Athens
Madeleine
The one to call for group travel — reunions, milestones, friends going together. She’s backpacked Europe and says yes to almost anything.
Paris is three days. France is three weeks.
Almost everyone starts with Paris, and they should — it earns every bit of its reputation. But the country changes completely two hours in any direction, and the train system makes those two hours easy. Burgundy for the wine. Provence for the light. The Dordogne for the food nobody outside France talks about. Normandy for the history that still stops people in their tracks.
What we’re useful for is the shape of it: how long in Paris before you move, whether to drive or take the train, which region actually matches the trip you’re picturing. Stella spent a year living and working in France, which shows up in the details she thinks to include.
Where to go
Three regions worth building a trip around
Assuming Paris is already on the list.
Provence
The light everyone paints
Hill towns, markets, and lavender if you time it for late June or July. The pace is the point — this is where people stop checking things off and start having lunch for two hours.
The Loire Valley
Châteaux and vineyards
Close enough to Paris for a few days, grand enough to justify more. Chambord and Chenonceau are the famous ones; the smaller châteaux are where you’ll actually want to stay.
The Côte d’Azur
Nice, Antibes, and the coast
Better in May or September than in August. Nice is the practical base, with Monaco, the perched villages, and the Provençal interior all within an easy drive.
Endless ways to experience it
What kind of France are you after?
Food and wine
Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, the Rhône — each a trip in itself. We’ll match the region to what’s already in your cellar.
Art and history
The Louvre and Versailles, yes. Also the cave paintings at Lascaux, the Bayeux Tapestry, and the beaches at Normandy.
River cruising
The Seine, the Rhône, the Garonne. A comfortable way to see several regions without repacking, and a favorite of Steve’s.
By rail
France does trains better than almost anywhere. Paris to Provence in three hours, no car required — often the best version of the trip.
Countryside and slow travel
A house in the Dordogne, a week of markets and nothing scheduled. The trip people talk about years later.
The Riviera
Beaches, Monaco, and the hill villages above the coast. Shoulder season turns it from crowded to glorious.
Who you’ll work with
Pick the office nearest you.
All four of our advisors plan France. Which one you work with is usually just a question of which office you’d rather walk into.
Dunwoody
Leslie
Planning trips since 1990 and deepest in Italy, Greece, France, and Ireland. Ask her about the history nobody told you to look for.
Dunwoody
Steve
Left a career as a chiropractor for a year-long trip around the world. A lazy river through the south of France is his idea of a good week.
Tuscaloosa
Stella
Lived and worked in France for a year. She builds trips around local life — markets, long meals, the streets past the checklist.
Or come with us
We’re sailing French waters twice
Two of our hosted journeys call on France — the Silver Shadow round-trip from Nice in June 2027, and Explora I through Provence in August 2027. An advisor on board the whole way.
Ready when you are.
Tell us roughly what you have in mind and we’ll take it from there.
