France: Paris and Provence - Pre-reservation

France

Paris and Provence 1 - Pre-reservation 2025

May 2025 (10 Days / 9 Nights)
This tour starts and ends in Paris

We are currently in the process of planning this tour. Once we have all the activities, dates, hotels and other details confirmed, and the pricing finalized, we will post a complete itinerary, including the price. If you would like to be notified of this tour's availability when the planning process is completed, please complete the pre-reservation form.

PRE-RESERVATION FORM

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Experience Paris: ancient and modern, funky and elegant, the beautiful City of Light. During this very special tour, you will get to know and love Paris, as you visit the Notre Dame and the Louvre, enjoy a Moulin Rouge show and the dancing waters at the opulent Versailles Palace. Shop for flowers at neighborhood markets and for haute couture at Galleries Lafayette as you acquire a new sense of style. Create lifelong memories as you sample the world's best chocolate during the gourmet Paris walk, take a cruise on the Seine and dine atop the Eiffel Tower. After the excitement of Paris, travel to Provence, and experience the French country living at its best. Get immersed in the unhurried appreciation of Provencal countryside, enjoying the French cuisine, wine and history, as you connect with new, like-minded friends.

The Paris and Provence Tour is a feast for all senses. Enjoy the unforgettable aroma, as you walk through a field of lavender, relish in the taste of olives and country wines, learn to pair wine with chocolate, as you hum to music spilling from sidewalk cafes. Follow in the footsteps of Romans in Arles, and dance on the bridge of Avignon. Walk by the vineyards, cypress trees, stone bridges and quaint villages that inspired Picasso and Van Gogh and chat with shopkeepers at outdoor Provencal markets.

HIGHLIGHTS: Dining at an elegant Parisian restaurant ● Touring Versailles Palace ● Visiting Monet's Waterlily Gardens in Giverny ● Louvre's masterpieces private tour ● The Notre Dame Cathedral and Sainte Chapelle ● Impressionist collection at Musee d'Orsay ● Notre Dame Cathedral and Saint Chapelle ● Gourmet culinary walk ● Dinner cruise on the Seine River ● Staying at an elegant Provencal country villa ● Colorful Provencal village markets ● Provencal cooking class ● Roman city of Arles ● Culturally rich city of Avignon ● Visiting Pont du Gard ● The art of chocolate and wine pairing ● Wine estate picnic in the vineyard ● Van Gogh's heritage in St. Remy and Arles ● Les Baux de Provence ● Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine appreciation experience

Itinerary specifics subject to change.

The whole tour from start to finish was the best experience! But the highlights were the tours of the Castles, the Pont du Garde, the light show in Baux, the cooking class in a private villa, and the picnic that ended up in the vintner's cellar because of the Mistral winds. - Robbie from British Columbia

France was a great tour. I had been to Paris briefly several years ago but learned so much more on this trip. I especially loved visiting Provence. The itinerary was varied and kept my interest. The restaurant choices gave a good flavor of the country and the quality of meals was excellent. Accommodations were perfect. There was enough free time for me to explore on my own but not so much that I was at loose ends. France was my 6th tour with Sights & Soul. There has been a different Tour Director for each tour and I loved them all. All were professional and well-versed in group dynamics. On each tour I appreciated personal attention and consideration of group needs/wants. I have high expectations now for future tour directors. - Patricia from California

Absolutely amazing! France is a delight for the senses: magnificent food, wine, and scenery. I would check it off my bucket list but plan on revisiting Provence. C’est tres bon!!! - Patricia from Virginia

I thought the tour was very well organized and professional. All of the guides were extremely knowledgeable & friendly. The other women on the trip were terrific.. In general, I liked the diversity of tours and activities. - Willie from New York

The Paris and Provence tour was beautiful. For me, I loved the dinner in the Eiffel Tower and going up to it. I had been to France many, many years ago and didn’t remember much. The tour exceeded my expectations, as Sights and Soul always does. It was magical, and Marta was an amazing tour leader. She is patient, understanding, knowledgeable and fun. - Tiffany from Wisconsin

The small group format is perfect for navigating places and having a personal experience. The tour was well organized with a variety of activities. Lodging and meals were just right and provide big bang for the buck. Marta was perfect: watchful, interesting & interested, prepared and organized. - Diane from Washington

Sights and Soul is the most detailed and organized travel company I have used. All accommodations and attractions are well researched – top notch! I can’t wait for future tours. Going to Paris was a dream of mine since I took French in high school. Sights and Soul helped fulfill that dream well beyond my expectations. Thank you for a wonderful experience! - Melissa from Ohio

Marlene was amazing! Her personality is so engaging, and she is well versed in the arts and history. Thank you for organizing a wonderful trip. - Kathleen from Ohio

The tour was spectacular. We were able to see all of the history and magic of Paris with the ease of knowing that our tour guide had us in the best hands. She went above and beyond to show us the hidden treasures of Provence. It was all breath taking. - Kaeli from Arizona

I loved this trip! The more meals included, the better I like it, especially French meals! The tour leader was very knowledgeable about France, organized, cheerful and enthusiastic. - Linda from Massachusetts

It was more than I imagined it would be. Exploring Provence with Marlene was exceptional and meeting other women in the tour was great. Everything was just delightful! I truly loved staying at Mas des Carassins, it was exquisiteand the staff was terrific. Thank you! - Theresa from New York

Marlene was knowledgeable, caring, had a can-do attitude and was always smiling. She truly is a gem. I also want to say thank you to all our other tour guides and bus drivers who made all our excursions go so smoothly. I would recommend Sights and Soul to anyone interested in traveling with a group and if the opportunity arises I would love to travel with you again. - Lois from New York

