Private Escorted Tours

Private Escorted Tours – your holiday, your friends, your choice ….

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After 35 years of designing and leading tours around France, we have decided to stop guessing what you want and to offer our services as tour organiser and leader for small groups of friends and family.  4-6 people is the optimum number, but larger groups are also possible.

  • Tell us what you want;  your wish-list, your interests, your aspirations – and we will build them into your own unique personal tour.
  • Our specialist area is boating, as we’ve navigated most of the waterways of France (and the Venetian Lagoon) and we think it is the perfect holiday when combined with on-shore excursions – by minibus, bicycle, or on foot.  The boat is your floating base – a deluxe, fully crewed hotel barge with gourmet food & wine, or a 15m rental boat with cosy cabins, ensuite bathrooms Robert & Barbara as crew.
  • Or would you like acustomised land-based itinerary that takes you to your dream destinations, with Robert driving and Barbara guiding?  We recommend multi-night stays, short driving distances and regular samplings of the local food and beverages.
  •  What about a group cycle tour?  We can develop and expand our independent cycling holidays into a private cycling tour with us as your back-up crew in a minibus.  Our most popular cycling regions are the Loire Valley, Burgundy and Alsace, but with the continuing development of the French National Cycling Highways, longer routes (like Paris to Mont St Michel) become an attractive option.
  • For some itinerary ideas for you, your family & friends –  CLICK HERE
  • Annual commitments usually limit our availability to September & October, but whether you want a week or a month, we can make your dream holiday a reality.  See below for a selection of the escorted tours we’ve taken and  CONTACT US.

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OUR ESCORTED TOUR HISTORY – a selection

1991

New Orleans 3 day stopover – Discover Paris, including an excursion to Versailles – 10 day barge cruise through the Cote d’Or.

1992

New Orleans 3 day stopover – Discover Champagne from Epernay – 10 day barge cruise along the Burgundy Canal.

1999
  1. Paris to Lyon via Burgundy & the Jura.
  2. Lyon for the Heritage Rose Conference.
  3. Lyon to Avignon via Provence.
2002
  1. Village Discovery through the lesser-known villages of Burgundy.
  2. Food & Wine in Burgundy’s Cote d’Or & the Jura regions.
  3. Boating on the Saone & Seille Rivers with excursions to discover the Jura vineyards, woods & waterfalls.
2003
  1. Eastern Pyrenees from Perpignan to Toulouse, via the Cathar castles.
  2.  Lot Valley including St Cirq Lapopie, Rocamadour & Albi.
  3. Boating the Baise River into Armagnac country.
2005

Food & Wine Tours from Paris to Nice, via Burgundy, Jura, Beaujolais, Rhone Valley, Provence & Cassis with cooking classes, mushroom and truffle hunting forays.

2006
  1. Paris to Alsace, via Champagne for wine and hot air ballooning and Nancy for Art Nouveau.
  2. Burgundy Food & Wine with hot air ballooning over the Cote d’Or.
  3. Boating on the Venice Lagoon and Sile River.
2007

Heritage Rose Tour, discovering the  gardens of Paris, Ile de France and a barge cruise in Burgundy on the Luciole.

2008
  1. Brionnais & Roannais vineyards, then boating the Upper Loire to Sancerre.
  2. Upper Loire boating, then chateaux of the Loire.
2009

Boating through Brittany to Dinan.

2010
  1. Basque Experience from St Jean de Luz, including  Bilboa for the Guggenheim museum.
  2. Basque Experience plus a barge cruise through the Midi on the Emma.
2011

Boating on the Venice Lagoon & Brenta River.

2012
  1. Burgundy experience from Paris to Lyon
  2. Lyon to Bordeaux – Dordogne Eperience from its source to the sea.
2014

Bordeaux, Medoc and boating on the Charente River.

2015

Boating on the Canal du Midi

2016

Normandy tour and boating in Brittany, from Nantes to Redon.

2017

Burgundy tour – see   http://www.bespokefrance.co.nz/2016/12/escorted-tour-2017/ ‎