As FEATURED and RECOMMENDED by Conde Nast Traveler, Forbes Traveler, CNN Traveller, The New York Times and Travel & Leisure!
"It was a great trip! I really enjoyed spending time with Angelique and Christophe...meeting Christine & Bernard, shopping and eating lunch in the small villages." Katherine Gee, Hendersonville, NC (Loire Valley Tour, Provence Tour)
Working exclusively with the "Cream of the Crop"...
in Provence, the Loire Valley and the Bordeaux wine region of France, each of our small group tours combines culturally enriching and interactive experiences that are not available to the general public. Along with our local friends of each region, we organize every activity and outing exclusively for you to ensure you an authentic French experience that exceeds every expectation. Our local friends and professionals welcome you to their homes, professional workshops and kitchens, as a group of friends, and offer you a fun and personalized, hands-on experience to discover French culture and traditions.
Each tour includes a mix of fun, hands-on and demonstration oriented culinary classes...
with prominent Michelin star Master Chefs preparing recipes that reflect cuisine of each individual region. No experience necessary! Learn about local culinary traditions and technics, and prepare regional recipes during cooking classes and cooking demonstrations on our Provence Tours, Bordeaux Tours and our Tours of the Loire Valley.
Recipes reflect each individual region and are based on seasonal ingredients. Following each culinary class, you are personal Guests at our Chef's table in his/her home, restaurant or private workshop for a cocktail hour and gourmet lunch or dinner of the recipes prepared together or demonstrated by our Chef. Meals are paired with professionally selected classified wines.
Learn about French history in a fun and relaxing environment...
with our professional Guides during expert commentated tours in English at our favorite castles, historical sites, markets, villages, monuments and wine producers.
For "The LOVE of Wine"...
A wine "tasting and appreciation" workshop on our Bordeaux Wine and Culinary Walking tours plus wine tasting on our Loire Valley Gourmet and Castle Tours and our Provence Tours provides you, nomatter your level of wine knowledge, the opportunity to deepen your appreciation for French wines under the guidance of our local wine professionals. And, to complement our exclusive workshop on Bordeaux Wine Tours, we include private cellar tours and VIP wine tasting at top producing first growth and super second wine producing estates.
Discover local traditions...
"The Art of French Cheese Making", through a private tour, tasting, visit or lunch at a local Cheese-Maker's "fromageries" (cheese making workshop) on select tours. Learn about many varieties of cheeses for which the French are so famous.
"Easy to moderately rated", cultural theme and leisure walks...
NOTE: Our Bordeaux Wine Tours include three cultural theme walks during the 5 day tour, and our Provence Tours include 1 walk during the 6 day tour. Our Loire Valley Tours include light "leisure walking" at the castles and in villages that is appropriate for all travelers. Check out our Walk Ratings
Expert guided tours of villages and regional markets...
followed by shopping at art, regional, farmers and artisan markets and fairs, as well as antique markets in historical villages & towns adds to the excitement of discovering local heritage and traditions. Our guides take you on tours of the markets, discussing local products of the region, and offer you assistance, as needed, with purchases and selections in the marketplace.
Sumptuous, gourmet and bistro style lunches and dinners with regional classified wines...
during each tour reflect the heart & soul of each region. Meals offer an opportunity to deepen your knowledge of French cuisine and discover local gourmet and traditional recipes through our personalized restaurant selections and with famous Master Chefs who welcome you, as friends, to their establishments and homes.
Recreational theme workshops with local artisans...
during each of our Bordeaux, Loire Valley and Provence tours adds to your personalized "insider" experience. For example, during our Bordeaux Wine and Culinary Walking Tours, you are welcomed as a group of friends to our Baker's home where he shares his family bread baking secrets with you, and invites you to make and bake French bread with him for the local village, using his 19th century, wood-fired bread oven that he has been using for over 35 years.
Personal Freedom: Leisure time...
is incorporated into every tour permitting you time to explore personal interests, discover villages and historic monuments independently of the group or simply just shop, enjoy a local cafe and watch the livelihood of local French villages. And, you always have the possibility to opt-in or -out of any activity scheduled on a tour to pursue independent interests. It's an appealing feature to all of our small group tours that some Guests like to know about in advance of booking their tour.
"Great group of people and mix of activities! Thank you for a wonderful trip! Especially enjoyed the cooking classes and castles." Michael and Sue Minshall, Perth, Australia (Loire Valley Tour)