France · WINE TOURS
A proper wine day is two estates, a cellar and lunch, with somebody else driving. The 15 below sort the half-days from the full ones by region, price and how much of the time is spent in a minibus.
Spend about two hours at Paris’s Moulin Rouge watching Féerie, created by Doris Haug and Ruggero Angeletti and choreographed by Bill Goodson. Expect 100 artists, 1,000 feathered costumes, music from 80 musicians, and half a bottle of Champagne. Elegant dress is required.
“Loved the show….. very entertaining! It is a staple in Paris and don’t miss it!! A little pricey but…. when in Paris!!!!”
Spend 3.5 hours tasting macarons, bread, cheese, charcuterie, pastries, wine, and a secret dish in Montmartre or around Notre Dame. Guides such as Matthew, Gaspard, Aicha, and Yoyo add food lore and local stories. Groups are capped at 12, with morning and afternoon departures.
“Absolutely fabulous way to see and eat your way through Paris! Matthew was so informative and friendly and quite a historian. Would recommend this tour to all. Met us with a bag of warm croissants- the best I've ever had!”
Spend about 13 hours visiting Château de Chambord and Château de Chenonceau from Paris, with lunch time in Blois and a Loire wine tasting in Chenonceau’s cellars. An English-speaking guide, coach transport, and château admission are included, but lunch and guided interiors are not.
“Wonderful guide who explained everything so well and kept us engaged. Very very comfortable bus . Loved the castles which has been my childhood dream. Wine tasting was too good.”
Spend about three hours at Bordeaux’s Cité du Vin, exploring 18 interactive displays on wine, vineyards, senses, and winemaking. A digital guide is available in eight languages. Finish on the 8th-floor belvedere with a glass chosen from about 15 wines and broad views over Bordeaux.
“Great view from top. Lots of fun interactive activities in the museum.”
Cruise Bordeaux’s Garonne River for 90 minutes aboard the Maddalena. A French and English guide points out the cathedral, Place de la Bourse, bridges, Chartrons, and Cité du Vin while you enjoy wine, a soft or hot drink, and a canelé. Guides such as Fanny and Ann-Marie are known for lively storytelling.
“Excellent! Beautiful scenery and a great way to see Bordeaux from the river. Wonderful guide, very knowledgeable and very gracious.”
Walk uphill through Montmartre with a local English-speaking guide such as Julie, Marie, Oscar, or Aude. Stop at eight food venues for macarons, cheese, cured meats, chocolates, pastries, and wine, while seeing the Moulin Rouge, Place du Tertre, the Wall of Love, Clos des Vignes, and Sacré-Cœur.
“Such a great way to taste french specialities and learn about Montmartre, Julie was a fabulous guide!”
Spend three hours exploring Montmartre with an English-speaking local guide such as Oscar, Julie, Arthur, or Marie. Visit eight food stops for pastries, chocolate, cheese, charcuterie, and French wine, while walking from Blanche and Moulin Rouge up to Place du Tertre and Sacré-Coeur.
“The tour with Arthur was wonderful. There were six people on the tour, and Arthur seamlessly walked a little slower to accommodate one of the guests. He was wonderfully engaging, and we were all able to walk up to Sacre Coeur by a roundabout and less strenuous way. The restaurants and tastings were fabulous, there was quite enough food that we skipped dinner last night. The three hours flew by, and we learned a lot as we walked and chatted. My husband and I returned to a couple of the spots on the tour before we left Montmartre. Thank you, Arthur!”
Spend 90 to 105 minutes at Paris’s historic Paradis Latin watching L’Oiseau Paradis, a high-energy cabaret created with choreographer Kamel Ouali. Expect nearly 30 singers, dancers, and performers, modern technology, comedy, tasteful partial nudity, and a fresh French Cancan.
“Fabulous !! Paradis Latin was truly amazing and spectacular show and would recommend anyone❤️”
Travel by air-conditioned coach from Paris to Chambord and Chenonceau, with self-guided castle visits, two hours for lunch in Blois, and a complimentary tasting of local wines. Guides such as Dee, Jasmina, John, and Riti bring French history to life between stops.
“The castles were just amazing, Blois is a beautiful town Our guides Jasmina and Deepal very pleasant, helpful and informative The bus was clean, very comfortable for such a long day Highly recommended!”
Board near the Musée d’Orsay for a 90-minute Seine dinner cruise. Choose an early or late departure, enjoy a two or three-course French meal and Champagne, and watch the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, Louvre, and illuminated bridges from a glass-enclosed boat. Window seats and live music are optional upgrades.
“This cruise was great. My 12 year old daughter and I really enjoyed it and the 9:15 cruise ended with a great view of the sparkling Eiffel Tower. We also really appreciate that when our train from Lyon was delayed the company accompanied our request to move from the 6:45 cruise to the 9:15.”
Spend 4.5 hours with a small group of up to eight, traveling from Bordeaux to Saint-Émilion by air-conditioned minivan. Walk the medieval village, visit a Grand Cru Classé château, taste three to four wines, and share cheese, cured meat, bread, and dark chocolate with guides such as Dorian, Nina, Vicky, and Theo.
“It was brilliant. Best part of my holiday. It was so much fun. Group were lovely, all different nationalities. Guide was lovely. St Emilion was just gorgeous. You haven't been to bordeaux without a wine tasting. Loved it.”
Spend 90 minutes on a small private boat with your group of up to four. Guides such as Robert, Artur, Rado, Sofian, and Patrycia combine Paris stories with Champagne, tea, sweets, music, photos, and surprise touches. Sunset trips are especially popular.
“Our tour was incredible. Our tour guide Sofian was very fun and very hospitable. We had a wide range of ages on board and all had a great time. The views were beautiful and the private setting made it very special for our whole family. Sofian gave us a great tour and had so many interesting things to say about the city. If we have the chance to go back we would love to take the boat trip again!”
Travel from Paris in a small air-conditioned minivan with a wine expert, visit a major Champagne house and smaller producers, and taste eight Champagnes. You’ll enjoy croissants, a traditional lunch with pairings, vineyard views, and guidance from hosts such as Huw, Cédric, Joel, or Nicholas, depending on the day.
“This was my favorite day in France. We had Celia as a guide and she was wonderful. She was very personable, answered all our questions, and was an excellent driver. The champagne houses we went to were beautiful and the champagne was delicious. I highly recommend this trip.”
Choose Médoc or Saint-Émilion for a four-and-a-half-hour afternoon from central Bordeaux. You’ll ride in an air-conditioned minivan with up to eight people, visit a château, taste local wines, and learn from guides such as Mélanie, Nina, Axel, or Thibault.
“Tour guide Nina was excellent - fun, knowledgeable, great energy. I would have liked to have tasted more wines.”
Meet your Paris CityVision host outside the Moulin Rouge, enjoy the Féerie revue with Champagne, and receive a flexible Seine cruise ticket for the following day. The glass-enclosed boat offers audio commentary in 11 languages, with central Paris drop-off after the show.
“The boat tour was so much fun, if not incredibly cheesy. It was a great way to see Paris at night and also feel perfectly safe. I was very excited to see the show, because Moulin Rouge is one of my favorite movies. It was a super entertaining experience and I am very glad I did it. However, Though I'm not sure what I was expecting, I was surprised. Some of the costumes were ridiculous full body suits with just the boobs cut out. But hey, it was a good show.”
Pick a city, a coast or a cellar.
