So much to do, so much to see, so much to enjoy in and around Paris!

Having “done” Paris why not take a day or more visiting the further famous sights just outside Paris?

Versailles , the huge and magnificent château built by the will of Louis the XIV with the taxes of the poor, the accountancy skills of Colbert, the architectural skills of Mansart, the fine painting of Lebrun and others, the gardening genius of LeNotre

Just half an hour out of Paris … the day could also include a visit to Giverny with the famous gardens created by the father of the Impressionist movement Monet.

Fontainebleau, South of Paris

A beautiful historical château built during the reigns of many French kings and several of their wives with the final imprint being those of the Napoleons : it was from here that Napoleon 1st signed his abdication after Waterloo. Today it has one of the best Napoleonic Museums (Napoleon III lived more at Compiegne).

The day can be further filled by a visit to Vaux le Vicomte, the château, the precursor of Versailles, built buy Fouquets and which led to his ruin when it raised the jealousy of Luis XIV ( Colbert also had much to do with spreading false rumours about Fouquets sources of income).

Champagne : why not take a day to visit the Champagne growing region of France some 2 hours east of Paris? Let me take you to some famous champagne producers such as Moet and Chandon, Piper Heidsick, Veuve Clicquot – better still, trust me when I take you to some small independent producers who make these glorious sparkling wines at unbeatable prices!

World War I Battlefields

The Somme, Picardy, le Chemin des Dames, the Australians, New Zealanders, the British, the French, the American, the Moroccans and the Africans – WWI Memorials and Cemeteries : a very moving and incomprehensible and reprehensible war. (Ypres is in Belgium – you would need to spend the night up there to cover the main Flanders Battlefields).

Interested? If so, please call us to book to take you any or all of theses fabulous places. Telephone: 0033 2 54 70 20 or email: office@france-tours.net

Today my knowledge has vastly expanded to cover history, art, architecture, gossip covering European countries and many others world wide.
But most of all, in these past thirty years as a world travelled tour guide, tour manager, tours manager I have accrued a deep understanding of the human being on tour.

Not every tour manager knows how to handle groups of fifty farmers (and others from all walks of life) on month long tours in all parts of Europe and English speaking countries of the world.

(I once had the pleasure of taking a group of Zambian  farmers (mostly Jehovah Witnesses) from London, to Copenhagen, Paris, Malta, to Israel, including a swim in the Dead Sea and finding suitable bottles for them to take back home water from the Jordan River !) Now that takes some doing and a mass of knowledge and intelligence and patience!

I  have a wide knowledge of  European hotels, restaurants, monuments, restaurants and optional extras !

I, of course, specialise in France, then full European tours and the British -Isles: “have passport” and will go any place you want !

So should you be seeking a knowledgeable, pleasant, quick-thinking, resistant, “have you heard this one?” tour guide or  tour manager  to lead your groups  I also offer this service .

After all, I’m good and have a file full of testimonials of satisfied clients!

So call me now on 0033 2 54 70 20 52 or email us at : office@france-tours.net

To one and all the name of Normandy brings back memories of the Normandy D Day Landings in June 1944.

Europe was liberated when the Allies made up of American, British Commonwealth, other European nations such as Norway, Holland, Greece as well as French troops came to liberate Europe from the Nazi occupation.

Come with us for a two, three or four day visit, starting ideally from Paris and during which time I will drive, show, explain and bring to life, some of the most heroic and courageous actions which took place on these northern European wind-swept shores. During our tour we will visit the  Omaha and Utah beaches, the American Cemetery at Coleville sur Mer/Laurent sur Mer, the Nazi gun emplacements such as at Longues sur Mer and famous La Pointe du Hoc , taken by the courageous Rangers.

We will also visit in the eastern British sector Pegasus Bridge and in the west in the American sector St Mère l’Eglise and say hi! to John Steele still hanging from the church spire!

With time we can take you on to Cherbourg at the tip of the Cotentin peninsular, back south again in the footsteps of General Patton’s Third Army as far as Rennes in Brittany.

Or indeed to Falaise where the 100 day Battle of Normandy came to an end when the Nazi army was surrounded in the Falaise pocket and annihilation followed.

Otherwise Normandy is a land of milk and honey and …. apples !

All in lush green pasture land, Normandy countryside is really very “pretty”

Normandy is the home of such famous cheeses such as Camembert, invented in the village of Camembert, not far from Vimoutiers (in the Canadian sector) as well as other great cheeses such as Pont l’Eveque and Livarot, absolutely whole and wholesome!

