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Le Mans Tour
May 21, 2023 - June 13, 2023
21 May – 13 June 2023
2023 will be the 100th anniversary of the first Le Mans 24 Hour Race. The field will feature a raft of new cars. Porsche and Peugeot have already shown their cars while Audi, Ferrari, Cadillac are all set to join them and Toyota in the outright Hyper Car class. This seems to be a great excuse to visit the race of the century and we plan to do it in style. We have secured the Chateau Crystal in the Loire Valley for our exclusive use while the race is on. Just as importantly the build up to the race will be the perfect introduction to French culture with a 3 week tour of the best that France has to offer. Scenery, food, wine, hotels and driving will all be memorable.
While some may look forward to staying up for all 24 hours of the Le Mans race, we suspect that many would like to attend portions of the race and the build up to it and retreat to somewhere comfortable between times. Chateau Crystal is a bit over an hour from Le Mans and offers a huge range of activities for those wanting a break from the track.
The luxurious 19th century Chateau is on a magnificent 105 acre estate in the Loire Valley near Grez-Neuville and features a 22 acre private lake, a lovely island, wonderful lakeside terrace, swimming pool, palatial lawns, gorgeous gardens and woods full of wildlife. The Chateau has been extensively renovated and sumptuously decorated. The majestic entrance features a double carved-stone stairway and elaborate 16.5 foot ceilings. There is an elevator service to all four floors, access to reception rooms, dining rooms and the 14 en-suite bedrooms. This is special.
The Proposed Schedule
| Sunday | 21 May | Meet in Reims |
| Monday | 22 May | Rest Day Reims |
| Tuesday | 23 May | Reims – Colmar |
| Wednesday | 24 May | Colmar – Mulhouse – Grindelwald |
| Thursday | 25 May | Grindelwald – Tash |
| Friday | 26 May | Rest Day Tash |
| Saturday | 27 May | Tash – Chamonix |
| Sunday | 28 May | Chamonix – Valence |
| Monday | 29 May | Valence – Millau |
| Tuesday | 30 May | Millau – Carcassone |
| Wednesday | 31 May | Rest Day – Carcassone |
| Thursday | 1 June | Carcassone – Pau |
| Friday | 2 June | Pau – Bilbao |
| Saturday | 3 June | Bilbao – Biarritz |
| Sunday | 4 June | Rest Day – Biarritz |
| Monday | 5 June | Biarritz – La Rochelle |
| Tuesday | 6 June | La Rochelle – St Malo |
| Wednesday | 7 June | St Malo – Mont St Michel – Grez-Neuville |
| Thursday | 8 June | Practice – Qualifying |
| Friday | 9 June | Rest Day – Race Parade |
| Saturday | 10 June | Race Start |
| Sunday | 11 June | Race Finish |
| Monday | 12 June | Rest day Grez-Neuville |
The Tour Schedule
Day 1 – Reims
Reims is about a 90 minute drive ENE of Paris. The plan is to arrive at your leisure and we will meet up for dinner.
Day 2 – Reims – Rest Day
Reims is an essential stop on France’s Champagne trail, with big-name bubbly houses headquartered here among wide boulevards and well-preserved medieval churches. There’s plenty to toast to at Reims Cathedral, a coronation site for centuries of French monarchs. I figure this is a great opportunity to get accustomed to the time change and visit some of the Champagne producers for which the district is famous.
Day 3 – Reims – Colmar
370Km – 4 hours
Colmar is a photographer’s dream, with its labyrinth of cobbled lanes, flower-lined canals, and timber-framed houses painted in a rainbow of pastel hues. It’s the quintessential Alsatian town, brimming with traditional restaurants and surrounded by vineyards and medieval castles. We stay in the cobblestone heart of town.
Day 4 – Colmar – Mulhouse – Grindelwald
245Km – 3 hours
Grindelwald is postcard-perfect, a charming example of a Swiss ski resort. But before we get there we will head into Mulhouse and the world famous Schulmpf Collection of Bugatti and other fabulous cars.
