Your Accommodation
ALBI
Grand Hotel d’Orleans (3-star), 5 nights (3 nights half board, 2 nights bed and breakfast).
This delightful family-run hotel is just a short distance from the old quarter and cathedral. Make the most of the outdoor pool and gym and relax in the comfortable lounge and bar. The restaurant serves fine local cuisine and dinner is included on three evenings. Comfortable guest rooms have satellite TV, telephone and hairdrier.
ROCAMADOUR
Hotel le Relais Amadourien (2-star), 2 nights half board.
Conveniently located in the mediaeval city of Rocamadour, this hotel is situated close to the Rocher des Aigles wildlife centre and the lifts up and down the cliff-face. Recently completely refurbished, the guest rooms all have private facilities, TV and telephone. The restaurant is located at the neighbouring Hotel du Chateau, just 100 metres away, as well as the heated swimming pool.
Your Itinerary
DAY 1 UK/Albi
We meet our Tour Manager this morning and join the Eurostar service to Paris from London St Pancras or Ebbsfleet. We then connect with the TGV train to Montauban and transfer to Albi for five nights.
DAYS 2 – 5 Albi
Standing proudly on the banks of the River Tarn, Albi is a delightful red-brick town steeped in the history of the religious wars between the Cathars and the Crusaders. We take a guided walking tour through the mediaeval streets of the old quarter to see the enormous 13th-century Cathedral of Ste Cecile, one of the most remarkable Gothic cathedrals in the world. Visible from miles around, it dwarfs the town and the sumptuous inner decoration comes as something of a surprise after the austere outer defensive architecture. Albi is also famous as the birthplace of Toulouse Lautrec. Don’t miss the 13th-century palace containing the most comprehensive collection of his work and offering stunning views from the beautiful gardens.
We offer a programme of included and optional excursions to explore the surrounding area.
Included excursion:
Carcassonne & Castres (full day) - We have a wonderful day in store as we travel to Carcassonne, one of the most dramatic towns of the Languedoc region. The view as we approach the double walled, turreted fortress that crowns the hill above the River Aude will take your breath away. This is the largest fortress in Europe and certainly the most impressive. Wander through the narrow streets, take in the panoramic views over the countryside from the battlemented walls and don’t miss the beautiful Church of St Nazaire with its exquisite stained glass and intricate stone carvings. En route to Carcassonne we stop at the pretty town of Castres for a stroll through the charming riverside quarter, where old tanners’ and weavers’ houses overhang the River Agout.
Optional excursions:
Ville-Bastides (full day) - We step back in time to the 13th and 14th centuries, when England and France fought for control of south-western France in the Hundred Years War. Many fortified towns or villebastides were built around the River Dordogne and we visit two wonderful examples today. Najac is our first stop, with its photogenic castle on the peak of the hill and lovely half-timbered and stone-tiled houses that seem to tumble down the back of the hill to the valley below. We continue to Cordes, a Cathars stronghold and one of the oldest and best-preserved bastides. Take time to wander through the steep mediaeval cobbled lanes that are now home to delightful shops, and relax awhile with a coffee in one of the lovely bars.
Gaillac & the Gorges de l’Aveyron (full day) - Of course there’s more to this area than magnificent historic towns and villages. Don’t miss today’s opportunity to taste some of the region’s fine wines at a local Gaillac vineyard; and to witness the wonders of nature as you explore the soaring limestone cliffs of the magnificent Gorges de l’Aveyron.
DAY 6 St Cirq-Lapopie, Cahors & Rocamadour
We leave Albi for a scenic day’s drive into the beautiful Dordogne to explore some of the lovely towns and villages of this beautiful region. Our first stop is St Cirq-Lapopie, perched dramatically on the cliff’s edge high above the River Lot. We wander through the cobbled lanes of half-timbered houses before continuing to Cahors, famous for its Pont Valentre, one of the few remaining fortified bridges in Europe, as well as its delicious red wine. This afternoon we reach Rocamadour, whose spectacular setting, built almost vertically into the rocky backdrop of the Alzou Valley, is hard to beat. Our base for the next two nights is the delightful mediaeval town of Rocamadour.
