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We welcome you to accompany us to an enchanting area of France. This is an opportunity to explore the majestic town of Belfort and the delights of Lorraine. The history of this intriguing area stretches deep into the mists of time. Over several centuries the stronghold of the Citadel at Belfort valiantly protected the inhabitants of the region from invading forces moving westwards through the Belfort Gap. Dominant and awe-inspiring, it towers regally over the surrounding area.
Our first base, the Grand Hotel Tonneau d’Or in the heart of Belfort, offers the opportunity to visit the town at leisure. From this base we visit the striking modern concrete chapel at Ronchamp designed by the Swiss architect Le Corbusier in 1955; Vauban’s splendid citadel and the city of Besancon, capital of neighbouring Franche-Comté; the Ecomusée of Alsace where wandering through the beautifully restored houses reveals the different facets of rural life to the visitor. Finally a visit to the Grand Ballon of southern Alsace will appeal to lovers of mountain air.
Our base for Lorraine will be the centrally-situated Grand Hotel at Metz. From here we shall visit the impressive cathedral of Metz with its jewel-like stained glass windows and visit the museum La Cour d’Or or relax on the lovely Esplanade walk. Our tour will take us to Verdun whose defiant resistance became a First World War legend. Here we shall visit the Memorial and Ossuary and see the Voie Sacrée which was the vital supply route to the besieged city. We shall also visit Nancy, the opulent former capital of the Dukes of Lorraine for a guided tour and opportunities to indulge in shopping and the sites of your choice.
This ten -day holiday includes:
• half-board in a double, twin or single room (single supplement £185).
• all coach and ferry travel.
• two lunches, all excursions and the services of a courier throughout.
Cost: £975
Specialist guide services and admission charges are not included in the holiday price.
ITINERARY
SUNDAY
Depart Bristol at 7.30am for the drive via London to Dover and the lunchtime ferry to Calais. Overnight at the 2** Hostellerie St-Vincent in Laon.
MONDAY
Relax and enjoy the changing landscape as we travel across the open plains of northern France via Reims to take lunch at the Lac de Madine. This afternoon we travel via Nancy along the line of the Moselle river, rising into the southern end of the Vosges mountain range before we descend to Belfort and a warm welcome at the 3*** Grand Hotel Tonneau d’Or which will be our base for the next four nights.
TUESDAY
We travel today into Alsace and follow part of the ‘Route des Cretes’ of the Vosges mountains up to ‘Grand Ballon’ the highest peak, from the side of which we hope for good views. On the way there we stop at the ‘Vieil Armand’ memorial to the fierce fighting for this particularly strategic ridge in the Great War. We visit Guebwiller for lunch at leisure before going to the ‘Ecomusée d’Alsace’ where around seventy old buildings from various parts of Alsace have been lovingly rebuilt in this park, complete with resident storks.
WEDNESDAY
This morning we take a guided tour of Belfort, seeing its old town, the citadel with part of the fortifications built by Vauban, the Art and History Museum and Bartholdi’s Lion. The remainder of the day is free to explore at leisure.
THURSDAY
THURSDAY Today we visit Besancon, the capital of the Franche-Comté region, which lies in an ox-bow meander of the river Doubs, overlooked by a rocky outcrop on which Vauban built another of his fortresses. The citadel has been well-maintained and now is the site for four very different museums. We spend the day here beginning with an organised visit to the citadel. The rest of the day is free to shop and explore the delights of the city.
FRIDAY
We leave Belfort today and go first to the chapel of ‘Notre-Dame-du-Haut’ designed by the Swiss architect Le Corbusier in 1955 and built entirely of concrete. We stop for lunch (provided) in the popular spa-town of Contrexéville before continuing via Bar-le-Duc to our second holiday centre at the 2** Grand Hotel in Metz where we shall stay for three nights.
SATURDAY
A day spent in Metz, the regional capital of Lorraine, which will include a guided tour of the impressive cathedral of St-Etienne with its jewel-like stained glass windows. Lunch at leisure and time for a boat cruise on the river or a stroll through the lovely ‘Esplanade’ walk and the old town with buttressed arcaded buildings dating from the 14th to 16th centuries.
SUNDAY
A whole day in Nancy, opulent former capital of the Dukes of Lorraine, with so much to enchant the visitor. We invite you to join a guided walking tour of the city in the morning. Lunchtime is at leisure and the afternoon is free for you to indulge yourselves in shopping and the sites of your choice. The Place Stanislas with its gilded gates and fountains is sure to impress you with its style and grandeur. The wide variety of museums cater for all tastes.
MONDAY
We travel to Verdun for lunch at leisure with time to visit the vast underground fortress of the Citadel or relax at the riverside before we rejoin the coach for our visits to the Mémorial and the Ossuary. Leaving Verdun we return to the Hostellerie St-Vincent in Laon for our final night.
TUESDAY
Leave after breakfast for the drive to Calais and the lunch-time ferry to Dover. Return via London to Bristol, arriving there early evening.
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