Day 5 – Grindelwald – Tash
230Km – 4 hours 20 minutes
Or 130Km – 2 hours 30 minutes
When most people think of Tash, they think of one thing: The Matterhorn. This ultimate Swiss icon looms over Tash & Zermatt, first drawing visitors here in the 1860s. The village of Zermatt itself is lovely and car-free, with old-fashioned brown chalets and winding alleys. (Don’t worry, you don’t have to walk everywhere—there are electric vehicles and horse-drawn cabs.) However, we will stay at the foot of the railway in Tash with proper parking and access to all the good restaurants. There are 2 options for our drive. I have plotted a 4 hour 20 min run that will takes over the famous Furka Pass but if that is not your thing there is a much shorter run.
Day 6 – Tash – Rest Day
Soak up the Alpine atmosphere Climb the Matterhorn. A day to do your own thing.
Day 7 – Tash – Chamonix
145Km – 2 hours 15 mins
We leave a Swiss mountain resort for a French one, nestled in the shadow of Mt Blanc. This a pretty easy run along major roads until we get to Martigny where we head over the main range on an amazing road with spectacular views. Our hotel in Chamonix has plenty of parking and is only 50 metre from the Pedestrian heart of the town. Lots of restaurants and bars, should be fun.
Day 8 – Chamonix – Valence
300Km – 4 hours
A lovely day cruising through the national parks around the central massif, the countryside is spectacular, rolling hills with plenty of farms and forests, valleys and gorges with ancient villages a great days drive. If you wish to spend extra time in Chamonix, there are a couple of options. The most direct route only takes about 3 hours or you can stay an extra night in Chamonix and head straight to Millau although this will be a 6 hour drive.
Day 9 – Valence – Millau
270Km – 5 hours
300Km – 3 hours 15 minutes
The Roman town of Millau is now famous for the amazing bridge that towers over it. The route there is every bit as amazing, farmlands through the high country, ancient villages, rural France at its spectacular best. Our hotel is in the heart of town an easy walk to restaurants. A day to remember.
Day 10 – Millau – Carcassone
180Km – 3 hours 15 minutes
This one of my favourite drives. The best of French regional countryside and then there is Carcassone. Wow! Step back several centuries and imagine yourself in medieval times. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, La Cite at Carcassonne is a painstakingly restored medieval walled city on a hill by the Aude River. You’ll half-expect to see armed lookouts manning the fortified city’s towers. Our hotel is within the walled city and surrounded by cobbled lanes, great restaurants, bars and shops. One look at this city and I changed the schedule to have a 2nd night here. A magical place.
Day 11 – Carcassone Rest Day
Day 12 – Carcassone – Pau
280Km 4 hours
Leaving Carcassoine we head towards the foothills of the Pyrennes and yet another medieval town. Foix, with its spectacular castle is a good place for a break. Afterwards we will head onto the main roads to the
City of Pau where our accommodation overlooks part of the famous racetrack.
Day 13 – Pau – Bilbao
350Km – 4 hours 45 minutes
260Km – 2 hours 45 minutes
The Pyrennes at last. I was disappointed with the eastern and central parts of the Pyrennes around Andorra and left them out of the tour but this section ios a delight. Brilliant scenery and just a lovely drive. Even when we hit the main roads the Spanish scenery will keep you entertained. Our hotel is in the centre of Bilbao home to the amazing Guggenheim designed by Frank Gehry. The art inside is not too bad either
Day 14 – Bilbao – Biarritz
185Km – 3 Hours
A nice short day for the easy run along the Atlantic Coast to Biarritz. A stylish beach town on France’s southwestern coast, Biarritz was once the holiday spot for nobility and is now Europe’s surfing capital. It’s experienced a tourist renaissance—summers are busy. Biarritz lacks the Riviera’s glitz, but you’ll see affluent holiday-makers in designer gear and surfers in flip-flops, and hear French, Spanish and Basque. The Grande Plage is the centre of the action. Behind it, visit the restored, Art Deco casino and wander the streets down to the old port to the west.
Day 15 – Rest Day in Biarritz
Day 16 – Biarritz – La Rochelle
380Km – 3 hours 45 mins
A fairly long day as we head north through the Aquitaine region to La Rochelle, home to much of the French yachting industry and a surprisingly lovely array of cobbled lanes, bars and restaurants. There is not that much to see on the way so I have scheduled a cruise up the autoroute.
