I am thinking of taking the tour to Eastern France. I see that there one day with a 6 hours on the bus (Verdun) and another day with a 5 hours on the bus (Provence). How broken up are these rides and are there rest stops on the way? Thank you.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11875 posts
Every 2 hours you get a snack/potty break
Posted by
SE Pennsylvania
2660 posts
I just did that tour, and the 2 longish bus days were broken up nicely. We never had more than 1.5 hours without a stop, and the bus itself was roomy and comfortable.
Posted by
Sapulpa, OK, USA
6526 posts
Jeannette, when are you thinking of going? We're signed up for early June.
Have you done any RS tours? The bus days are usually great for getting to know your tour mates, catching up on your journal, or just enjoying the countryside. You guide will often - almost always - offer some lessons in the culture, history, economy, or language of the host country. And, as the others have posted, breaks are frequent. And in general, European roadside rest stops are more interesting than many of hours, and almost always have better food.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
I'm thinking of going on the Eastern France tour the last week in May or the first week in June. I've done two previous RS tours and both were great. On those tours, we spent 5 hours on a bus but it was broken up by real sightseeing stops so it wasn't too bad. The Eastern France itinerary wasn't specific enough to tell if there were real sightseeing stops or whether the ride was a solid 5 or 6 hours. I went on a tour of Guatemala with another company and the long bus rides were awful and I didn't want to repeat that. It would help if my husband kept me company but, when bored for a second, he can sleep on any mode of transportation (he's even fallen asleep on a skiing chairlift) so I'm usually entertaining myself.
Posted by
Sapulpa, OK, USA
6526 posts
Jeannette, I'm sending you a PM.
Posted by
SE Pennsylvania
2660 posts
The bus time on day 3 is broken up by the visit to Vendun. I think it was about 1.5 hours from Reims to Vendun.
The bus time on day 10 is broken up by a visit to Annecy for lunch and a boat ride.
In both cases the bus time did not seem excessive, and was handled well. I thought I would dislike longish bus rides, but I found I enjoyed the down time to think and enjoy the scenery.
Posted by
Morrison, CO, USA
893 posts
I agree with the previous posters that the bus rides on this tour were not excessive. There are rest stops and depending on the time of year and the guides "surprise" stops it was quite enjoyable.
I think you will enjoy this tour. It's one of our favorites out of 7
Have a Great Trip!
Mimi
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you all for your responses. I feel much relieved about the bus rides and will sign up for the tour. I will go either the last week in May or the first week in June depending on when my 5 year old grandson gets out of school and will be sent to me for a visit.
Jeannette