Multi-Day Tours in France

Multi-day tours in France are mostly road trips that fan out from Paris, and each has its own centre of gravity. Normandy means the Omaha and Utah beaches, the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer and Mont Saint-Michel, with Honfleur, Rouen and the Étretat cliffs between them. Brittany adds Saint-Malo and the oysters of Cancale. The Loire is a chain of castles: Chambord, Chenonceau, Amboise, Blois, and Clos Lucé, where Leonardo da Vinci spent his last three years. Burgundy brings Chablis and Beaune, whose Hôtel-Dieu dates from 1443, and the line then runs south through Lyon to Avignon, the Pont du Gard and Arles, ending on the Riviera at Nice.

Almost everything is private: a car for two or three people, a minivan for up to seven, and a driver who also guides, or a guide and driver as a pair. Private prices are per group and often tier with headcount, so a full minivan costs far less per head than a couple. What separates the trips is length. Two days does one region properly, such as six Loire castles or the beaches plus the Mont. Three adds a second region. Five to seven days string Normandy, the Loire and Burgundy together or run Paris to Provence. A few go one way and end in Nice or Amsterdam instead of Paris.

Practical. April to October is the working season. Normandy and the Loire reach 22 to 26C in summer, Provence 30C or more, and the Luberon villages are at their best in late June and July, when lavender is out around Sénanque. In winter the north sits near 7C, grey and damp. Wine, Calvados and oyster tastings are built into many of the trips, which is the real argument for having someone else drive. Many itineraries can be customised, so ask before treating a route as fixed.