Normandy is also our main French apple orchard : some eating apples but the bulk (with over 225 different varieties) are apples for making cider ( “hard cider” some call it with a 4% alcoholic content) with nothing else added, all pure and good for you ! Much of this cider then undergoes a second distillation and boiling to produce the after dinner drink of Calvados!

All this food, drink and good things of life for you to come and share with us! Book us now by calling : 00 33 2 54 70 20 52 or emailing : office @france-tours.net

Normandy is also the very pleasant drive  exploring of the coastal road from Rouen to Le Havre, Honfleur, Deauville, Trouville, Oestreham.

Not only do we cover the US Normandy Beaches but also the Canadian and British sectors starting in Arromanches to see the remnants of Mulberry Harbour B , followed by the Juno, Sword and Gold beaches north of Caen, itself entirely rebuilt after the war.

For the Catholics, but all other faiths as well, we can also take you to visit and attend mass at Lisieux in the huge basilica dedicated to Sainte Therese de Lisieux , a modern Saint and Doctor of the Church as she died in 1897.

In Normandy you’ll also have the pleasure of visiting the Mount St Michael (Mont St Michel) a truly amazing place sitting proudly on top of a granite plug in the heart of the huge sandy bay .

Mt St Michel is an outstanding set of clerical and religious buildings which began to be built in the 8th century and made bigger, better, grander over the course of the centuries.  A visit is a must but beware there are a awful lot of stairs to reach the sanctuary!

Normandy is also Rouen, the cathedral town in which the English burnt Joan of Arc at the stake in 1431:  hear all about it as I tell you the full story: do you want the French or the English version ?!?

Lots of nice shops, antiques and a very good Musée des Beaux Arts.

So if you want to visit Normandy with me, with all my accumulated knowledge of the important places , in the comfort of top of the range vehicles, with flexibility built into our programmes to allow more time to ponder, to shop,to eat and drink, to relax as well as driving around the many fine places to visit   rush now to book us by calling : 00 33 2 54 70 20  or emailing : office@france-tours.com

The Loire Valley, one of the most beautiful, famous and most visited parts of France!

Once home of the Kings of France, their wives and their mistresses.

The Loire Valley, where you will find such Royal Châteaux as grandiose as Chambord, started in 1519, the design of which may well have been influenced by Léonard de Vinci who lived his last few years not far away at the Clos Lucé (which is also part of one of our excursions), Chenonceau THE romantic Renaissance built château spanning the river Cher,  palace home of

Diane de Poitiers and of Catherine de Medicis.

Amboise where Francis 1 grew up, where Charles VIII died, where Mary Queen of Scots lived out her short French marriage to Francis II, where today you can enjoy a Son et Lumière show .

The Clos Lucé, a cosy manor house, given rent-free by Francis 1 to his great friend Léonard de Vinci until his passing away  on the 2nd May 1519.

Blois Château, an architectural archive with at least four different architectural styles:  it was here that Henry III,  son of Catherine de Médecis, the last of the Valois kings, was murdered in 1588, replaced on the French throne by his Protestant cousin, first Bourbon king, Henry IV.

So much for buildings and history of which there is much, one story as fascinating as the other and I know them all, so come with me and know them too!

The Loire Valley  has in fact not just one river but five different rivers flowing through it: La Loire, Le Loir, La Vienne, le Cher  and the Indre.   It is a most beautiful and scenic area of France  enjoying a unique eco-climate of warm  summers and temperate winters, an ideal wine growing district .
Come with us and enjoy wine visits and tastings in a selection of vineyards: rich tannic reds in Chinon,  sparkling whites and rosés (methode Champenoise) in Saumur, Mesland and Montrichard ,  famous white wines of Vouvray and Montlouis and further south, up river, you too can discover the delights of the wines of Sancerre, Pouilly, Chablis, Mennetou-Salon  etc…

With all this rich and generous land the Loire Valley is also a rich agricultural area. Come and enjoy our great variety of fresh foods: the goats’ cheeses of St Maure de Touraine, the asparagus and strawberries of the Sologne, the fresh lettuces and other salad crops of the Cher river.

So what do we have in the Loire valley for you to enjoy ? : great food, fabulous wines, fantastic weather, tons of history, pretty villages and nice people : no wonder the locals , of which I am pleased to call myself one, enjoy the greatest of ART DE VIVRE !

Come and book our reasonably priced services and we will endeavour to show you some of  it in the company of a knowledgeable and friendly driver-guide.

Call now 0033 2 54 70 20 52 or email: office@france-tours.net

Provence, the South of France – what a magical phrase for a magical place !

