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!

We've done both, and I also had seen Keukenhof a prior time. While both tours were enjoyable, I do love tulips (have two on my desk right now and the remainder of the bunch in the living room and kitchen areas). That said, and while you can't go wrong with either tour, I'd go again with Belgium/Holland.

On the RS tour of Belgium/Holland, the bus took us there that morning and let us loose for about three hours. Wandered everywhere and took a hundred of photos. Other highlights I remember from the tour were the Anne Frank house (so much had changed since my prior visit), the Rijksmuseum, and Flanders Field. We also did the Van Gogh museum on our own, as well as a day trip to the windmills. And I like rijsttafel!

On the RS tour of South of France, I enjoyed the nighttime illumination of Chartres, but had seen other similar illuminations so it wasn't a wow. Same with some of the chateaus - had seen many on the Heart of France tour (which I enjoyed more than the South of France tour as there was more variety in the included sites).

My recommendation is Belgium/Holland. Go tulips!!!

Seems to me which tour would be based on what you like, not what I liked. Not everyone is awed by tulips :-)….. especially what’s left by late May.

One additional point to add...King's Day in the Netherlands is Tuesday, April 27, 2027. We were on our RS tour and arrived in the Netherlands on King's Day. It was such a fun, unique experience, but we also happened to stop in a small city for lunch and got to celebrate there with that community and ended the day in Delft..more party! But, I would not have personally wanted to be in Amsterdam on King's Day.

Also, adding to points made that it's so easy to get around the Netherlands on your own...correct. However, what we learned being on the tour is not anything we could have experienced being on our own.

For what it is worth, Keukenhof is extremely easy to do independently; I visited from Amsterdam and spent the better part of the day in the gardens. It would be easy to see tulips AND visit the south of France on the same trip. Fly into Amsterdam and visit Keukenhof in April at the start of your trip. Afterwards, travel to the start of the RS trip.

I haven’t taken either of these trips but I am way less inclined to take a tour of Belgium and the Netherlands. Distances are short and public transit is outstanding. One of the reasons I choose RS tours is to get to places that aren’t well connected by train.

Jean, are you starting a debate similar to the multiple Wengen vs Murren discussions? :)

Pat, Wengen is a clear winner - ha! Actually we loved staying in Wengen - the last three photos on my husband’s memorial slideshow were of him hiking at various spots there with the finale photo that I took behind him while he was sitting on a bench where the composer Mendelssohn had sketched and looking over those amazing mountains in front of him. He grew up in Montana, and Wengen was his favorite location in Europe.

CL, for early 2027 I will have just been in Germany for three weeks in December traveling solo and going to 11 cities for both their Christmas Markets and their sites. So, I am going to skip doing a February trip.

I am planning two European trips for 2027, hopefully.

The tours mentioned will be my late Spring/early Summer choice.

I have been going yearly to Italy in May and/or September, so I thought I would give it a break in 2027. Except that I found a 5-day art class in the Marche region of Italy in early September 2027, and I don’t think I can pass it up - both because of the location in a small hill village & I haven’t stayed in that region, previously. I’d probably pair that with time in the Abruzzo region.

Wow, so many helpful comments! Thank you all very much!

SueH, a couple of your points especially resonated with me for the tipping point.

• I wouldn’t want to be rushed during the time at the Keukenhof gardens. Three hours sounds perfect!
• You mentioned that much has changed for the Anne Frank house. I would like to see any additional updates very much!
• I have seen the night illumination shows at Chartres, Rouen, Le Mans & Nancy in France. It wouldn’t be an event type that’s new to me.
• I have seen Villandry inside & out in 2019 and other main chateaus in 1975.
• Delft was my first stay in Europe, so it would be nice to walk those streets again after the tour.

AND a big bonus for Belgium/Holland: a couple of other solo travelers on this forum are also interested, and we started discussions yesterday & today about selecting the same tour date. : )

I've not been on either tour, but here's another Keukenhof fan chiming in!

For what it is worth, Keukenhof is extremely easy to do independently; I visited from Amsterdam and spent the better part of the day in the gardens. It would be easy to see tulips AND visit the south of France on the same trip. Fly into Amsterdam and visit Keukenhof in April at the start of your trip. Afterwards, travel to the start of the RS trip.

I agree with Laura's suggestion to combine a DIY trip to the Netherlands followed by the RS Loire/South of France tour. It's so easy to visit Keukenhof on your own, either while staying in Amsterdam or Delft (or somewhere else nearby). Another benefit to visiting Keukenhof on your own is that you can stay as long as you like, go early and/or stay late; whereas your time there will be more restricted on the RS tour, as it is a stopover on the day the tour moves from Rotterdam to Hoorn.

I realize that this would involve being in France in April or May, which is earlier than you prefer, but weather is so unpredictable, as CL points out. For example, while in Paris the first week of May 2018 (after visiting NL), it was in the mid-80s, a bit warmer than I like. But in 2023, it was cold and windy during our 5 days in Paris May 9-13. So, essentially the same time of year, but with very different weather.

I concur mightily with KD. Unless you're a party animal, I would avoid being in Amsterdam on King's Day 4/27/27. (And even if you decide to be in Amsterdam on King's Day, you can expect to pay a premium for lodging.) We had left Amsterdam the day before King's Day, and were so happy we did. We stayed in Otterlo, a quiet town near the National Park, and had a delightful visit at the fabulous Kröller-Müller museum (home to many Van Gogh paintings) on King's Day.

Yes, timing all of this could be tricky: avoiding Easter and King's Day, timing a Keukenhof visit for mid-late April (possibly early May) to enjoy peak tulip season, etc. I have nothing to compare it to having only visited Keukenhof once, but we were there on 4/23/18, and the blooms were glorious, at their peak we were told. It is such a unique experience to visit Keukenhof, a highlight of our trip. In the spring of 2020 during lockdown, we appreciated it all over again and felt so grateful that we were able to have such a memorable and enjoyable experience. Carpe Diem, I say!

The fact that you've not been to the Rijksmuseum museum is yet another reason to spend more time in Amsterdam, whether on your own or while on the Belgium/Holland tour. I had no idea I would enjoy that museum as much as I did. It really helped me to appreciate the Dutch Masters. And now I'm a Vermeer fan ...

ETA: I was typing this as you were responding, Jean. I now see you've made your decision. As so many have said, you cannot lose! Enjoy!

I was just musing this afternoon how fun it would be to be on a tour with you!

Thanks for the additional info - based on that I don't think you can go wrong with either tour but it sounds like the consensus might be for tulips. Maybe have Pam flip a coin at your next travel meet up and make the decision for you? :)

“Maybe have Pam flip a coin at your next travel meet up and make the decision for you? :)”

Aaack…the pressure!! It will have to be a collective flip with all the regulars involved!

Pbscd, that’s kind of you to say! I know you’re younger than I am, but maybe I could keep at your pace. My adult kids still say they have a hard time keeping up with me when I’m in “a travel mode mood” - LOL!

No rush on pace!

I always figure if you flip a coin and are unhappy with the results that reveals which one you really wanted.

Jean, I can relate to travel mode mood time. I'm almost as happy planning as going...ALMOST>