Paris and Heart of France tour

Yes, there are plenty of spots to rest along the way, like benches and cafes. Take short breaks to ease your back and enjoy the scenery. Pacing yourself will make the experience more enjoyable.

I think the biggest "climbing" day was Mont Saint-Michel as it is all uphill from where the little shuttle drops you at the front gate.

The chateaux have stairs but you can always go sit in the gardens. Amboise was uphill to Leonardo da Vinci's home Clos Luce but that also was an optional visit.

I took this tour some years ago but I just looked at the itinerary to refresh my memory. I don’t remember many stair climbs except on Mont St Michel and the ascent is slow enough pace because of the lines of people waiting here and there to enter with your guide. Sitting along the way up might be difficult but stopping for a break won’t be. If you are only troubled from lots of stairs you should be ok.

But if you are doing a walking tour with your group, going from point A to B, taking more than 30 seconds to sit will be a problem. And that happens daily. You can always decline to do certain activities but the group and guide will not stop for some people to rest. Have you taken a RS tour before? If so you may not need this advice but if this will be your first time, you are expected to walk consistently for a while. It’s not a quick step march by any means but it is walking.

It’s a great tour, with a wide range of things to marvel at and enjoy. I hope you can do it. I loved it.

I've taken 3 Rick Steves tours, but not Paris/Heart of France. I don't think those referring to resting at cafes and benches are realizing you are referring to being on a tour. You can't just randomly decide you are tired; and then 26 people stop while you wait to feel better. RS states that on the Rick Steves tours you are required to be able to walk and stand for 3 hours consecutively. You can opt out of activities, but you can't hold the group up; and are expected to keep the pace up of the group. That's just the reality of the tours. They keep things moving. But as mentioned, if for example you are at a museum or visiting a site, and you need to find a place to sit instead, you just need to know what time you need to meet back up with your group. Again, always being prompt and not holding anyone up. It's just not acceptable on the tours to keep the group waiting. But with walking from one destination to another, they don't stop while people can rest; you have to keep up.

I've only been on two Rick Steves tours, but one of them was the one you mention, taken before I moved to France.

My advice would be to think hard about your ability to climb stairs. The morning at Mont Saint Michel when we climbed to the abbey was a pain for most of the tour members on our tour, because there were three or four people who really had problems with the stairs (and there are a lot of stairs). Their problem became the whole group's problem, and it wasn't pleasant. Frankly, they shouldn't have been there. They simply were unable to do the walking and climbing that the tour demanded.

The biggest challenge will be at the Abbey on Mt. St. Michel. There were 4 people in our group that had a lovely time sitting in a cafe at the bottom of the hill while the rest went up and through the Abbey. They didn't feel that would be for them and it was no problem for them to enjoy an alternative. The guide was thoughtful in where tour members were assigned for hotels at this location. Those considered to have a bit less mobility were housed in more accessible, lower locations.