France History Tours & Trip Packages

France History Tours & Trips

1,313 France trips. Tours from 195 tour companies. 2,439 reviews. 4.6/5 avg rating.

241 trips exactly matchall of the the filters you selected.
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History
Hiking Below and Beyond Mont Blanc: Switzerland, Italy and France
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4.4/5 Great
100+ reviews
Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Alps, Bern, Chamonix , Geneva

Highlights

  • Walk through the Great St
  • Bernard Pass, an ancient Alpine pass that has been used since the Bronze Age and was used by Napoleon’s army
  • Absorb the beauty of Mont Blanc on walking excursions near Chamonix and from atop a neighboring mountain peak reached by cable car
  • Take a field trip to Aosta, the “Rome of the Alps,” founded by the Romans in 25 B
  • C
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Themes

50 plus, Education / Learning, Hiking & Walking, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife

What travelers are saying

"Because I have Stage 4 cancer, I chose to spend the extra money for trip insurance in case my cancer recurred. When a scan showed that it had, I cancelled my trip. I sent to them the medical documents from the Mayo Clinic confirming my new diagnosis. They sent me an email telling me my oncologist needed to fill in a form. I asked my oncologist to do that and I submitted it by fax on April 6th. When I didn’t hear anything, I sent them more medical documentation and asked them to please push forward my refund as I have travel expenses from a clinical trial coming up. Several days later I received an email that they needed further documentation from my doctor. How much more documentation do you need than the patient has stage 4 metastatic cancer and is starting a clinical trial??? This is heartless to me. Please don’t plan to travel through Road Scholar if you’re medically vulnerable!!"

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The Best of the Seine River From Normandy to Paris
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4.4/5 Great
100+ reviews
Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Very Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Eiffel Tower, Giverny, Normandy, Paris, Rouen

Highlights

  • View the masterpieces of the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay and see Paris’ illuminated landmarks on an after-dark boat excursion
  • Discover the splendor of Monet’s gardens including the famous water lily pond
  • Explore the 7th-century Abbey of Saint Wandrille with one of the resident monks as your host

Themes

50 plus, Cultural, Education / Learning

What travelers are saying

"Because I have Stage 4 cancer, I chose to spend the extra money for trip insurance in case my cancer recurred. When a scan showed that it had, I cancelled my trip. I sent to them the medical documents from the Mayo Clinic confirming my new diagnosis. They sent me an email telling me my oncologist needed to fill in a form. I asked my oncologist to do that and I submitted it by fax on April 6th. When I didn’t hear anything, I sent them more medical documentation and asked them to please push forward my refund as I have travel expenses from a clinical trial coming up. Several days later I received an email that they needed further documentation from my doctor. How much more documentation do you need than the patient has stage 4 metastatic cancer and is starting a clinical trial??? This is heartless to me. Please don’t plan to travel through Road Scholar if you’re medically vulnerable!!"

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British & Irish Elegance with Paris
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4.5/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh, Stonehenge

Highlights

  • Drive to Cardiff to see the principal areas and buildings in the city center and tour Cardiff Castle
  • Explore Dublin city to see elegant Georgian squares with brightly-painted doorways
  • Visits and admissions to Stonehenge
  • See the massive Edinburgh Castle
  • Visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace to see an exhibition about his life and work
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Themes

50 plus, Cultural, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife

What travelers are saying

"I waited 20 years for my dream trip to Scotland and Ireland and splurged $7000 on this tour. The second half of touring Ireland was great, the first portion in Scotland was horrendous. The tour guide for Scotland made sexual advances and inappropriate comments to me and I had to cautiously avoid him and stay with the group to not have any interaction with him. I also sustained an injury on the bus, caused by the driver, which I had to report to CIE myself. I filed a complaint with a CIE customer service manager when I returned and learned that another woman also filed a complaint regarding the tour guide (2 women from the same tour!) CIE has not responded from the initial report over a month ago and have DONE NOTHING!!! This sexual predator is still working as a tour guide for them which is a screaming indicator regarding the sexual harassment investigations and policy enforcement for this company. Beware if you are a single woman and are looking to book with CIE, there are better options and I strongly recommend you avoid this company!!"

