Loire Valley tour 23-30 May 2016. Early bird discount applies to 31 August BOOK NOW!

Chenonceau chateau - known as the ladies' chateau. It was given to Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henry II, and taken away from her on his death by his widow Catherine de Medici. A beautiful design and the only chateau built over the river Loire. 

The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, an abbey run by an Abbess not an Abbot, was the last place where Eleanor of Aquitaine lived. She is the only woman to have been both Queen of France and Queen of England. An amazing woman - also the mother of Richard the Lionheart, both of whom are buried here.

This garden gate forms an entry to the formal gardens from the forest area of this beautiful chateau in the Loire valley. The gate was designed by Leonardo da Vinci while he was living out his last days at his chateau in Amboise.

The delightful chateau Beaudaisiere has some unusual gardens with over 300 species of tomatoes and a superb dahlia garden. One of many chateaux to visit in the Loire valley

Normandy tour May 30 - June 6 2016.

One of Normandy's quaint, unspoilt villages with typical half-timbered houses and delightful shops and cafes. A favourite excursion during our tour of Normandy. CLICK HERE for more information

Early Bird Discounts on all 2016 tours until 31 August! BOOK NOW!

Focus this week is on Normandy - this old port of Honfleur is a lively place for lunch. Situated on the estuary of the river Seine, Honfleur was for many years an important trading port. Today, the more modern port at Le Havre replaces its trading position, but Honfleur is the more popular tourist place. This port has been painted by many artists; Gustave Courbet, Johan Jongkind, Eugene Boudin and of course Claude Monet who lived a little further down the Seine river.

Normandy tour May/June 2016

One of Normandy's famous sandy beaches just waiting for some action! Normandy has everything - beach resorts, stunning white cliffs,  historic towns and villages, chateaux, old half-timbered houses, beautiful gardens, cider, calvados and fabulous cheeses.

The northern beaches are probably best known for the Normandy landings during the second world war. These are not far from Bayeux, home of the heritage listed tapestry celebrating the victory of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy when he gained the crown of England after defeating King Harold.

Normandy also has the most visited place in France, the Mont St Michel, a tidal island with a magnificent Abbey overlooking swellings beneath and the bay around it. For over 100 years the low tide causeway was concreted over for access roads and car parks,but recently, this has been removed and a wooden boardwalk allowing the sea to flow underneath has been created. The island is once again an island.

For your next Slow Tour of Normandy send your details HERE

2016 tours - early bird bookings NOW!

The fabulous village and beach of St Croix is one of the places we visit on our Provence tour. Follow this link for more details: CLICK HERE

Early Bird reduction applies now to all 2016 tours!

Brittany - June 2016 

Photo taken from Ile aux Moines during our tour of the Morbihan Gulf.

Quimper's old town

Follow this link to see more about Brittany - CLICK HERE

2016 Tours ready for booking NOW!

Early bird bookings for all 2016 tours paid in full by the end of August will have a $150 reduction!

It's time to book your 2016 tours now! Tours are shown on THIS PAGE, where you can download tour brochures. The Mont St Michel (pictured) - with the old causeway removed - means that it is once again an island. This was taken during the June 2015 Normandy tour. Book your Normandy tour for June 2016 now -by clicking here and sending your contact details.

Photo above of sailing boats on the Golfe du Morbihan was taken during the Brittany tour in June 2015. This tour will also be running again in June 2016. Fabulous tour!

One of the well preserved medieval chateaux on the way between Normandy and Brittany. A great place to stop and try out the local crepes made with fresh farmhouse eggs, local pork and a glass of Breton cider.

The Benezet bridge at Avignon  - 'sur le pont d'Avignon' - is a day trip during our Provence tour in September 2016. Only 8 places available so book early.

This is one of those unforgettable places in the French Riviera. We will be running another tour in this area in September 2016.  CLICK HERE for more information

The Pont du Gard is one of the best preserved Roman aqueducts. This was taken during a visit on our way between the Provence tour and the Languedoc-Roussillon. You can join the one or both of these tours in September 2016! Also followed by a week in Catalan Spain.  Enquire here

Chenonceau is one of those 'must see' chateaux in the Loire Valley - our first tour in 2016 in late May/early June. CLICK HERE for more information and download the brochure

One of my favourite boat trips is to the 'calanques' between Marseille and Cassis. this is one of our excursions during the Provence tour in September. In 2016 we will be staying in Le Castellet, one of this regions best preserved medieval villages. CLICK HERE to see more about Provence.

For all enquiries please SEND YOUR DETAILS HERE.

