France - an enchanted land where the heritage of a great past happily meets the art of good living. The scents and sights and leisurely pace of this warm and welcoming land are best appreciated by bicycle or by foot! Guided Walking Tours With 300 days of sunshine per year, fertile soil, fragrant herbs, a fascinating history and unusual clear light Provence extends an invitation to our senses! Our easy paced walking tour starts Sunday afternoon in Avignon with a transfer to “Pont du Gard”, a 2000 year old, beautifully preserved aqueduct, one of the wonders of the Ancient World and a “must see” in Provence. Later we’ll shuttle to our tastefully decorated hotel close to the center of Saint Rémy. We’ll enjoy the charming squares, dappled plane trees, fountains, galleries and shops that rightfully have earned Saint Rémy its appellation as “the essence of Provence”. Here we’ll visit the psychiatric hospital where Van Gogh was a patient for a year. Later we’ll walk up in his cherished mountains, with spectacular views all around. There is also time for an optional visit to the nearby Roman village of Glanum and Saint Rémy’s famous open-air market. From Saint Rémy we walk through “Les Alpilles”, the close-by mountain range, to Les Baux, classified as “one of the most beautiful villages in France”. The enchanting village of Les Baux is situated on a bare rock spur with dramatic vertical cliffs and marvelous views on the adjacent mountains and valleys below. Next we walk in Fontaine de Vaucluse, the captivating "enclosed valley" with its surging, green spring water, extolled by the poet Petrach who lived here for 16 years, seeking peace in the tranquil Sorgue River Valley. Our delightful day will conclude with a walk through wonderful Roussillon and its incredibly brilliant Ochre Mines whose vivid red and yellow hues make it a photographer's paradise. In Gordes, perched high on a chalk hill and another one of the "most beautiful villages in France", we'll reside for the last three nights of our tour in a luxury hotel where each bedroom is charmingly unique. We'll walk from Gordes to the 12th century Sénanque Abbey and the unusual "Village des Bories", a fascinating collection of 200 year old stone bories or huts. On our concluding day we'll make a thrilling walk in the Grand Luberon Nature Park before a stop in charming Bonnieux for our last Provencal lunch and stroll through its steeply terraced streets! Dip in the pool before your final gourmet meal in our hotel's restaurant! Included: 2008 Tour Dates: May 17-23, June 21-27,
Self-Guided Walking Tours Our Loire Valley Independent Walking Tours allows you to explore the incredible "Garden of France" at your own pace, as a couple or with friends (no guide but detailed route descriptions and local maps). There is time to stop and admire the stately elegance of centuries-old châteaux, always assured that your room is waiting for you at the end of each day. The region is hilly but there are no prolonged ascents or descents and very few steep gradients. Tours are offered from March 1 to November 1. Your luggage is transported from hotel to hotel. Sometimes a taxi is used to bring you to the beginning point of a walk. The tour price is based on a minimum of two persons per tour. This year we offer two tours in the Loire Valley. Tours to Saumur Your 8 day / 7 night walking vacation begins in Tours, easily reached by TGV from Paris. Lodgings are in charming and comfortable three-star hotels, all having rooms with private facilities. All breakfasts and 4 dinners are included in the tour price. Daily walking distances vary between 6 and 11 miles. Day 1: Arrival in Tours Visit this lively, flower-filled, university city on the River Loire with its fascinating medieval quarters and the famous “Place Pumereau” and its amazingly well preserved half timbered houses.
Day 2: Villandry to Azay-le-Rideau Transfer by taxi to the famous Gardens of the Château de Villandry, the most beautiful formal garden in all of France. Then walk through radiant rural countryside and fields of sunflowers to the village of Azay-le Rideau where the beautiful Chateau Azay-le-Rideau, the “Pearl of the Loire Valley”, is nestled magnificently along the river. Day 3: Rigny Ussé to Chinon Transfer by taxi to the “Sleeping Beauty” chateau in Ussé. Then walk through the peaceful Chinon Forest to the picturesque medieval wine city of Chinon on the Border of the Vienne River. Day 4: Chinon Today you can enjoy a rest day in charming Chinon or walk through the surrounding vineyards and visit a few of the numerous “caves” to sample some of this area’s wonderful wines.
Day 5: Chinon to Fontevraud Walk along the lovely Vienne River to Fontevraud, well known for its amazing abbey and the burial site of Richard the Lionhearted and other members of the Plantagenet family. Day 6: Fontevraud – Montsoreau Another day of beautiful walking to Montsoreau, a charming village on the River Loire where you can visit some fascinating troglodytes caves, once part of a quarry but now used for mushroom production. Overnight in Fontevraud. Day 7: Turquant to Saumur Transfer by taxi to Turquant from where you walk through the Saumur vineyards to Saumur, with its glorious fortified chateau located high on a spur of the tall cliff above the River Loire. A great city to be in at the end of this wonderful walking tour. Day 8: Departure from Saumur Tour Price: $1015
The Gardens
and Castles of the Loire This 7 day / 6 night walking holiday begins in historic and lovely Orléans, easily reached by train from the Austerlitz Train Station in Paris. Lodgings are in charming and comfortable three-star hotels, all having rooms with private facilities. All breakfasts and 3 dinners are included. The walking is quite easy (max. 10 miles) over mostly flat terrain with optional rest days. On “rest” days you visit chateaux, museums, parks and towns and can walk as much or as little as you please. Day 1: Arrival in Orléans You’ll spend the day exploring beautiful Orléans, the home of Joan of Arc, its important Sainte Croix Cathedral and its picturesque, well preserved old neighborhoods. Day 2: Cléry-Saint-André
to Beaugency Transfer by taxi from Orléans to Cléry to visit the imposing, gothic-style church of Notre Dame. From here you’ll walk on along the River Loire to discover Meung-sur-Loire with its ancient ramparts, handsome chateau and mills. After your visit walk on to Beaugency where you’ll stay for the night. Day 3: Beaugency – Chambord This morning you visit the village of Beaugency containing the House of the Templars, Notre Dame Abbey, the Hôtel-Dieu (Hospices of Beaugency) and the historic old bridge. In the afternoon you’ll taxi to Chambord to visit the astounding Castle Chambord, the largest of the Loire country châteaux. Tonight you’ll sleep and dine in a charming 2 star hotel very close to Castle Chambord so there is time to stroll through the extensive Parc de Chambord at your leisure.
