Fête de la musique Celebration with Jean Du Plessis at Château de La Creuzette

Limited places available

Overview

June is the most wonderful time to be in the French Countryside. Summer has kicked off, the gardens are in full bloom, and the days start getting longer. The park at La Creuzette is in its full glory. During the week we enjoy exciting excursions to wonderful places of interest. In the evenings we dine festively and enjoy classical music concerts by Jean Du Plessis and his pianist, Sonja Van Zyl. On the 21^st June we celebrate the Fête de La Musique with a jazz concert in the garden of La Creuzette.

Cost Breakdown

La Creuzette holiday programs are carefully compiled to ensure that you have the ultimate, hassle-free luxury holiday experience. Our all-inclusive land arrangement means that everything aside from flights, Schengen visas, train tickets, and personal expenses are taken care of as follows:

• €3 150 per person sharing
• Collection from Châteauroux train station on the 17^th June and transfer to La Creuzette
• Luxurious accommodation at La Creuzette for the 5 nights / 6 days
• Full board accommodation (i.e. all meals with drinks, also at restaurants we visit)
• All excursions including entrance fees and gratuities
• All cooking demonstrations and guest chefs
• All musical concerts
• Transfer back to Châteauroux train station at the end of the week at La Creuzette

A non-refundable deposit of €1 000 secures your booking with the balance due on or before your arrival at la Creuzette. A single supplement of €650 for the week applies for single occupation.

Itinerary

Day 1 (Tuesday, 17 June)

Collection from Châteauroux train station where the group will arrive between 14:00 and 15:00. From here we have an hour’s drive to La Creuzette, your château residence for the week. We arrive at La Creuzette and are welcomed in the formal lounge for tea/coffee and macarons. Take some time to settle in, relax and explore the property. We meet at 19h30 for a glass of champagne in the garden, followed by a four-course dinner in the private cellar dining room.

Day 2 (Wednesday, 18 June)

Breakfast will be served at 9am in the main dining room. After breakfast, we go on an excursion to the picturesque village of Apremont which is located on the banks of the Allier River. Listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France. It is home to the romantic French Folly Gardens filled with rare trees and floral borders, a Chinese bridge and a Turkish pavilion that seems to float at the edge of a lake. We have lunch in the garden at the Bistro de la Lavoir and afterward, we amble through the quaint village. We return to La Creuzette. Later, we meet in the château entry hall for champagne, followed by a private classic concert in the lounge by Jean Du Plessis and his pianist, Sonja Van Zyl. Dinner will be enjoyed in the summerhouse dining room.

Day 3 (Thursday, 19 June)

Today is our local market day in Boussac. After breakfast, we stroll through the colourful market stalls, which are laden with fresh fruit and vegetables, lively plants and flowers, and artisanal products from the region. We also visit some of the small boutiques in town, many owned by South Africans. Using the fresh produce selected at the market, lunch will be prepared and enjoyed at the long stone table in front of the La Creuzette summer kitchen. After lunch, we take a short drive to the Priory garden at Notre Dame d’Orsan (the inspiration for the garden design at Babylonstoren in South Africa and now also The Newt in Somerset, UK). We spend the afternoon in this creative and peaceful garden, and visit their beautiful garden shop, before heading back to La Creuzette. This evening we meet in the château lounge for a private concert by Jean Du Plessis accompanied by his pianist, Sonja Van Zyl. A five-star dinner follows in the summerhouse dining room.

Day 4 (Friday, 20 June)

After breakfast, our excursion for the day takes us to Limoges, the well-known capital of French porcelain. We visit the National Porcelain museum with a rich history of the porcelain making process and how it originated. They have an exquisite exhibition of ceramic and porcelain dating back several centuries. There are also antique glass and enamel works in the collection. We enjoy a delicious lunch at a bistro in town. This afternoon, we visit two porcelain manufacturers where we can buy some beautiful Bernardaud and Royal Limoges porcelain at affordable prices. We return to La Creuzette, and later, we meet in the Summerhouse Kitchen for a hands-on cooking session followed by dinner.

Day 5 (Saturday, 21 June)

After breakfast, we drive to the picturesque village of Aubusson, the Tapestry capital of France. This beautiful village is filled with rich history, and it is here that French tapestries and carpets have been woven and restored for centuries. The newly re-opened Cité de la Tapisserie (expanded during 2024) with superb collections of ancient and contemporary tapestries will be our first experience. Here you will learn all about the ancient method of tapestry weaving and admire the many magnificent tapestries on exhibition. We enjoy lunch at a restaurant on the bank of the river and after lunch, we visit a master weaver’s studio and Chantal Chirac’s carton (tapestry pattern) museum and shop. We return to La Creuzette where you will have some relaxing time and time to pack. This evening we have a jazz concert in the garden of La Creuzette in celebration of the Fête de la Musique (music festival). A dinner feast in the garden follows.

Day 6 (Sunday, 22 June)

After breakfast, we have some relaxing time at La Creuzette. We depart for the Châteauroux train station from where the train to Paris departs.

Please note that this itinerary may be amended to accommodate suppliers, service providers and the weather.

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