Discover the Timeless Elegance of France
This isn't just sightseeing — it's a journey into the heart of Paris, Loire & Bordeaux's rich heritage. Walk through centuries of history, taste authentic flavors passed down through generations, and connect with traditions that have shaped this remarkable destination. Every moment becomes a story to tell.
Discover the wonders of Paris, Loire & Bordeaux, a captivating destination that offers unique experiences, rich culture, and memorable adventures. Whether you're seeking relaxation, adventure, or cultural immersion, Paris, Loire & Bordeaux promises to exceed your expectations with its warm hospitality and stunning scenery.
9 nights in Paris, Loire & Bordeaux — day by day, fact-checked
Fly London to Paris CDG, met by your included private transfer into the city. What you do on arrival depends on your flight, so this day is built around durations and fixed facts, not a clock.
Land at CDG, roughly 25 to 30 km north-east of central Paris. Your included private transfer takes you straight to the hotel, so you skip the RER-with-luggage debate. Check your arrival time before planning the day. In late July Paris keeps very long daylight into the evening.
CDG sits roughly 25 to 30 km north-east of central Paris. Your package includes a private airport transfer, so you do not need to arrange a taxi or navigate the RER with your bags.
Build the day around your actual arrival time, not a fixed schedule. An early-morning arrival leaves a full afternoon; a late-night arrival means settle in and start properly tomorrow.
Keep your accommodation confirmation and return flight details accessible. At the border you may be asked to show proof of accommodation and a return or onward ticket; your package covers both.
Do not rely on the RER B into town at night with luggage. GOV.UK warns thieves work in gangs on RER lines serving the airports; your private transfer avoids this entirely.
Allow extra time at the border. Under the live EES system you may be asked to give fingerprints and have your photo taken on arrival; there is no fee for this.
Your first full Paris day, anchored on the Louvre. Booking is not optional this summer, so this day assumes a pre-booked timed slot.
Enter the Louvre on a pre-booked timed slot — mandatory for all visitors 1 July to 31 August 2026. As a UK passport holder you pay the non-EEA rate of 32 euros. It is closed Tuesdays, so plan a non-Tuesday. Last entry is one hour before close.
A timed-entry reservation is required for all visitors 1 July to 31 August 2026 — your exact window. Book in advance at ticket.louvre.fr; there is no walk-up option in this period.
Open 9:00 to 18:00 Mon, Thu, Sat, Sun; late to 21:00 Wednesday and Friday; closed Tuesdays and on 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec. Last admission one hour before close; rooms clear 30 minutes before.
Admission is 32 euros for you as a non-EEA UK passport holder (22 euros for EEA visitors). Audio guide 6 euros. Under-18s free; EEA under-26s free, but UK under-26s do not qualify.
Use the late Wednesday or Friday opening to 21:00 to visit in a quieter window and dodge the midday crush.
Do not plan the Louvre for a Tuesday — it is closed. And do not turn up without a booked slot this summer; entry without a reservation is not allowed in July and August.
The archetypal cheap full French lunch for a rail tourist walking Paris — traditional cooking, no reservations, and its own site quotes a proper meal for under 20 euros.
A historic 1906 Art Nouveau bouillon, now a listed monument, serving traditional-plus French cooking — a central Left Bank lunch stop between sights.
A second Paris day built around the Eiffel Tower, with attendance flagged High. The 2026 Bastille Day shift changes the crowd calendar.
Go up the Eiffel Tower early. Attendance is flagged High; the quiet windows are 9 to 11am and 8 to 10:30pm, and 11am to 5pm is the crush. Its own site recommends buying online in advance to skip the ticket-office queue. Second floor by lift from 6 euros.
The Eiffel Tower uses timed-entry tickets — every ticket is for a selected date and time slot — and its own site recommends buying online in advance to avoid the ticket-office queue, given High attendance.
Open daily roughly 9:00 to midnight. Quietest 9 to 11am and 8 to 10:30pm; busiest 11am to 5pm — go early or late.
From-rates on its site: second floor by lift from 6 euros; top by lift from 9.20 euros; second floor by stairs from 3.80 euros; top with champagne from 33.20 euros.
If your Paris days include 13 July 2026, plan the Eiffel and Trocadero area for exceptional crowds that day — the city's Bastille Day fireworks were moved to 13 July, not the 14th.
Do not queue at the ticket office between 11am and 5pm expecting a quick visit — that is the peak window; buy online and go in an early or late slot instead.
A historic Left Bank haute-cuisine house dating to 1766, first awarded three Michelin stars in 1933, with an 800-label wine cellar — a special-occasion Paris dinner on the Seine quays.
A traditional French brasserie near Moulin Rouge doing the classics — egg mayonnaise, onion soup, snails, beef bourguignon — open non-stop, handy after an evening tower visit.
Transfer day. Take the TGV south from Paris Montparnasse to your Loire base at Tours / Saint-Pierre-des-Corps — the same Paris-Atlantique line, an intermediate stop, no car needed.
