Grand Cru and Pinxto

You start your adventure in grand style. We have seated you in Eurostar’s Business Premiere, one of the finest premium first classes in all of Europe. Your steward will welcome you onboard and serve you a glass of Champagne, followed by a fine three-course lunch with wine as you speed under the Channel towards Paris.

Upon arrival at Gare du Nord, you will be met by your private guide who will escort you to your waiting chauffeured car and join you for the ride to your four-star hotel.

Then, she will invite you on a privately guided two-hour city walk. As a local insider, they have an excellent idea of what to show you. But remember: This your private guide, so feel free to mention anything you would like to experience on the walk.

Allow us to quote the late Anthony Bourdain, expert in travelling off-the-beaten-track, who had this to say about visiting Paris: “Please, make the most of it by doing as little as possible. Walk a little. Get lost a bit. Eat. Catch a breakfast buzz. Have a nap. Try and have sex if you can.”

His point was, you do not experience the real Paris by following the crowds and adhering to a strict itinerary. Instead, just meander through a neighbourhood that seems intriguing. Strive to get lost, and while you’re doing so, pop into vintage shops, atmospheric bookshops, and local brasseries. Great advice for any city in our collection, and especially for this repository of hidden treasures.

One such hidden gem: The Promenade Plantée. This long-abandoned mid-19th century viaduct winds its way for three miles from the Bastille. It’s a magical, green stroll with several spectacular panoramas across Parisian rooftops. Don’t forget to occasionally descend to street-level where brick archways under the viaduct have been transformed into artisan showrooms that range from violin-makers to glass blowers and jewelers.

It is quite a distance from Paris to the south of the country, but you wouldn’t know it from the mere two-hour journey time on your TGV travelling on a dedicated high-speed line that allows it to unleash all its power. Many TGV trainsets today are double-deckers, and your spacious first-class seat may well be on the upper deck, offering great views as well as an intimate cabin. As you would expect in France, the seats are stylishly designed. A café-car offers snacks and light meals.

Upon arrival at Bordeaux, you will be met by your private guide who will escort you to your waiting chauffeured car and join you for the ride to your four-star hotel.

Then, she will invite you on a privately guided two-hour city walk. As a local insider, they have an excellent idea of what to show you. But remember: This your private guide, so feel free to mention anything you would like to experience on the walk.

We assume you are considering this stop because you are an oenophile. And indeed, the capital of wine does offer plenty of temptations to lovers of wine: Legendary vineyards and beautiful old wine towns dot the landscape around Bordeaux, and the city itself offers the perfect setting to pay homage to the local grapes, including the world’s best wine museum.

But teetotallers will also love Bordeaux. The old centre is grandiose and elegant in an 18^th-century kind of way that no other city in Europe can match. The graceful streets, noble facades, and fine squares make for a sublime city. In recent years the city has restored the centre to its old glory, and the most stunning transformation is the long-derelict riverbank that has now become an enchanting riverscape where beautiful gardens and charming old warehouses are teeming with life.

Enjoy life at its finest as you stroll from one fine meal and great wine to another. Walk around the monumental historic city centre where restaurants and cafés nestle in the finest neo-classical buildings 18^th-century riches could construct, and along the most elegant boulevards Europeans could imagine. This is one of the most delightful cityscapes in all of France.

Today you travel for a short couple of hours from flat and fertile wine country to the foothills of the mighty Pyrenees. Your first-class seat is most likely on the upper deck, offering great views as well as an intimate cabin. As you would expect in France, the seats are stylishly designed. A café-car offers snacks and light meals.

Upon arrival at Hendaye, you will be met by your private guide who will escort you to your waiting chauffeured car and join you for the half-hour ride across the French-Spanish border and to your four-star hotel. Then, she will invite you on a privately guided two-hour city walk. As a local insider, they have an excellent idea of what to show you. But remember: This your private guide, so feel free to mention anything you would like to experience on the walk.

San Sebastian used to be known as the Monte Carlo of Spain, a stylish and aristocratic beach resort. But lately, the city is especially talked about as the best place to eat in the country – possibly all of Europe. San Sebastian’s inhabitants are obsessed with food in general, and their Basque cuisine in particular, and their foodie culture has nurtured so many great restaurants that the city has the second most Michelin stars per capita in the world (only behind Kyoto).

So, the Belle Époque promenades of the city’s three urban beaches will certainly entice you – especially La Concha, arguably the best city beach in Europe – but the high-light of your day will be sampling the local cuisine in the unique Basque way: Hopping from bar to bar, standing up, and sampling bite-size bits of culinary art. This, as you’ll soon learn, is called the pintxo.