Provence is in fact a series of different sun soaked regions, full of fragrances, colours, tastes and” joie de vivre” in the south- eastern corner of France.

Which means rosé wine de Provence, lavender from Hautes Provence, olive oil from the Alpilles, Pastis the aniseed drink from Marseilles, bright yellow, blue clothes and pottery.

Provence is also “Peter Mayle’s country”, the Luberon east of Avignon.
Provence is Avignon on the Rhône River, once home of the French Popes who have left us their Pope’s Palace which you can visit during a stay in this very popular town ( but be warned it welcomes one of the largest Music and Theatre festival during the summer months when hotels are in very short supply – but what an experience!)

Our tours include the Vaucluse region, east of Avignon, visiting very charming, stone built villages  such as Gordes where lunches are eaten outside under a shady vine whilst admiring the extensive view of the valley .

The Luberon the afore-mentioned Peter Mayle’s country with further romantic villages such as Menerbes and Lacoste once home of the Marquis de Sade.

A tour of Provence is not complete without a visit to Baux en Provence, today an active touristy village but still with a presence of habitants passed. There is also a very large range of superior, mid range, B&B’s and cheaper hotels in the close vicinity  (should you not be staying in Avignon  or Arles).  On this day we’ll also visit St Remi de Provence, home of some of the Jet Set of this world . A great market is also held on Thursdays.  It is in this region that visits are organised to olive oil  producers and Santon makers. .

And you’ll hopefully listen attentively as I retell the great stories Alphonse Daudet wrote in his classic “Lettres de mon Moulin “ … so Provencal !

We’ll also visit  Arles once a very important Roman town,  visit the Pont du Gard, the last remaining part  of an Roman architectural masterpiece in the form of a three storey aqueduct which once brought fresh  water down from the Uzes hills to the town of Nimes .

We’ll also spend time in the Camargue, the wild wilderness of the Rhone Delta  where black cows and bulls for the Camargue  Games are bred (here the animal is the star of the show and is definitely not killed !) and the beautiful white Camargue horses bred to work the cows.
If we are lucky we’ll also see a whole bunch of flamingoes leisurely straining their food out of the lagoons .

A Provence tour is usually followed, or indeed can start with a tour of the Côte d’Azur which is the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea stretching from the Italian border at Vintermille , through Menton, Monte Carlo, Beaulieu sur Mer and Nice , a very large town these days, stretched along the Bay des Anges and the Promenade des Anglais ( Nice has its own international airport ), then Cannes ( the film festival is always held in May)  and if you really insist St Tropez ( I recommend taking the boat ferry across from St Raphael as it saves hours just sitting in traffic waiting for that single parking spot in St Tropez … will we see Brigitte Bardot, the French President , Tom Cruise or even Mr Madoff if he is not under house arrest?
Visitors also like visiting St Paul de Vence, a really cute hill top village, buzzing with loads of visitors from around the world, all mingling through the narrow streets lined with art galleries . One can also visit the perfumeries such as Fragonard in Grasse where you are of course encouraged to buy their perfumes…

Provence, the Côte d’Azur, a wonderful place with so much to see, to visit, to enjoy, possibly to buy antiques or a house!

We can  make your stay a success so  give us a call now on 00 33 2 54 70 20 52 or emil us at : office@france-tours.net

1. Booking.

A deposit of 30% of the total amount is required in order for us to make the reservation and hold it on definite basis. The customer can either send a check or arrange with our banking details for a “bank to bank transfer”.

2. Price.

Each package description on this website specifies the services included in the price. Our prices are in Euros for the whole of our services based on the total occupancy  (number of passengers) in one vehicle .
Unless otherwise specified, the price never includes the following: vaccination cost, insurance, optional tours, drinks, tips, and personal expenses. The contract price only includes the services described in the tour package.

3. Payment.

The bill is sent to the customer within 15 days after the booking. The balance cost must imperatively be paid at the latest 35 days prior to the first day of the tour. If you send a check, you must also sign and send the final estimate (that is the bill). If the final balance is not received on time, we at France Tours .Net reserve the right to treat the booking as cancelled by you. If you book the tour within 35 days prior to the start of the tour, the full amount must be paid when the booking is confirmed. If this total payment together is not received, the booking will not be considered as definite.
- It is possible to extend your stay or leave early, “only if it is specified when booking the trip”. Besides a fee for supplementary services, an additional fee can be charged notably due to a change of dates in hotels.
- All payments made within 15 days prior to the start of the tour must be secured by a bank to bank money transfer  for which we will send you our references . Travel insurance purchased by the customer is due from the day the reservation is signed, and it must be paid then. France Tours .Net France Tours .net  any acknowledgement of receipt.

