Paris, Dordogne & Bordeaux, May 2026, Trip Report

Part 1

While this tour has been drastically revised for 2027, I will share a report on the current tour. The primary reasons we chose this tour were to return to Paris and to visit Lyon and the Dordogne region for the first time. Our tour commenced mid-May. I started to prepare for typical cool temperatures and rain. Fortunately, my husband and I followed the weather reports, which indicated that there would be some hot weather. We then pivoted to more summer clothes, which we did need.

We had a very smooth overnight flight from Chicago to CDG on American Airlines, arriving early afternoon the day before the tour was to commence. Very fast through immigration and efficient pick up and transfer to the Sofitel Paris Baltimore. I really liked this Hotel and its location across the river from the Eiffel Tower. On previous Paris visits, we primarily stayed in the Opera house area. We had a lovely room at the Sofitel, overlooking a quiet side street. It was still cool in Paris, and we had time to walk over to the Trocadero area to enjoy the Eiffel Tower view, to visit the wonderful Architecture Museum (located in the Palais de Chaillot) and then walk up to the nearby Passey Cemetery. After a light dinner, we called it a night.

Day 1: The tour was to commence this evening. I really wanted to see the renovated Notre Dame. We took the Metro there and visited in the late morning. We then took our time walking back to the Hotel, stopping at a cafe for coffee, walking along the River, visiting the Petit Palace and having lunch there, walking down the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe and back to the Hotel. A wonderful day. That night we met our Tauck tour director and traveling companions at a nice cocktail reception and very good dinner at the Sofitel. Our tour director, who was excellent, had emailed the group a couple of weeks prior to the tour to introduce herself and provide some restaurant and other suggestions about Paris.

Day 2: The group was transported by bus (with commentary by the local guide) to the Latin Quarter area, where we had an interesting guided tour of the Cluny Museum. Then we had a very good lunch at Les Ombres, which overlooks the Eiffel Tower, and returned to the Hotel around 3:00 p.m. My husband and I then visited the nearby Maritime Museum, which we enjoyed. We then walked across the River past the Eiffel Tower and to the Rue Cler area, where we had a light dinner.

Day 3: The group was transported by bus to Montmartre. We took the little train up to Sacre-Coeur. On a previous visit, we had taken the funicular, and I thought the train was better, as it wound around the neighborhood, with narration. We had a walking tour and a visit to the Musee de Montmartre, which I found very interesting. We then visited the small winery and vineyard, and I enjoyed hearing about its history (the wine is not the attraction). Then the group walked to our lunch stop, Le Moulin de la Galette, and had a very nice meal. We had some free time, and my husband and I visited Sacre-Coeur (for our second time). I know that others in the group did some shopping. The group then took the little train down. My husband and I left the group at that point - they were taking the bus back to the Hotel. We had timed tickets for the Matisse exhibit at the Grand Palais for 4:00 pm, so we took the Metro there. The exhibit was excellent, but quite crowded. After walking back to the Hotel, we had a light dinner nearby.

Day 4: The group was transported by bus to the Gare de Lyon train station. We had a very smooth ride to Lyon on the high speed train. Upon arrival, we had an excellent lunch at Repere. Then the bus took us up past Roman ruins to the Basilica of Notre Dame. We enjoyed the views and visited the Basilica. We took a funicular down to the Old Town, where we had an interesting walking tour. We walked through a couple of covered passageways through residences - called Traboules. They were used by the Resistance during the War. Also saw the old Courthouse where Klaus Barbie was tried. Lyon is a beautiful City with two rivers, the Rhone and the Saone. Our beautiful Hotel, the Intercontinental, is located on the Rhone. We had a very nice, quiet room on a courtyard. I would have liked a room facing the River. Apparently, some past Tauck clients complained about those rooms because there are some stairs, but that would not bother me. For dinner, the group met to walk together to a nearby local Bouchon restaurant (local, hearty food). We had an excellent meal. After dinner, my husband and I walked across the River to the promenade, where we had a nice walk and great people watching. It was also cool, as this was the first day of the heat wave.

Day 5: A really great day in Lyon. The group first visited an area of murals - very well done and realistic. Then to a silk factory for a tour and presentation (and people did make purchases). Then a tour of the covered food market, Halles Paul Bocuse, with independent time to shop or sample. Then to In Cuisine for a cooking class and lunch. It was fun and the food was good. We returned to the Hotel around 2:00 pm. My husband and I then walked to the main square area, where we visited a lovely church and went to the Fine Arts Museum. An excellent visit and we enjoyed a refreshment in the peaceful courtyard. That evening, we happened upon Saturday evening services at the pretty Church behind the Hotel - excellent acoustics. We then walked over to the same street where the group had dinner the previous evening, and had an outside table at Chez M'Man, where we had a very good price fix dinner. We followed that with another walk along the promenade along the River. I would have liked another night in Lyon, and will try to get back there in the future.

To be continued