Feel like Queens & Kings in the Loire Valley "castles country" and discover it's amazing history, typical limestone villages and relax by the Loire river.
My husband and I have just returned from an amazing 16 day trip in France organized thoughtfully and beautifully by Emilie of France Just for You. As the other reviewers have …
My husband and I have just returned from an amazing 16 day trip in France organized thoughtfully and beautifully by Emilie of France Just for You. As the other reviewers have stated, all interactions with Emilie have been prompt, professional and thorough. Although we have organized European travel on our own in the past, concerned that we might be limited by the language barrier (as we do not speak French), I stumbled across Emilie's website when planning for our France vacation. We couldn't have been more pleased with all aspects of her organization, planning, attention to our personal requests and responsiveness. She created an amazing trip for us. Our itinerary (the 400 page personalized book others have mentioned) was chock full of amazing suggestions for experiences tailored just for us. I especially appreciated that Emilie made many great suggestions organized for each day, but it wasn't too structured so we remained in charge of our own time. Emilie additionally organized several tours (in Normandy, Paris and a vineyard in the Loire Valley), as well as a cooking class and a day of biking. We stayed in a French chateau, a wonderful boutique hotel in Paris and the most amazing b and b's! All of the professionals with whom we interacted in France were welcoming, friendly and kind. Emilie's planning allowed us the opportunity to interact with people in a manner that I do not believe we would have experienced otherwise or if we had tried to plan this vacation on our own. The holiday was more special because of these interactions with b and b owners and the other professionals. In the end, we felt as if we left France enriched by the amazing experiences that were personalized and also having made new friends. This would not have been otherwise possible without Emilie's efforts. She takes great care and it's obvious she pays great detail to each trip. At the end of our vacation, I found myself searching to see the other locations where Emilie plans trips as we will surely use her services again and highly recommend for the most wonderful vacation.
#1 - A gorgeous private castle near Le MansEnjoy a luxury stay in a gorgeous mansion near Le Mans
#1 - A gorgeous private castle near Le MansRelax in a family-owned boutique-hotel
#1 - A gorgeous private castle near Le MansExperience "la vie de chateaux" !
#1 - A gorgeous private castle near Le MansHave you already tried a candle-light dinner in France ?
#1 - A gorgeous private castle near Le MansYour hosts and their staff will take a great care of you
#2 - A restored historic home in the center of a lively townA historic home, in the center of a lively wine town
#2 - A restored historic home in the center of a lively townrelax in a large room
#2 - A restored historic home in the center of a lively town...in the courtyard or the guests living room
#2 - A restored historic home in the center of a lively townShare breakfasts with other fellow travelers
#3 - A gorgeous private castle in the LoireStay in a fairytale castle in the Loire Valley
#3 - A gorgeous private castle in the Loiresettle in a very spacious room, overlooking the park
#3 - A gorgeous private castle in the LoireRelax in one of the guests' reading rooms
#3 - A gorgeous private castle in the Loireif you are not too scared, take the underground passages to the swimming pool !
Step by step
Overnight in Le Perche near Le Mans
Pick up the rental car in Paris downtown or at CDG airport (or another location) and drive about 2hr30 to 3 hours to the Perche region, which is just North of the Loire Valley.
Recover from jetlag in a luxury family-owned Boutique-Hotel...and enjoy a fantastic candle-light dinner "at home". La vraie vie de château !
From this area of France, a lot of people emigrated in the 17th century to the New World. Maybe you have some roots there?
Western Loire Valley
You will spend the following 3 nights of your journey comfortably settled in a beautiful historic home nestled in a lively town, by the river. Your host will be happy to make many recommendations about wineries, wine bars or restaurants to experience the Touraine sweet life.
Located on the banks of the Vienne River, you will jump back to the Medieval times and learn about Joan of Arc history with a private guide. At night, one of the best restaurants in the area is less than a 1-minute-walk.
You will also wander off the beaten path into tiny villages dotted along the Vienne and Loire rivers and get a taste of French gastronomy in restaurants and local markets that we have tested for you.
We also plan for you to visit a small winery where you will wander around the whole estate and taste several wines with a guide.
