La Belle France Reviews

Trip certainly covered highlights of the areas (Monet’s Garden, Normandy Beaches, Mont St Michel and chateaus in the Loire Valley) as well as introducing us to local specialties (cider, calvados, galettes and crepes). Local accommodation added to overall feel of the trip. Days were leisurely and could have fitted more in on some days. A couple of lunchtime ...read more picnics coordinated by guide and driver really added to overall experience.

Good trip, knowledgable guide and careful driver plus a very sociable group of fellow travellers. Accommodation and included meals were variable and were indicative of the regions.

A really great trip with an excellent guide and a fantastic driver. Accommodation was great. The fellow travellers were easy, friendly company and all the places we visited lived up to expectations. Our guide took us to extra places of interest that added to the enjoyment of the trip. I just loved the part of France that we visited.

Wonderful service from Global Journeys. Back Roads provided a great tour with like minded people in a small group. Our tour guide Rachel was great fun and tweaked the itinerary to maximise the experience for everybody. Marek, our driver was cheerful and uncomplaining. He drove well and made our trip a pleasure. Unusually hot weather in Northern Europe ...read more meant some of our boutique accommodation was at times uncomfortable but the rooms were always clean and the hotels located centrally. Meals provided were always very good.

A few minor gripes. Most of our group dutifully downloaded the Back Roads App and filled in our information. It was a bit disconcerting on the first morning to find that Rachel had none of our details and we had to fill in a paper form. Back Roads paperwork was late in arriving before our departure date.

Rachel was a fun guide but due to the nature of Back Roads staff allocation her knowledge of some of the finer points of the tour was sometimes a little lacking. I think if allocated to this tour regularly that would improve. The activities on our last day went on a little too long. Possibly the hot weather contributing to the group feeling we perhaps crammed a little too much into the day. Apart from that the tour was excellent and we would heartily recommend Back Roads to anyone contemplating a small group tour.

The northern coast of France provided so many highlights. The sea-side resort of Trouville-sur-Mer, with its hundred year old villas, was a charming setting for wandering along the beautiful beach at sunset and then indulging in the delicious local dish of mussels, "Les Moules Marinières". The local cider was delightful and the apple brandy, "Calvados" ...read more finished the meal perfectly.

We were able to pay tribute to the fallen in World War II as we visited the Normandy Landing beaches and associated cemeteries. We walked the first streets that were liberated by the brave allied soldiers. We pondered their sacrifice and appreciated the freedom that they ensured. At the artificial harbour at Arromanches we were able to imagine the scene of thousands of troops and their vessels approaching the shore.

Visiting the beautiful town of Bayeux and seeing the Bayeux Tapestry was a truly special experience. The story of William the Conqueror’s preparations, and the subsequent conquest of England in 1066, is seen in carefully embroidered scenes that are vivid and memorable.

Mont-Saint-Michel is a true wonder of the world and we were privileged to see such a spectacular monastery perched on the island off the coast of France. The views from the Abbey were breathtaking. The preserved old wooden-framed medieval houses and the narrow cobbled streets in Dinan enabled us to feel, once again, that we had travelled back in time.

The Châteaux of the Loire, Angers, Saumur, Amboise, Chinon, Chenonceau and Villandry, were truly remarkable. Each châteaux overwhelmed us with its beauty and fascinating history. The opportunity to stay at the Château Bourdaisière was a rare treat. Seeing the magnificent cathedral of Chartres was a spectacular way to finish our tour of some of France’s most significant sites.

The quality of the service, our talented and professional guide and the wonderful accommodation, all contributed to the pleasure of being a part of this Back-Roads tour. We look forward to our next Back-Roads tour.

A very good tour and would recommend it. Tour guide was excellent and went out of her way to help everyone. It was very hot and hotels did not have air conditioning.

Thank you again Hannah from Global Journeys for taking the stress out of bookings, and always being there. Had a great time on this tour. Driver Attila, was superb, driving around France is no easy mean feat and we all felt we were in great hands with him. Jenny our guide went out of her way to assist in any queries, and was a fabulous narrator of French ...read more History. Monets Garden was a highlight, as was Normandy, and the War Memorial Sites.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. 14 others (15 with tour guide) & everyone got on well. Tour guide (Charlie), was excellent & his knowledge / commentary on places we visited helped make the tour. The smaller bus enabled us to truly experience the "back roads" aspect and we were able to get to places the larger coaches would have found impossible. Accommodation ...read more along with included meals were great, with possibly the exception of the final stop - Chateau de la Bourdaisiere. Whilst the setting & appearance was stunning, the meal was not up to standard & the cooking class was not what we expected - minimal hands on for those that wanted to actually get their hands dirty. Whilst every venue we visited were magnificent, the 3 stand out highlights were Mont St Michel, Normandy beaches, Monet's Garden. We would readily recommend Back-Roads to our friends.

This tour was very much better than the Chelsea Flower Show tour. Charlie our guide was excellent, informed and happy, easy to connect with, as was Pip our driver. Every day was a good experience and the variety of places we visited kept it interesting. I would recommend this tour wholeheartedly, Normandy is a special part of France and offers many ...read more enjoyable sights and places to visit. 5 stars!

With regards to the Back-Roads tour, my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Being with a small group suited us. The remainder of the group were great and good fun, everyone got on really well. Our driver/guide was incredible. Not only could she handle the traffic in Paris, she was very professional and caring to our needs. Her knowledge of France ...read more whether it be politics or history was extensive. We had two lovely picnic lunches of local wine, cheese, bread etc which was a lovely surprise. The accommodation in smaller hotels was also good - with a personal touch. The last night at the Chateau was a memorable way to conclude the tour. The smaller bus allowed us visit towns in the countryside where the roads were very narrow. I was very pleased with the way Global Journeys handled our booking, and would like to book another Back-roads tour in a couple of years.

I loved this tour, the beautiful French countryside, the fascinating medieval towns, the food, the wine, the charming family-run small hotels. The tour guide/ driver was very knowledgeable and helpful. The only glitch was a Sunday lunch stop in a town where almost everything was closed (apparently this was the 1st time the tour has run to this schedule). ...read more A couple of the hotels were below standard (at Honfleur, and the hotel used by Back-Roads in Paris, the rooms are so small there is barely room for your suitcases). The tour length was also about right, as it was a bit tiring being on the move every day. I'd seriously consider another Back-Roads tour.

Small group, charming hotels, some excellent dining, good choice of scheduled content coupled with some free time, excellent tour guide/driver. Only criticisms are the accommodation in Paris at either end of the tour (not actually part of the tour, but the beginning point, so it seemed sensible to stay there). We stayed there for a few days before ...read more the tour began. While not spacious, our room was adequate, with a view out over the street. The room we had on our return however, fortunately for 1 night only, was tiny, barely enough room for our suitcases. The other problem on the tour itself, we arrived on a Sunday in a town/city for a scheduled visit to a castle, however there was almost nothing open, and most of the group found it extremely difficult to find anything for lunch. Apparently this was the 1st time the tour had run to this schedule. The accommodation in Honfleur was not of the same standard as the other rural hotels, but I believe Back-Roads is looking at changing this.