Ride the TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Tours / Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, an intermediate stop on the Paris-Atlantique line. Book seats on SNCF Connect, the official operator platform. On the Metro to Montparnasse, carry your bag across your body — pickpockets work stations in gangs.
Tours / Saint-Pierre-des-Corps sits on the Paris Montparnasse to Bordeaux TGV line as an intermediate stop, so your Loire base is reached on the included high-speed trains with no car.
Reserve TGV seats on SNCF Connect (sncf-connect.com), the national operator's own platform — not a third-party reseller. It books TGV INOUI, OUIGO and Intercites.
Trains run frequently on this axis — around 24 a day Paris to Bordeaux, first departure roughly 06:38 and last around 22:13 — so build the transfer around the fixed timetable.
Book seats ahead on SNCF Connect for the fare you want; advance fares on this line can start from around 25 euros.
Do not book your TGV through a third-party reseller. Use SNCF Connect, the operator's own platform, to reserve seats and avoid mark-ups.
An affordable in-town Tours lunch in the historic centre near Place Plumereau, with a weekday lunch menu at 5 euros — right for a non-driving base between chateau day-tours.
Homemade bistro cooking blending French tradition and contemporary technique, run since 2016 by chef Mathieu Melin — a central, walkable Tours option.
A guided day-tour to the marquee chateaux. This is the day where the non-driver rule bites: your included TGV does not run to Chambord, so a Blois shuttle, a tour, or a taxi from Tours is the route.
Take a guided day-tour from Tours to Chambord and Chenonceau. Chambord is not rail-served and publishes no public-transport directions, so a tour or taxi is the non-driver's only route. As a UK passport holder you pay the non-EEA rate at Chambord — 31 euros. Chenonceau charges everyone the same.
Chambord is reached from Blois-Chambord station by the Rémi line-2 shuttle bus (about €3.30), or by a guided day-tour or taxi from Tours or Blois. Your included TGV does not run to Chambord itself, so arrange the last leg separately.
Chambord castle and gardens costs you 31 euros as a non-EEA UK passport holder (21 euros EEA). Chenonceau is 19 euros adult with guide leaflet, or 24 euros with audioguide — same for everyone.
Chambord opens 9:00 to 18:00 (28 March to 25 October), last access 30 minutes before close; gardens close 30 minutes before the castle. Chenonceau shows 9:00 to 19:00, open all year.
Chambord runs an English guided tour daily at 11:15 in July and August, lasting one hour — useful to build the day-tour timing around.
Tours-based half-day tours run around 80-90 euros pp and full-day Chenonceau-plus-Chambord around 150-165 euros pp; check whether château admission is included when you book. A good option if you are not hiring a car.
Do not book the Loire chateaux as a day-trip out of Paris. From Paris it is a roughly 13-hour round coach slog with no guided visit or lunch — a poor use of a day when you are already sleeping in the Loire.
A Tours-based operator running small-group tours from the town where you are already staying — the practical no-car route to the châteaux outside the towns; check whether admission is included when you book.
The other marquee chateau the Loire tours pair with Chambord, open every day all year — and, unlike Chambord and the Louvre, it charges UK visitors the same as everyone else.
A slower day based in Tours itself. Eat well in the historic centre and use the town as a walkable base between the region's set-piece chateaux.
Spend the day on foot in Tours' historic centre around Place Plumereau, with no car needed. It is a compact, walkable base — the right pace after a full chateau day-tour. Watch which day it is: some good local tables shut mid-week.
Tours' historic centre is walkable — no car needed. Base yourself around Place Plumereau and reach the region's set-piece chateaux by the guided tours that depart from town.
For an affordable in-town lunch, La Plume Blanche near Place Plumereau runs a weekday lunch menu at 5 euros (Mon-Fri, not public holidays).
Do not assume every Tours table is open mid-week. Le Turon is closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Michelin-starred L'Evidence near Tours opens only four days a week — check the day before you set out.
You must be able to prove your identity when asked, so carry your passport as you move around town. Covering your face in public places is illegal and fined up to 150 euros.
A one-Michelin-star Loire kitchen by chef Gaetan Evrard using Touraine ingredients — a special-occasion meal near Tours, with two tasting menus.
Central homemade bistro cooking in Tours, walkable from Place Plumereau — a reliable in-town option when you want to stay put.
Transfer day down the same Paris-Atlantique line to Bordeaux-Saint-Jean. In summer, check the FCDO wildfire advice for the Bordeaux département before you go.
Continue by TGV from Tours / Saint-Pierre-des-Corps down to Bordeaux-Saint-Jean, the same Atlantic line. Before this leg, re-check the live GOV.UK wildfire warning for Gironde and confirm with your accommodation. Book seats on SNCF Connect. Fastest Paris-Bordeaux run is 2h08.
Bordeaux is reached by TGV from Paris Montparnasse via the same Paris-Atlantique line that serves your Loire base — fastest Paris to Bordeaux 2h08, around 24 trains a day. Book on SNCF Connect.
