On of the enchanting castles in Loire Valley - FRANCE OFF THE BEATEN PATH™ tours

Beautiful old castle - Lorie Valley tour. Check 2024 Loire Valley Tour dates

BEST LOIRE VALLEY FRANCE TOUR

Name: France Off the Beaten Path
Brand: France Off the Beaten Path
Rating: 4.9 (565 reviews)

Exclusive Small Group Tours of Loire Valley

By France Off the Beaten Path Tours

RATED EXCELLENT WITH 500+ REVIEWS

2019 WINNER!! 3RD CONSECUTIVE YEAR!

RECOMMENDED BY FROMMER’S FRANCE!

About our Loire Valley France Tour

Come travel the back roads of Loire Valley, France during our 6 day/5 night, active, small group tour through a region of France, called the “Centre” that offers an enriching opportunity to discover spectacular Medieval and Renaissance history through fun and factual, sizzling stories and to make many great memories meeting and spending time with our local friends.

Returning France Off the Beaten Path tour guests at home with French friends during Loire Valley tour. One of our most historically rich tours, our guided, small group Loire Valley Castles and Gourmet Tour stands out as a true gem thanks to our long-standing presence in the Loire Valley region and our established local relationships with the region’s most highly recognized professionals. We have established personal relationships with our partners in the Loire Valley, who are not only renowned Michelin-star and Master Chefs, wine-makers, and specialty artisans but are also our personal friends. We cherish our local Loire Valley friends and the partnerships we’ve built over the years. Discover the Loire together with us through our eyes; warmly welcomed to the homes, professional kitchens, and workshops of our friends. Step back in time each day of our Loire Valley Tour, enjoying racy stories of obsession, love, lust, and deception. You will truly feel like you are strolling through the pages of a storybook. Our specialist guides recount sketchy stories, the dirty dish, gossip of the kings, queens, and their courts, and factual events of French history in a unique and entertaining way.

WHAT MAKES OUR LOIRE VALLEY TOURS EXCEPTIONAL?

FRANCE IS OUR FOCUS AND SPECIALTY… We know France Best!

Christy Destremau with tour guests during Loire Valley tour floating down the Loire River. As France’s leading Loire Valley tour operator, in 2025, we will celebrate 31 years of leading small group tours in France. Our guided, small group Loire Valley Tours surpass guest expectations every time, thanks to our long-standing presence in the region and France and our established local relationships. Come meet and share convivial moments with our professional friends in the Loire Valley. We cherish our friendships, built on years of discovering France together, and delight in sharing these magical experiences with you.

Our years of connections and insider access to people, places and events of the region have earned us a solid and excellent reputation as authorities on everything cultural in the Loire Valley.
We use our “savoir faire” to ensure you experience the very best of the Loire Valley, its castles, history, and people in a fun and memorable small group environment.
Through our combination of active, cultural, and personalized authentic French experiences, you will feel like you spent a week with a wonderful group of friends rather than having been on a tour.

Who are Off the Beaten Path, LLC Loire Valley France Tours designed for?

No experience necessary… Our Loire Valley France Tours are designed for active, English speaking travelers, and include a variety of engaging excursions from privately hosted cooking classes, wine tasting, artisan and castle tours, lunches, dinners, and cheese tasting to privately guided visits learning the juicy side of French history with our expert, professional award-winning tour guides. Enjoy leisure time daily, and five nights at one boutique hotel (NO HOTEL HOPPING), as well as sumptuous meals throughout. It’s vacation, and Off the Beaten Path’s Loire Valley France Tours are all about having fun, being active, and enjoying authentic experiences with our local friends!

Loire Valley tour guests having fun during cooking class at home with French friends As a France Off the Beaten Path Best Adventures in Loire Valley Tour Guest…

Enjoy guided tours and leisure time to discover the 4 BEST and most historically rich castles of the Loire Valley — Chenonceau Castle, Chambord Castle, Royal Blois Castle & Royal Amboise Castle.
Participate in 2 private and fun, hands-on cooking experiences that are more foodie tasting experiences and evenings meeting and preparing meals with our local French friends — one is a Meilleur Ouvrier de France Chef who works alongside Alain Ducasse, and formerly worked alongside Paul Bocuse and Joel Robuchon, and welcomes you to his family home in the French countryside, and our 2nd Chef is a Michelin rated chef, and welcomes you behind the scenes into his professional working kitchen for memorable cooking and cheese tasting together.
Indulge in a VIP winery tour & wine tasting with local friends at their family winery followed by a privately hosted lunch at their family home.
Enjoy Classified Touraine Wines — No meal is complete in the Loire without tasting the fruits of the region, mainly those sumptuous grapes that local vintners transform into some of France’s best loved wines.
Savor “Touraine” Foodie specialties during a hosted cocktail evening, and float on the Loire River at sunset amidst the castles sprinkled along the river banks with our friend Aurelien on his traditional flat-bottom boat.
Learn about France’s famous cheeses with our chef friends.
EMAIL US or CALL or message us at +1.717.683.2827 with your questions and requests, or Book a Loire Valley Tour Now!
Follow us on Facebook at France Off the Beaten Path Tours! Follow our YouTube channel FrenchDish!

