3 – 11 october 2026
Location :
A WEEK’S HOLIDAY WITH YOUR PLEASURE CAR
I have the honor and pleasure to present the RAINBOW TOUR 2026, which will take place from 3 TO 11 October 2026, under the direction of Dominique De Taverny.
The challenge is once again accepted for a new RAINBOW TOUR 2026. October is often a less active month for vintage car outings, so let’s take advantage of this quieter time to get together and discover “la belle France.” We count on your support for this great 9-day outing. The success of the RAINBOW TOUR 2026 is in your hands.
PRESENTATION
For this Grand tour, I invite you to discover the Loire Valley. A region well-known for its magnificent châteaux, the Loire Valley has other secrets that you can discover during this upcoming car tour. I invite you to discover this region and let yourself be guided during a week’s vacation in your pleasure car. To fully enjoy this week’s vacation and be completely relaxed, there are no games or questions during this stay. Simply a ride in your cars. This event is reserved for classic vehicles over 30 years old or exceptional vehicles.
ACCOMODATION
For the first two nights, you’ll stay at the 3-star La Pyramide Hotel. This establishment is located in Romorantin-Lanthenay, approximately 2 kilometers from the city center. Rooms are equipped with a bathroom and toilet, a TV, and Wi-Fi. A bar is available for evening drinks. The hotel offers a large private parking lot for your car.
HOTEL LA PYRAMIDE
66 rue de la pyramide
41200 ROMORANTIN-LANTHENAY
+ 33 (0)2 54 76 22 28
lapyramide@orange.fr
For the next 6 nights, you’ll stay at the Domaine de Roiffé***. This hotel is located in the village of Roiffé, approximately 20 kilometers southwest of Saumur. Spread across several pavilions, this hotel offers a vast park and a bar with a terrace. The rooms are equipped with a bathroom with a toilet, a television, and Wi-Fi. For parking, the hotel has a large private car park.
DOMAINE DE ROIFFE
Lieu dit Saint Hilaire
86120 ROIFFE
+ 33 (0)5 49 22 48 17
reservation@domainederoiffe.fr
PROGRAMME
The meeting will begin with a meeting on Saturday 3 October 2026, late afternoon around 17:00-20:00 directly at the Pyramide Hotel in Romorantin-Lanthenay. This will leave the entire day of Saturday to make the journey from your home in Romorantin-Lanthenay. Thus, no activities are planned following this day of driving. Everyone will take their own room for the next 2 nights that you will spend at this establishment. In the evening, you will meet for dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Sunday 4 october.
In the morning, head to Valencay for a visit to the Valencay Automobile Museum, which covers 1,600 square meters and showcases over a century of this adventure that revolutionized the world. Discover some sixty classic cars (since 1898) in perfect working order, a superb collection of garage signs, spare parts, and period posters, and the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a 1926 car.
Then, you’ll take your cars to the grounds of the Château de Valencay. Lunch will be served in the restaurant of the Château de Valencay.
After your meal, visit the Château de Valencay. With its imposing tufa facades and pepperpot domes, the château is one of the Grands Sites of the Loire Valley. From 1803, it became the residence of Prince Talleyrand, who acquired it at the request of Emperor Napoleon. At the château, Talleyrand administered France’s diplomacy, receiving all the influential political figures and foreign dignitaries. The château was enjoying its moment of glory!
Then, head to Ecueillé for a ride on the Bas-Berry Steam Train: Aboard an authentic steam train from the early 1900s, travel through the green countryside of Bas-Berry, the former name of the Indre department. The collection’s exhibits, magnificently preserved by the association’s volunteers, take you on a charming journey to the beginning of the last century.
Return to Romorantin
Dinner at the restaurant of the Hotel La Pyramide in Romorantin
Monday 5 october.
Final Departure from the Hotel
Your route will take you close to the hotel to the Matra Automobile Museum. Modern, bright, and welcoming, the Matra Automobile Museum, open since May 2000 on its current site, has become a must-see. This unique official museum of the famous brand welcomes you over 3,000 m². Discover a three-dimensional saga: the industrial adventure, an absolutely unique sporting achievement, and the Matra spirit of innovation symbolized by numerous prototypes. In total, some seventy vehicles are harmoniously displayed. A visit to the sumptuous engine room completes this educational and surprising tour of the heart of the Matra Automobile adventure.
After the tour, you will head to Amboise. Lunch at a local restaurant in Amboise.
