France and Italy Tours and Trips

I loved staying at the winery. I loved Venice and San Marino. It was all wonderful. It was the best vacation that I have been on in my entire life!

I really enjoyed this trip to Sicily. It was definitely full on, we saw and did so much! The days were long but filled with good information and beautiful sights. Our local guides, with one exception, were fantastic. They offered a huge amount of information and history and made our tour more valuable. My fellow travelers were a great group of people and we really bonded well. I did feel at times the days were so full it didn't leave much time to explore on our own or time to stop and enjoy some places and some felt unnecessary. Maybe we could have spent more time in other places? But I appreciate that we got to see the whole island vs any other tour company I looked at. Our hotels were good, typical of my other Explore tour. They were clean and the breakfasts were adequate and the staff were always wonderful. Since we only stayed in most places for 1 night, the location wasn't as much of a concern since we were quickly on the go. The private van was the perfect way to travel and very comfortable. But there were times having wifi would have been nice. Our tour guide made fantastic dinner recommendations and we almost always ate as a group. I wish he had provided us with a bit more general info as we moved from place to place but overall he did a good job.

An unforgettable week exploring the beautiful Amalfi Coast. Staying at the Agriturismo was an authentic way to experience the quieter side of the coast and maintain some distance from the inevitable tourist crowds that flock to the coastal hotspots. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking and the walks, activities and visits were all well chosen and varied. As others have said ... a good level of fitness is required. Our guide for the week (Genarro) was first class. His passion, stories and good humour brought the region’s history, culture, and landscape to life. The accommodation was spotlessly clean and very comfortable. My gluten intolerance was a little bit awkward at times, but I was never hungry and the family were very thoughtful. Torta Caprese is a new favourite! The gardens and surrounding area were lovely and peaceful. The pasta, mozarella and tiramisu class and pizza evening were both very good ... the pizza evening in San Lazarro was hilarious and the (gf) pizzas are amazing! The day trip to Herculaneum and Pompeii was excellent. The small group format is perfect for this kind of trip. There were ten of us on my trip and with shared interests and enthusiasms it was very easy to get along, have a laugh and make some lovely new friends. I have no hesitation in recommending this trip to anyone who loves walking, great views, and genuine cultural experiences.

Maybe one less night in the loire valley and increase Paris by one night. There’s just so much history there. Omaha Beach region and its museums Had a fair amount of difficulty understanding our street guide in Tours. She had a very strong accent to a point where earbuds weren’t helpful. Just the right amount of free time especially in St Malo. Our guide, JP was exceptional!

Very enjoyable week, excellent mix of cycling through the countryside, learning about a new culture, strolling round old cities, meeting like minded adventurers from across the pond, good food and wine plus sea swimming opportunities. Mixture of standard and ebikes in the group.

This is a comprehensive tour. My definition of a great trip is the combination of leader,program and group- it these are all excellent it can’t be bettered. This was my 37th tour. The efficient group leader could have added some extra information as we travelled through different areas. He didn’t want to make a tip kitty so we were constantly tipping as we went along. I think this may have been more costly for us and extra work for himself and is annoying as it interrupted the visit and we didn’t always have the correct money/change. It would have been useful to have a daily briefing indicating timings for the day ahead. We had our trip notes,but timings are very useful both for travel times and breaks.eg.one day we had a long lunch time and if we had wanted to swim it would have been good to know in advance this wouldnt have involved what I affectionately call an “Explore Scramble”. - a massive rush to meet on time. Yes- we may’ve needed time reminders as we went along. The itinerary was excellent and luckily the group was lovely. So it was a good trip.