What if I want to extend my trip?

Common extensions include the Côte d'Azur (3–4 nights in Nice), Bordeaux wine country (3 nights), or Normandy and Mont Saint-Michel (2–3 nights). We'll build the extension seamlessly into your existing itinerary.

When is the best time to visit France?

April through June and September through October offer the best balance of weather, crowds, and pricing. The lavender in Provence blooms mid-June to early August. Winter travel is lovely in Paris and the south.

How far in advance should I book?

For peak season (May–October), we recommend booking 3–6 months ahead. Off-season trips can often be arranged with shorter notice.

What affects the price?

The starting price is based on double occupancy in our default hotels during shoulder season. Prices vary with travel dates, hotel upgrades, group size, and optional add-ons. Single supplements are available. We'll provide an exact quote once we know your dates.

What is your cancellation policy?

A 20% deposit secures your booking. The balance is due 60 days before departure. Cancellations more than 60 days out receive a full deposit refund. Between 30–60 days, 50% is refunded. Within 30 days, the deposit is non-refundable. We strongly recommend travel insurance.

Do I need to speak French?

Not at all. All our guides are English-speaking, and our hotel selections are accustomed to international guests. That said, a few basic phrases go a long way — we'll include a cheat sheet in your travel booklet.

What happens after I click 'Plan This Trip'?

You'll fill in a short form with your dates, group size, and preferences. A dedicated travel specialist will reply within one business day with a personalised proposal and exact pricing. There's no obligation.

9-Day Private Package Journey

Best of France

Paris, the Loire Valley & Provence

Available as Private Semi-Private Self-Guided

From €3,490 per person 9 days / 8 nights

View Itinerary

Tour Overview

9 days across France.

From the grand boulevards of Paris to the fairy-tale châteaux of the Loire Valley and the sun-drenched hilltop villages of Provence, this nine-day private journey traces the arc of French civilisation at a pace that lets you absorb it properly. Every day is shaped around you — your curiosities, your appetite, your idea of the perfect afternoon — with hand-picked hotels, expert local guides, and the kind of insider moments that don't appear in any guidebook.

Detailed Itinerary

Your journey, day by day.

Every day is designed with breathing room. Sleep in, take a detour, linger at lunch — the itinerary flexes around you, not the other way around.

Day 1

Arrival in Paris

The City of Light welcomes you.

Your private driver meets you at Charles de Gaulle Airport and whisks you across the city to your hotel in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. After check-in, the afternoon is yours to begin falling in love with Paris on your own terms — the Luxembourg Gardens are a five-minute walk, the Seine is just beyond, and the neighbourhood cafés along Rue de Buci are the kind of places where you can sit with a glass of Sancerre and watch the city go by. In the evening, we've reserved a welcome dinner at a tucked-away Left Bank bistro where the chef's tasting menu changes with the market.

Private airport transfer to central Paris
Welcome dinner at a Left Bank bistro with market-driven menu

4–5★ boutique hotel, Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Day 2

Paris: The Louvre, Montmartre & the City's Secret Corners

Masterpieces in the morning, rooftops in the afternoon.

Morning begins with a private guided tour of the Louvre — skip-the-line, with an art historian who knows exactly which rooms to linger in and which to breeze past. You'll see the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory, and the Vermeer collection without the crush. After the museum, a stroll through the Tuileries and across the river to a quiet lunch spot in the Marais. The afternoon takes you to Montmartre — the Sacré-Cœur basilica, the winding streets where Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec once worked, and a panoramic view of Paris from the hilltop that explains why artists have always gathered here. The evening is free — we'll share our list of neighbourhood favourites for dinner.

Private skip-the-line Louvre tour with art historian
Montmartre walking tour — Sacré-Cœur and artists' quarter
Panoramic view of Paris from the Butte Montmartre

Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ boutique hotel, Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Day 3

Versailles & the Left Bank

Royal excess in the morning, intellectual Paris in the afternoon.

A private morning excursion to the Palace of Versailles — the Hall of Mirrors, the King's Grand Apartments, and the vast formal gardens that Louis XIV used to remind Europe who was in charge. Your guide brings the politics and personalities alive in a way that makes the gold leaf feel less decorative and more deliberate. Return to Paris for a late lunch, then an afternoon walk through the literary Left Bank: Shakespeare and Company, the Panthéon, and the quiet streets of the 5th arrondissement where Hemingway and Fitzgerald drank and wrote. End the day at the Musée d'Orsay for the Impressionists — Monet's water lilies, Renoir's dancers, and the Van Gogh rooms that change how you see colour.

Private Versailles tour — Hall of Mirrors and royal gardens
Literary Left Bank walk — Shakespeare and Company to the Panthéon
Musée d'Orsay Impressionist collections

Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ boutique hotel, Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Day 4

Paris to the Loire Valley

From boulevards to fairy-tale châteaux.

