By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information.
Land Journeys

Village Life® France w/GOH Travel

$5,995 $5,495 Per Person/Double Occupancy

9 Days / 7 Nights

9 Expertly Guided Tours

1 Country: France

Book THIS TRIP
Free international air & gratuities included

Journey Summary

This unforgettable nine-day journey showcases the heart of France in the historic city of Bordeaux, where you’ll discover its UNESCO-listed architecture and vibrant cultural scene. Travel onward to the scenic Dordogne region, pausing in the famed vineyards of Saint-Émilion for a guided tour and wine tasting. Settle into the medieval town of Sarlat-la-Canéda, your base for exploring some of France’s most remarkable historical sites. Marvel at the ancient art in Rouffignac Cave, renowned for its prehistoric mammoth drawings, and witness the detailed replica paintings at Lascaux’s International Center for Cave Art. Explore the cliffside pilgrimage village of Rocamadour, another UNESCO World Heritage site, and stroll through the exquisite Renaissance gardens at Eyrignac. Drift along the Dordogne River on a traditional gabare boat, visit the storied Château de Beynac, and wander through the charming fortified village of Domme.

Itinerary Highlights

  • FREE Airfare:
    • Economy class airfare from Boston, New York (EWR and JFK), Washington, DC (BWI, IAD).  All applicable airline taxes and government fees are included.

  • Accommodations:
    • 2 nights at the 4-star Hotel Burdigala, Bordeaux
    • 5 nights at the 4-star Plaza Madeleine Hôtel, Sarlat-la-Canéda

  • Meals (15):
    • 7 Breakfasts, 4 Receptions,  4 Dinners

  • Guided Educational Program:
    • Bordeaux Historical Tour: Discover Bordeaux's neoclassical Golden Triangle district, including landmarks like the Palais Rohan, Bordeaux Cathedral, and the Grand Théâtre opera house.
    • Saint-Émilion Vineyard Visit: Explore the UNESCO World Heritage-designated jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion, renowned for its medieval villages and extensive vineyards.
    • Rouffignac Cave Exploration: Visit the "Cave of a Hundred Mammoths" in Rouffignac to view prehistoric art, including depictions of mammoths, bison, and horses.
    • Les Eyzies de Tayac Museum Tour: Explore the National Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies de Tayac, housing artifacts like Stone Age tools and animal skeletons.
    • Rocamadour Pilgrimage Site: Visit the cliffside village of Rocamadour, known for its sacred 12th-century statue of the Black Virgin and Child.
    • Eyrignac Gardens Visit: Tour the 17th-century Eyrignac manor house gardens, featuring elaborate topiaries and water features.
    • Lascaux Cave Art Experience: Explore the International Center for Cave Art at Lascaux, offering a meticulous reproduction of prehistoric wall paintings.
    • Beynac-et-Cazenac Castle Tour: Visit the fortified Château de Beynac, perched atop a limestone cliff, and enjoy a gabare cruise on the Dordogne River.
    • Domme Bastide Village Exploration: Ride a small train to the hilltop bastide village of Domme, known for its panoramic views and historical significance.
    • Culinary Experiences: Savor local specialties such as Cannelés pastries in Bordeaux and participate in wine tastings in Saint-Émilion.

  • Local logistics:
    • Transfers and luggage handling abroad if you purchased air through SST
      and your arrival(s)/departure(s) coincide with the scheduled group transfer(s)
    • Gratuities to local guides and drivers on included excursions and transfers

  • Travel Director and Local Guides:
    • GOH Travel Director(s) who are with you the entire trip
    • Experienced, English-speaking local guides for included excursions

Book THIS TRIP
Itinerary

Your program

Depart the U.S.

Day 1 - May 8, 2025 or May 15, 2025 - Thursday

Depart your home city for Bordeaux, France.

Bordeaux, France

Day 2 - May 9, 2025 or May 16, 2025 - Friday

Arrive at Bordeaux International Airport and transfer to the deluxe Hotel Burdigala in Bordeaux. Settle into your room and enjoy lunch on your own. A GOH Travel representative will be available at the hotel hospitality desk to assist with restaurant recommendations, as well as suggestions for touring in the area with maps provided. Join your fellow travelers for a Welcome Reception & Dinner at the hotel this evening. (R, D)

