Our trip was not recent, but the three excursions that were the most memorable were the pastry class at Cordon Bleu, the truffle farm and the amazing lunch in the Camargue region. This trip was so amazing and culturally immersive that I hope to do it again. Enjoy.
Yes, kfnknfzk I agree that the Cordon Bleu cooking school was one of our favorite things too! We also had a wine and cheese pairing and cooking class at the Sofie Pic cooking school that was very enjoyable. We also enjoyed one of the bike tours with such beautiful views. We had stops along the way to rest and hydrate and listen to tome history from our guide. Enjoy your trip!
If you can get to Paris early, you can try to get tickets for the Opera House. When we did this tour, our hotel was very close to it, so we attended a ballet. IT was a great experience.
Brings back such great memories! Les Halles market in Lyon was fabulous as well. We extended our stay in Lyon and returned to the market each day. I don’t know if they still offer that excursion.
Agree with the comments above. We loved this trip in May of 2022. Cordon Bleu, truffle farm, Rousillon and the Camargue were the highlights for me. Definitely go to Paris a couple of days early, and if the hotel Intercontinental is still being used you are around the corner from the Opera house. A must see.
The InterContinental in Paris is one of our favorite hotels. The outdoor café is a great place to people watch. We also had a very nice meal in the more formal restaurant.
I was delighted to see the new holiday market cruise along the Seine uses this hotel for pre-and-post stays.
Our first cruise was one of the precursor itineraries to this and lots of different options have been added. Reading thru the online itinerary, there are only 3 days for which you'll be asked to select an excursion before the cruise. As with any itinerary, it really depends on your interests. Here's my input for what it's worth on the preselected excursions:
Day 6 - Arles walking tour or bike ride. We were only offered the walking tour and I would recommend it if you're interested in Van Gogh, the roman amphitheater, and might want to do some shopping. The ship docks right there so you can do the guided portion then spend some time on your own before walking back to the ship.
Day 7 - Walking tour of Avignon and the popes palace, historic Avignon, bike ride, or mini train. We only got the first one and honestly I was under impressed. The palace is a large stone building and any art or valuables seemed to have gone back to Rome along with the papacy. If you want history, the other walking too may be more interesting to you. Or you could go for the bike ride and work off some of the great food/wine you'll be enjoying or go a bit lazier and take the mini train.
Day 9 - Wine/cheese tasting, vineyard hike, or scenic train ride. Really depends on your interests. If you think you'd like the train ride I'd pick it early. Once you start the cruise the TDs always reconfirm you choices. The other two would be easy to switch to vs a train ride where the might be a limit. A big might because Tauck is usually very accommodating.
Comments
Our trip was not recent, but the three excursions that were the most memorable were the pastry class at Cordon Bleu, the truffle farm and the amazing lunch in the Camargue region. This trip was so amazing and culturally immersive that I hope to do it again. Enjoy.
Yes, kfnknfzk I agree that the Cordon Bleu cooking school was one of our favorite things too! We also had a wine and cheese pairing and cooking class at the Sofie Pic cooking school that was very enjoyable. We also enjoyed one of the bike tours with such beautiful views. We had stops along the way to rest and hydrate and listen to tome history from our guide. Enjoy your trip!
If you can get to Paris early, you can try to get tickets for the Opera House. When we did this tour, our hotel was very close to it, so we attended a ballet. IT was a great experience.
Brings back such great memories! Les Halles market in Lyon was fabulous as well. We extended our stay in Lyon and returned to the market each day. I don’t know if they still offer that excursion.
Agree with the comments above. We loved this trip in May of 2022. Cordon Bleu, truffle farm, Rousillon and the Camargue were the highlights for me. Definitely go to Paris a couple of days early, and if the hotel Intercontinental is still being used you are around the corner from the Opera house. A must see.
The InterContinental in Paris is one of our favorite hotels. The outdoor café is a great place to people watch. We also had a very nice meal in the more formal restaurant.
I was delighted to see the new holiday market cruise along the Seine uses this hotel for pre-and-post stays.
Our first cruise was one of the precursor itineraries to this and lots of different options have been added. Reading thru the online itinerary, there are only 3 days for which you'll be asked to select an excursion before the cruise. As with any itinerary, it really depends on your interests. Here's my input for what it's worth on the preselected excursions:
Day 6 - Arles walking tour or bike ride. We were only offered the walking tour and I would recommend it if you're interested in Van Gogh, the roman amphitheater, and might want to do some shopping. The ship docks right there so you can do the guided portion then spend some time on your own before walking back to the ship.
Day 7 - Walking tour of Avignon and the popes palace, historic Avignon, bike ride, or mini train. We only got the first one and honestly I was under impressed. The palace is a large stone building and any art or valuables seemed to have gone back to Rome along with the papacy. If you want history, the other walking too may be more interesting to you. Or you could go for the bike ride and work off some of the great food/wine you'll be enjoying or go a bit lazier and take the mini train.
Day 9 - Wine/cheese tasting, vineyard hike, or scenic train ride. Really depends on your interests. If you think you'd like the train ride I'd pick it early. Once you start the cruise the TDs always reconfirm you choices. The other two would be easy to switch to vs a train ride where the might be a limit. A big might because Tauck is usually very accommodating.