Leaving Soon - Loire Valley/South of France tour

Posted by Bob (Central Connecticut, USA) on 04/27/18 05:04 PM

We leave on 4/30, and will spend five nights in Paris before the tour starts in Chartres on May 6th. This is not a train strike day, although they are doing work at Montparnasse station. The result is that the usual train service from Paris to Chartres is curtailed. We have to take a three hour train trip from Gare Austerlitz to Chartres, instead of the more typical hour nonstop ride from Gare Montparnasse.

After the tour ends in Nice, we will spend two additional nights on our own. Train tickets are booked from Nice to Paris on Sunday May 20th (luckily not a strike day). We will spend two additional nights in Paris, and a night outside Dublin before flying home.

Looking forward to the trip.

Posted by Teresa

Seattle

04/27/18 06:37 PM

922 posts

Have a great time, Bob! This is a lovely tour. I especially enjoyed canoeing on the Dordogne and walking around Arles.

Do you have any plans to visit Monaco after the tour?

Posted by Bob OP

Central Connecticut, USA

04/27/18 07:01 PM

1103 posts

During our extra time in Nice, we will be visiting the Chagall and Matisse museums. Not sure about Monaco - any thoughts?

Bob

Posted by Teresa

Seattle

04/27/18 09:15 PM

922 posts

The Chagall museum is wonderful; wish I'd had time to visit the Matisse museum too.

I spent most of my last full vacation day in Monaco. I nearly didn't go because I was feeling a bit worn out after the tour, and I wasn't entirely confident in my ability to navigate the tram and bus. But I did go and I was so glad that I did. The tram/bus thing was a non-issue (except that I had to stand on the bus for the entire journey to Monaco -- not the end of the world but I have terrible "sea legs"), and Monaco itself is very easy to get around in and wonderfully picturesque. Since it's not something you've planned for, try asking your guide if s/he knows anything about how to get there. Then you can decide if it would be worth it to you.

On the other hand, if I hadn't gone to Monaco, I would have quite happily spent that day wandering around Nice (and probably visiting the Matisse museum!).

Posted by Janis

WA State

04/28/18 04:39 PM

3961 posts

We took this amazing tour several years ago. Top of the list for favorite RS Tours. We spent 5 nights in Paris before beginning the tour in charming Chartes. Every stop along the way was unforgettable. We stayed an extra night in Nice and visited the Chagall & Matisse Museums. We definately recommend gorgeous Monaco! We took a short walk to a bus stop and enjoyed the ride there. After visiting the church where Princess Grace is buried, & the changing of the guard we enjoyed a scenic lunch by the sea.
We took the train back to Nice. We loved the convenient location of our hotel. Have a great adventure!

Posted by Lynda

Birmingham, AL, USA

05/21/18 09:46 PM

226 posts

We joined this tour back in 2014 and thoroughly enjoyed it. We also spent one extra night and Nice and took the 20 min. train to Monaco. We also visited the cathedral and walked around the palace but the highlight of our day was the Jacques Cousteau aquarium in Monaco. Beautiful building and lots of Mediterranean fish tanks. The train back to Nice was jammed but then it is a tourist destination!

Posted by Bob OP

Central Connecticut, USA

05/22/18 07:11 AM

1103 posts

Just finished the Loire Valley/South of France tour- it was excellent! After the tour we spent two additional nights in Nice and took the train to Paris where we spent an additional two nights. Now we are off to Dublin before returning home tomorrow.

I will do a full report when I get home.