4. Transportation.

Air and rail services.
France Tours.Net is a licensed passenger carrying service, we do not sell plane/train tickets or book hotels .
Our liability concerning transportation starts once you are aboard any of our vehicles.
In accordance with the article 23 of the July 13, 1992 Act # 92-645, we at France Tours .net shall not be held liable for any inconvenience due to the following:
- Loss/theft of plane tickets (airline companies do not issue duplicates).
- At the customs or check-in, non-presentation, or presentation of documents (ID card, passport, visa, vaccination certificate, etc) which have expired or have an insufficient period of validity or do not conform with the indications on the back. In case of a failed check-in, there will be no refund of the package fare.
- Unexpected incidents due to a third party: wars, political upheavals, strikes external to ourselves, technical hitches external outside our control, congestions on the roads or in the air space, hijacking, bankrupt of a service provider, bad weather, delays, engine failures, thefts of luggage or other goods. No refund of any kind will be made because of delays and itinerary changes due to the incidents mentioned above – e.g. change in the length of the tour initially planned or of a connection. Possible additional expenses (taxes, hotel, parking) will be payable by the customer.
- Cancellations imposed by circumstances of the greatest importance and/or linked to the customer’s safety, and/or on the command of an enforcing authority. France Tours .Net reserves the right to modify planned dates/times/itineraries if the customer’s safety can not be ensured. The customer can not claim any refund.

Land services.
France Tours. Net provides land services.
Services that will not be used (transfers and excursions) will not be refunded.
Services that are voluntarily modified on the spot are subject to our service providers’ conditions: additional services that entail an extra cost will have to be paid directly by the customer, and will not entail France-Tours .Net liability.
We take care of our customers’ transportation in luxury vans that can hold a maximum of 6 persons. In case our vehicles and/or chauffeurs should be lacking, transportation will be provided by any one of our  partners, in the same conditions and at no extra cost.

5. Accommodation.

We do not book any of your accommodation. We will provide you with exhaustive listings and recommendations to hotels, châteaux hotels, bed and breakfast properties . Should you wish for us to book any accommodation we will require you to provide us with suitable Credit Card information to book and reserve in your name .

6. Meals.

Meals that are included are mentioned in the packages.
Whether at a hotel or traditional restaurant, drinks are not included, unless otherwise specified.

7. Amendments.

As far as possible, we at France-Tours .Net  will satisfy amendment requests made at the latest one month prior to the first day of the tour. If these requests concern an extension of the stay, an increased number of persons, or the purchase of additional services, only the cost of these amendments will be charged in addition to the original price. For any other amendment, an extra 30 € fee per person will be charged.

8. Transfer of contract.

The customer transferring his/her contract to another person must inform France Tours .Net  at the latest 7 days prior to the first day of the tour. We need to have the name of the new contract holder confirming that they also agree to the itinerary and it’s attached conditions ..
For information only, cancellation charges will range from 30 to 122 € per person according to the lapse of time before the departure day.

9. Privacy statement.

The personal information that you provide to us while you book your trip will not be disclosed to third parties, except to providers of services that you ordered. This information will be considered by France Tours .Net  and their partners as confidential.

10. Young persons under 18.

Registration requests concerning young persons under 18 years of age must be signed by one of the parents or legal guardian, and marked “With the consent of the father/mother/legal guardian”. Besides the regular documents required for the trip, young persons under 18 must be in possession of letter of consent to exit the country signed by one of the parents or legal guardian. Mention also needs to be made of a contact phone number and address in case of an emergency.

11. Cancellation fee.

In case of cancellation of a booking, the customer must inform France Tours .Net  by a recorded delivery letter with acknowledgement of receipt, as early as possible: the date of the acknowledgement of receipt will be considered as the cancellation date in order to calculate the cancellation fee.
For trips including land services (“a la carte” tours, itineraries for individuals) and travel packages, the cancellation fee will be as follows:
- more than 45 days prior to departure: 5% of the total amount due, non refundable by the trip cancellation insurance, with a minimum charge of 80 € per person
- 45-31 days prior to departure: 15% of the total amount due, with a minimum charge of 80 € per person
- 30-21 days prior to departure: 35% of the total amount due
- 20-15 days prior to departure: 50% of the total amount due
- 14-5  days prior to departure: 75% of the total amount due
- less than 4 days prior to departure: 100% of the total amount due

12. Customer service.

Any complaint for non-fulfilment or poor fulfilment of the travel contract should be made on the spot, and referred either to the offending provider of service or to the offices of France-Tours .Net  The complaint must describe the grievance and be made within 24 hours.
If you have not obtained satisfaction, please send your complaint through registered mail, and join all written evidence within 15 days after the end of your trip. The length of our investigation will determine the delay in our response to your complaint.