June tour update

Some beautiful photos of Rocamadour taken by one of our group yesterday. We will be running this tour in the Dordogne region again in 2016. If you are interested to join us, please send an email by entering your details on the 'Contact Us' page at this link http://www.slowtours.com/index.php?PID=14

September tours 2015 - places still available

September tours 2015

7-14 September - Provence South - based near St Tropez. A week exploring the Mediterranean and inland to some of the Provence highlights. This is one of the fishing villages not far from where we will be staying.

One of the 'calanques' near Marseille and below - a view from the Ile St Marguerite to Cannes

Italian Lakes - 31 August - 7 September.
A stunning week of touring by ferry and car around this beautiful region of Italy. A couple of views of the Lake Como - on the quiet side

One of the small villages on the lake where we have a delightful Italian meal.

 One of the villas we visit - on the banks of the lake

 A visit to Bellagio by ferry

Loire Valley - 22 - 29 September. Visit some of the largest and most luxurious chateaux in France. This one is Chenonceau - chateau of the ladies

2015 tours June and September - some places still left!

There are still places for our 2015 June and September tours, book now so you can be sure of getting your place reserved.

June 1-8 in Provence East set in a charming guest house right in the heart of an authentic medieval village. Visits include the local markets in the fishing village of Sanary, a boat trip to see the stunning calanques of the south coast, local rose wine tasting and the Provence lavender fields
June 8-15 Dordogne in a converted farmhouse with delightful swimming pool for those warm summer evenings. Excursions include Europe's finest ancient caveman paintings, the peaceful river Dordogne, delightful villag restaurants, foie gras and local wines.
June 15-25 5 days on a secluded beach front hotel in Brittany with excursions to quiet artists villages, ancient menhirs, the stunning gulf of Morbihan and more
followed by 5 days in Normandy staying in a chateau near Bayeux, Mont St Michel, the Bayeux tapestry and war museum and the landing beaches of Normandy

Aug 31 - Sept 7 a week in the north and west of Italy - Italian lakes and riviera
Sept 7-14 staying near St Tropez and visiting some of the best that Provence and the French Riviera has to offer - perched medieval villages, the biggest gorge in Europe, the island of Porqueroles and around St Tropez
Sept 14-21 near the beautiful Pyrenees in Languedoc-Roussillon, local wines, beautiful villages, Cathar castles, a taste of Spain
Sept 22-29 the Loire valley and its chateaux, wines, troglodyte caves, a mix of art, architecture, science and beautiful gardens. Visit to Leonardo da Vinci's chateau included.

Many choices in some of the best regions of France. Fill out the contact form  here and let us know which tours interest you.

Tours for June 2015 - Book Now!

Tour announcement - 1-8 June 2015 - one week in the Languedoc Roussillon region (further details here). This is our usual accommodation in the foothills of the Pyrennees. A fabulous week with excursions to the mountains, the sea and across the border into Spain to see Salvador Dali's home and museum. Enquire now - click here. This tour followed by one week in the Dordogne (8-15 June - Dordogne details) and 10 days in Normandy and Brittany (15-25 June - Brittany and Normandy details).

Below is the rear view of our accommodation taken from one of the bedrooms.

Now is a great time to buy your flight tickets as the early bird discounts are available until end of October.

Tours in June 2015

Itineraries for the June 2015 tours are now available on the website on the 'TOURS' page click here. Only 8 people on each tour, so book early to make sure your place is secure. These week-long tours of Provence and the Dordogne (Dordogne river pictured below) are our most popular, and the 10 days in Brittany and Normandy are fabulous in June.

End of June tours

Almost at the end of the June tours. Next week the schools will finish and children are on holidays for two months. This week was a little busier than last week, but still not difficult to move around and visit places. The gorgeous village of Moustiers and the lake alongside made a beautiful day out, and today was St Tropez, arguably the best place on the French Riviera and the most expensive to live. What was the original old port and fishing village that drew Brigitte Bardot to St Tropez is still unspoilt, but the size of boats that are now allowed into the old port are bigger than the houses!

The coastal side of Provence

After a week in St Remy, the next tour is near the Provence coast to the west of Marseille. Beautiful weather accompanies us along the way. One day of rain - and when it rains here it really rains! - then back to the beautiful Mediterranean blue sky and blue sea. On 21st June there is a national 'Fete de la Musique' and around where we are the villages and towns attract the locals and tourists alike with a night of music and dancing in the streets. Photos below are of the Pope's palace and famous bridge at Avignon, the view from the village where we are accommodated, a stunning view from the mountain overlooking the township of Cassis and the local fishing port. If you are interested in this tour for 2015, we will be running it in June.

A Wonderful Week in Provence

Great weather, happy guests, fabulous food and wine with plenty to see and do.

Wonderful small hotel, excellent service and each day of this week was a great day!

  Nimes La Maison Carree

 Luberon lavender fields

 Water mill at Fontaine

Some photos from our wonderful week in the western part of Provence.