Hello all! Is anyone aware of any tour companies (US or international) that offer tours with a focus on villages? Many companies have tours of places I've been to already, so I'd love to get a little more off the beaten off. I'm definitely not a Trafalgar type of traveler, so a smaller group with a focus on the culture, food, wine, etc. is preferred. Tauck, A&K, etc have some tours, but they are very expensive.
Thank you for your help!
I assume you have decided none of the Rick Steves French tours meet your needs?
I've taken them :)
I enjoyed a tour thru Brittany and Normandy with Road Scholar in 2017. It starts in Quimper, visits small villages, then the Alignment at Carnac, then works thru Saint-Malo and the Normandy area.
I did a Trip Report on that tour as well.
I find the Road Scholar tours fairly comparable to Rick's tours. Same emphasis on education and groups of 24-26 or so. Road Scholar provides more meals which can get tiring but you can always go off on your own.
The Fall after I did the Brittany tour in the Spring I did the Road Scholar tour of Cornwall and enjoyed seeing the smaller towns in this Celtic area as well.
editing to add: I do my own airfare from Lewiston ID. If you are flying from Pasco (assuming Pasco WA?) you probably know the air schedules and possibilities better than someone in a Road Scholar contracted travel agency on the East Coast. I flew in to Paris, stayed a few days and took the train to Quimper. Very easy.
None of these titles shout Villages, but check out Back Roads Touring, UK: https://www.blueroadstouring.com/.
I took one of their tours about 10 years ago to the West of Ireland. There were 4 travelers and the 1 guide. Looks like they limit to 18-20 folks these days.
