, the highest in Germany, which we access through a beautiful path. We continue towards GENGENBACH, a small town with its beautiful central square. Accommodation in BADEN-BADEN, a spa city that attracted nobles and upper bourgeoisie from all over Europe, its casinos, its architecture and its parks remind us of this.

Day 7

Some time in Baden-Baden to stroll through its parks before leaving for Rhineland-Palatinate. SPEYER, on the banks of the Rhine River, its great Romanesque cathedral is a World Heritage Site, you can visit it and have a walk through the old quarter, where the Alte Munze tower stands out. We continue our route to HEIDELBERG. We include a cable car to its impressive castle (admission to the castle´s exterior park, wineries and pharmacy museum included), with its great views over the city. After that we will have time for lunch and a walk through the old town and its Markt Platz. In the afternoon we will arrive in FRANKFURT, a large financial city, with its modern skyscrapers, its old town, the views over the Rhine River and its well-known nightlife.

Day 8

Today we travel to France passing through the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a small country that speaks German (Luxembourg dialect) and French. LUXEMBOURG, arrival in this cosmopolitan city that combines a rich history with the modernity of being a financial center and headquarters of European institutions. In addition to its old town, a World Heritage Site, its fortifications, the Grand Ducal Palace and the Notre-Dame Cathedral stand out. After lunch time we head on to France. In the center of the Champagne-producing region we will make a stop in REIMS, time to see its impressive Gothic cathedral, where the coronations of many of the kings of France took place. Arrival in PARIS at the end of the day.

Day 9

After breakfast, end of our services.