Anyone in France right now?

Question

France is my favorite (and most visited) country in the world, truly, and I’m meant to be headed there quite soon, but: most of the cities on the itinerary are showing protests that are violent. Do I want to have that memory of this culture and country? Yet, asking Tauck, I was told oh, no problems, we don’t see any changes on the itinerary, etc.  looking or on-site input please - Marseille up to Lyon. Thanks.

JASS · Answer

ah, crud - I asked for France, I swear!  Not the other part of the world!  And of course it has expanded but participants seem to have lost steam for a bit, due back (I read) on the 17th with a vengeance…thanks for the info.  And totally agree: 11 trips that typically included a week in Paris and at least a week elsewhere - isn’t that the beauty of France and similar??  Each area is so different!

British · Answer

it could be all over by then. I would think Tauck can easily pivot to alternatives. We are going to France in a couple of weeks but nowhere near Paris, it’s not my favorite city, it does not really represent France as a whole.

Smiling Sam · Answer

I'm confused. You're asking about France in the Jordan & Egypt: Petra to the Pyramids area of the forum?

Anyway we just returned from France a couple of weeks ago. We left Paris two days before the Pope arrived and before the protests got into full force. We were lucky. We did experience the pre-visit setup of barricades, stages, etc for the Popes visit. Those things provided some minor detours during walking tours, but nothing significant.

During the Pope's actual visit and during the full fledged protests the interruption level would have been much greater. In my opinion, it's best to avoid those areas, if possible. Sounds like you'll be further south from most of the chaos, unless it keeps expanding.