It was a phenomenal experience – exceeded my expectations by 100%! We couldn’t have had a better guide or local tour guides. The “extra experiences” Sights and Soul offered – a vineyard picnic, cooking with the chef, were over the top. - Nina from South Carolina

Thank you to all the Sights & Soul Travel folks for producing this amazing experience in France!! And a special Thank You for being very responsive to our needs. Your care & concern for your clients & staff shine through all you do. See you again on the adventure trail. - Mary Ann from Pennsylvania

I really enjoyed the wine tasting and picnic in the vineyard, but meeting 12 amazing women was the best! Becky was awesome. She took time to get to know all of us & went out of her way to make our experience the best it could be. - Jackie from New Jersey

I cannot say enough about how much my daughter and I enjoyed our tour to Paris and Provence with Becky as our guide. The trip was beyond all expectations, it was truly more than Olivia and I could have imagined. If we had tried to see France on our own, we never would have explored so much diversity or met such fabulous locals and seen so much of what France is known for. It was a pleasure to have met women from all over the States and share stories and lots of laughter. I cannot wait to take my next trip with my daughter, Hannah through your fantastic travel company. - Karen from New York

Enjoyed all of it. Great value for money. We saw a lot and the guide in Provence was superb. Accommodations - terrific. - Liz from Victoria, Australia

Great trip! The guides in Paris and Provence were exceptional. - Carol from Connecticut

We took a dinner cruise in Aix our last night and after dinner went to the outside top deck where they had beautiful music playing and the shoreline lit up by the boat. There were so many fireflies, it was like sparks flying. A French child sang a song that our guide taught me before. You could see the city lights. It was magical.
Janet from the Netherlands

I am writing to express the wonderful time I had on my recent Provence tour. It was a trip to remember for the ages. The guide was very accommodating to our every need -- she added a few side trips that we expressed an interest in, which was a feature not usually expected on a tour. Thank you for the opportunity to join this superb tour, and for selecting such competent guides. The itinerary was excellent and I will certainly try to join another of your tours in the future. - Carolyn from Nova Scotia

The trip to France was wonderful. This was my first experience traveling on a tour and I would like to say that it was delightful. As you predicted, the other travelers were great and we all got along. The guides were knowledgeable about the region and added little extra side trips that were a complete delight. I think everyone would agree that the hotel in Provence was our favourite place to stay. The rooms were interesting and very well equipped, and the food and ambience were good. A bonus was the interest and congeniality of the innkeepers. The size of the tour was also perfect as it allowed us to have a small vehicle and also created a nice familial atmosphere in the group. As you can tell, I really enjoyed the experience and will consider your tours again in the future. - Linda from Nova Scotia

I have traveled around the world with many different companies & Sights+Soul is right at the top with staff, itinerary, experiences and value. There were so many peak experiences in France that it is impossible to pick one, but if pressed it would be the “amazing” Becky! - Mary Ann from Pennsylvania

I just wanted to send you a quick email and let you know what a great trip and experience the France trip was for me. From my initial decision to select your company for the trip to everything since then, it has been one of the best travel decisions I've made. I also wanted to let you know that Becky Ballering is a wonderful tour guide - she made the experience so easy and fun for all of us. Thanks to you and your team at Sights and Souls! I hope to travel again with you in the future. - Marilyn from Texas

The tour exceeded my expectations. Paris and the Provence was a beautiful experience and Becky was always kind, thoughtful and considerate. Her help in every instance was much appreciated by myself and everyone else on the tour. - Betty from Manitoba

Becky did a superb job but it should have been called a foodies tour. From selecting each lunch item as we walked the Latin quarter, to the numerous wine, chocolate and tapenade tastings, the cooking class with a one star Michelin chef and lunch in a vineyard I felt I was in a dream and didn't want to wake up. In addition, our seats at the Moulin Rouge were excellent. Even the rain cooperated. Thanks to everyone who made this tour a huge success. - Lori from Missouri

The trip was fantastique, magnifique, and way exceeded my expectations. The French were pleasant and helpful, the food phenomenal, the activities were educational, exciting, and I enjoyed every minute. Becky deserves a great amount of credit for herding us around a foreign country, keeping us organized and happy. Marlene was a fabulous tour guide. She has so much knowledge and was fun to be with. It is hard to place things in 1st or 2nd place but one of my most favorite experience was the picnic at Eddie Feraud's vineyard. Everything else is just a different shade of 1st place! It was a long 28 hour trip back home but worth every minute. I look forward to my next trip with Sights and Souls. - Connie from Oregon

I had a wonderful time and finally understood why girls like summer camps. - Kathy from Vermont

Love it! Love it! Love it! I love traveling with your groups, will always. You choose the most talented tour leaders (patient), food, attractions, all are 1st class all the way, down to transportation. I will never travel with another group. - Dean from Texas

It was a trip of a lifetime. I wake up every day thinking I may have dreamed it. It was perfect in every day. - Kimberly from New Hampshire

This was my first all-women’s tour and I loved that, plus the small group. It was great to stay in one place for 5 nights and have everything so well arranged. - Sandy from Tennessee

The tour was well balanced to cover all interests, well organized for peace of mind and the women in the group were fabulous traveling companions. - Karen from Florida

Considering this was my first European vacation, I had the greatest experience and now I want more. We saw a lot of the country given the fact that it was only 10 days. I loved every minute of it. The ladies were great and Becky was fabulous. - Theresa from Ontario

I loved it totally! Having a very small, compatible group was great and gave us lots of flexibility. I liked only having two different hotels as this made the tour more relaxing. - Linda from Nova Scotia