Provincial French Countryside
Experience the beauty, allure, and hospitality of provincial France, at an easy pace and in a unique style. Anchored by stays in vibrant Toulouse and enchanting Paris, the journey features diverse Languedoc, the remote Dordogne, the lovely Loire Valley, and historic Normandy as we stay in charming rural inns and small country hotels.
It’s a small group tour de force!
Provincial French Countryside
Dates: May 8 – 22, 2026
Deposit: $500
Land Only (transfers not included):$5,695
From San Francisco (air-inclusive)*: $7,097 (including airline taxes/fees of $602, which are subject to change)
Single Supplements: $1,195
*Other cities listed on brochure, which can be downloaded on the overview tab of this trip approximately nine months before departure. Airline prices are subject to change, and airline upgrades will be additional to the costs listed above.
Please note, all prices are for a standard, double room unless listed otherwise.
Your Tour Price Includes:
- Round-trip air transportation from listed cities
- 13 nights’ accommodations in Superior First Class, First Class, and unrated hotels
- 25 meals: 13 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 8 dinners
- Extensive sightseeing as described, including all entrance fees
- Services of an Odysseys Unlimited Tour Director
- Private motorcoach transportation throughout your trip
- Luggage handling for one bag per person
- Gratuities for local guides, dining room servers, airport and hotel porters, and all drivers
Book your trip today by filling out the form and emailing it to ietravel@ucsc.edu.
Travel Date: May 8 – 22, 2026
May 8, 2026
This evening we depart the US for France.
May 9, 2026
After arriving in Toulouse in the Midi-Pyrénées today, our time is at leisure until we meet our tour director this evening for a welcome dinner and a briefing about the journey ahead.
Accommodations: Plaza Hôtel Capitole Toulouse
(D)
May 10, 2026
Today we tour nearby Carcassonne, the quintessential medieval town with the longest city walls in Europe. Sitting atop a hill overlooking vast green plains that stretch all the way to the Pyrénées, Carcassonne boasts battlements and ramparts dating to the 1st-century Romans. We return to Toulouse mid-afternoon for time at leisure.
Accommodations: Plaza Hôtel Capitole Toulouse
(B)
May 11, 2026
We travel today to the historic market town of Albi in the Midi-Pyrénées. Hometown of Belle Époque artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Albi was built with rose-colored bricks that cast a warm glow over the medieval streets and ramparts. Our city tour here includes the medieval Cathedral and Palais de la Berbie, an ancient fortress now a museum of works by Toulouse-Lautrec. Leaving Albi, we travel to the rugged, unspoiled countryside of the Périgord region and the Dordogne Valley. We continue on to Sarlat-la-Canéda, one of France’s prettiest villages and one of Europe’s best preserved medieval gems, with more registered historic sites than anywhere else on the continent. We’re in the land of the truffle and foie gras, so bon appétit!
Accommodations: Au Grand Hôtel de Sarlat
(B, D)
May 12, 2026
This morning we tour the International Center for Cave Art at Lascaux IV, showcasing reproductions of the original prehistoric cave paintings found nearby. After lunch at a charming local inn, we spend the afternoon on a leisurely boat ride along the Dordogne River, the lifeblood of this fertile region and redolent with history. As we pass clifftop castles and fortified medieval towns, the historical region of Aquitaine comes to life – this is where beloved Eleanor of Aquitaine reigned in the 12th century. We return to Sarlat, where dinner tonight is on our own.
Accommodations: Au Grand Hôtel de Sarlat
(B, L)
May 13, 2026
We take a brief walking tour this morning then have time at leisure to visit some of Sarlat’s museums or art galleries – or simply to wander the atmospheric cobblestone streets. After lunch on our own, we visit nearby Rocamadour, a revered pilgrimage site and medieval village whose three tiers cling almost impossibly to a sheer limestone cliff. We take a guided walking tour then enjoy some free time before we return to Sarlat mid-afternoon. Dinner tonight is on our own.
Accommodations: Au Grand Hôtel de Sarlat
(B)
May 14, 2026
This morning we depart for the Loire Valley, stopping in the small market town of Le Dorat for lunch at a local restaurant. From here we travel on to picturesque Saumur and our hotel, a converted 18th-century mansion on the banks of the Loire River.
Accommodations: Hôtel Anne d’Anjou
(B, L)
May 15, 2026
Late this morning we visit a local winery where we enjoy a tour and a tasting, then we return to our hotel in the early afternoon and have time to enjoy this town of half-timbered houses and cobblestone streets as we wish. Options include exploring the town’s old quarter; visiting the Cavalry Museum; or tasting the renowned locally made sparkling wine at Maison du Vin. Tonight, we enjoy dinner together at a local restaurant.
Accommodations: Hôtel Anne d’Anjou
(B, L, D)
May 16, 2026
We’re in châteaux country, where England battled for control of France; where Joan of Arc triumphed; and where a great opulence reigned during the 16th century. Originally built as fortresses to keep intruders out, the Loire Valley’s grand châteaux now welcome visitors from around the world. We tour a most impressive one today: Chenonceau, the Renaissance masterpiece considered the most romantic château of all. We enjoy dinner tonight at local restaurant.
Accommodations: Hôtel Anne d’Anjou
(B, D)
May 17, 2026
Traveling north this morning, we stop at Mont-St-Michel, Normandy’s famed Gothic abbey that sits atop a 264-foot-high rock formation at the edge of the sea and was constructed between 1017 and 1521 of granite hauled stone by stone from Brittany. After a guided tour and some free time for lunch and to explore on our own, we return to our hotel for time at leisure. Tonight, we dine together at our hotel.
