Beautiful Bordeaux, the Dordogne & La Rochelle

Your holiday begins today as we meet at London St Pancras and join the Eurostar to Paris. From here, we travel by coach and rail through the French countryside to Bordeaux, where we board our ship on the banks of the Garonne River.

Take some time to settle into your cabin and explore the ship's inviting lounges or the open deck, where you can take in the riverside scenery. This evening, we enjoy a welcome cocktail before our first dinner, accompanied by an evening of entertainment.

Due to navigational considerations and tidal influence, the order of the itinerary may change.

• Dinner

Following breakfast on board, we begin delving into this famous wine town's allures on a guided tour. Beautiful Bordeaux brims with 18th-century grandeur and 21st-century energy. As the world's largest urban World Heritage site - with diverse architecture, welcoming boulevards and a quaint Old Town - Bordeaux is also the heart of one of the world's most renowned wine regions.

Famous for its exceptional vintages, the city offers an excellent choice of wine bars and museums dedicated to its rich wine-making heritage. This sets the perfect stage for our upcoming journey along the Médoc wine route, where we will discover some of the region's most prestigious vineyards and châteaux.

Returning to the ship this evening, we enjoy a wine tasting to sample Bordeaux's bold and flavourful wines and then settle in for dinner.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, we set off on our first cruise on the Dordogne to Libourne. Stepping ashore this afternoon, we travel by coach to St Émilion for a guided coach tour of this UNESCO-listed city. According to legend, a Benedictine monk named Émilion sought refuge in one of the natural caves in the area to escape the celebrity status bestowed on him for performing a miracle. We see this very cave on our tour, as well as the largest monolithic church in Europe and other sites that tell the story of this medieval commune.

Visiting a family-run vineyard next, we have our first tasting of some popular local wines before returning to our ship, where we sail to Cussac during dinner, mooring overnight.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we wake in Cussac, a sleepy village on the banks of the Gironde river. On a guided tour through the celebrated Médoc wine route, we're treated to our second tasting at a vineyard along the Route des Châteaux, famous for its collection of medieval castles and wine estates stretching from the south to the north of the Alsace region. We learn about the unique blend of soil, climate, and tradition that contributes to the rich flavours of the renowned wines produced in this region.

Following lunch, we spend the afternoon on board sailing from Cussac to Royan, a coastal town with beautiful beaches, a seaside promenade and art deco architecture. We moor here for the night and have dinner this evening alongside some entertainment.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, we travel by coach to Rochefort, an ancient maritime city on the banks of the Charente River. On a tour into the city's intriguing past, we visit the Corderie Royale, a historic rope-making factory which supplied the French navy for centuries.

We then continue to one of the most historically important seaports on the European Atlantic coast, La Rochelle. After lunch at a local restaurant, we tour the natural and man-made architecture that makes this destination so unique. You then have time at leisure in La Rochelle to explore the Old Town and harbour, or you could visit one of the city's many museums.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Setting sail again early this morning, our ship moors in the fortified 13th-century town of Cadillac on the banks of la Garonne. With two excursions today, we begin with a tour of the medieval Roquetaillade Château, named after the troglodyte caves underneath. Built in 1306 as the last English castle in France, it is has been owned by the same family for 700 years. It was opened to the public in 1956 and there's a working farm with Bazadais cattle, as well as a vineyard that produces the famous white wine, Chateaufort de Roquetaillade.

Later, we enjoy a short guided walking tour of Cadillac to uncover this medieval town. With streets of limestone buildings, Cadillac's focal point is its stately 15th-century Ducal Château. We return to our ship and set sail for Bordeaux. This evening, we enjoy a gala dinner, a memorable conclusion to our cruise.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a final breakfast onboard, it's time to say goodbye to our crew this morning. We head to the station by coach and board the train to Paris, where we connect with the Eurostar back to London St Pancras.

Our holiday comes to an end here and you can make your way home with new memories of the castles, towns and vineyards of the Bordeaux region from the city's 18th-century architecture to tasting local wines on the Médoc wine route and exploring Rochefort, La Rochelle, Roquetaillade Château and Cadillac.

• Breakfast