13. Insurance.

Unless otherwise specified, no personal travel insurance is included in the prices we offer.
As a consequence, when you book your trip, we suggest that you should subscribe to an insurance policy against the following risks:
- cancellation
- repatriation
- loss of luggage
- legal aid
- accidental bodily injury and repatriation

A British family resident in France since 1991 .

Jeremy Kolbé, with an university degree in agriculture and with more than thirty years in the travel business .

I do the organising, the reservations and  take the long haul tours out of the region.

Julie Kolbé, my wife, a trained linguist, has worked in the banking world, tourism and now as well as keeping the books at France-Tours, teaches English at management level.

One full time colleague, English speaker and very knowledgeable about the Loire valley, shares the local excursions .

One part time secretary who looks after things when everyone else is out and about.

To cope with peak season demands  at home  and in other parts of France I have  close professional contacts on which I call upon to share the work .

What we offer :

1) our knowledge:  running our own business in France since 1996, K-Tours in Britain  from 1987 till 1991,

a world travelled tour guide, a tour manager

2) our experience of the business: organising tours, excursions, transfers  (I met my wife whilst we both worked for the same tour operator where she set up the tours which I took out on the road).

3) understanding and looking after peoples needs, after years of leading groups I now have a deep understanding of people

4) our long standing working relationship with Tour Operators and Travel Agents as well as the individual traveller and his family

5) our value for money, fairly priced services

Since setting up France Tours on arrival in France I am now passionate about French and European history (three cheers for the Napoleons!), their culture  and way of life and by nature being an avid and curious reader and seeker of information I am able to supply commentaries and subjective views points on most topics of interest to people visiting France and Europe.

We are all fluent both in English (our mother tongue) and in French.  I can call upon colleagues who speak Spanish, Portuguese, German and Russian.

We offer top of the range cars and minivans to suit all purposes and families

We will discuss the ideal program and itinerary best suited to your interest, time available and budget . We have our basic  excursion routings in the Loire, Normandy, Champagne, Provence which is where most of our business is  and will use our experience to offer you the ideal itinerary and set of visits in all other parts and regions of France and Europe.

We will recommend a wide variety of hotels , in all classes, restaurants and pubs anywhere in France and in Europe.

Finally, we offer our expertise with smiling efficiency !

We are a licensed public carrier, fully insured to carry our passengers .  We of course carry the required business insurance.

So call us now on 0033 2 54 70 20 52 or email at : office@france-tours.net to discuss your tour.

France grows and produces the best wines in the world! Reds, whites, rosés – still, sparkling, dry, medium, sweet

Wine has been grown in France from the early days to such an extent that Noah, the first man to plant a vine, make wine and get drunk after the great flood, was possibly French!

The Romans were of course very much a wine-loving nation and were the ones who brought wine to France. Since then wine has been planted and grown in many parts of France.
Here in the Loire Valley we are the most northerly region to grown grapes which is why the bulk of our Loire valley wines are white: Muscadet, Saumur,Vouvray, Montlouis, Cheverny, Sancerre, Pouilly etc.

Which does not mean that we have no reds : think of our Chinons, Saumur Champigny , Gamay…

We at France Tours organise wine tasting tours in our Loire region and over the years our personal interest has led us  to develop quite an experience of wines and even, more importantly, good strong contacts in all parts of France.

We can organise wine tours to Champagne, visiting a selection of famous names such as Moet et Chandon as well as many small producers who are past masters in making this the drink of the gods and mortals alike.

We also have ready-made circuits in the Bordeaux regions including the Medoc, St Emilion, Entre deux Mers, Sauternes and many others.

We can take you down the Cote d’Or in Burgundy visiting such places as  Nuits St George, Alex Corton, Mersault and such like.

Alsace is another beautiful part of France  producing great Rieslings, Gewurstraminers and Pinots in such charming villages as Riquewihr,and Ribauville (visit a stork  breeding farm too!)

Should you wish to explore lesser known wine ‘appellations’ we can visit Cahors, Chateauneuf du Pape , St Chinian and many others in the Languedoc Roussillion areas of southern France.

So, if you are interested in doing a wine tour in the Loire Valley and or any other major wine growing part of France give us a call on  00 33 2 54 70 20 52 or email us at : office@france-tours.net

And don’t forget with our services YOU DRINK, WE DRIVE!