Off the Beaten Path's Signature Activities

Off the Beaten Path Small Group Tours are perfect for:
* Couples, solo travelers, adult families, groups of friends
* Travel clubs, wine societies, small private groups and organizations.

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 of our luxurious small group tours includes hands-on, recreational culinary classes with prominent Master French Chefs preparing recipes that reflect cuisine of each individual region. Learn about local culinary traditions and technics, and prepare regional recipes with the instruction and guidance of local Chefs in Provence, Bordeaux and 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 or private workshop for a cocktail hour and gourmet lunch or dinner of the recipes prepared together, paired with professionally selected regional "Grand Cru" wines.

--Learn about French history in a recreational environment with our professional Guides during expert commentated tours in English at our favorite castles, historical sites, markets, villages, monuments and wine producers.

--Discover local traditions: "The Art of French Cheese Making", through a private tour, visit or lunch at a local Cheese-Maker's "fromageries" (cheese making workshop) on Loire Valley and Provence Tours. You learn about many varieties of cheeses for which the French are so famous.

--For "the love of wine": A wine "tasting and appreciation" workshop on our Bordeaux Wine and Culinary Walking tours and Loire Valley Gourmet, Culinary and Cultural Tours provides you, nomatter your level of wine knowledge, the opportunity to deepen your appreciation for both Bordeaux and Loire Valley wines under the guidance of our local wine professionals. And, to complement our exclusive workshop experiences, we include cellar tours and VIP wine tasting at top producing first growth and super second wine producing estates.


--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 families 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 30 years.


--"Easy to moderately rated", cultural theme walks comprise our Provence Tours and Bordeaux Wine Tours. Our walks include a choice from one of the following themes: "Medieval & Renaissance villages", "Castle to Castle", "premiere vineyards and wine growing villages" or "along France's most beautiful waterways, canals and coastal areas". Walks include gourmet picnics or a specially reserved lunch at a select restaurant along your walking trail. There is time for pauses, wine tours, wine tasting and independent exploration. (Duration of walks is from 2-3 hours depending on the theme, location of walk and difficulty rating of walk). 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 ONLY include light "leisure walking" at the castles and in villages that is appropriate for all travelers. Check out our Walk Ratings

--Hot Air Ballooning completes the adventure on each of our 6 day/5 night Loire Valley Tours. Following your sunset flight floating above the castles of the Loire Valley, we top off this once in a lifetime experience with Champagne aperitif and awards certificates.

--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 "Grand Cru" 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.

--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.