Recipe for Riz à la Catalane

My boyfriend and I spent a week in Paris last month and we decided that we would do a couple of day-tours outside of the city during our trip. We really wanted to avoid the typical tour-bus day-tour and the crowds that come along with these kinds of tours – we wanted something more personalized that would allow us to go at our own pace. I found the France Just For You website and the ‘Bayeux and World War II Sites in a Day’ tour seemed to be exactly the type of thing we were looking for, as we’re both really interested in history. On a personal note, this tour appealed to me because my grandfather fought in Normandy in World War II. I filled up the contact form on the website and Emilie got back to me the same day. She organized every little detail to make it the perfect tour for us: she booked our return train tickets from Paris, organized for us to spend the morning on our own in the picturesque old town of Bayeux, where we enjoyed exploring the cathedral and saw the famous Bayeux Tapestry. Emilie sent over maps and directions and recommended a fantastic restaurant for lunch. After lunch, our private guide Christophe met us at the agreed meeting point in Bayeux and took us to the Normandy landing sites. I had explained to Emilie that I specifically wanted to visit this site as my grandpa had fought for one of the American infantry divisions that landed in Normandy in 1944. Christophe was extremely knowledgeable (and very patient with all of my questions!) and took us to the sites where my grandpa’s battalion would have fought. It was a very moving experience, especially when I thought back to the stories that my grandpa used to tell me about the war.
I really couldn’t have chosen a better tour option. It was perfectly customized to the preferences that I had given to Emilie, and she was very thorough and asked all of the right questions to help her plan the perfect day for us. We knew how to contact her in case there were any problems on the day (which there weren't), and the fact that everything was planned for us meant that we could just focus on enjoying the day. Thank you so much, I wouldn’t hesitate to book with you again!

The Perfect Trip Through France With France Just For You
Emilie interviewed us and designed a perfect trip from Paris through the Loire Valley and Normandy, back to Paris, to celebrate my husband's 70th birthday. Every detail was perfect and it was easy to get around. The places she selected for us to stay were simply lovely with wonderful hosts and beautiful gardens, and the pace of the trip was just right. We celebrated on a private wooden boat on the Seine with a wine expert, swam in a pool on the lawn of a chateau, walked with peacocks, and enjoyed a breathtaking view of the chalk cliffs in Etretat. Beautiful breakfasts were served each morning on location and we had the opportunity to meet new and interesting people from around the world. We can't imagine ever traveling through France again without France Just for You!

There are not enough superlatives for our experience with Emilie. Prompt correspondence and thorough questions led to the perfect vacation for my family. Her choice of hotels in Paris and Provence were exactly what I would have chosen on my own. Her tour guide recommendations were spot on. The fact that she arranged all of our transfers, train tickets, and rental cars was priceless. I was happy to begin with, but when we received our tour book, I was amazed. It is a bound, personalized several hundred page book of everything from French customs and phrases to personalized walking tour suggestions, to GPS coordinates for points of interest. Pictures of our hotels and hosts, small maps in the book, large maps for each day we ventured out. Even Paris metro tickets to get us started. We were a group of 8, ages 12 to 75 and it could not have been more seamless. For all of this personalized service, her fees were very reasonable. Next time we travel to France, we will surely use France Just For You again. Merci beaucoup!

My husband and I had a full week to spend in southern France before an event we were attending in Cahor. We found France Just for You and got the best care and the best itinerary for those days. We arrived on the day of a strike and Emilie took care of us. She found alternate means of transportation and stayed with us by phone and email throughout our trip. The B&B's she found were exquisite. We had such a wonderful experience. She booked tour guides, drivers, cooking classes, dinners and hikes. It made our trip so very easy and enjoyable. I would not go to France again without contacting her first.

We are a couple that contacted Emilie at France Just For You and her responsiveness and services were excellent. She and her husband listened very carefully to our stated interests and followed up with us in a very personal way. As independent travelers who work, we did not have time to fully plan a trip to the Dordogne region of France which was not familiar to us and Emilie made the planning process very efficient! We would recommend the services of this company to anyone!

We have traveled in Europe a dozen times. Our trip to France, the Loire Valley and Normandy was one of the very best. Their custom self-guided tours are based on places and activities that interest you. Emelie listened to what we wanted and created an itinerary that was just what we wanted as well as some suggestions for other things we might try. Emelie created a spiral bound book with information about traveling in France as well as detailed information about the B & Bs, maps, directions and all the places we planned to visit. The B & Bs were lovely old stone buildings with modern comforts. A private cooking class, a private tour of an ancient church in the mountains, and a guided tour of Normandy were features we really enjoyed. The chateaus and gardens [my personal favorites] were magnificent. Normandy was so moving. I am glad that we had a guide who spent the entire day with just us. We learned and saw so many things we would have missed on our own. We would urge you to consider France Just for You. We loved our trip and would use them again. GPS was a life saver.