The rest of the day will take you to the Château d’Ussé. In the 17th century, the Marquis de Valentinay regularly hosted his friend Charles Perrault in this sumptuous château on the banks of the Indre River. The elegant white tufa facades, crowned by slender towers, captivated the writer’s imagination. Along the rampart walk, the views over the valley reveal an enchanting panorama that would fuel his inspiration for “Sleeping Beauty.” The flamboyant Gothic chapel, an architectural gem of the Renaissance, bears witness to the era when the Duke of Blacas transformed the medieval fortress into a refined residence. The gardens, later redesigned, add a touch of magic to this setting that continues to amaze young and old alike.
Arrival at the Domaine de Roiffé in the late afternoon.
Check-in for the next 6 nights.
Dinner at the Domaine de Roiffé restaurant.
Tuesday 6 october
In the morning, head to the town of Azay-le-Rideau to visit the Château de l’Islette. A Renaissance castle enclosed by the arms of the Indre River, the Château de l’Islette is reminiscent of its neighbor Azay-le-Rideau. Two brothers, it is often said… It housed the passionate love affair of Camille Claudel and Rodin. The latter sculpted La Petite Châtelaine there, a bronze of which you can admire. Completed around 1530, this Renaissance castle consists of a long rectangular main building, flanked by two imposing towers, crowned by a machicolated walkway. Its Great Hall and chapel offer remarkable pictorial decoration.
A quick tour to reach the Retro-Mechanical City. Lunch on site.
After lunch, visit the Retro-Mechanical City-Maurice Dufresne Museum. From the Industrial Revolution to the Trente Glorieuses (Glorious Thirty), (re)discover the mechanical, industrial, and human genius of the 19th and 20th centuries! Located within the Marnay mill in Azay-le-Rideau, the Maurice Dufresne Museum collection brings together more than 3,000 retro-mechanical machines and chronicles the mechanization of agriculture, the evolution of means of transportation, and the First and Second World Wars. Maurice Dufresne, a scrap metal dealer and visionary entrepreneur, spent his life saving this heritage of cogs and steel from destruction: cars, bicycles, airplanes, trucks, motorcycles, tractors, agricultural and military machinery, weaving looms, children’s toys, and more.
Return to the Domaine de Roiffé.
Dinner at the Domaine de Roiffé restaurant.
Wednesday 7 october
Departure towards Saint Cyr-en-Bourg for a visit to the Edonis winery. This winery was founded in 1956 by some forty winegrowers. In the Edonis House, carved out of the tuffeau stone cellars of the Edonis Vineyards site in Bellevigne-les-Châteaux, wander at your own pace, passing from room to room of this centuries-old troglodyte house. Guided by the iconic and welcoming characters who have taken possession of this residence, you will discover the secrets of the Loire Valley vineyards in 12 tasting sessions. A journey that will introduce you to vintages from the Nantes region to Touraine, all accompanied by audio clips, visual creations, and historical content.
Lunch on Edonis winery.
Afternoon free to explore the region independently.
Dinner at the Domaine de Roiffé restaurant.
Thursday 8 october
Departure for Doué in Anjou and a visit to the Mystery of the Faluns. Through a scenic underground walk, visitors are transported to the underwater world of Doué-la-Fontaine 10 million years ago. A screening of an educational film, light effects, iridescent blue walls, a ballet of fish, a water mirror… As you explore these caves, you’ll discover the history of the site and the geological upheavals that gave rise to it, the animals that inhabited it, and the men who excavated it. A fabulous journey between land and sea, past and present, dream and science.
Then you’ll hit the road to Terranjou. In the heart of the Anjou countryside, the Cabaret des Belles Poules welcomes you into a magical world! Discover an explosive show. Awaken your senses and experience the magic of metamorphosis. Your experience at the Cabaret des Belles Poules will unfold in three parts: an aperitif in a cabaret atmosphere, a gourmet meal served on a plate, and then the launch of the revue! “The goal of Les Belles Poules is to entertain people, create a great atmosphere, a very zany show but also full of emotion and with beautiful scenes!” Ivan Rodriguez – Founder of the Cabaret. So, are you ready for an afternoon of relaxation, fun, and glitz?
Back to the Domaine de Roiffé.
Dinner at the Domaine de Roiffé restaurant.
Friday 9 october
Head to the Château de Gizeux. You are invited to a warm visit to this large, furnished and still inhabited residence. On the ground floor, the wood-panelled walls of the small salons clearly illustrate the importance given to comfort during the Renaissance period. But the real treasure of Gizeux awaits you on the first floor: two galleries decorated with exceptional 17th-century murals. Entirely decorated by Italian artists, the Galerie François 1er was saved from the destruction of the Revolution in a very curious way. In order to hide the royal symbols from the revolutionaries’ eyes, the villagers covered the paintings with a thick layer of mud! The second gallery is aptly named. The Galerie des Châteaux houses 400 m² of murals depicting great royal châteaux such as Chambord, Versailles, and Fontainebleau. The tour continues in the hunting room, the kitchens where the copperworks gleam, and leads you to the château’s beautiful vaulted cellars.
