Paris, Provence & the French Riviera

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the French Riviera. It was the first time for us in that region. We absolutely loved our 3 days in Paris, it was our second time in that beautiful city. Our tour guide was the best. She was on top of everything and always looking for the best choices for the group. All in all it was a fabulous time.

Good Itinerary

Although tour price was low, many excursions and most meals were at added cost. This radically increased the additional expenses and need for cash payments while traveling. I have done a great deal of independent travel in many parts of the world, and was attracted to this tour by the amount of free time allowed. However, there was too little escorted time to suit a number of other members, and this seemed to be a significant weakness. Opting for additional days before and after the trip -- especially early arrival -- allowed for independent touring in and around Nice and Paris, based on Internet research and guidebooks consulted before the trip. I was eager to visit the cathedral in Chartres; when the group trip was cancelled, went with 2 other tour members by train and had good time. Did not attend final dinner and boat ride in Paris, both from fatigue and in silent protest against high cost (US$99) for this option.

Paris, Provence, & the French Riviera

Paris and the Provence are wonderful places, but don't expect to stay in the middle of the action if you are on a Go Ahead tour. Out of our 3 accommodations,the one in Nice was very centrally located, the other 2 sadly were not within walking distance to much of anything. The Best Western in Aix-en-Provence was located in a car sales area, and the 20 minute walk to the edge of town was difficult for some of the older people. Buses were infrequent. The few dinners that were paid for by the tour were not French cuisine. One was an Asian buffet; an optional excursion including dinner in Monaco was dry chicken with canned green beans! Our tour guide was helpful in her directives regarding transportation and with individual problems. One thing not mentioned in the literature: If an excursion does not have a minimum of 10 sign-ups, it is cancelled. You won't know that until you're already on the tour.

April in Paris

I fell in love with Paris during the tour. The city was glowing! Our tour director Lisa was the finest, and the shared experience with new and old traveling companions made for a splendid journey.

Paris, Provence & the Riviera

Fantastic tour. I saw everything, I wanted to see. Paris is truely the city of love.

Paris, Provence and French Riviera

Optional Excursions Two of the four pre-paid optional excursions were cancelled due to lack of interest. Se we had missed Monaco due to a flight delay, we were looking forward to an Evening in Paris and Provencal Dinner and Wine, one of which we felt should have been part of the tour itself. Three dinners were included - the arrival dinner, an Asian buffer dinner at Zen Restaurant and a hamburger dinner in Paris. We would have preferred to have at least one simple dinner featuring French regional cuisine for a trip to France instead of the last two dinners. Accommodations NH Nice in Nice and Best Western Le Galice were comfortable and met our expectations. The Villa Modigliani Hotel Paris was a disappointment. We were promised a king-sized bed but were given two double beds. We did not make an issue to this because our room had serious plumbing problems. The toilet in a tiny room leaked when flushed and the tub in the bathroom leaked after a shower. We were constantly mopping the floor. When this was reported to the front desk, the maintenance person was instructed to return after we left. The hotel was fully booked and we think they did not want to take it apart while we were in it or they would have to move us to another room. Although all the hotels were centrally located for accessible sightseeing, the Best Western and Villa Modigliani did not have luggage carts to help us move our own luggage ourselves which is inconvenient for a handicapped person like me. We liked NH Nice among all three hotels.

France Tour

If your regular tour guide can not make the tour then send someone that knows the area...We did more touring with our own group then we did with your company. Monte Carlo was a joke...

Vacation in France

The French Riviera was amazing. Unfortunately, our tour guide was assigned to the tour at the last minute to replace someone else and was not prepared. The hotels were average. The food was good. The dairy products were excellent. The history in the area is outstanding and worth seeing.

My trip to France

I would like to say that my guide Ronan Raz was the best guide!!! He went above and beyond during ever moment of the trip. Had it not been for him, I would have missed all the little wonderful things about France. Walking along the beaches of the Meditteranean was wonderful.I think the most memorable thing was touring the mansion of the Rothschild's in Cassis. I LOVED IT!!!

Nice, Provence, and Paris

This trip was filled with numerous sights and plenty of fun. We had the best tour director/guide, Brian Haldemann, very well informed and full of interesting information. I never expected to learn as much as I did. It was a wonderful mix of people so the laughs were many and plenty of opportunity to just celebrate traveling. I loved the high speed train as it gave us a smooth ride and a chance to see the interior of France. Very impressive. The choice of airlines was good, though the connection for the return home was way too long, as we traveled east before flying back to USA, adding extra time to our trip. When going on a long flight, one would expect to have the shortest route. We were in Paris so would have expected a direct flight to Newark. Perhaps this could be done differently next time.