A Taste of Southern France - Bordeaux to Toulouse

I was fortunate enough to have a great tour leader and great companions for the week The scenery, the food, the wine and the company made for an almost perfect week

This was a very interesting and well organised tour. I enjoyed all the activities and there was a good mix of food and location. The main problem was the quality of two of the hotels. The First in Bordeaux was very small and had no air-conditioning, which was unfortunate as we were experiencing a heat wave. The room in the final hotel in Toulouse was rather grubby and again very small. For a tour that cost over £2000 I feel this was unacceptable and I would’ve preferred even a chain hotel such as ibis where one can at least expect air-conditioning and a level of cleanliness for a similar price.

Great itinerary and a lovely group to travel with. Very fortunate with the weather, sunny, brilliant blue skies, made the Dordogne in particular look really attractive. The cooking class in Sarlat was such fun. Take sensible shoes as there is quite a lot of walking, mainly in towns, some on cobbled streets. Using public transport was part of the experience which I found quite enjoyable, although it wasn’t the busiest part of the season and this may not be so enjoyable when there are more people around. Some places were tourist traps, inevitable in the South of France I guess. My negative comment is - Explore, why do you make booking a flight through you such a major chore? Suggesting I go to the South of France via Frankfurt and return via Munich - really?! I can only give you 3 stars as a result.

Erwin was an excellent tour leader, so informative on the cultural and historical facts of France and ensuring that we fulfilled the itinerary that was given to us. Great for experiencing the local train and tram travel in France and trying the French cuisine and wine. I think the pinnacle was cooking our lunch - Great experience all round!

Erwin as our tour leader and the group were great company. The tour was a combination of visiting amazing places together with a foodie experience. Throughout the week, we had pleasure in indulging in delicious food, wines, cheeses and sweet treats of each of the areas. Exploring Saint-Émilion and visiting Chateau Coutet winelands in an eco buggy was a memorable experience. Our cooking class at La Savie with Chef Frédéric was an absolute highlight; we enjoyed making and eating delicious porcini mushroom risotto, the perfectly cooked duck breast with roasted vegetables and the most amazing Crème brûlée with spices. Another highlight was visiting Rocamadour and walking the Chemin de Croix originating in the middle ages; this was truly inspirational and thought provoking. The traditional cassoulet dinner in Toulouse was a perfect way to end a fantastic week! The tour gave us the opportunity to visit unique places we would never have found on our own. Vernon and Sanet Aspinall, South Africa

This was our first Explore trip and we were very pleased. Our tour leader Erwin was personable, knowledgeable and consistently making sure everyone was accounted for and knew what to expect next.