Basque Country, Carcassonne, the Languedoc & the Dordogne

11 days from £1,019 pp.

Carcassonne, France

Visit: Carcassonne, France, France

About the Tour

Discover the delights of the beautiful Basque Country, a region in the western Pyrenees shared by both France and Spain. Our holiday begins with an overnight crossing on board Brittany Ferries’, from Portsmouth to Santander, which boasts features including a cocktail piano bar and entertainment area for your enjoyment. Arriving on the Spanish side of the terrain we first visit Guernica, then head for San Sebastián, a stunning resort town on the Bay of Biscay. After that, it’s another day of Basque delights but this time on the French side, taking in Biarritz, Bayonne & St. Jean de Luz. Our tour doesn’t end there, with a few gems thrown in between this carefully thought out itinerary also covers the fortified town of Carcassonne and the spectacular setting of Rocamadour and much more. This holiday is part of our GRAND EXPLORER range.

Tour Includes

  • Overnight ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Santander with Brittany Ferries in a two-berth en-suite inside cabin(meals at extra cost)
  • 9 nights hotel with continental breakfast
  • 5 evening meals.
  • Travel from a regional joining point
  • Travel by Silver Service or upgrade to Luxuria
Dates & Prices

Once you have booked your tour either online, or by telephone ( 01709 787 463 ), you have the flexibility of how you pay off the remainder of your balance. You can:

  • Use our balance payment facility online to make and track your card payments. You can pay as much as you want up until your final due date or pay it all, the choice is yours.
  • Send payments via online banking.
  • Send payments via cheque.
  • Call us and make a card payment, either a small amount or as lump sum until your final due date.

Our contact and online banking payment details will be on your confirmation invoice to remind you of your choices.

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Your Itinerary

    Regional departure by coach or Door-to-Door service, then to Portsmouth, where we board Brittany Ferries’, the Pont-Aven and cruise to Spain.

    Evening arrival in Santander, then travel to Zarautz, for a three-night stay.

    San Sebastian

    San Sebastian

    Included excursion, first to Guernica which was infamously bombed by the Nazis during the Spanish Civil War. The haunting museum is well worth a visit (admission is extra). Later, we head to San Sebastián with its stunning setting on a sweeping, shell-shaped bay.

    • Included meals: Breakfast
    St. Jean De Luz

    St. Jean De Luz

    Another day of Basque delights, as we include a full-day tour along the French Basque coast. Biarritz is a playground for the French rich, with a seafront lined with grand buildings. In Bayonne, saunter around the narrow streets of the old town, with half-timbered houses painted in traditional Basque colours. We end the day in the small French resort of St. Jean de Luz, with its sheltered, sandy beaches and pretty old town.

    • Included meals: Breakfast

    Our journey takes us east to Pau, then to Carcassonne for a three-night stay.

    • Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
    Carcassonne

    Carcassonne

    Spend a full day in the medieval, walled town of Carcassonne. The walled ‘Cité Médieval’ with its cobbled lanes, is a joy to explore with spectacular views towards the Pyrenees from the medieval walls.

    • Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

    Optional excursion around the Languedoc region, which takes us first to the hill-top town of Béziers, where the Canal du Midi crosses the river by means of an aqueduct, then Narbonne, which boasts a pretty medieval core, and a fine Gothic cathedral.

    • Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

    We head to the rose-red town of Albi, birthplace of the artist, Toulouse-Lautrec. See the impressive 13th century Palais de la Berbie, now a museum, containing a comprehensive collection of his work. We continue along the Lot Valley, to the pretty town of Cahors, situated on a loop of the Lot River. The town’s long and sometimes turbulent past is best represented in its architecture, with Gallic, Roman, Moorish and English influences. We continue to Rocamadour for two nights.

    • Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
    Rocamadour

    Rocamadour

    Included excursion to the charming town of Sarlat in the Perigord-Noir, a fascinating town with some of the best-preserved medieval buildings in France. In the afternoon, we return to Rocamadour for time at leisure. Spectacularly perched on a limestone cliff overlooking the gorge of the River Alzou, Rocamadour is an important pilgrimage site for the French.

    • Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

    To the Paris area for an overnight stay. En route we stop in the Remembrance village of Oradour-Sur-Glane, scene of a German SS massacre of the villagers. The ruined village has been left exactly as it was during the war.

    • Included meals: Breakfast

    Return home.

    • Included meals: Breakfast

    Your Excursions

    Included Excursions & Visits

    • San Sebastian - Basque city
    • Biarritz, Bayonne & St. Jean de Luz
    • Carcassonne – Fortified town
    • Albi and Cahors - Birthplace of Toulouse Lautrec, and historic town with 14th century bridge
    • Oradour-Sur-Glane
    • Rocamadour & Sarlat – Spectacular setting

    Optional Excursions & Visits

    • Beziers & Narbonne – Explore the Languedoc

    Notes


    Travel Insurance from £38.00 (11 days). Single Room Supplement from £289.00 (11 days).

    Frequently asked questions about our tours

    Certain excursions are included in the price of your holiday. If you choose not to go on an included excursion, for whatever reason, no refunds will be made.
    Yes, you will receive one with your Travel Documents, which are sent 7-10 days before departure.
    We believe that our holidays may not be suitable for children under 8 years old (except for Disneyland Paris bookings) however, we will consider individual requests on application. Customers aged 18 and under at the time of travel must be accompanied by an adult, parent or guardian aged over 18 years old.
    You can check weather averages at here.