The tour of the château will be followed by a tasting of regional wines, followed by a meal at the Château de Gizeux.
Then, you’ll head to Rillé for a train ride: The historic Rillé train allows you to rediscover the charm of the old departmental railways that once crisscrossed our countryside. Vintage carriages and locomotives have been restored by our association’s volunteers. The line winds along Lake Rillé, passing through woods and groves.
Return to the Domaine de Roiffé.
Dinner at the Domaine de Roiffé restaurant.
Saturday 10 october
Head to the small town of Sainte Maure de Touraine to discover the Ozo gas station. Ideally located on the Nationale 10, a few kilometers south of Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, the “Les Deux Croix” roadside restaurant was very busy in the early 1950s. In an effort to offer its customers an additional service, it was decided in April 1954 to install a fuel distribution station near the restaurant. Work began during the summer of 1955, and the station was completed in February 1956. The new station boasts remarkable, very modern architecture, with sleek lines inspired by American gas stations. A large “cap” overlooking two volume meters gives rise to a totem arrow nearly eleven meters high, serving as a support for the OZO fuel distributor brand. With the opening of the A10 motorway between Tours and Poitiers in 1977, traffic on the Nationale 10 declined inexorably. Total (which bought OZO in 1961) decided to close the station in 1982. Like many abandoned gas stations, the building found a second life as a used car sales office, then as an advertising platform for the roadside restaurant. In the late 1990s, the restaurant closed, and the premises gradually deteriorated due to lack of maintenance. The station was becoming shabby, the windows were broken, and ivy was growing behind the building, but it lost none of its splendor, still standing along the roadside, awaiting a possible revival. In 2011, the municipality of Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine became aware of the building’s heritage status and decided to protect it in 2013, making its demolition impossible. For the past three years, volunteers have been saving the station and restoring it to its 1950s appearance.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
Then, head to Les Ormes to visit the Château des Ormes. Passed from family to family, from count to marquis, it now belongs to a history enthusiast, who is committed to welcoming the public to this 17th-century residence. A visit to the Château des Ormes is like immersing yourself in an exhilarating history: at the center of 18th-century intellectual emulation, the site was home to Voltaire, President Hénault, and many others. A major work of the 18th century, the Encyclopedia was even dedicated to one of the Château’s prestigious owners. Discover the vast main courtyard bordered by the Pussort and d’Argenson wings, the grand marble-paved vestibule and its superb staircase, the old 18th- and 19th-century kitchens, an 18th-century icehouse, a rare motorboat from 1902, and a 1906 power station.
Return to the Domaine de Roiffé.
Dinner at the Domaine de Roiffé restaurant.
Sunday 11 october
You’ll have your last breakfast together at Domaine de Roiffé, and then everyone will be free. Those who wish can extend their stay in the region or return home.
TARIFFS
The price is €1320 per person in double room (€2640 for 2) or €1550 per person in single room and includes hotels, breakfasts, warm meals, visits, guided tours and attractions during these 9 tour days:
– 2 dinners in the restaurant of the Hotel La Pyramide in Romorantin
– 2 nights at the Hotel La Pyramide*** in Romorantin
– 6 dinners in the restaurant of the Domaine de Roiffé
– 6 nights at the Domaine de Roiffé***
– 8 breakfasts at the Hotel La Pyramide or Domaine de Roiffé
– 7 luncheons in restaurants or inns
– All visits and attractions
– All documents necessary for this event (road book and other…)
Please note : Those travelling alone, please reserve a single room, not a double, unless you have found a roommate yourself. The organisation cannot select or find participants for you to share a room.
Important: all meals are “all inclusive” for these 9 days, including among other wines, table water etc.
Not included in this price are individually ordered consumptions in bars, restaurants and hotels and the use of the Minibar.
Your registration is final only upon receipt of the total amount of the registration and payment must be made by 31 may 2026 for the Rainbow Tour 2026.
In case of cancellation, a fee will be retained on your registration:
Up to 60 days before the Rainbow Tour : Your registration can be canceled free of charge
Between 59 and 30 days before the Rainbow Tour : 80% of the total registration is refunded
Between 29 and 15 days before the Rainbow Tour : 50 % of the total registration is refunded
Between 14 and 8 days before the Rainbow Tour : 20% of the total registration is refunded
Last 7 days before the Rainbow Tour : No refund of registration
Warning: this document has no contractual value and may be subject to change if necessary.
