Le Grand Châteaux d’Ariège
(7 nights)
Date: 3 - 10 May 2025
Vue d'Ensemble: Le Grand Châteaux d’Ariège offers an unparalleled journey through the provincial landscapes of the French countryside to visit the grand châteaux of the region. As you explore these ancient castles, you shall experience the rich legacy of French art, architecture and culture, where each stone tells a story of centuries past.
Inclusions: all dining (daily breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks), all accommodation (3 nights at Château de Sibra, 1 night at Hotel du Château Carcassonne, 3 nights at Château de Gudanes), amenities (wifi and pool at all accommodation, tennis court and self service laundry at Gudanes), activities as per the itinerary and more.
Please kindly note that the cost of the experience excludes your flights to and from France/ Toulouse, personal spending money and travel insurance.
Itinerary: view below
Price: €7,900 per person
Note: For this stay, we recommend arriving in Toulouse by the morning of Friday the 2nd of May. Although this tour does not begin until Saturday, should you wish to join in we will meet and greet on Friday to explore the grand antique market in Toulouse, which is held only a few times a year.
itinerary
Saturday 3rd May 2025
We look forward to meeting you in the morning in a central location in Toulouse and travelling together to Château de Sibra, where we shall spend 3 nights. Saturday is a gentle day to begin our Château Tour of this region, which overlooks the French Pyrenees. Sibra is an enchanting château, an arcadian idyll, oscillating between the past and the future in the calm of a pastoral landscape. Set within 30 acres of a vast English-style park, bathed in romanticism, begin your stay by exploring the grounds on horseback or if you prefer flaneuring on foot at your leisure. Sybille, owner and architect, will present a historical and architectural tour of Sibra, sharing her experiences of restoring a historical monument and a place to call home. Lunch shall be served on the terraces and dinner in the 19th Century Salon.
Sunday 4th May 2025
Breakfast shall be served at Sibra followed by a garden tour and then a gentle 1km stroll or bike ride to visit Château de Lagarde. Once known as the Versailles of the south, it was damaged and looted after the French Revolution. Today its ruins create a breathtaking landmark visible for miles. Weather permitting we will have a picnic luncheon in the grounds. In the afternoon, we shall enjoy an exclusive visit to Château de Caudeval, currently undergoing restoration, accompanied by aperitifs. Afterward, we shall continue our journey for a private visit to Château de Queille, where we will be graciously given a tour of the château and gardens and then sit down to a gentle candlelit dinner in the medieval chapel, surrounded by fresco lined walls.
Monday 5th May
Breakfast shall be served at Sibra and then allons-y to the medieval village of Mirepoix to experience the most bustling market in the Ariège. Here you will find handmade local treasures, delectable produce and an abundance of antique and brocante boutiques. In Mirepoix, we will also have a guided tour of the cathedral, and some of the more prominent buildings of this authentic, French village that has remained (architecturally) largely unchanged since the 15th Century.
At midday the Château Bus shall take us to L’Abbaye-Château de Camon to explore the once upon a time 10th Century Abbey. Camon, the village itself, is one of the acclaimed “Les Plus Beaux Village en France”. After lunch, served in the old cloisters, we will explore the village and local church. Dinner in the evening shall be hosted at Sibra and will be preceded by a tasting of locally produced, biodynamic wines.
Tuesday 6th May
After breakfast at Sibra we will pack up and set off for Carcassonne, with one or two surprise stops on the way. We will stay just outside the walled UNESCO Heritage site Cité to give you the full experience of this extraordinary Citadel and travel back in time as we tour the fortification and learn more about the history presented by local tour guides. This region is also famous for Cassoulet, the local speciality dish. And so, for lunch and dinner we will dine like the locals have for hundreds of years - rustic, old fashioned and simply enjoyed.
Wednesday 7th May
At 10:00 AM the Château Bus will be waiting as we wind and wine our way to Château de Pennautier, for a private tour of the 17th Century château and most remarkably the gardens which were designed by France’s first landscape architect - André le Notre. We will learn more about the restoration of the château in the 1990’s and have an opportunity to explore their winery and cellars and enjoy lunch at their restaurant. This château is prestigious and filled to the brim with charm and elegance…
Mid afternoon we continue our journey to Château de Gudanes, where the Château Team will be eagerly awaiting your arrival with local sparkling and sweet French treats. The entourage of the four legged kind - including Bruce Baptiste Gudanes the French Bull Dog and Claude Monet Cat Gudanes - shall also be waiting to greet you. Having settled in, we will begin the stay with a historical tour of the interiors. Followed by château style aperitifs and a welcome BBQ dinner on the front terrace accompanied by the music and merriment of a local jazz band.
Thursday 8th May
Following breakfast at Gudanes, we warmly invite you into the château cuisine for a series of sweet and savoury cooking classes, inspired by the original 18th Century château cookbook of Gudanes and local French dishes, to prepare and add to your own repertoire when you return home. International and local chefs will present, guide and teach techniques while adding a little bit of panache as they share the history of classic French cuisine. Your stay is in the middle of a delightful strawberry and asparagus season and the king of the wilderness - Morel mushrooms - which can be foraged in the Château Parc.
After the classes we shall share a picnic lunch and then in the afternoon we will visit the artisan knifemaker Savignac. Established in 1754, this atelier uses local wood to craft their very particular cutlery. At the end of the visit, it is possible even to buy a knife with a handle made from woolly mammoth tusks which can be still found in the melted glaciers of the Pyrenees.
Upon our return to Gudanes, during aperitifs we are delighted to share a short talk on the history of table setting and fine dining through French history. We end with a casual family dinner in the château kitchen serving and eating what we prepared together earlier in the day. Afterwards let’s relax with a French open air movie soirée! Or if you are feeling adventurous, tonight is the night where you can explore a labyrinth of local caves carved into stone with a guide and torchlight…
Friday 9th May
Breakfast shall be served at Gudanes followed by the opportunity to learn about and assist with the restoration and unveiling of 18th century frescoes in the château’s original dining room and discover more about neoclassical architecture and the influence of Italian design during this period of time.
After an early luncheon there is the opportunity to visit the Neolithic cave of Niaux, just a short drive away, with its cave paintings dating back 17,000 years ago. Walk through the cave on a guided tour to go back in time by the glow of your torchlight and discover this cave from prehistoric times.
Alternatively, we offer you one of the following guided adventures amongst the mountains of the Pyrenees - kayaking along the local river, hiking through the valley or electric biking up the famous Plâteau de Beille for a panoramic view of the mountaintops. Or, if you prefer to we can offer the experience to learn book binding and the art of calligraphy.
Upon your return, afternoon tea shall be served at Gudanes. Later for aperitifs in the Renaissance kitchen, we invite a local historian to join us and share the history of the Cathars, who roamed this region until the 12th Century. Dinner will be held in the Salon de Musique - an elegant 18th Century banquet fit for queens and kings! Then followed by a night of disco dancing!
Saturday 10th May
We bid you farewell nos amis… Depart from Gudanes to Toulouse at 11:00 AM. Our journey shall take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. We kindly ask that you organise your ongoing travels around this departure time. We are able to drop you at the Toulouse airport, train station or Place Wilson.