A leisurely morning in Paris — perhaps the Rodin Museum's garden, a final pastry at your neighbourhood boulangerie, or the covered Marché d'Aligre for provisions. Late morning, your private driver takes you southwest into the Loire Valley, France's garden — flat, green, and lined with the grandest châteaux in Europe. Arrive in Amboise by mid-afternoon and check into a château hotel overlooking the Loire. After settling in, a guided visit to the Château Royal d'Amboise, where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years and is buried in the chapel. The evening is yours — walk along the river at sunset, then dinner in the old town.

Scenic private drive from Paris to the Loire Valley
Château Royal d'Amboise — Leonardo da Vinci's final home
Château hotel overlooking the Loire river

Meals: Breakfast 4★ château hotel, Amboise

Day 5

Loire Valley: Chambord, Chenonceau & a Vineyard Lunch

The two greatest châteaux in France, and a bottle of Vouvray.

Today you'll see two of the most extraordinary buildings in Europe. Morning begins at Chambord — the largest and most theatrical of the Loire châteaux, built as a royal hunting lodge with a double-helix staircase attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Your guide explains why the building is essentially a Renaissance thought experiment built in stone. From Chambord, drive through the forest to Chenonceau — the 'Ladies' Castle,' spanning the River Cher with a grace that makes it the most photographed château in France. After Chenonceau, lunch at a family vineyard near Vouvray, where the winemaker pours his Chenin Blanc alongside a meal prepared with ingredients from the estate garden. Return to Amboise in the late afternoon with time to rest before dinner.

Chambord — Renaissance hunting lodge with Leonardo's staircase
Chenonceau spanning the River Cher
Vineyard lunch with a Vouvray winemaker

Meals: Breakfast 4★ château hotel, Amboise

Day 6

Loire Valley to Provence

Trading châteaux for lavender and limestone.

Morning in the Loire — perhaps the gardens of Villandry, the most beautiful ornamental gardens in France, or the Clos Lucé museum where Leonardo's inventions are brought to life. Late morning, transfer to Tours station for the TGV high-speed train south to Avignon — three hours through the heart of France, watching the landscape shift from green river valleys to the golden limestone and dry hills of Provence. Your driver meets you at Avignon TGV and takes you to your hotel inside the medieval walled city. Late afternoon, walk the ramparts and cross the famous Pont d'Avignon before dinner at a Provençal restaurant where the menu reads like a love letter to the south: tapenade, ratatouille, and rosé from the Luberon.

TGV high-speed train through the French heartland
Arrival in medieval walled Avignon
Pont d'Avignon and the Palace of the Popes ramparts

Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Avignon old town

Day 7

Provence: Hilltop Villages & Lavender Fields

The Luberon — the France that makes people move here.

Your driver collects you after breakfast for a full day in the Luberon — the string of hilltop villages that Peter Mayle made famous, but that the French have loved quietly for centuries. First stop: Gordes, perched on a cliff above the valley, where the stone buildings glow gold in the morning light. From there, the Abbey of Sénanque — a working Cistercian monastery surrounded by lavender fields that have been photographed more than almost any landscape in France. Drive on through Roussillon, where the ochre cliffs turn the village red and orange, then Bonnieux for a long Provençal lunch on a terrace overlooking the valley. Afternoon, visit a Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate for a private tasting with the winemaker — big, sun-ripened reds that taste like the landscape they come from. Return to Avignon in the golden hour.

Gordes — the most beautiful hilltop village in Provence
Sénanque Abbey and the lavender fields
Roussillon ochre cliffs and Bonnieux terrace lunch
Châteauneuf-du-Pape private estate tasting

Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Avignon old town

Day 8

Aix-en-Provence & a Provençal Farewell

Cézanne's light, the Cours Mirabeau, and one last long lunch.

Morning drive to Aix-en-Provence — the most elegant town in Provence, where the plane trees shade wide boulevards and the fountains have been running since the 17th century. Begin with a walking tour through the old town: the Cours Mirabeau, the flower market at Place Richelme, and Cézanne's studio on the hill above the town, preserved exactly as he left it with views of Mont Sainte-Victoire that explain everything about his later paintings. Free time for lunch on your own — we'll have a list of our favourites. Afternoon, a Provençal cooking class at a bastide in the countryside: learning to make bouillabaisse, tapenade, and a proper salade Niçoise with ingredients from the garden. The class ends with dinner — your farewell meal, eaten at a long table under the plane trees as the sun goes down.

