France Just For You has organized its own very special Tour de France. No need for a bike but be ready for a great deal of adventure! This itinerary will take you off the beaten path to all the must sees & dos in four of the most enthralling regions of France.
This is the third year in a row that we have traveled to France, as part of a two country vacation. Because of our positive experiences with Emilie's help in the past, and our …
This is the third year in a row that we have traveled to France, as part of a two country vacation. Because of our positive experiences with Emilie's help in the past, and our desire to be relatively independent, we chose to have her craft our French trip again this year. In a word, she is incredible! We have such a high level of confidence in her that we will not consider any other agency. She creates an itinerary for you that is faithfully based on your interests. The personalized book she prepares for each traveler is legendary, and presents an easy, chronological, and thoughtful guide and resource for the relevant history, points of interest, lodging and restaurants. The B & B's she uses are personally screened for you, and truly delightful. We know from our hosts, that Emilie is very highly regarded by them, because the clientele she attracts are curious, respectful, independent, and desirable. Emilie personally has inspected the lodging she has arranged to be sure it is first rate, and maintaining it's excellence, over time. Although all of our prior communications have been by internet, the highlight of our trip this year was meeting Emilie in Tours. We wish her continued, well deserved success!
#2 - A Wine Estate in Saint EmilionThe winery team will make sure that you have a great stay
#2 - A Wine Estate in Saint EmilionTaste the wine...directly where it is made !
#3 - A Perigord style house, in central DordogneStay only 15 minutes to Sarlat in the heart of the medieval Dordogne
#3 - A Perigord style house, in central DordogneEnjoy a fantastic dinner by the swimming pool or the fire place
#3 - A Perigord style house, in central DordogneThis medieval castle is walking distance from your B&B
#3 - A Perigord style house, in central DordogneYour lovely hosts know the region perfectly
#4 - A Typical Mas House, in the vineyards in wilder ProvenceAt night, relax in the garden or by the swimming pool in the olive trees
#4 - A Typical Mas House, in the vineyards in wilder ProvenceAfter a great dinner cook by your host - enjoy a great night sleep
#4 - A Typical Mas House, in the vineyards in wilder ProvenceReady for a swim ?
#4 - A Typical Mas House, in the vineyards in wilder ProvenceA Table d Hôtes dinner is always a very convivial experience
Step by step
The Loire Valley : small roads along the river
From Paris or CDG airport, drive the rental car for 3 hours to the Loire Valley. We will recommend a great stop to rest on the way.
You will spend the first 4 nights in a charmingly restored townhouse, in the heart of a very lively town in the Loire Valley. From here, you can walk everywhere, including to Leonardo Da Vinci's final dwelling.
Discover all the marvels of the Loire Valley: the castles of Chambord, Chenonceau and Azay-le-Rideau, the historic cities of Saumur, Chinon and Amboise.
Touraine is also famous for its vineyards – Chinon, Bourgueil, Vouvray and many more – and we have planned for you to discover some local wines with a wine maker. She will take you to her vineyards and explain about the vine growing, then you will go to her cellar so you can taste some wines (sparkling and still), together with some local food products.
The Bordeaux Region
Your second stop for 3 nights is a Grands Crus Classés wine chateau. Experience Saint Emilion while staying at one of the places where everything happens, right in the Saint Emilion's vineyards. Away from the crowds, you will enjoy what Saint Emilion wines have to offer.
Built along the banks of the Garonne river, the opulent merchants' homes are very specific to the city of Bordeaux. You will find everything in this region: from villages nestled into the Medoc or the Saint Emilion vineyards, to the bustling night life in Bordeaux. Also, bear in mind that Bordeaux's Sainte Catherine Street is the longest shopping street in Europe!
Very near Saint Emilion, we have planned for a private tour to a famous wine estate: after visiting the estate from the vineyards to the cellars, learning about the different grape varieties and wine making process, you will enjoy a picnic lunch together with a tasting of 3 different wines.
