Travel Style

Deluxe

Trip Details

The program has been designed by Decouvertes, Gourmet Travel Club's destination specialist.

Included in France:

• Private transfer from Nice Airport to your hotel
• Hotel La Perousse - 4 nights
• Professional English-speaking guide-driver on all sightseeing in France
• Nice market, cooking class, lunch and visit to local producers
• Cooking class and lunch with a Michelin starred chef
• Excursion or Lerins Island - lunch included
• Sedan transfer from your hotel to Nice Airport

Included in Italy:

• Sedan transfer from Naples Airport to Amalfi - stopping en route for Pompeii Tour
• Private guide for Pompeii tour
• Pompeii entrance fees
• Hotel Marina di Riviera - 4 nights
• Dinner Reservation
• Transfer to Mamma Agata cooking experience
• Mamma Agata Cooking Experience
• Return transfers for Le Pieracciole Farm Experience
• La Pieracciole Farm Experience
• Private Yacht for Amalfi Coast Tour
• Return transfers for Sommelier Gennaro experience
• Sommelier Gennaro Experience
• Private transfer from Amalfi Hotel to Naples Airport

France and Italy:

• All taxes
• Recommended Restaurants Collection in France and Italy
• Coordination and Support
• 24 hour assistance during your trip

Priced from $6,115 per person based on double occupancy

Itinerary

Day 1          ARRIVE IN NICE

Arrive at Nice airport in the morning.  Private transfer to your deluxe 4-star hotel.  This little gem has been entirely renovated to catch the spirit of Provence:  charm, peacefulness and discreet ambience right next to "Old Nice" with its flower market, bistros and winding streets with houses hundreds of years old. 

Short panoramic tour of Nice:  you will view the luxurious Belle Epoque-style residences, including the fabulous Negresco Palace built on the sea front.  The Negresco, whose dome can be admired from the Promenade des Anglais, is the finest example of Belle Epoque architecture.  Visit the Russian Church.

Overnight in Nice.

Day 2          NICE

Nice Market, cooking class, visit to local producers.

This morning food writer, Cordon Bleu-trained cook and longtime French resident Rosa invites you to join her for a market tour and a cooking class in her apartment, steps from the vibrant food market and the Quai des Etats-Unis.  It's all about the pleasures of a day spent shopping at the Cours Saleya market and preparing an authentic Nicois meal in France's most Italian city.

After lunch with Rosa, you will visit some of the farms of the local producers.  Just beyond Nice, the land becomes rugged and mountainous, making the producers' task a challenging one.  The scenery is some of the most breathtaking on the Cote d'Azur.  We will visit an olive farm to taste organic oil made from the local Nicois olives, see dozens of varieties of citrus fruits at a garden run by a former Formula One race car driver in Menton, gape at the 80 organic tomato varieties grown in the hills of Bellet, and sample the little known wine from that same region.

Evening and dinner at leisure.

Overnight in Nice.

Day 3          NICE

Cooking class with lunch with a Michelin starred chef.

Today you will meet with one of the most famous gastronomic figures in Nice, a Michelin starred chef who is always keen on sharing his passion.  He is, without a doubt, the most nicoise of chefs on the Riviera.  He is always on the lookout for hard-to-find regional products.  He will lead you in the professional kitchen of his restaurant for a two-hour cooking class.  After your hands-on cooking class with the friendly, outgoing chef, enjoy lunch in his gourmet restaurant.

After lunch, the afternoon is at leisure.

You may wish to walk along the narrow alleys of the Old City.  The old buildings reflect the soul of Nice and all its history.  It is still a very busy part of the town, living and breathing in an explosion of colors, fragrances and flavors.  Do not miss tasting the best ice cream in the city at Fenocchio before savoring the famous Italian gelati when you are in Italy.

Overnight in Nice.

Day 4          NICE

Iles de Lerins, Abbey and Lerina Liqueur

Depart for Cannes.  Just a few hundred yards from La Croisette, opposite the Bay of Cannes, stand the Lerins Islands.  In an idyllic and protected natural setting, the Mediterranean's two beauty spots offer visitors a unique blend of flora and fauna, of rich history marked by the mystery of the Man in the Iron Mask and the serenity of Cistercian monks.

You will arrive in Saint-Honorat owned by a monastic community that has worked the natural resources of the island since the 5th century, growing vines.  Lerins Abbey is home to Cistercian monks.  The fortified monastery constitutes one of the finest examples of feudal architecture in Provence.  Facing out to sea, Saint-Honorat is conducive to meditation but also to tasting excellent wines, one in particular, the famous Lerina liqueur. 

After visiting the abbey, you will have lunch at a local restaurant on the island and you will have the opportunity to taste the liqueur prepared by the monks.

In the afternoon, you will visit the outstanding collection of chapels.  Dotted around the island, they have attracted pilgrims from the mainland since the 6th century.  The two oldest chapels, damaged by the onslaughts of time, have been renovated:  Saint-Sauveur to the northeast and Saint-Porcaire, nicely sheltered by the monastery ramparts.  Here time stands still.  Monastic life dictates a rhythm we no longer know on the mainland.  Remembering how to take the time to enjoy life is just one of the many reasons for losing oneself for a day on the shore of Saint-Honorat.

