"I was looking up at the large arches in the Pont Du Gard and discovered that because of the lift limitations of the stone pieces the arches where not constructed of single depth or course of stones but three. Our tour guide was fantastic. Chartres Cathedral was wonderful! Bus: 6 hours. "Sarlat was a surprise. Our destination today is the Dordogne, a sublime region of fortified hill towns, caves, and meandering streams. "At about midpoint in the trip, I stood on the top level of the Pont du Gard. Finally, there was the impact of walking through the streets and cemetery of Oradour-sue-Glane.". What can I say? Rick Steves France (2023 Travel Guide): Steves, Rick, Smith, Steve: 9781641714617: Amazon.com: Books Books Travel Europe Enjoy fast, FREE delivery, exclusive deals and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime Try Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery Buy new: $25.10 List Price: $27.99 Details Save: $2.89 (10%) FREE Returns Light walking: 24 miles throughout the day on mostly level terrain. A great collection of sights, meals, hotel, and company. The other was the wine tasting and dinner at the scenic Languedoc-Rousillon region. Walking through the aqueduct (at the top) was an unexpected good experience. For this alone he receives an outstanding job from me. Claire did a great job of finding travelers special talents and incorporating their expertise into the day to day touring. And, having the Abilene Paradox being mentioned as part of the bus narrative.". Great bunch of people and enthusiastic, friendly, lovely guide.". "Seeing Chenonceau, after reading about it in French history; the drawings in the cave near Lascaux; the spectacular sound and light show at Les Baux; and all the delicious foie gras. We landed at CDG at 8 AM and reached Chartres. We suggest arriving a day or two before your tour begins to allow ample time to get over jet lag and be well-rested for the first few days of your tour. ", Well balanced between free time to explore and guided tours. "Favorite "wow"s: * I could listen to Malcom all day, sharing a lifetime of knowledge of the cathedral at Chartres. As someone put it, "NPR listening people". "I had two favorite wow moments. But Patrick, Claire and experts such as Malcolm and Laurent were wonderful! Vermeer to Van Gogh art immersion in Les Baux de Provence. In the afternoon, we paddled canoes on the Dordogne River, admiring chateaux on the cliffs above us. Loved everything on the tour- enjoyed visiting different parts of France that normally most tourists don't visit. Full moon rising champagne toast at Carcassonne; projected light shows in Les Beaux de Provence and Chartres, and the deeply moving serendipity of seeing the lone survivor of the massacre in Orodour sur Glane as he filmed. Our lunch at the winery! We traveled with a great group of positive & flexible people. Engaging mix of activities, sites, and culture. The towns we visited were varied in character and historical significance. And I had the most fun on the canoe ride on the Dordogne, which, thankfully, was on one of the only nonrainy days we had.". On a tour like this a single wow moment can't exist but every day had wow moments that will stick for ever.". We had a wonderful guide in Linda, charming, knowledgeable, good leader. Sleep in or near Nice. "Standing in the places where Van Gogh painted masterpieces in Arles.". This tour did involve a good deal of bus travel and moving from hotel to hotel which gets a bit tedious. France remains at the forefront of technology, architecture, fashion, and cuisine. A wonderfully choreographed itinerary, combining big-cathedral visits with intimate wine-tasting in a vineyard. Here's what you'll see and do on this tour of France: Fine print: You are responsible for the cost of your drinks and free-time sightseeing. Claire was an excellent guide who made everyone feel included & taken care of. "Hard to say with such an amazing itinerary, but having to pick one it would be the Venice virtual show at the quarry.". A great lineup of sites, stops, special excursions, and time to explore on our own. The help we received while well meaning, was essentially useless. "Looking down on the river Gardon from the Port du Gard while standing in the channel were water once flowed to Nimes. "The light show projected onto Chartres Cathedral.". Good pacing. Of course, Carcassonne was a dream. It was magical and awe-inspiring. Strenuous walking: 28 miles throughout the day with lots of hills, stairs, and uneven terrain. Chateau Villandry and the medieval fortress of Carcassone, both stunning in different ways.". Moderate walking: 26 miles throughout the day with some hills and stairs. "Canoeing on the Dordogne River was our Wow moment. but would love to have a holiday from the washing up and cooking too! Our day will end with dinner together in the quintessential market town of Sarlat. Another stunning sight was the Pont du Gard aqueduct. "Being serenaded by a Pyrenees Shepherd choir in Sarlat, after picking up lunch items from the open markets. "Viewing the cave paintings from 17,000 years ago, and traveling inside of the Pont du Garde where the water a thousand years ago traveled.". This morning we'll drive to the hill town of Les Baux and enjoy sweeping views of the Provenal countryside from atop the ruins of its medieval citadel. I will say, though this really isn't a wow moment, it was very important to me. His sense of humor sustained us when we were tired. Your afternoon will be free back in Arles for making your own discoveries. I have always praised how the RSE organization treated guests like family, but that only seems to apply as long as you are Covid negative. On a route that strings together an all-star collection of Rick's favorite places in and around the City of Light, your expert guide will bring you the very best of Paris along with its most stu. I really felt the tour covered a vast part of France that I have never seen. This was a small city tour of France. Then stretch your legs with a countryside walk. Maybe its because we in the US havent fought a war against a foreign aggressor within our shores but we easily forget the lessons of the past.". Our guide, Linda along with Claire did a great job of making us feel welcome. Arnaud our guide and Phillipe our driver were excellent. My biggest complaint was the food because Im pescatarian and our meals were heavy on meat. The excursions and field trips were rich. Other tour members were extremely slow walkers and complained about steps or any activity that required physical exertion. The tour guide Claire was excellent. He was very helpful whenever a participant had a problem. They worked well together to make everything run