Dordogne
In Black Perigord, you will stay in a restored stone house for 4 nightsand share a mouth-watering dinner cooked by your hosts.
Dordogne is famous for the prehistoric caves in Lascaux and we'll recommend to you several more intimate visits, in 15,000 to 20,000 year old caves. If you are interested in history or if you are a JM Auel reader, this is a must!
We'll tell you where to find the most typical goat cheeses - and if you like outdoor activities, you'll be in paradise. You'll also visit the old city of Sarlat and feel the buzz of activity on market day.
You will also spend a memorable time looking for truffles with a passionate professional and his truffle hound.
Provence Sceneries
Your last Bed & Breakfast for 4 nights lies just outside a lovely village on the slopes of Mont Ventoux. This former "mas house" has belonged to your hostess’s family for 4 generations and is surrounded by olive and cherry trees. One night, your host Chris will cook a delicious table d’hôtes dinner - a great evening guaranteed.
Mont Ventoux remains the most authentic part of Provence, with little villages such as Vaison la Romaine, Malaucène and Bedoin and dramatic landscapes like “les Dentelles de Montmirail
Discover quaint villages of the Luberon riding an electric bike. You will have several itinerary options, from easy to more sporty, for you to explore hidden hamlets, chapels in the vineyards, wineries, road-trails in the olive trees and evergreen oaks. A great day, at your own pace
Go shopping in Aix-en-Provence or take a sunbath near Cassis. Arles, famous for its Roman Empire arena, will take you 2,000 years back in time.
We recommend you fly out of Marseille to save time and energy. Otherwise, we will be happy to help you plan transportation to your next destination.
After this trip, will you still watch the “Tour de France” on TV?
Activities included
Wine estate visit & tasting
Visit a wine estate with its owner in the Loire Valley. She will take you to the vineyards to explain about terroir, soils and vine. Then you will enjoy a wine tasting together with some local food products.
Tour a St Emilion Winery
Visit a wine estate near St Emilion with a private English speaking guide. After the tour, you will enjoy a picnic lunch together with a tasting of different wines from the estate.
Truffle Hunt
In Dordogne, spend a memorable time looking for truffles with a passionate professional and his truffle hound.
E-Biking Day in Provence
Spend a day in the Luberon gorgeous landscapes driving an electric bike. Several itinerary options for you to enjoy biking at your own pace.
Wow ! Wow ! Wow ! We had the best 23 day trip to France. I normally plan our vacations, but after finding the France Just For You website, I knew we had to let the experts plan our 30th Anniversary. Every Bed & Breakfast was excellent. They were so beautiful and the welcome was fantastic at every one. FJFY thinks of every detail. Directions, train …
Wow ! Wow ! Wow !
We had the best 23 day trip to France. I normally plan our vacations, but after finding the France Just For You website, I knew we had to let the experts plan our 30th Anniversary. Every Bed & Breakfast was excellent. They were so beautiful and the welcome was fantastic at every one. FJFY thinks of every detail. Directions, train tickets, dates marked on maps. It’s all organized. One of our highlights was meeting all the FJFY travel agents at their new offices in Langeais!
Teresa & Garry
Laura and Emilie started working with us to develop a trip in July of 2020, but the trip had to be postponed because of COVID. Nonetheless they kept everything in place and made some modifications so that the trip could take place this October and November. They were always responsive and helpful with our questions and concerns. All of the …
Laura and Emilie started working with us to develop a trip in July of 2020, but the trip had to be postponed because of COVID. Nonetheless they kept everything in place and made some modifications so that the trip could take place this October and November.
They were always responsive and helpful with our questions and concerns. All of the arrangements they made worked out just as represented.
The rental car process was easy (we can't blame them for Paris traffic), and the places they arranged for us to stay as well as the activities arranged were outstanding.
We feel we really got a sense of the beauty of France and met some very nice people along the way. The tour book was terrific and very helpful. They made the trip almost effortless and truly enjoyable. Thank you Laura and Emile for making this a memorable vacation. We wish you did "Italy Just for You" too!
Naomi
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 …
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!
