Which RS tour would you choose for me - Belgium/Holland or Loire/southern France?

A couple of years ago we chose Holland & Belgium which started April 20 because we wanted to see the gardens. We had exceptional weather except one really cold day in Belgium when we visited the cemeteries, so it matched our somber visits. We know how fortunate we were! The flowers at Keukenhof did not disappoint though they’d mostly been cut back in the fields we passed along the countryside.

I haven't been on either of these tours, but my question is what other travel do you have planned for 2027? If the RS tour is the main event, then I would pick the one that maximizes your wish list and goes to places you've not been before. If you are taking other trips and just deciding which of these two meshes with those plans over the year, then I'd pick the one that fills a more empty time slot (e.g., if you have plans ion summer when warmer, then do the Belgium tour in the spring; if spring is full already then go with the Loire trip in summer). Based only on your pro/con list, I'd pick Belgium to see the gardens (knowing that the tour will make the most of that visit) and see new places, plus the easy transit after to go to the next stop. And FWIW it might not be bad weather in April, all bets are off weather prediction wise these years. Plus you have all those Christmas market layers to use :)

Jean, seven million flower bulbs are hard to resist........

We've done both, and our recommendation is Heart of Belgium/Holland. The Keukenhof Gardens are one of the most spectacular tour stops that we have made in almost 20 Europe visits. In fact, two years after taking this tour, we returned on our own to view Keukenhof again.......it was that good. In addition, the WW1 history is compelling, and this tour takes you deeply into Flanders and the Western Front with the local guides providing such interesting insight. Finally, Amsterdam is amazing and offers so much that it's hard to pass up.

The Loire Valley and South of France is a good tour as well, for different reasons. We also took the RS Paris and the Heart of France which hits some of the same stops including the Loire Valley, but also offered Normandy and Giverny; I rank this tour ahead of Loire Valley and South of France.

So, in order to not waffle or sit on the fence, to answer your question about which tour to recommend, I would say sign up for Holland/Belgium. Good luck!

A friend of mine took the Belgium/Holland tour the same year I took the Loire to South of France tour. We both loved our tours. I've been to the Netherlands and to Keukenhof on my own. I think the good news is you win whichever you choose, but for me the France trip would be the winner. I spent 2 nights in Paris and then went to Chartres for 2 nights before the tour and just loved every site we saw. After the tour I spent extra time in Provence. It was a great trip and I even got Covid near the end of the trip. I do agree the illuminations in Chartres are awesome.

Belgium is a tiny country, the distances are rather short, and public transport (busses and trains) is prolific and top-tier. Why not do S. France as a tour followed (or preceeded) by Belgium on your own? Plus I suggest visiting Wallonie as well (the French-speaking region that comprises the Southern half of Belgium), which isn't included in the tour.

PS you mention late-May onward because of the warmth, but if recent history is predictive, late-May onward could possibly be outright hot in Belgium and S. France (which tend to be climatically similar).

I don't think you can go wrong with either one. I will say, if April is a seeming drawback to go onward to other locations, I've traveled in April the last 2 years (Italy 2024, Paris 2025) and we had overall very good weather both times. Just one really rainy day in Italy. And that can change by the day as of course you know.

If it were me, I'd pick the Belgium/Holland but that's probably just where I'd rather visit. Do you feel like you have a leaning?

When I read your pros and cons list, it seems to come down to, are you more interested in Keukenhof or illumination shows?

Disclaimer - I've taken neither of these tours and for a forum member am not that well traveled compared with many others.

We did the Loire tour in May/June 2023 and have done parts of the Holland tour on our own. I agree with previous poster that you can’t go wrong either way. Seeing Keukenhof in bloom would be a dream but logistically a region that would be easier to navigate on your own. We added extra days in Chartres and had fun trying to find all the illumination sites on their map. Jane from OK did an extensive trip report on this tour. The bus time didn’t bother us and I’m prone to motion sickness; it’s always broken up.
I just looked back at the itinerary and am impressed at how much we saw and how well-timed it was. Lots to see but not so much that you’re cross-eyed. We would not have been able to visit Oradour-Sur -Glane on our own, but that was such a profound experience and would have felt disconcerting if tied to a castle visit. Then there was the cave visit.. I haven’t been to other caves but riding the funny little train into the cave and imagining people centuries ago making these drawing remains breathtaking. I know you plan to skip Pont Du Gard, but walking across the top of the structure and imagining what went in to creating this structure was pretty impressive even though we had seen it from the ground level before.

I hope this helps, but you know you’ll have a good time which ever you choose. One caveat, the Plane trees were in bloom during our trip and I wished I’d brought allergy meds - didn’t know I’d be allergic.

In 2027, Easter is March 28. That means the spring break folks on holiday will come earlier, leaving you so much of April, once the travelers return home. So I would vote for Keukenhof mid-April, either tour or no tour. I'm returning this spring, for the second trip in two years, because I didn't get enough of the NL and Belgium the first time.
Jean, no bad decisions here!