Return to Nice at the end of the afternoon. 

Get ready for your farewell dinner in France at one of the best restaurants in the city.

Overnight in Nice.

Day 5          DEPART FOR ITALY (AMALFI)

Check out of the hotel after breakfast.  Private transfer to Nice airport for flight to Italy. 

Arrive in Naples.  Private transfer from the airport to your hotel in Amalfi with a local expert driver - stopping en route to enjoy one of Italy's most important archaeological sites - Pompeii. 

Check into your four star hotel, where you will have a view of the sea.  This beautiful hotel has a wonderful location in the heart of Amalfi, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the coastline and one of the area's most famous ports.  Dating back to the early 1900's this hotel offers its guests lots of character, an amazing history and a very warm welcome.

Conveniently, next door to your hotel one can enjoy lunch and/or dinner at the Eolo Restaurant.  This restaurant has a wonderful menu and offers a great choice of local and traditional fare, excellent service, an impressive wine list and more of those picture postcard Amalfi Coast views. 

Time at leisure to enjoy Amalfi on your own.

Dinner reservations will be made for you at Lido Azzurro Restaurant.  This restaurant is well located down at the port of Amalfi.  It offers both indoor and outdoor seating.  The owner - Antonio - is extremely friendly and professional and will give you some great ideas on what to choose - you may want to let him order for you as he will introduce you to many of the restaurant's specialty dishes.  Antonio is also 'the' person to assist you with the perfect wine to go with the dishes you have chosen.  While the seafood dishes here are their specialty - other choices are available.

The outdoor eating area is on the water itself and you have a perfect view of the port area and the yachts and boats coming in and from Amalfi.  Casual atmosphere at lunchtime, a little more elegant in the evening.

Day 6          AMALFI

Breakfast at your hotel.

Today we will enjoy a unique experience with a special introduction to the culinary world of Mamma Agata in her home in the heart of Ravello.  The cooking career of Mamma Agata started at the young age of thirteen.  She went to work in order to help her family and was employed in the kitchen of a wealthy American lady who owned a summer villa in Ravello, overlooking the Amalfi Coast. 

From the port in Amalfi we will enjoy a short leisurely transfer with our local expert driver to the home of Mamma Agata located in the heart of Ravello to enjoy a very special cooking class, which will be followed by lunch on the terrace of her home. 

Afternoon at leisure to enjoy Amalfi on your own.

Dinner at leisure in one of Amalfi's Restaurants.

Day 7          AMALFI

Breakfast at the hotel.

Today we will enjoy a unique experience visiting the Le Peracciole Farm, owned by Ristorante Don Alfonso, one of Italy's 'Top Four Restaurants' followed by a special lunch...This very special experience begins with a visit to "Le Peracciole," a six hectare farm where Don Alfonso produces its own extra-virgin olive oil and lemon liqueur, as well as most of the fresh fruits and vegetables that are served in their famous restaurant.  This beautiful farm is located on steep terraces overlooking the sea in some of the most unspoiled countryside of the Sorrento Peninsula, overlooking the Mediterranean Island of Capri.  Following the visit to "Le Peracciole" Farm, return to the Don Alfonso Restaurant for lunch.  Here you will enjoy a unique lunch experience with a special tasting menu to introduce you to the signature dishes that made Don Alfonso one of Italy's top four restaurants. 

During lunch you can enjoy a selection of regional wines.  Lunch ends with a vertical descent into the Wine Cellar from vaults that were built at the turn of the century. 

Afternoon at leisure to enjoy Amalfi.

Dinner at leisure in one of Amalfi's restaurants.

Day 8          AMALFI

Breakfast at the hotel.

A half day tour will take us along the beautiful Amalfi Coast where we can enjoy some of the most beautiful towns and villages which line one of Italy's most famous coastlines.  We will pass the town of Maiori, Amalfi, the Grotta della Smeraldo, Positano, the Islands of Li Galli, and beautiful cove seaside area of Nerano.

Lunch at leisure.

Enjoy a wonderful experience with somellier Gennaro.  This is a very unique experience giving the guests the opportunity to not only taste the Campania wines but also learn all about the wines, how to taste them, how to open the bottle, how to combine the wine perfectly with a menu, when to serve the wine, and how to serve it.  We will discuss the different wine glasses and which ones to use for which wine.

A wonderful selection of appetizers paired with wines during the wine-tasting:  artisan cheeses and salami served with honey, sweet onions and artisan breads and "Taralli," which is a dry bread skillfully baked with nuts, olive oil and wine.

Day 9         DEPART ITALY

Breakfast at the hotel.

Private transfer from hotel to Naples Airport.

Accommodations

Nice:          Hotel La Perousse

Amalfi:       Hotel Marina di Riviera

Club Member Benefits