Check the FCDO wildfire advice for south-west France before this leg. The Gironde (the Bordeaux département) sees summer fires, and access can be restricted and roads can close at short notice; check with your accommodation before travelling.
For a meal on arrival or departure, Bouillon Saint-Jean sits directly beside Bordeaux-Saint-Jean station and is open 11:00 to 23:00 daily.
Do not treat the wildfire risk as distant. Summer fires mostly hit the coast roughly 50-60 km west of Bordeaux city, but conditions change fast — monitor local media and follow local authorities. Emergency 112, fire service 18.
Traditional brasserie cooking in the 1896 setting of the historic Cafe du Levant, right beside Bordeaux-Saint-Jean station — ideal for a rail arrival or departure.
A Bordeaux institution since 1968 cooking south-western French dishes over an open hearth — grilled meats, roasted poultry, local charcuterie — walkable in the historic centre with no car.
A booked half-day wine tour to the vineyards out in the Medoc or Saint-Emilion, then the city on foot or tram. The marquee wine chateaux are not walkable, so a tour is the non-driver's route.
Book the official half-day wine tour through the Bordeaux tourist office. The marquee wine chateaux are out in the Medoc and Saint-Emilion, not walkable from the city, so a booked tour is the non-driver's route. If any leg heads coast or Medoc-side, check it against the live wildfire advice first.
Book the official Chateaux and Terroirs half-day wine tour through the Bordeaux Tourist Office, from 55 euros per person — vineyard and winery visits with tasting. It is the reliably-priced Bordeaux option.
The marquee wine chateaux are out in the Medoc and Saint-Emilion, not walkable from central Bordeaux — a booked tour is the correct route for a non-driver. In the city, the CityPass gives unlimited tram, bus and river shuttle.
If a tour heads coast or Médoc-side, check the route against the FCDO wildfire advice for the Gironde first — in summer, access to affected areas can be restricted and roads can close at short notice.
The Bordeaux CityPass (24/48/72/96 hours) bundles unlimited tram, bus and river shuttle, La Cite du Vin, Bassins de Lumieres, 20 museums and monuments and one guided tour — the non-driver's transit solution in the city.
Do not try to reach the wine chateaux under your own steam without a car — they are outside the city and not walkable. Book the official tour rather than improvising.
The official channel to book the region's vineyard and winery visits with tastings — the correct no-car route to the Medoc and Saint-Emilion chateaux that lie outside the city.
A small-group full-day Saint-Emilion tour, typically three estates with tastings, departing from the Bordeaux Tourist Office — a fuller alternative for a serious wine day.
Your last full day, on foot and tram in central Bordeaux. Watch your drink in the bars and keep your passport on you.
Spend the day in central Bordeaux on the tram and on foot with the CityPass. Eat regional at a hearth kitchen or graze the covered Marche des Capucins, the city-centre food market. It is all walkable or tram-reached — no car needed on this leg.
Central Bordeaux is walkable and tram-served. The CityPass covers unlimited tram, bus and river shuttle plus museums and monuments — no car needed to see the city.
For regional cooking, La Tupina has served south-western dishes over an open hearth since 1968 and is walkable in the historic centre; it is closed Monday lunch.
The Marché des Capucins is a covered market open Tuesday to Sunday, roughly 06:00 to 14:00 (from 05:30 at weekends), and closed Mondays. Do not plan it for a Monday, and go in the morning while the stalls are trading.
In the bars, buy your own drinks and keep them in sight — there is an active drink-spiking warning, and French measures are often stronger than the UK. Carry your passport; you must be able to prove your identity when asked.
A Bordeaux institution since 1968 doing south-western cooking over an open hearth — grilled meats, roasted poultry, local charcuterie — a landmark for regional food in the walkable centre.
The city-centre covered food market — the belly of Bordeaux — for casual grazing among produce and food stalls, reachable on foot or tram with no car.
Fly home from Bordeaux or via Paris. This day is built to count back from your departure, whatever time your flight leaves, with an included private transfer to the airport.
Your included private transfer takes you to the airport for the flight home. Count back from your departure time to decide how much of the morning is free. Check your departure time before making plans. If your route runs via Paris, allow for the TGV connection when working out timings.
Your package includes a private transfer to the airport, so you do not need to arrange a taxi. If your route returns via Paris, factor the TGV connection into your timings and book seats on SNCF Connect.
Count back from your departure to plan the morning. An early departure means an early transfer with little free time; a late departure can leave a slow final morning in the city.
For a final meal or a coffee before you go, Bouillon Saint-Jean sits right beside Bordeaux-Saint-Jean station and opens 11:00 to 23:00 daily.
Do not cut the border margin fine on the way out. Under the live EES system you may be asked to complete biometric checks, so allow extra time rather than arriving at the last minute.
Keep your passport accessible for exit checks, and in summer confirm before travel that your Bordeaux leg is unaffected by any wildfire activity in the Gironde.
Practical details verified 25 July 2026. Prices and opening hours change — we re-check them monthly, but confirm anything critical before you travel.
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