    Accommodation

    You will stay for three nights at the 3-star Hotel Zarauz in Zarautz, then three nights at the 3-star Brit Hotel in Carcassonne, followed by two nights at the 2-star Hotel Lion d’Or in Rocamadour.

    Overnight stay in the Paris area will be in a city-style hotel.

    On the overnight sailing, accommodation will be in two-berth, en suite cabins.  

    France

    Hotel Du Lion D'or

    Hotel Du Lion D'or

    Find out more

    Hotel Du Lion D'or

    This family run hotel is steeped in character and tradition, and enjoys an exceptional setting in the heart of medieval city of Rocamadour. The hotel offers 75 bedrooms across two buildings that are situated 50 metres apart, with some rooms having amazing views over the Alzou Canyon or the city. The reception and restaurant can be found in the main building where a warm and friendly welcome awaits each guest. The restaurant has an excellent reputation and serves fine cuisine and local specialities, together with excellent levels of service. Wifi is free of charge in the public areas. All bedrooms are en-suite with T.V.

    • English Speaking Staff
    • Guest Lounge
    • Bar
    • Restaurant
    • Lift
    • WiFi Available
    • TV
    • Hairdryer
    • Bath and/or Shower
    • Telephone

    Frequently asked questions about accommodation

    If you prefer, then you can join the tour at the hotel. To do this, we will require a copy of your passport for identification purposes and you must advise us at the time of booking.

    No reduction will be given if you should choose to do this.

    All hotel rooms benefit from private bathroom facilities.
    Some hotels have tea and coffee making facilities. Please check the tour pages for more information or call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333.
    Most hotels have a lift, please call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 for more information.
    Some hotels have ground floor rooms. Please email for information on individual hotels or call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333.
    Your hotels will supply towels in your room.

    We are unable to guarantee that the hotel will be able to meet your dietary requirements. We find that the majority of European countries do not generally cater for vegetarians and that the meal supplied may well be what everyone else is having minus the meat.

    We will of course endeavour to arrange for a vegetarian meal at the hotel. We do however suggest that you advise us of your dietary requests at the time of booking and recommend that you speak to the receptionist on arrival with regard to your request.

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    Travel Information

    Frequently asked questions about travel options

    Departure times given for each region are approximate. Please check your travel documents to confirm the actual timings.

    Front row seats can be reserved for £14pp (up to 6 days' duration), £22pp (7 & 8 days' duration) and £25pp (9 days' duration and over) on all European tours. This offer is only available for bookings of two or four persons on the front row and is subject to availability. In addition to this, seats on the second row can be reserved for £7pp (up to 6 days duration), £14pp (7 & 8 days duration) and £17pp (9 days duration and over). Guaranteed front/second row seats cannot be reserved on transfer journeys to/from the interchange. Children under 15 years cannot occupy a front row seat due to French Law. Central view seats are free.

    Please note: On some coaches the legroom on front seats may be slightly less than that available on other seats due to the presence of a modesty board in front.

    If your tour is cancelled for any reason and front/second row seats are not available on your new tour, you will be refunded the supplement. No other compensation will be payable.

    Alternatively, we can take seating requests on your booking. However, requests are not guaranteed. All seat numbers are confirmed on travel documents approximately 7-10 days prior to departure.

    We guarantee that all passengers on the same booking will be seated together on the main tour coach. Seats on the transfer coaches to and from the interchange are not allocated.
    Hot and cold drinks are served on your main tour coach. Prices are approximately £1 or €1.25 Euro per drink. Prices will be confirmed by your driver.

    Transfer coaches are routed approximately 2-3 weeks before departure. The route taken depends on where paassengers are booked to travel from on any particular date as to which route is taken. If you require further detailed information regarding the route to the port you can contact our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 two weeks before you are due to travel.

    With regard to the route taken by the main tour coach, this is determined by the driver.

    All main tour coaches have on-board toilets. Transfer vehicles to and from the interchange may not have on-board toilets. When non-British coaches are used on transfers and tours (air holidays only) an on-board toilet may not be available. However, comfort stops will be made during long journeys.
    All coaches feature air-conditioning. Should the air-conditioning system break down for a period exceeding 12 hours, compensation will be awarded up to a maximum of £10 per fare-paying passenger per tour.
    All our coaches and transfer vehicles operate a 'no smoking on board policy'. The use of electronic cigarettes is strictly forbidden.
    In the interest of fellow guests, do not take hot food or ice cream on board.
    alcohol can only be taken on board our vehicles at the discretion of your driver.
    Depending on the location of your pickup point, you may be picked up by coach (not necessarily the on you are touring on), minibus, taxi, National Express or Megabus service. You may then be taken to another centralised pickup location or service station. We operate a passenger interchange at Stop 24 Services, where you will meet the tour coach you are holidaying on and then continue on with your outbound journey. Similarly, on the way home, you may also change transfer vehicles at another location, to take you to your final drop off point.
    Your allowance is one medium sized suitcase per person, which should weigh no more than 20kg when full. We may refuse to carry larger or heavier cases. Hand luggage should be stored in the overhead racks aboard the coach. Nothing should be stored under your seat.

    Customer Reviews

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    01709 787 463

    To book this tour, just give our friendly team a call on 01709 787 463 or book online at www.leger.co.uk