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

End of the 2011 season

It's always a time of reflection when the tours for a year come to an end. This week has been wonderfully warm - an Indian summer in France - but now as the time to leave comes closer, the coolness of autumn is setting in and leaving its touch of colour in the falling leaves. Yesterday we went to the beautiful gardens of Villandry, which are an interesting mix of vegetables, herbs and flowers all set in a formal layout amongst topiary hedges, gravel paths and green lawns. The photo shows some decorative pumpkins with a backdrop of celery tops and a foreground of flowers with herbs. Not unlike our own chateau, which also adopts the more medieval style of garden in combining the practical with the decorative. Even at the end of the tourist season, the French gardens are still very attractive. For your next Slow Tours holiday with us in the Loire Valley, follow this link Loire Valley 2012

So many chateaux.....

The best way to learn history is to see it in the places where former Kings and Queens, Lords and Ladies once lived. After learning about the very talented Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine - who was first Queen of France before divorcing (and keeping her head) then becoming Queen of England - we visited Fonteyvraud Abbey and Chinon castle to get a feel for life in those days. Then on to learning of the 'Ladies' chateau' where the favourite of Henry II, Diane de Poitiers, lived until the king died, when his widow - Catherine de Medicis - tossed Diane out. The history books came alive, and with some wonderful wining and dining in the Loire valley region, shopping and a very interesting bike ride.... the week was lively and enjoyable and disappeared too quickly. If you are interested in seeing the Loire Valley chateaux, follow this link: Loire valley tour

Wow! What a place to stay!

This is our residence for the rest of the week! The bedrooms are large and beautifully furnished. After our arrival, we spent an evening tasting the local wines and dining in a former troglodyte cave converted into a restaurant. Today will be a bike ride along the Loire river and taking in some local sights - a quiet day before visiting some of the Renaissance chateaus in the area.

Arrival in Saumur

Saumur is one of the lesser known small towns in the Loire Valley, with its own chateau rising high above the town and river. Our accommodation - a former coach relay station  - was built in 1721 and renovated in the style of that era. Our host, Romain, could not have been more charming and welcoming. A visit to the Fontevraud Abbey and the Chinon chateau gave us all a history lesson of the middle ages which was exceptionally interesting - especially the tale of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine who was first Queen of France then Queen of England after a divorce which did not cost her her head. Those must have been interesting times. We welcomed two more couples who joined our group, including the highest bidders for the one-week tour donated by Slow Tours to the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief Appeal. They arrived from their Air Austral flight (also donated) in good form and eager to discover the Loire valley.

2012 tours

The 2012 tour dates are now available. There are no documents to download as yet, but they will be coming soon. Several clients have asked me if I would do a tour in Italy, so that is also in the program for 2012, staying near the Cinque Terre for 6 nights, and near lake Como for 6 nights (photo above) - more details click here - special tours I'm very excited about taking guests to some of my favourite areas, and both of these are great for photographers! The Classic Wooden Boat sailing regatta in Marseille which was so successful this year will also be available in 2012 details here Sailing Week. Some of France's beautiful regions are available in week-long options:  In June - Provence and two weeks in the South West - Dordogne and Bordeaux -Quercy. In September and October - Normandy,  Brittany the beautiful Loire Valley , Burgundy and Alsace Lorraine.

Each 6 or 7 night tour will have a maximum of 8 guests in 2012, so if you are interested, put an option on your place now. Tours run consecutively through May/June and September/October, so guests can join me for 1,2,3 or more weeks - or if you want to rent a car through us and follow at your own speed - send us an email.

Adelaide French Festival - Winner of the French Champagne

What a great weekend at the Alliance Francaise French Festival - held every two years at Carrick Hill, one of Adelaide's proud old homes which now belongs to the people of South Australia. The Slow Tours stand was well-visited by people not only from South Australia, but also from Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory, with the furthest traveller being from Canada.  Thanks to you all for dropping in and introducing yourselves to us. We look forward to meeting some of you on one of our future Slow Tours - in 2011 they will be in French Riviera, Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon, Dordogne, Normandy, Brittany, Loire Valley and Burgundy.

And for the special announcement - the winner of the draw for the bottle of Piper Heidsick French champagne is Carolyn Jones of Unley - congratulations!

2011 special prices!

Early bookings will save you heaps! Book and pay for your holiday before 31st December and we will give you a huge 10% discount. Current exchange rates  of the Euro are the best they have been for a long time, so take advantage of this and book your holiday now. Choose any of the 8 regions in France which we will tour in 2011 - click on these links for further information.
French Riviera  Click here
Provence Click here
Languedoc-Roussillon Click here
Dordogne Click here
Normandy Click here
Brittany Click here
Loire Valley Click here
Burgundy Click here

For special pricing on the self-drive car hire, call us or email with your contact details. Click here for more details

2011 tours

The tours for 2011 are now available. Included for next year is a self-drive option where you can follow the group at your own pace, enjoy some company occasionally and not feel that you are entirely on your own. Tours are during June and September over a four week period. You can take one, two three or all four weeks visiting a different region each time. We are also able to offer studios and apartments in Paris so spending a few days before or after your tour is easier.