Bordeaux

Day 3 - May 10, 2025 or May 17, 2025 - Saturday

Wake this morning to breakfast at the hotel, followed by a walking tour of historical Bordeaux, also known as the “port of the moon.”Located on the Garonne River, the ancient city of Burdigala (now known as Bordeaux) was founded on the site of a 20,000-year-old Neanderthal settlement. The Celts set up a village here around the third century B.C., which was then conquered by Julius Caesar in 56 B.C. The Romans operated from Burdigala for three centuries, establishing a wine trade that brought great wealth to the empire. The evolving metropolis continued to have a colorful history in the centuries to follow, from a series of Barbarian invasions to a famous shift in 1032 when it fell under the Duchy of Aquitaine. Eleanor of Aquitaine became duchess of this newly independent country at age 14, but her marriage to the King of England meant the city was linked to the English crown for the next three centuries. Bordeaux was reclaimed by France in the 15th century but did not enter its golden age until the 18th century, when port trade flourished, and such grand monuments as the Église Notre-Dame church and Grand Théâtre opera house were built — many of them contributing to Bordeaux’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Today, this storied city is also considered one of the world's wine capitals.

Your stroll through the city includes the neoclassical Golden Triangle district and such historical landmarks as the Palais Rohan, Bordeaux Cathedral and the Grand Théâtre opera house. Along the way, you will stop for a tasting of Cannelés, a delicious vanilla pastry the region is known for.After the tour, seek out a local café for lunch on your own.

Spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure exploring the city at your own pace with dinner on your own this evening. Be sure to savor some delicious Bordeaux wine. For maps and recommendations, you may stop by the hospitality desk. (B)

Bordeaux for St. Émilion/Sarlat-la-Canéda

Day 4 - May 11, 2025 or May 18, 2025 - Sunday

Check out of the hotel after breakfast and enjoy a scenic drive from Bordeaux to the Dordogne region, stopping along the way for a visit to the Saint-Émilion vineyards. The UNESCO World Heritage-designated jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region comprises eight medieval villages, each filled with chateaux and endless vineyards where grapes have been grown and harvested for centuries. Saint-Émilion was named after Émilion, a monk who fled his hometown of Vannes to seek shelter in the area’s underground caves in the eighth century. Stories of miracles he performed resulted in religious followers, placing Saint-Émilion among Europe’s most iconic pilgrimage sites.Enjoy lunch at the vineyard as you explore these verdant winelands. Continue your journey to the medieval village of Sarlat-la-Canéda, where you will check in to the enchanting Plaza Madeleine Hôtel & Spa. Settle into your room and explore the hotel’s amenities, which include a heated pool with a terrace and sun lounge.Rejoin the group for dinner at the hotel this evening. (B, L, D)

Sarlat-la-Canéda/Rocamadour/Les Eyzies de Tayak

Day 5 - May 12, 2025 or May 19, 2025 - Monday

After breakfast at the hotel, you will begin exploring the region’s remarkable prehistory with excursions to Rouffignac and Les Eyzies de Tayac, where the first known bones of homo sapiens were revealed.  Your tour begins with a visit to the massive cavern of Rouffignac — “Cave of a Hundred Mammoths.” See the extraordinary Great Ceiling decorated with over 65 figures and beautifully rendered friezes of woolly rhinoceros and mammoth. You may also see representations of bison, horses and cave bears as well as 17th-century graffiti.  From there you will travel to Les Eyzies de Tayac in the Vézère Valley, where you will join the group for lunch at a local restaurant. This afternoon you will continue exploring what is known as the “Valley of Man” with a guided tour of the National Museum of Prehistory, which was installed in the 16th-century Château des Eyzies more than a century ago. See what has been found at these prehistoric sites with exhibits that include an assortment of weapons, jewelry, Stone Age tools and animal skeletons, including woolly rhinoceros and cave bears. Return to the hotel and choose a local restaurant for dinner on your own this evening. You may also attend the Village Life® Forum. (B, L)

Sarlat-la-Canéda/Rocamadour/Eyrignac Gardens

Day 6 - May 13, 2025 or May 20, 2025 - Tuesday

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel this morning before setting out on a tour of Rocamadour. The UNESCO World Heritage‑designated Rocamadour has one of the most dramatic settings of any village in the world, essentially carved into a grand sheer limestone cliff. During the Middle Ages, pilgrims flocked here from across Europe to perform penance by ascending the 216 steps of Le Grand Escalier on their knees — seeking miracles from the sacred 12th-century statue of the Black Virgin and Child, a walnut carving more than 1,000 years old. Embedded in the cliff above the doorway to the Chapelle de Notre Dame is a sword said to be that of the heroic knight Roland.Enjoy lunch with the group in the area before driving on to visit the spectacular Italian renaissance gardens of Eyrignac, a 17th-century manor house. Filled with elaborate topiaries, water features and sculpted boxwoods, this site includes seven gardens and is considered a national historic monument.Return to the hotel and enjoy dinner on your own this evening. (B, L)

