France Tours in Summer

The smaller centres were my favorite. Heidelberg and Innsbruck were so much more beautiful than I imagined. Venice was such an experience, not knowing that there were various islands spread out with such diversity amongst them, Lake Maggiore and Lucerne were exceptional . The venicular and gondola to top of the Swiss Alps spectacular! The history, the architecture! The beauty was astonishing! We loved Paris, our hotel was close to the main trains, however be ready for lots of walking throughout the various centres! Our group felt that the tours in Rome were too much for one day, perhaps split over two days. Our guide was knowledgeable too, and very helpful with recommendations for which option’s may be suitable, preferable to individuals. He perhaps could share a few more details from the coach, of the various landscapes etc? Highly recommend Insight Tours, as this was out second trip!

The whole trip was well organised and had a good balance between cycling and visits to local places. Our guide Erwin was excellent and adapted the programme to accommodate the unusual heatwave in France during our trip. Accommodation and food was good and I would recommend this trip.

Our Alpine trip was wonderful. We Love Collette and have a new favorite air carrier, British Airlines. Their food is as bad as anyone's but the planes and service are great. I had heard some less than positive comments about Brit Air, mostly that some of the employees can be surly, and while we did have a surly check-in agent at Venice's Marco Polo Airport, for the most part they were quite nice. We don't usually check bags when we fly because of lost bag problems in the past, we needed to this time because we needed heavier cold-weather clothing. This agent insisted (rather impolitely) that we check one of our 2 carry-ons, saying it was a full flight & there wouldn't be enough room. Upon boarding they announced that their planes now had expanded overhead compartments, and we then noticed there were many empty compartments. Unnecessary issue. BUT... baggage was handled perfectly and our checked bags in both directions, even through the flight transfers, went perfectly. I still don't like airports, but Brit Air's terminals do seem superior. We have traveled with Collette 7 times now and have been delighted every time with every aspect of travel with them. We had a little more free time on this trip, which we appreciated, and Mauro Ciummo was hands down the best tour manager we've had. And we've had some great ones. Give that man a raise! :) Collette is very efficient, any problems that come up are handled properly, efficiently and in a timely manner. On a previous trip our tour manager tripped on a curb in Amsterdam and had to be treated at a hospital, and there just happened to be another tour manager in the same train station who saw immediately that we were properly directed until our assigned tour manager was back on tour, bloodied but OK. Less so on our first Collette tour. Our manager was a bit of a disciplinarian and scolded one handicapped passenger for walking too slowly and making us late for one destination (we actually got there 20 minutes early... we happened to meet that passenger's son months later & she was apparently unphased) and Van got scolded for having to use the toilet after we “starred” in a play-like presentation at Bunratty Castle. Again we were not delayed because of that. But overall that tour was as excellent as any of the others. The limo service this time was very appreciated, although we did have a communication issue upon returning to Pittsburgh. My phone for some reason didn't send my confirmation that we were at the pick-up point, so the driver called us to be sure that we were there, much appreciated. However we got a text from (apparently) a different driver the next day who had seen the delayed text notice that we were waiting to be picked up and came to pick us up a day later. I don't know how that happened but it was, sadly, an unnecessary trip for them. We expected the latter parts of this tour to be anti-climactic after being so high in the Alps but that was not so. The entire tour was just wonderful. Again, though, much of that enjoyment was because Mauro was so wonderfully entertaining and well-informed. Big kudos to Mauro! While this was our first Collette tour without our friend Doug Oster and local gardeners, our group was very nice, and we did enjoy meeting people from all over our country. We hope to enjoy many more Collette tours, and along with the help of Travel Junction, hope to have a long future relationship.

The itinerary was exhaustive with many unique sights included. Our favorite was Chamonix Mont Blanc which lived up to its reputation!! This trip provided the perfect blend of structured group activities and solo discovery time.

My week-long cycling trip through the Loire Valley, France, was an absolutely unforgettable experience. The region is a cyclist's paradise, with beautifully maintained cycling paths winding through picturesque villages, rolling vineyards, sunflower fields, and the stunning banks of the Loire River. Each day brought a new highlight—magnificent châteaux, charming cafés, bustling local markets, and delicious French cuisine. Cycling at a leisurely pace allowed us to truly appreciate the beauty and tranquillity of the countryside, while the routes were well-signposted and suitable for riders of varying abilities. The accommodation throughout the trip was comfortable and welcoming, and the From exploring the grandeur of the Château de Chambord to enjoying wine tastings in quaint villages, every moment felt special. This cycling holiday exceeded all expectations and left us with wonderful memories and a deep appreciation for this beautiful part of France. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for an active, scenic, and enriching holiday experience. Our tour leader Erwin was fantastic, and very helpful. He was super organised, very knowledgeable and friendly. He took very good care of every member of the group. truly magical cycling adventure that we would happily do again. Thanks Explorer and thanks Erwin!

We saw so much of France. We were busy every minute of the day, not much time to relax. But we took the trip to see the country and that we did.