DAY 7 The Dordogne Valley
Our panoramic tour of the Dordogne Valley passes honey-coloured riverside cliffs and visits photogenic villages such as La Roque Gageac, where many of the ochre stone houses are cut from the rock face itself. We will also see the bustling market town of Sarlat, with its mediaeval old quarter of beautifully restored ancient houses, and have the opportunity to take a boat trip on the river.
DAY 8 Rocamadour/UK
Our coach takes us to Bordeaux station for the TGV service to Lille and onward Eurostar to London St Pancras and Ebbsfleet.
Travel Extras
We know that picking your dream destination is the biggest part of making your perfect holiday come true. But there are a number of other decisions that have to be made such as where to park at the airport and who to change your money with, to name but a few. So to really get every aspect of your holiday sorted we have set up a one stop travel shop and useful links section for you to organise all your travel needs, leaving you to concentrate on having a memorable and relaxing holiday with Page & Moy.
Holiday Extras - save up to 60%
You can benefit from access to Holiday Extras, a separate company that can organize a whole range of services from airport hotels and secure airport parking to VIP liunges in airports, and more, at 23 airports across the UK.
To book go to http://www.holidayextras.co.uk/pageandmoy.html.
If you find the same parking facility or hotel for less within seven days of booking, tell Holiday Extras and they will match the price or refund the difference. Conditions apply.
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Airport Lounges from Lounge Pass
Start your holiday off refreshed and relaxed by taking advantage of our VIP airport lounge offer, available at a number of airports, both here and abroad. From as little as £15 each, you’ll enjoy a peaceful and tranquil environment, where you can enjoy complimentary drinks and snacks, read the papers, check your email or simply relax and watch TV until your flight is called.
For details, please click here.
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Casual Clothing from Lands’ End
Lands' End offer an extensive range of high quality casual and tailored clothes for men and women. Choose from their selection of jackets, knitted tops, trousers, dresses, skirts and more.
For details, please visit www.landsend.co.uk
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Photography from Jessops
Jessops is the UK's leading specialist photographic retailer. With great on-line savings on hundreds of products, including digital cameras, camcorders, lenses, batteries and much more, plus free delivery on mainland UK orders over £75, Jessops has all your photographic needs covered.
For details, please visit www.jessops.com
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Travel Accessories from Travel with Care
Travel With Care offers a comprehensive range of travel accessories, with everything you need for your holiday. From First Aid, DVT Prevention and Healthcare to money belts, wallets, waterproofs, toiletries, alarm clocks, and much, much more.
For details, please visit www.travelwithcare.com
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Getting you there - European Holidays
Fly direct from your local airport Giving you choice is one of our main priorities, so when it comes to flights, instead of offering just Heathrow or Gatwick as departure airports, whenever possible we offer to fly you direct from your nearest airport to your holiday destination either free or for a supplement of just £29 per person.
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Choice of 20 airports
You have the choice to fly direct to your holiday destination from up to 20 regional airports throughout the UK for a supplement of no more than £29 per person return.
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Regional connecting flights to London from only £69
If you can’t fly direct to your destination from your local airport (see individual holiday details), usually you will have the choice of taking a regional connecting flight to Heathrow or Gatwick from as little as £69 per person return. If your connecting flight and your flight from Gatwick or Heathrow is with British Airways or British Midland, your luggage will automatically be checked through to your final destination, so there’s no need to collect or check your luggage in twice.
Fly from:
Aberdeen, Belfast, Durham Tees Valley, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Jersey, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle, Newquay
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Make your own way and save up to £150 per person
You may want more flexibility to make your own travel arrangements to combine your trip with visits to friends and relatives or travel from an airport which we do not offer. If so, why not take advantage of our make your own way option. We offer a reduction of £150 off many of our holidays to allow you to make your own arrangements, if that is what you want. Details of where this option is available are shown on each holiday.
Please remember that these arrangements do not include flights or transfers and you will need to make your own travel arrangements at the beginning and end of your holiday.
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