Aix-en-Provence walking tour — Cours Mirabeau and Cézanne's studio
Provençal cooking class at a countryside bastide
Farewell dinner under the plane trees

Meals: Breakfast 4★ boutique hotel, Aix-en-Provence

Day 9

Departure

Au revoir — until next time.

A final French breakfast on the terrace — croissants that shatter when you tear them, good butter, and strong coffee. Your private driver will transfer you to Marseille Provence Airport in plenty of time for your flight, or to Aix-en-Provence TGV station if you're continuing by train. If your departure is later in the day, we can arrange a morning visit to the Pont du Gard — the two-thousand-year-old Roman aqueduct that still stands as one of the greatest engineering feats of antiquity. Your travel specialist remains on call until you're home.

Private airport or TGV station transfer
Optional morning visit to the Pont du Gard

Meals: Breakfast

Where You'll Stay

Hand-picked hotels, every night.

We choose properties for character, location, and the kind of service that makes you feel looked after — not just checked in. Every hotel can be swapped for an alternative if you prefer.

Paris

3 nights

4–5★ boutique hotel

Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Heart of the Left Bank, steps from the Seine and Luxembourg Gardens

Amboise

2 nights

4★ château hotel

Loire Valley

Overlooking the Loire river, walking distance to the old town

Avignon

2 nights

4–5★ hotel

Old town (intra-muros)

Inside the medieval walls, steps from the Palace of the Popes

Aix-en-Provence

1 night

4★ boutique hotel

Centre-ville

On or near the Cours Mirabeau, Provence's grandest boulevard

Hotels shown are indicative of the standard we book. Upon request, we will provide a detailed itinerary with specific hotel options tailored to your preferences and budget.

What's in the Price

Included

8 nights in 4–5★ hand-picked hotels (double occupancy)
Daily breakfast at each hotel
3 signature dinners (welcome bistro, Provençal, farewell cooking class)
2 curated lunches (Loire vineyard, Luberon terrace)
Private airport transfers in Paris and Marseille
All inter-city transfers in air-conditioned private vehicles
TGV high-speed train tickets (Tours–Avignon)
Private expert guides in every region
Skip-the-line Louvre and Versailles access
Châteauneuf-du-Pape private wine tasting
Provençal cooking class
24/7 travel specialist support throughout your trip
All entrance fees and museum tickets
Hamilton & Chase digital travel booklet with restaurant recommendations

Not Included

International flights to Paris / from Marseille
Travel insurance (required — we can arrange coverage)
Meals not mentioned in the itinerary
Personal expenses (shopping, additional drinks, spa treatments)
Gratuities for guides and drivers (optional but appreciated)
City tax (collected directly by hotels, typically €2–5 per person per night)

Good to Know

This itinerary is a starting point — every detail can be adjusted to suit your preferences, pace, and interests.
Hotels are confirmed at booking based on your travel dates. Upgrades and alternatives are always available.
All guides and experiences are arranged exclusively for your party — never shared with other groups.
Comfortable walking shoes are essential. Most days involve 3–5 hours on foot, often on cobblestones.
Flexible booking: adjust or postpone your dates up to 60 days before departure at no charge.

Make It Yours

Optional add-ons & upgrades.

Every trip is different. These extras can be woven into your itinerary — just let your travel specialist know what catches your eye.

Seine dinner cruise

Private table on a glass-roofed barge, passing Notre-Dame and the Eiffel Tower lit up at night

From €180 pp

Private after-hours Musée d'Orsay

The Impressionist collections with fewer than 20 people in the gallery

From €220 pp

Hot air balloon over the Loire

Sunrise flight over the châteaux and vineyards of the Loire Valley

From €250 pp

Truffle hunting in Provence

Winter truffle hunt with a local guide and his dogs in the Luberon

From €160 pp

Champagne day trip from Paris

Private visit to two Champagne houses in Reims and Épernay with tastings

From €320 pp

Professional photo session

1-hour portrait session at iconic Paris locations with a local photographer

From €350

"France had always been a dream, but Hamilton & Chase turned it into something beyond what we imagined. The château hotel in the Loire, the private Louvre tour, and that cooking class in Provence — we didn't want to come home. Already planning our return."

Catherine & David R.

London, UK · Best of France, June 2025

Common Questions

Questions about this trip.

Can I change the hotels?

Absolutely. The hotels listed are our default selections, chosen for location, character, and consistency. If you have a specific property in mind or want to upgrade, we'll adjust the itinerary and pricing accordingly.

Is this trip suitable for children?

Yes. We regularly run this itinerary for families. For younger children, we'll adjust the pacing, swap in family-friendly guides, and add activities like the Loire Valley hot air balloon. The Provençal cooking class is a particular favourite with kids.

Private Package Journey

Best of France

9 days / 8 nights

From €3,490

per person

Ready to go?

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On-trip support is 24/7.

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