Accommodations: Manoir de Mathan
(B, D)
May 18, 2026
Miraculously spared during wartime bombing, medieval Bayeux is our first stop today. Here we visit the Tapestry Museum, home of the 1,000-year-old Bayeux Tapestry depicting the exploits of William the Conqueror. Later we visit Caen’s Memorial Museum devoted to “history for peace.” Time permitting, we may visit Arromanches late this afternoon.
Accommodations: Manoir de Mathan
(B, D)
May 19, 2026
A poignant, inspiring day is ahead as we travel to the very places where Allied forces overcame overwhelming odds to alter the course of World War II. We visit Pointe du Hoc, where American Rangers scaled towering cliffs to establish a beachhead; Utah Beach; and Ste-Mère-Eglise, where the 82nd Airborne Division successfully parachuted on June 5, 1944. We end the day at the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach in Colleville. It’s a particularly moving site; row upon endless row of white marble crosses and Stars of David honor the nearly 10,000 American troops who lie here.
Accommodations: Manoir de Mathan
(B, L, D)
May 20, 2026
This morning we visit the village of Giverny and the home and gardens of Impressionist artist Claude Monet. Here we see the familiar lily pond and wisteria-covered Japanese footbridge of Monet’s paintings, as well as his home, now restored to its original design. Then we travel to Paris, reaching our hotel late afternoon. We are free for dinner on our own in this culinary capital.
Accommodations: Hôtel Château Frontenac
(B)
May 21, 2026
We get acquainted with one of the world’s great cities on this morning’s sightseeing cruise on the River Seine, followed by a guided visit to the Musée Rodin. This afternoon is free for independent exploration, perhaps to visit another of the city’s fine museums, such as the Louvre or Musée d’Orsay, or to stroll the Champs-Elysées. Tonight we gather for a farewell dinner to bid “adieu” to France.
Accommodations: Hôtel Château Frontenac
(B, D)
May 22, 2026
This morning we depart for the airport and our connecting flights to the U.S.
(B)
B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner
Accommodations:
Plaza Hôtel Capitole Toulouse, Toulouse, France / Day 2 -3 / First Class
Plaza Hôtel Capitole Toulouse occupies an ideal location in the very heart of Toulouse, directly across from the neoclassical Place du Capitole in lively Capitole Square. The hotel is surrounded by shopping, dining, and entertainment and features a restaurant, bar and cocktail lounge, courtyard garden terrace, fitness center, complimentary Wi-Fi internet access, and laundry and dry-cleaning services (for a fee). Air-conditioned guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, tea- and coffee-making facilities, minifridge, in-room safe, TV, and phone.
Au Grand Hôtel de Sarlat, Sarlat-la-Canéda, France/ Day 4-6 / Not rated
Just north of Sarlat’s medieval city center, Au Grand Hôtel de Sarlat sits only five minutes’ walking distance from this well-preserved 14th-century town. The hotel features a lobby bar, spa with massage treatments and sauna (for a fee), heated swimming pool, Jacuzzi, terrace, laundry and dry-cleaning services (for a fee), and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access. Air-conditioned guest rooms are split between two separate buildings: our rooms in the Pavillon de Selves feature private bath with hair dryer, tea- and coffee-making facilities, minibar, in-room safe (key at reception), TV, and phone.
TEXT
Hôtel Anne d’Anjou, Saumur (Loire Valley), France / Day 7-9 / Not rated
Across the road from the Loire River stands the 18th-century Hotel Anne d’Anjou, with its original wood, glass, and freestone moldings dating to the Louis XVI, Restoration, and Empire periods. The 45-room former residence is close to the town’s main shopping street and situated directly below Château de Saumur (accessible via staircase located behind the hotel). Amenities include a bar, courtyard terrace, outdoor swimming pool, complimentary Wi-Fi internet access, laundry service (for a fee), and spa with Jacuzzi, sauna, massage, and beauty services (for a fee). Air-conditioned guest rooms each feature unique size, layout, and décor; all have private bath with hair dryer, tea- and coffee-making facilities, minibar, in-room safe, TV, and phone.
TEX
Manoir de Mathan, Crépon, France/ Day 10 – 12 / Not rated 
Located in a rural setting along the outskirts of Crépon, this hotel was previously a stately 17th-century home and has been renovated extensively to house 21 modernly outfitted guest rooms. The hotel comprises three buildings situated around a common courtyard, each with exposed beams, antique furniture, and stone staircases that preserve the vintage French farmhouse aesthetic. Unique in both size and décor, guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, complimentary Wi-Fi internet access, tea- and coffee-making facilities, in-room safe, TV, and phone.
Please note: There are no elevators in this historic property; in addition, you may find the Wi-Fi connection in guest rooms to be spotty at times.
Hôtel Château Frontenac, Paris, France / Day 13-14 / Superior First Class
The 105-room Hôtel Château Frontenac sits conveniently between the Champs-Élysées and Avenue de Georges-V, close to entertainment, restaurants, and shops. The hotel offers an elegant Parisian setting reflecting its history: the building once housed Le Gerny’s nightclub, where legendary singer Édith Piaf made her onstage debut. Amenities include a bar, laundry and dry-cleaning services (for a fee), and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access. Air-conditioned guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, tea-and coffee-making facilities, minibar, in-room safe, TV, and phone.
Photo Gallery
