Recap of Paris, Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley – Apr. 25-May 7, 2025
This small group land tour was outstanding! Details on the itinerary are included in the trip description and in previous posts made in this group. Our very friendly and fun group included 22 people; 10 couples and 2 people traveling solo.
Highlights – the awesome tour director Jaqueline B. made the trip so organized. She was very well prepared each day with information about what we were to see. She has a wonderful sense of humor and kept us both informed and entertained. She is a pro in every way and has done this tour many, many times, yet remains enthusiastic and fresh. Our bus driver Vincent was great – very safe and attentive to the needs of the passengers.
The local guides hired by Tauck at each destination were top notch. The standout was Ed on the Normandy beaches day.
My husband and I prepared in advance of the trip by watching several documentaries and movies related to D-Day and WWII. It is not necessary because we received information from both Jaqueline and Ed but it enriched our time at Normandy. Ed highly recommends seeing the 1962 movie The Longest Day as one that is highly accurate (we had seen in advance at home). He had opinions on the accuracy of other movies and books but we didn’t feel any of our preparation in advance was wasted. It was a very moving day.
In case you haven’t been on a Tauck land tour, know that it is Tauck’s procedure to switch the names above the bus seats each day so that no one claims a seat for the entire trip. This worked fine and was a good reminder of names in the early days as we could see them posted above the seats.
The small group tours stay at Le Meurice Hotel in Paris. This is almost reason enough to book a small group! The hotel is superb in every way. It is in a very convenient location, as were all the Tauck hotels on this trip.
Tauck pays in advance for the services of the concierges, bell captains, housekeeping and servers at each hotel. I was glad our TD pointed this out so there was not a question of individual tipping. Of course, you are welcome to leave extra, but she indicated that they are “very well compensated” by Tauck (via our tour cost, of course).
The subject of dress code/suggestion comes up frequently. I will relay some anecdotal information from our tour. Each time we had a group dinner, the TD reminded us of the suggested “business casual” attire. That leaves a wide range of interpretation, and it is not “enforced” in any way. Some wore what they had been touring in that day and others changed for dinner. Totally a traveler's choice. We had three more “special” dinners – my words:)...
The welcome dinner was held in the beautiful room where the Versailles Treaty was drafted at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Versailles where we all stayed. About 6 or 7 men wore sport coats and shirts, no ties.
The dinner cruise on the Seine in Paris (our arrival night in Paris) was private, just for our group of 22 and was a beautiful night. Two men wore sport coats (one being my husband as I wanted a dressier picture as we floated past the Eiffel Tower).
The farewell dinner was held at Le Meurice and this was the night the TD said to bring out our Coco Chanel dresses! She was joking but it wouldn’t have been out of place – the overall clientele of the hotel in the restaurants and bar were very dressed up. Nine of the ten men in our group wore a sport coat. Again, it is everyone's vacation to dress as they feel comfortable.
Final thought – Day 10 is the first full day in Paris. Tauck has a bus tour overview of the city with a couple stops for pictures in the morning and a walking tour in the afternoon. Both are optional. We had our own plans that day but heard back that people enjoyed both the bus and walking tours. This is the day to make plans for other things you might want to see – for us it was top of the Eiffel Tower tickets and a visit to Montmartre. Look ahead to see if there is anything you want to get tickets for in advance (Louvre, L’Orangerie, Rodin museum, etc.) You will also want to note which days which museums are closed. Our tour included a tour of Musee d’Orsay on the last day in Paris.
All in all it was a wonderful tour I would highly recommend. Itinerary is great and for us - what made it outstanding were the people on the tour - other guests, the TD and bus driver, locals guides and everyone we interacted with at hotels.
Comments
Surgie very nice report.
We just completed the Classic version of this tour. We had a total of 30 people. Friends one week before and one week after had 28 and 21 respectively. This tour runs 3x/week during this season, so it's likely to be less than full on any given tour. In this situation, the Classic tour worked well for us - still plenty of room to spread out on the bus.
Our TD extraordinaire, Michael, said that there were a few last minute cancellations.
My brief summary: we loved this tour. It had a great combination of history, art, beautiful landscapes, magnificent architecture. We really connected with our TD and the group. When you're sharing many hours together on the bus, at meals, on tours, it really does help to enjoy the company of the participants. Michael has an unbounding love of France and imparted that to all of us. His calm demeanor and quirky sense of humor made the trip most enjoyable. Experiencing Omaha Beach and the Normandy cemetery was very emotional for us. The guests who had served in the military were recognized and given special honors.
Surgie did a great job describing the details...I will add that some found the long walks (and multiple stairs -Mont St. Michel) challenging. A few guests were suffering from recent injuries. They were given alternative options or chose not to participate on a given activity. This did not hinder the rest of us; we tried to be supportive when possible.
What I loved about this tour is that it took us to new regions of France. While we've been to Paris before (and can do that on our own), driving through the countryside on small roads was lovely and unique to us. The small villages we visited were charming and picturesque. We were blessed with perfect weather and relatively uncrowded spaces. Despite moving hotels frequently, it was a relaxing trip.
I am not a paid influencer. The only person I influence is my husband, after the new Tauck brochures arrive (😉). Tauck got this one right.