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Christmas Markets Along the Rhine - Northbound 2021
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4.2/5 Great
100+ reviews
River Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Full schedule

Visits

Basel, Dusseldorf, Heidelberg, Heidelberg Castle, Lucerne, Mt. Pilatus, Notre Dame Cathedral, Rudesheim, Strasbourg, Zurich

Highlights

  • Travel along the Rhine for the holiday season
  • from Basel to Köln and Düsseldorf aboard ms Inspire
  • both perfect waysto capture all the magic of Christmas Marketsin Germany and France.Along with all the inclusions that are part of every Tauck river cruise
  • Tauck's Christmas market experience wows you with special holiday touches like an onboard tree-trimming party...glühwein and other treats aboard the riverboat
  • decorated in a festive seasonal theme... a traditional European Christmas dinner with all the fixings... special evenings of onboard holiday-themed entertainment... walking in the footsteps of celebrities at the Kurhaus casino in Baden-Baden... a lecture on Alsatian storytelling traditions in Strasbourg... a cookie-making demonstration and a visit to the fanciful Siegfried's Mechanisches Musikkabinett in Rüdesheim... a traditional German lunch in Heidelberg and much more!

Themes

Cultural, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"Sad to see a once good tour company stumble and fall into mediocrity. That’s Tauck post-Covid. My May 2023 tour of Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley was done on the cheap by Tauck, yet cost me thousands of dollars extra as a solo traveler on a special small-group tour. 

5-star hotels switched to 3 and 4 (without any compensation or explanation)… many more meals “on your own”… lots of “self-guided” tours of museums and chateaux and castles we knew nothing about… airline quality “rubber chicken” dinners, not in hotel restaurants, but in sad and isolated business convention spaces… poorly-trained newer Tour Directors (like the one on this tour) with limited experience traveling outside her tiny Canadian village or dealing with people from diverse backgrounds. She even confessed that this was a second gig job that took her away from her own business back home! You get what Tauck pays for, but unfortunately, not what YOU pay for. 

Speaking to a “Guest Relations” agent was comically pointless. She tried to make everything my fault, which I now understand is par for the course with the “new” post-Covid Tauck. Please reconsider spending huge amounts of your hard-earned money on a tour company that has lost its way and no longer delivers."

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Chateaux, Rivers & Wine
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4.7/5 Excellent
41 reviews
River Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Bordeaux

Highlights

  • Explore Bordeaux
  • See fascinating Bordeaux’s highlights, including the Place des Quinconces
  • Visit Saint-Émilion, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Discover Blaye
  • Enjoy a wine country tour featuring several wine-tasting opportunities

Themes

50 plus, Culinary & Wine, Cultural, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"Most of the people on this 17-day river cruise was quite elderly and infirm. Therefore the complimentary excursions were painfully slow walking. Local guides mostly told stories of their own upbringing and the conflicts they lived through. There was not much history on any of the excursions; and none of the buildings we saw gave us an opportunity to go inside, even the paid excursions. The accommodations were excellent, except that we paid for the best veranda but could not sit on our veranda because for the first 5 days our ship was packed tight next to another Viking ship. Food was good, except for dinners which were quite mediocre and never captured the flavor of the local foods."

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Cities of Light
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4.7/5 Excellent
41 reviews
Group Tour
Lodging level
Luxury - 5 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Arc de Triomphe, Heidelberg, Heidelberg Castle, Luxembourg, Paris, Prague, Trier

Highlights

  • Explore Bamberg a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Visit Würzburg
  • Enjoy tour to fascinating red sandstone ruins of Heidelberg Castle
  • Experience cruising towards Cochem is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • Discover Luxembourg

Themes

50 plus, Cultural, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"Most of the people on this 17-day river cruise was quite elderly and infirm. Therefore the complimentary excursions were painfully slow walking. Local guides mostly told stories of their own upbringing and the conflicts they lived through. There was not much history on any of the excursions; and none of the buildings we saw gave us an opportunity to go inside, even the paid excursions. The accommodations were excellent, except that we paid for the best veranda but could not sit on our veranda because for the first 5 days our ship was packed tight next to another Viking ship. Food was good, except for dinners which were quite mediocre and never captured the flavor of the local foods."

