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Award winning France Off the Beaten Path Tours Voted BEST Active, Gourmet Tours in France for Discerning Travelers by Conde Nast, National Geographic, Forbes Traveler, CNN Traveller, USA Today, The New York Times, eHow.com, Gourmet Get-a-Ways, Travel & Leisure and many more!
Focusing exclusively on small group travel in our home country of France
Off the Beaten Path, LLC is an American owned and operated tour company with over 18 years experience specializing exclusively in fully escorted, small group, wine, culinary, cultural, walking and gourmet tours to Provence, the Loire Valley, Bordeaux wine country, Dordogne and Champagne, France. France is our sole focus and our specialty! Our tours are both interactive and activity driven, offering a hands-on approach to discovering and experiencing French culture and traditions in a personalized small group environment. Each of our tours offers an unparalleled level of quality and value by incorporating flexibility, personalized services, access to activities and experiences not available to tourists or the general public and our knowledge and expertise in French history, culture and traditions into each small group tour. Through daily interactive excursions and fun activities, we take Guests beyond "tourist" hot spots where they are always welcomed as a group of friends into the real homes and workshops of local French Chefs, Bakers, Wine Producers, Artisans, Oenologists and Historians. From Michelin Star gourmet and bistro style dining experiences, expert commentated castle tours and vineyard walks to private wine tasting tours and culinary classes, seasoned, independent and first time travelers from around the world join our fully escorted, small group tours to discover, experience and learn about the history, culture and traditions of France "en famille". Browse our website for complete details of our itineraries, tour highlights, tour departure dates, what is included in each tour, tour prices and to reserve the tour of your choice today, or email us to discuss your tour selection or to confirm space availability for your selected tour today.
We have chosen the "cream of the crop" to lead our tours
Off the Beaten Path evaluates each guide for his/her scholarship, experience and companionship: only choosing those who meet our high standards, as well as those we would want as traveling companions ourselves. Off the Beaten Path guides hold degrees in various educational disciplines, are accomplished professionals within their specialty, and many are published authors. All Off the Beaten Path guides are also Americans with dual nationality (American-French citizenship), are multi-lingual and reside in France. They bring a wealth of local information and history to enrich each guest's experience, and have personally been selected for their comprehensive understanding of French culture and the Anglophone customer service expectation. You will find that Off the Beaten Path's team of guides are wonderful traveling companions, whose knowledge and sense of fun and positive attitude make each day a wonderful experience.
Off the Beaten Path tours are fully escorted, small group trips
It's one of the main features contributing to the enjoyment of our guests. These one of a kind, small group tours are perfect for all travelers, from travelers who prefer a group environment or an organized vacation program that offers a high degree of flexibility and quality, as well as independence, to those who don't want to travel with a large group or who have previously traveled independently. Our tours are crafted for active travelers who enjoy cultural discovery and participating in their vacation through daily excursions that open the doors to the people, places and history of a particular region. Your guide will sit down at breakfast with you each day of your tour and go over the day's activities. You will always have alternative options available to you, if there is an activity or excursion that you want to skip. Our small groups stay in smaller hotels of historical charm and character, and dine in our favorite restaurants, many which we have determined merit much more than a couple of those famous Michelin stars. Our groups are welcomed as a party of friends traveling together, as opposed to a large group of tourists, and are welcomed to establishments that are inaccessible to tourists and large tour groups.
Off the Beaten Path tours combine a variety of excursions and activities that offer you exclusive VIP access to people and places not available to tourists, and that you simply couldn't arrange on your own.
Founded on the principle philosophy that a cultural vacation combines a patchwork of active and culturally enriching experiences, and is relaxing and unrushed, each small group tour features a variety of interactive, educational and active cultural experiences that are inaccessible to tourists. Thanks to our experience, focus and established relationships in France our signature activities and excursions take you behind the scenes and into the lives and homes of famous French Chefs, Wine Producers, Bakers, Artists, Artisans and other French professionals where you intimately experience and learn about French culture and traditions with our local friends. Learn local culinary secrets and regional recipes with our friends' who are Michelin Star Chefs, deepen your knowledge and appreciation for French wines with our local wine professionals and discover French history visiting France's most beautiful castles and historic monuments through privately guided tours and/or our spectacule theme walks.
Off the Beaten Path tours offer a variety of recreational, hands-on activities and excursions
Each of our small group tours features a variety of activities to intimately learn about and discover each region, and no two trips offer the same experiences. Some destinations will offer several daily walks combined with cultural activities, such as, privately guided tours of castles, VIP tours of wine producers followed by wine tasting or exclusive visits to artisan workshops. And some tours will combine walking with more interactive experiences, such as, culinary classes. Nomatter which tour you select, each region of France offers an experience unique to its local culture and history, and each of our tour itineraries is comprised of activities that reflect that local culture and history in an active and fun, small group environment.
Off the Beaten Path tours expose Guests to local food culture and regional cuisine
Whether it's fine, nouveau, bristo or country cuisine, the differences can be significant and is important in identifying one region from another; kind of like finger prints, no two are alike. Our guests frequently comment that we have mastered this aspect of French travel, and that our restaurant selections offer by far the finest representation of regional cuisine, from simple country to gourmet and Michelin starred. We spare no expense when it comes to our restaurant selections. We include only the best in our tour itineraries and classified wines are always included with every meal. Enjoying the food and wines of a foreign country is an important part of travel, and dining in France is a great experience, and we make it special by organizing gourmet experiences, such as tasting dinners, theme dinners, culinary excursions, performance dinners and dinners with our local friends.
Off the Beaten Path tours offer a great deal of flexibility and personal choice
Flexibility and personal choice is an important feature of GROUP travel that most travelers look for when selecting a tour travel company. Off the Beaten Path tours are designed to appeal to the seasoned, first time and even the self-guided, independent traveler. We offer a balance between scheduled excursions and activities and time for independent exploration to ensure you personal freedom and assure variety for all activity and interest levels. We also guarantee a small group environment of a maximum of 8-16 persons per tour in order to ensure a personalized and authentic local experience for each Guest, as well as to ensure the comfort and quality of the excurions and activities we offer.
Off the Beaten Path tours offer luxurious accommodations and are home based (no packing and unpacking, NO hotel hopping)
We reserve only the finest local, historical hotels that reflect the heart and soul of each region we serve. Experiencing the history of a foreign country is one of the most important parts of travel for our Guests, and our historical hotel selections offer you a feeling of cultural immersion and an opportunity to meet local owners, while preserving quality modern services and amenities. Rooms on our tours are larger than traditional European standards and possess elegance and authentic local flair. All rooms are large private rooms with king/queen size beds and fully-equipped, private, en-suite bathrooms (toilet, tub/shower, sink, etc.). Our Tour hotel selections are distinguished by lovely settings, handsomely appointed rooms and outstanding services.