The struggle is real: Southern England or Eastern France

For some reason I generally decide on the next tour pretty easily. Lucky me, I quess. 😁

I've done and enjoyed both of those tours, so I think flipping a coin might be the answer.

Good luck and enjoy whichever you choose.

I haven't done either but perfectly willing to be packed into your suitcase and come along on whichever you choose. My initial reaction is England because the France tour has too many vineyard excursions on it that I have no interest in. But then if you're up to driving, the English tour is easy to do on your own. We spent a couple of weeks last September driving from Salisbury to Cantebury with many points in between and absolutely loved it.

I did the Best of Southern England in April and loved it. I think you would enjoy either tour.

We've done them both, and they're both great. You won't go wrong with either. If I were choosing which one to retake .... ummm .... probably Eastern France, but South England would not disappoint.

More wine in France, more history in England, I'd say better scenery in England, more new-to-us activities in England... Hmmm, looks like I might be changing my vote!

Here's my trip report from the Eastern France tour: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/tour-report-best-of-eastern-france

I'm looking to see if I posted one for South England. If so, I'll come back and post the link.

Found it!

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/tour-report-villages-of-south-england

Note: I just reread my South England report; I certainly have become more verbose since then lol. That seems to be one of the most terse reports I've ever posted!

I’ve only done the Eastern France tour. It’s fantastic. We toured 2 vineyards but did plenty of wine tasting which I love. It was the great mix of Mont Blanc and that fabulous gondola ride over the glacier to Italy, the German feeling mini Venice of Colmar, and the lovely country of Provence visiting Vaison la Romaine and Aix en Provence that made this tour amazing.

Here's the question: How many clothes do you want to bring? You will definitely need more layers in England than in France.

The Eastern France tour includes Chamonix so you would need some layers there, too. I did the tour in early October.

Jane, in your England trip report, you mention a visit to an RAF monument on the 3rd day when you traveled to Dover. Where is that monument?

Diane,
I had to google to remember that stop on the tour. It was the Battle of Britain Memorial.
https://www.battleofbritainmemorial.org/

Thank you, Liz! We're traveling to southern England on our own this fall, and this sounds like a good stop on our way to Dover. Problem is, everything sounds like a good stop and we already ended up booking for several days more than originally planned!

If you're really on the fence about either one, then you could let the ease / cost of flights be the deciding factor. I've done this previously when I had airline credits and picked the tour that was easiest to get to using miles.

Or flip a coin and don't look back, you can do the other tour the next year ;)

Jill,
I’m curious to know your decision. And what tipped you into that tour? I can attest to the excellence of the Southern England tour. I know you will have a wonderful time on either tour.

I did the Southern England tour last summer and I loved it. A great guide, Tintagel Castle, Stonehenge and other rock formations , Salisbury Castle and so much more/ a wonderful trip. One of my favorites !!

One minor consideration is that Autumn is lamb season in England. We loved Best of Southern England. Can't go wrong there. Haven't done the Eastern France trip... yet. Have fun deciding.

Dave

I have not taken the Southern England tour; I have taken the Eastern France tour, and it is among my favorites, perhaps number 2 after MyWay Alpine. I like this tour because of the breadth of regions and experiences it offers. Without the tour, I seriously doubt (probably know) that I would not visit all these locations. Thanks to the tour, I may visit some again. High points - wow, the WWI sites; Alsace; French Alps; Vaison-la-Romaine (almost an Enchanted April moment when opening the hotel shutters for the first morning there!). Oh my. Sure, there were vineyards, but that is not what has stuck with me.

Southern England, I can imagine visiting some of these locations without the RS tour. Lot of cliffs - I imagine those as windy though I may be wrong there.