Eastern Loire Valley
On your way back to Paris, treat yourself with the last 3 nights in a charming and romantic Renaissance castle, near Amboise lively town.
We will craft your days for you to enjoy a bit of everything the Loire Valley has to offer: famous castles to hidden beauties, lovely towns and farmers markets, quiet strolls in unique gardens...
Included in this itinerary is a guided Segway tour of Amboise historic town. A very fun way to discover its history, architecture and wine ! If you don't feel like doing a segway tour, no problem, we can plan otherwise.
We hope you will have a very romantic week !
Activities included
A Winery Visit & Tasting in Chinon
Visit a Chinon winery run by a charming couple who come from generations of winegrowers.
Enjoy a commented tasting of the wines with some local-product snacks.
Guided Tour of Chinon
Explore Chinon medieval town with a private guide who will take you on Joan of Arc footsteps.
Guided Tour of Amboise on a Segway
Visit the historical town of Amboise a very fun way....on a Segway ! From the castle to the Loire river, from the old town to a nice wine cellar.
We did 2 weeks May to June to Normandy, Loire Valley and Paris and had a wonderful time. We gave Laura our list of must see and do items and our budget and she took care of the rest. From arranging our auto rental to providing suggestions to the French smart phones, everything was taken care of and good not have been easier. When our car got a flat …
We did 2 weeks May to June to Normandy, Loire Valley and Paris and had a wonderful time. We gave Laura our list of must see and do items and our budget and she took care of the rest. From arranging our auto rental to providing suggestions to the French smart phones, everything was taken care of and good not have been easier. When our car got a flat tire Laura was available to us every step of the way translating for us and making arrangements for a new car to be delivered. We loved her suggestion for a French cooking lesson and had a great time with our hostess making a meal in her own lovely home. The wine tasing in troglodyte cave was another wonderful suggestion of her. Wonderful memories we made!
Earl
It's hard to know where to begin. We stumbled across France Just For You by accident when researching ideas for our three week visit to France. We made contact with Emily by email and began a conversation over the coming weeks as she planned a self-guided holiday for us, designed to fulfil our dream of staying in French b'n'bs in wine-growing …
It's hard to know where to begin. We stumbled across France Just For You by accident when researching ideas for our three week visit to France. We made contact with Emily by email and began a conversation over the coming weeks as she planned a self-guided holiday for us, designed to fulfil our dream of staying in French b'n'bs in wine-growing regions as well as outdoor/sporting activities, finishing in Paris at the French Open. Her network and knowledge of b'n'bs, restaurants, activities etc is exceptional and her organisational skills are amazing and simply add confidence for the traveller from another part of the world. Emily organised all our accomodation, transport, car hire, entry tickets to Roland Garros, Palace of Versailles, theatre, cooking classes, bike hire and produced a 400 page travel manual tailored individually for us. I'm not sure I could unbundle exactly what we paid for her work but I promise you it was worth every cent. Our travel manual was laid out with a plan and schedule for every day of our trip, with gps coordinates for every location we needed to get to. Even if I were a seasoned traveller to France I would still recommend FJFY as it took all the stress out of planning and executing our trip, as well as taking us to places we would never have imagined. If I could give Emily more than 5 stars I would do so gladly! Thank you Emily for making our trip so memorable.
Candy
Wherever possible we prefer to travel on our own as opposed to going on a tour package. With France - Just For You, they arranged for a vehicle and booked us into a couple of lovely B&B’s and a great Boutique Hotel in Paris and booked a couple of activities that we were interested in. Besides that, they put together a book for us with everything we …
Wherever possible we prefer to travel on our own as opposed to going on a tour package. With France - Just For You, they arranged for a vehicle and booked us into a couple of lovely B&B’s and a great Boutique Hotel in Paris and booked a couple of activities that we were interested in. Besides that, they put together a book for us with everything we would need for a safe and hassle free trip. This included general information about France, common French phrases, suggested daily itineraries, recommended restaurants, etc, etc.
It was a wonderful holiday with the flexibility to see and do what you wanted at your own pace.
I would not hesitate to recommend France - Just For You. Truly amazing!