Sarlat-la-Canéda/Lascaux

Day 7 - May 14, 2025 or May 21, 2025, Wednesday

After breakfast at the hotel this morning, you will head out on a walking tour of Sarlat-la-Canéda.Author Henry Miller called this pre‑French Revolution capital of Périgord Noir “the Frenchman’s paradise.” It is a bon vivant’s dream — renowned for truffles, wild mushrooms, strawberries, walnuts and duck — and close enough to Bordeaux to procure the finest wines directly from vintners’ cellars. Its historical old town has one of Europe’s greatest concentrations of medieval, Renaissance and 17th‑century façades. A market is held in the village’s Place de la Liberté every Wednesday and Saturday — a tradition dating from the Middle Ages.Stroll along cobblestone streets as you immerse yourself in the heart of the village. See the 16th-century, Italian Renaissance-style house where French writer Étienne de La Boétie was born in 1530. Admire the 16th-century Cathedral Saint-Sacerdos with its uniquely shaped bell tower, see the Chapel of the White Penitents and explore the Place de la Liberté, the cultural heart of the village.Get to know this gastronomical hub while sampling culinary delights, including wine, cheese and local produce at the bustling Sarlat market. After lunch on your own and time to explore at leisure, join the group for a scenic drive to the famous Lascaux cave simulations near the village of Montignac. In 1940, a quartet of schoolboys stumbled onto the Lascaux cave, a UNESCO-inscribed repository of stunning prehistoric art. Although the original cave is no longer accessible to visitors for the sake of preservation, the state‑of‑the‑art International Center for Cave Art at Lascaux offers a meticulous reproduction — opening a three-dimensional portal into the history of the site through 600 wall painting facsimiles.Explore the Lascaux legacy with a visit to the International Center for Cave Art, where you will enjoy an immersive experience into the heart of prehistory.

Return to the hotel and join the group for dinner at a local restaurant. Later this evening, experience local culture with a folklore dance presentation at the hotel. (B, D)

Sarlat-la-Canéda/Beynac-et-Cazenac

Day 8 - May 15, 2025 or May 22, 2205 - Thursday

After breakfast at the hotel this morning you will enjoy a scenic drive to Beynac, a stunning yellow stone village with an imposing medieval fortress. Explore the impressive, fortified Château de Beynac on a guided tour. Perched atop a limestone cliff, this 12th-century castle features delightful frescoes and incredible views below. Relive the past as you walk through an elaborate series of stone walls, parapet walks, watchtowers and passageways. From there, you will hop aboard a 19th-century gabare for a cruise toward the Château de Castelnaud, followed by lunch at a local restaurant. This afternoon you will embark a small train to the bastide village of Domme, situated high on a hill. Enjoy free time in the old walled city at your own pace. Return by train and then go travel to the hotel for your final evening in Sarlat-la-Canéda. Join fellow travelers for a Farewell Dinner at the hotel. (B, L, D)

Bordeaux/Return to home city

Day 9 - May 16, 2025 or May 23, 2025 - Friday

Following breakfast, check out of your hotel and transfer to Bordeaux Airport for your return flight home. (B)

Book THIS TRIP
AccommodationS

Your hotels

Plaza Madeleine Hôtel

Sarlat-la-Canéda, France

The Plaza Madeleine Hôtel & Spa is located just beyond the ancient walls of Sarlat‑la‑Canéda’s medieval quarter, a short walk from the village center. A grand 19th‑century townhouse, this historical hôtel de charme marries traditional features with French esprit contemporain. Each of the 39 stylish, air‑conditioned guest rooms has been renovated or upgraded.

Rates
$5,995 w/Free Int'l Airfare*
All rates are in U.S. dollars, per person, based on double occupancy. Singles are available upon request and are subject to availability.
*Free Int'l Airfare from Boston (BOS), New York (JFK, EWR) and Washington (IAD)
Inquire

Book your trip

Please complete this form and we will contact you to make your reservation and confirm your spot. We are here to streamline all the details for you so you can just relax and enjoy your trip.
Thank you for reaching out to us! We've received your inquiry and will be in touch shortly.
Something went wrong while submitting the form.