ITINERARY

PRICE & INCLUSIONS

HOTEL

RATED 5 STARS BY HUNDREDS OF HAPPY TOUR GUESTS

OVER 500 VERIFIED FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON TRUSTPILOT

Provence

Loire Valley

Bordeaux

ACCESS EXCLUSIVE TOUR SPECIALS »

Start your adventure & make all your dreams of France
come true by subscribing to our newsletter for exclusive tour
discounts, limited edition tours & more.

RATED 5 STARS BY HUNDREDS OF HAPPY TOUR GUESTS

OVER 500 VERIFIED FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON TRUSTPILOT

A WORD FROM Our Guests:

Exceeded Our Expectations!

“This trip to the Loire Valley exceeded our expectations! Christy planned unique and interesting excursions and activities that highlighted the beauty of the area and provided in-depth background knowledge about the various chateaux we visited. The cooking classes with renowned chefs, held in their restaurants and homes, were never-to-be forgotten experiences, and the visit to the winery was a highlight. The hotel was delightful and charming, and staying in one location for the entire time was a treat. Every meal or cocktail hour was planned to highlight the delicious specialties of the region. Christy is extremely knowledgeable about the various places we visited and imparted that knowledge in an interesting and entertaining manner. She and Remi took great care to ensure that we were always comfortable and well-looked after. We could not have asked for a better trip!” — Ron Rose & Sharon Matsumoto (Have done Provence tour and Loire Valley tour)

This was my third trip in the same number of years

“This was my third trip in the same number of years with Christy and Off the Beaten Path. While on her trips you can tell how much effort there is on the off season to make every single week perfect. From the pick up at the train station to the teary goodbye at the airport, everything is perfectly planned and executed. The hotel in St. Remy is magical, and the tour guides Philippe and David are exceptional. If you are considering a trip with OTBP, go for it and come home with new friends, a love of Provence and a longing to return as soon as you can!” — Beth Bower (Has done Provence tour twice and Loire Valley tour)

The Best Tour Company!

“I have done two tours – Provence and Loire Valley – and I am already looking forward to booking another. The tours are all perfectly curated and Christy is a wealth of knowledge. She is so kind and takes all of your needs and wants into consideration. I cannot recommend Off the Beaten Path enough!” — Madison Carl (Has done Provence and Loire Valley tours)

“We did the Provence tour. 8/2019. I had taken the tour 2017 & this time my husband came with me. It was just as fabulous this time as it was in 2017. Restaurants, picnic, sights, wine, all of it just delightful, but the frosting on the cake is a the knowledge, insight, humor, & attention to detail from David & Philippe. To us, they make a great trip soooo much fun. (also, 3 of our neighbors joined us this tour). Don’t hesitate, take this tour & enjoy!!!!!” — Jim & Carol Dean (Carol has done Provence tour twice)

Returning to Provence with France Off the Beaten Path

“I wanted to return to Provence as soon as it was open. I had toured with Christy in Loire Valley in 2019 and knew I wanted to travel with her again. For the second time, everything was well organized, personal and definitely off the beaten path. Christy and Phillippe have a wealth of knowledge and are eager to share. The hotel was perfectly located in St Remy, the tours to the lavender and sunflower fields are my favorite memory. The lunches and dinners were like visiting friends. The boat tour in Cassis was another highlight. Even though I had visited Provence, this trip with France Off the Beaten Path brought a new appreciation for the area.” — Susan Gage (Has done Loire Valley tour, Provence tour, Champagne tour)

“We had an excellent tour with Christie and her crew in the Loire valley. We did things that only a true insider would have access to-dinner at a Michelin chefs house, helping/learning to cook at a highly rated restaurant in their kitchen. This was in addition to seeing the sights and touring the castles. A truly unique experience that is off the beaten path. We will use her again when going back to France.” — Karen Berner (Has done Loire Valley tour)