smoothly. The tour director was great, the bus was comfortable, the food was delicious, the sights were awesome. It certainly reiterated for me why I love taking the tours. He was full of knowledge, experienced at keeping the whole group moving together and made every step comfortable and fun with good anticipatory information. No glitches. Amazon.com: rick steves south of france Moderate walking: 26 miles throughout the day with some hills and stairs. The itinerary was a perfect mix of sightseeing, guided tours, landscapes, architecture and food. We were back that evening for cassoulet at a small restaurant. I loved seeing a part of France that was new to me. "So many! "Visiting the village of Oradour-Sur-Glane destroyed by Nazis. Chartres night light show was spectacular.". I enjoyed the yummy group dinners, full of good food, wine, and occasional song. Most days are moderately paced with 28 miles of walking, including some hills and stairs. ", Very good group and extremely competent and personable tour guide, "Pont du Gard, walking inside the top of the structure and later wading in the river down below, I felt was a perfectly blended immersion in the past while celebrating the present.". From our limited 4 day participation: learning about the stained-glass windows the first day was pretty neat. Seeing the Roman ruins and realize you were not in Rome but in France was eye popping.". Contrasting with my experience on Rick's South England tour last year, I see that start times were comparable, but dinner times on this tour were about an hour later, and that did make the days feel longer. It was amazing. "Carrieres de Lumieres -- the quarries were so amazing to think that they harvested all that stone in those huge caves and the light show was a very different and enchanting experience. Seemed to have a lot of self guided or audio guided tours rather than local guides or tour leader guided. I adored touring the chateau, especially Villandry. "I was wowed by most of the tour! The market in Sarlat was amazing! A car is a definite to get to all these. "Seriously there were many wow moments like the 13,000 year old cave paintings at Rouffignac Cave, but equally Carcassonne, Arle, and its museum stand out as does the ability to walk through the aquadute at Pont du Gard. This was my first tour and it exceeded my expectations. I struggled a good bit of the time and would have to be in much better shape to do another RS tour. That was one of our favorite days despite the HEAT!". Good guide, good local guides, well-located hotels, well-planned itinerary. The caves at Rouffignac were jaw-dropping. Sleep in Carcassonne. Moderate walking: 26 miles throughout the day with some hills and stairs. How in the world did the Romans build that before modern machinery? "I cant say there was a single wow moment on this tour but a lot of thats neat experiences such as the light show on the Chartres cathedral, the chateaus - especially the gardens, wine and food tasting experiences, Arnauds French lessons, Nice, etc.". well organized tour guide. Third--Oradour was such an important history lesson. Hi guys, Can you help me with a search, looking for a water sports style holiday within a hotel (all-inclusive) environment in the South of France. What a treat to see them in action and taste their wines - white, rose and red.". No bus. Our guide Julie who stepped in at the last minute was outstanding! Linda's joie de vivre about her country and its culture were contagious. Our tour group seemed to get along well and enjoy one anothers company. Arnold is a fabulous guide. This was a great tour. The beauty brought tears to my eyes.". To think that people (perhaps our ancestors) painted these so long ago was hard to get our minds around.". The tour was well planned and executed. All the people on the tour are friendly and outgoing. Traveling with kindred spirits was so enjoyable. Very well organized and managed. Despite only being on the tour for 5 days due to COVID and a sprained ankle, I had a great time. The paella we got at the market was yummy!". I traveled as a single person and didn't really know what to expect. Great tour. Oradour-sur-Glane was sobering, "Experiencing the Quarries of Light at Les Baux-de-Provence. The Pont duGard was also amazing.". I learned so much about the French culture and history. The selection of sites and towns was just right, nicely balanced, "There were many but "the one" is Chartres cathedral- daytime, meeting and having a tour with Malcolm Miller. You cannot beat an itinerary that starts outside of Paris and meanders through lush river valleys and rugged limestone mountains, ending up in the beautiful Cte dAzur. "First--experiencing the prehistoric cave art was priceless! Whether you're cruising with the top down through the stunning wine country of Provence, or driving through the French Riviera along the sparkling coast (aka "The Cte d'Azur"), southern France is a region you'll want to absorb every last inch of. We had an incredible adventure! Small town France does not disappoint. "The highlights of the trip for me were the nighttime light show in Chartres, the gardens at the Villandry chteau, and the lunch at the winery. The weather was perfect and the coastal and chateau views were absolutely gorgeous. One of them was by my side the whole time. This tour covers a lot of territory and a broad range of activities. Several times he made extra arrangements form us to see sites that were not on the tour (Lascaux II). I chose this tour because I wanted to see castles. I needed more time to take in the scenery. Finally, the trip itself traipsing up to, across, and down on the other side of the aqueduct. 3. I can only narrow it down to three: Chateau Villandry with it's gorgeous gardens; the Dordogne River area with towns like Les Eyzies; and the lovely hilltop village of Les Baux-de-Provence". Liked the diversity of experiences on RS tours (e.g. Light walking: 24 miles throughout the day on mostly level terrain. Very interesting and informative. I loved my first Rick Steves tour! One day you're admiring glorious castles, soon you're looking at prehistoric cave drawings or the remains of a village destroyed by the Nazis. very good, although my mobility impacted tour participation, "Da Vinci home tour in Amboise ; cave drawings". I saw things that were unexpected, but everyday was wonderful. "The canoe trip down the Dordogne River.". Our guide, Linda, made the experience - educational, fun, surprising, and safe. The day with the prehistoric cave paintings and the canoe trip on the Dordogne was the most fun, but the visit to the WWII ruined town of Oradour-Sur-Glane was a moment of reckoning.".
Cyberbacker Web Developer Salary, Articles R