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Glitz & Glamour of the French Riviera
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4.6/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Barcelona, Cádiz, Cannes, Lisbon

Highlights

  • Visit Lisbon, a delightful mix of palaces, art-nouveau cafés, museums, gardens, ancient castles and splendid bridges
  • Visit beautiful sun-kissed city,“Queen of the Riviera”
  • Discover the many facets of this fascinating principality
  • Enjoy at stunning city of Cannes on the fabulous French Riviera

Themes

50 plus, Cultural, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Singles Travel, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"everything is perfect from start to finish just back from Baltic cruise on Braemar , it was amazing."

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Provence & Spain
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3.7/5 Great
39 reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Arles, Avignon, Barcelona, Eiffel Tower, Lyon, Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, Vienne

Highlights

  • Visit Notre Dame Cathedral
  • Visit Fourviere, also know as “Hill of Prayers.”
  • Enjoy wine testing at Beaujolais wine region
  • See ancient Roman temple, the ruins of a Roman theater, and the medieval Abbey Church of St. Pierre
  • Enjoy an excursion to Grignam
Show more

Themes

50 plus, Cultural, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"I’ve sailed with AmaWaterways 4 times. They are the best! You become family. I can’t wait to sail with them again!"

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241 trips exactly matchall of the the filters you selected.
My selections:
History

France Reviews & Ratings

4.6/5  Excellent
2,439  Reviews
See all France tour reviews
Excellent
1,039
Great
349
Average
60
Disappointing
19
Terrible
17
A

Adrianne Cote

Apr 2024

Written on

Highlights of France and Barcelona

More days in Paris would be nice No Novotel in Nice this was not up to par Loved Arnaud our trip director-very rich with history and charming Loved the tango dancer...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Walking the French Riviera

Stunning scenery. Walks a little slow as we stopped a lot to look at the flora but sufficiently challenging. Views and visiting Eze which was optional at lunch stop...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Menton

This was another delightful walking trip with a good group. The leader Jessica was born locally and is passionate about the history of her region, so that we now ...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Walking French riverra

Excellent guide, Sandrine. Exodus must retain her!! Routes, excellent variety, interest and length. Good hotel. Below average breakfast. I had a very good room, b...

A

Anonymous

Nov 2017

Provided byExodus Travels

Walking The French Riviera 2017

Perfect break away - good capable leader - perfect hotel and wonderful location in Menton. We had a good week and walked to some super places. We enjoyed great ...

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France Tour Selection Trips

  • France is so rich in cultural opportunities and activities of all sorts that you can’t expect to see it all in one trip. Pick a tour that visits a region or two and get to know that area well, then return to other regions you want to visit on subsequent tours.
  • On a tour of France, you can choose anything from luxury on down to basic accommodations, dining, and transportation -- something to fit every budget.
  • Specialty tours are a good way to experience France: culinary, wine, art and architecture, walking, biking, World War II history, even religious pilgrimages are all available.
  • Don’t overlook river and barge cruises, which offer a convenient, leisurely way to see the country, stopping both at important ports such as Rouen and Lyon and small villages as well.
  • Don’t be put off from visiting France by the reputation of French people -- especially Parisians -- as rude to visitors. A simple greeting such as “bonjour, madame,” and a smile will almost always win you good service and a return
  • When planning your tour, keep in mind that almost all of France goes on vacation during the entire month of August, so for the full French experience you may want to pick a different month.

Additional details

Weather in France

The geographic diversity of the French regions, as you might imagine, lends itself to diverse weather patterns. In general, it will be temperate with summer averages ranging 61-75°F and winter averages ranging 32-46°F. 

Winter weather is gray although milder in the south uness the wind is blowing; colder and wetter in the north. Snow could be an issue during the winter months if you are in higher elevations. 

As for the summer, recall the record heat France sweated out during the summer of 2019 when temperatures reached 115°F in Verargues, Southern France while even further north in Paris, thermometers hit 108°F! 