Day 17 – La Rochelle – St Malo
326Km – 4 hours
One of my favourite places in France, Saint-Malo was originally built as a walled citadel guarding the mouth of the Rance river, was for centuries home to feared pirates. They’ve all gone to Davy Jones’ Locker, though, and now it’s Brittany’s most-visited city. Walk the bustling streets of the reconstructed old city and the vast beaches, and try some of the fabulous oysters.
Day 18 – St Malo – Grez-Neuville
180Km – 4 Hours
If you are in Normandy you have to visit Mont St Michel, so we do before heading to our base for the Le Mans Race in Grez-Neuville about 1 hour south of Le Mans. The idea here is that we can get to the circuit fairly easy when required but for those not interested in Endurance Racing. Grez Neuville is central to any number of vineyards and restaurants to keep everyone entertained. Our home Chateau is simply stunning. Set in 120 acres with a 20 acre lake, 9 hole golf course, swimming pool, tennis court and plenty more there is plenty to keep you happy here for a week.
Day 19 – 23 – Le Mans
The schedule for the race has not been announced as yet but form past experience the likely schedule will be;
| Thursday | 8 June | Practice – Qualifying |
| Friday | 9 June | Rest Day – Race Parade |
| Saturday | 10 June | Race Start |
| Sunday | 11 June | Race Finish |
As with all Driving Adventures tours, this trip is all about having a good time. Nice cars, good friends, brilliant roads in some of the most beautiful locations on earth in company with like-minded adventurers. The tour represents the highest standards of organisation, first-rate hotels and exquisite dining. I will be there as a guide to smooth the way and ensure that each guest has the best experience possible.
These are events organised as rallies, but without the restrictions and limitations of a competition event. There is no competition timing. Guests are given detailed road books as well as a Sat-Nav system that has the correct route as well as a short history of the areas travelled. Roads are selected for the driving enjoyment. Unlike competition events, guests will be free to set their own agenda for the day. You can choose between a sleep-in and a leisurely breakfast or an early start with stops along the way to more closely inspect the local colour, or you could short-cut the scheduled route and hurry to your destination for a swim or spa before dinner with the group. You can even arrange to skip a night or two to take in a special side trip. It is YOUR holiday. The tour package includes all hotels and breakfast each morning. We can even help you with your choice of wheels for the tour.
Navigation
One of the keys to the flexibility of the tour is a navigation system that allows you to explore all the amazing back roads, at your own pace and with the confidence that you will be able to find your way to the next hotel or lunch stop. To make this as easy as possible we will supply you with your own Garmin Sat-Nav unit with our route programmed into it. This will be backed by our legendary easy to read road-book that details for you every turn that you require along the entire 3 week, 4,000 km tour. The book that runs to 150 pages has been perfected through constant updating and contains not only navigation instruction but also contact details for all hotels and emergency services, as well as helpful hints that make driving on tour a pleasure.
Cars
The choice of a car for a adventure such as this is a very personal choice. We will be happy to help arrange whatever your choice of vehicle is. We have had a good arrangement with Hertz and their Adrenaline Collection, there are specialist hire companies that specialise in a range of sports and exotic models or you could take advantage of the French Tourist Leasing scheme that offers a range of French cars at very attractive rates and have the advantage of being brand new and registered and insured in your name. You just hand the back at the end of the tour. We can even put you in touch with a dealer who will arrange to sell you the model of your choice and buy it back at the end of the tour. Talk to us when you are ready to choose.
Flights
I have found most tour members like to make their own flight arrangements however if you wish to receive a quote for flights we are happy to arrange this for you.
$25,000
Per Car – max 2 people
The Cost
The tour, which includes all accommodation, a cooked breakfast each morning, a comprehensive road-book, a pre-programmed Garmin Sat-Nav with our route loaded in and myself to lead and smooth the way for you is priced at $25,000 per car, max 2 people.
Every effort will be made to maintain the advertised pricing but any large movement with the exchange rate may require an adjustment.
Booking
There are limited places available for this tour. Places on the tour will be allocated on a first in basis. To secure a place you will need to provide an initial non-refundable deposit of $5,000. Further non-refundable deposits will be required on the lead up to the tour. Usually 6 months and then 3 months prior to the tour.