Day 4: Cheverny - Cellettes (10 miles). Taxi to the exquisite Château Cheverny with its classical façade built of white stone and crowned by a splendid slate roof. The interior is sumptuously decorated with furniture and sculptures. It is one of the few important chateaux in the Loire Valley still privately owned. After your visit you’ll walk to the Château de Troussay, a manor house from the Renaissance and then on to the Château de Beauregard. Be sure not to miss the Galeries des Illustres, 327 portraits of historical Frenchmen. Then walk to Cellettes to meet your taxi that will take you back to the charming town of Blois. Day 5: Blois Today visit Blois’ historic center, with its famous chateau which features four distinct architectural styles and houses the Musées des Beaux Arts and Archeologie. St Louis Cathedral and numerous other churches and gardens decorate the city. Day 6: The chateaux Chaumont sur Loire and Fougères sur Bièvre Transfer by taxi to Chaumont Sur Loire, a famous Renaissance castle that is built on the bank of the River Loire and resembles a medieval fortress. It is filled with impressive antique furniture and is surrounded by a beautifully landscaped park. Then transfer to Fougères sur Bièvre to see a real medieval fortified castle, oddly out of place in this area. Taxi back to Blois. Day 7: Departure after breakfast. Tour Price: $1565
The Emerald Coast Brittany is a delightful and mostly under appreciated region of Northern France, known primarily as the location of incomparable Mont St. Michel, a geographical wonder, pilgrimage destination for centuries and certainly the highlight of our short walking tour. You’ll experience the natural beauty of Brittany’s picturesque Emerald coast by way of delightful walking on small foot paths, rural roads and through the flat polder landscape around Mont St. Michel. Other highlights are wonderfully preserved St. Malo, charming French accommodations and outstanding French food. Day 1: Arrival in St. Malo St. Malo is a historic, surprisingly well preserved medieval
walled city, founded in the sixth century by a Welsh monk. It
was the birthplace of the discoverer of Canada, Jacques Cartier,
and today is one of the most popular seaports in Brittany, with
a bustling town center excellent for shopping. Arrive
early in the afternoon so that you’ll have ample time to explore
or shop in this delightful city. Our first charming accommodation
is the Hotel La Villefromoy, a former villa located in a quiet,
residential area overlooking “Rochebonne” beach, just outside
of the historic center of St. Malo. Today you’ll depart from St. Malo on a walking path along the Emerald Coast with wonderful views on quiet beach coves and gorgeous blue-green water till we reach the jagged section of coast known as Pointe du Grouin, a famous ornithological reserve. There is time to stop at one of the magnificent beaches and to dip your feet in the Bay of Mont St. Michel. Continue on to the port of Cancale, a charming fishing village famous for its fresh oysters. Your hotel tonight is the Hotel Le Querrien, right on the quai. Day 3: Cancale to La Gouesnière – 7.5 miles Today you’ll follow the old path, “Sentiers des Douaniers” (border patrol path), along more scenic coastline and beaches before reaching the village of “St. Benoit des Ondes”. From here you continue inland and you’ll reach the splendid Château de Bonaban in close by La Gouesnière. The impressive chateau is a historic monument from Roman times, destroyed and rebuilt on a number of occasions throughout the centuries. Enjoy tonight an elegant dinner, beautifully presented in the attractive dining room of the chateau. Day 4: Cherrueix to Mont Saint Michel – 11 miles After transferring by taxi to Cherrueix you’ll trek along the Mont St. Michel Bay through sandy beaches and marshlands in the tranquil, flat polders adjacent to incomparable Mont St. Michel. The peaceful bay and mystical Mont St. Michel Abbey soaring above the medieval village below create an effect which is unrivalled anywhere else in the world. Each grand bedroom in our comfortable four-star hotel has a panoramic view on this marvellous sight. Later in the afternoon you can visit the Abbey, one of the seven world wonders and the medieval town with its quaint, half timbered houses built into the rock face. It’s an unforgettable experience you’ll remember for a life time! Day 5: Departure after breakfast Tour Price: $1325
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No
matter how many times I come back to France, I never tire of the
sights, smells, sounds and wonderful people! This is my first walking
tour but 6th Van Gogh experience and they always come up with something
new and exciting - one fabulous experience after another. I was
as enthralled with this one as I was with my first!