There are four climate zones in France:

  1. Oceanic (Atlantic) climate of western France - Brittany, Normandy, Loire Valley, Western Loire - average rainfall spread over many days and modest average temperature variations

  2. Continential, or transitional, climate of central and eastern France - Champagne, Alsace, Burgundy, Ile de France (Paris) - cold winters, hot summers 

  3. Mediterranean climate of southeastern France - Provence, Cote d’Azur, Corsica - hot, dry summers and while damp but mild, rainfall between October and April 

  4. Mountain climates above 2,000’ see heavy rainfall with snow falling 3-6 months a year  

Best Time to Visit France

Late Spring and Fall

Late Spring and Fall is the time to avoid crowds while still being relatively assured of good weather. You will miss the summer festivals but for those that are crowd averse, this may not be a factor. 

Note that a few National Holidays fall in May: Labor Day and WWII Victory Day are May 1st and 8th respectively; Ascension Day falls 39 days after Easter Sunday. 

July or August 

Traveling in July and August? Be prepared for hoards of crowds in the Riviera, coast of Brittany, Dordogne and Alps as these are hot spots for vacationing Europeans. In August, businesses often close although not to the degree noticed by tourists. If you enjoy festivals, there are plenty to choose from!

Winter 

Winter has its own beauty but during the winter months, some tourist sites and information offices might not be open or they might have limited hours. Smaller towns and villages might also be hunkered down with closed restaurants and shops. 

Is France Expensive?

If you’re wondering how much it costs to vacation in France, like anywhere you may travel, it depends on how you plan your trip. France is one of the top destinations in the world and Paris, in particular, does have a reputation for being expensive. 

But so does New York and just like France, traveling there for the budget minded can be accomplished. 

Some things to consider when traveling to France on a budget

  1. Factor in the time of year you’re traveling - shoulder seasons are less costly for air and hotel; regardless, book flights well in advance

  2. Factor in your mode of travel: barge, river ship, self-guided, cycling, train, etc.

  3. Exchange rates

  4. To avoid inflated tourist rates while dining out, first look at the menu posted outside then take note: if locals are eating there, it’s most likely a good choice

  5. Sit at the bar, where prices are cheaper, not at a table

  6. Most expensive French cities: Nice, Paris, Bordeaux and Lyon 

  7. Most expensive French regions: the Dordogne, Meditteranean and the Loire Valley

  8. Less costly: central France 

  9. Shop at local open air markets and second hand flea markets (brocantes)

France tours on Stride features per day costs. Using the price filter from lowest to highest you’ll find 4 day trips for as low as $71/day and on the higher end, ultra luxury 7 day trips costing over $7,000/day. 

Who Will Enjoy Traveling to France

Perhaps the question is, who wouldn’t enjoy traveling to France?! There is so much for the French traveler to experience, it’s no wonder that France is a top worldwide destination. 

Beaches, mountains, valleys of grapes and lavender, rivers to cruise, 45 natural and cultural world heritage sites, Disneyland Paris, gastronomy, wine and shopping...there’s something for just about everyone.

If mobility and / or walking on uneven ground is a concern, speak with your tour operator as many of the smaller towns and villages have uneven cobblestone which may not be suitable, depending on your situation. If traveling through subways, they involve quite a bit of stair climbing and while many of the accommodations are historically charming, they might not be fully accessible for those using a walking aid.   

While it’s hard to go wrong with a trip to France, if you’re not curious about the language, people and its customs you might have a harder time making meaningful connections. Of course, this isn’t unique to France. Be respectful and courteous. Say “hello” and even better, “Bonjour” (“hello” in French) to start a conversation. 

Make an effort to speak the most basic of phrases - this can go a long way. Just as Americans don’t expect a foreigner visiting America to speak English, we shouldn’t expect the French to speak to us in English. Many do speak English by the way, especially in Paris, so be mindful - if you are complaining about something, a local might be listening. And do keep in mind that Americans have their own reputation, one that isn’t always positive. 

Learn some French etiquette, a word derived from French after all. Doing so will give you a much deeper appreciation - and connection to - the country and its people, as will learning some common phrases.

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