Not Just a Tour: It's an Authentic Off the Beaten Path French Experience...
Unrivaled expertise within France sets Off the Beaten Path, LLC a part from non-France based and multi-destination tour companies. We are American owned and operated. And for over 17 years now, we have been offering engaging trips in France that offer the best and most inspiring itineraries throughout the French countryside.France is our sole focus and our specialty! Travelers and publications alike rate Off the Beaten Path Tours the BEST active, small group tours in France. Whether you're a seasoned small group tour traveler or new to the small group tour scene, Off the Beaten Path tours offer fun and enriching local French experiences and activities for everyone --experiences and activities that are not available to the public or other tour companies.
Expert Professional American guides who live in France, inspiring itineraries, luxurious, historical hotel accommodations, sumptuous French meals and comfortable transportation in private, spacious, professionally driven minivans are immutable standards on every Off the Beaten Path Tour. Each tour itinerary is comprised of a variety of engaging activities and enriching experiences for you to authentically discover the heart and soul of each region. You'll participate in cooking classes with our friends who are celebrity Master and Michelin-star chefs who look forward to your arrival and make you feel welcome in their homes and workshops as a group of friends. Shop at weekly village markets where we'll introduce you to our favorite olive oil and wine producers, artists, cheese-makers, herb and spice vendors, craftsmen and designers. Walk the same countryside and vineyard trails as local French do with their families, and enjoy the slow road scenery that comes with walking the back country trails through vineyards, flower fields of lavender, poppies and sunflowers, olive and fruit orchards and small historic villages. Tour castles, pre-historic caves and other historical monuments with our knowledgeable, professional Guides. Dine in the same gourmet restaurants and bistrots, as local French do, where the chefs are our personal friends, and set aside a special table uniquely to welcome you. Plus, built in leisure time provides you opportunities to pursue independent interests and activities.
Every tour offers daily options with varying levels of activeness to choose from, so you always have the flexibility of deciding how you would like your day to unfold. Your Guide sits down with your group every morning to discuss the activities, events and options of the day. With so many options available during each tour, we ensure you the flexibility to be as active as you want (more walking, less walking, shopping time, cultural discovery, etc.) and to be able to pursue your independent interests all while still enjoying the perks of traveling in a small group and participating in scheduled excursions and activities -- meaning we take care and manage the daily logistics and details while you spend your time on the important stuff -- having fun, relaxing and enjoying your vacation your way. The idea behind each Off the Beaten Path, small group tour is to appeal to the discerning traveler of all ages and backgrounds who seeks something new and different, and who wants to reach out and discover something inspiring.
Whether travelers join a regularly scheduled, small group tour to Provence, the Loire Valley, Bordeaux wine country, Champagne or Dordogne, or participate in a private, custom designed tour to one of these regions or another region of France, Christy ensures that each itinerary is inspiring, and that each traveler's experience is unique and personalized. You'll find Testimonials of guest satisfaction on both our guest feedback page and sprinkled throughout the website.
In addition to leading many tours herself, Christy has selected a handful of tour guides to work alongside her. Like Christy, all Off the Beaten Path guides are Americans with dual nationality (American-French citizenship), are multi-lingual and reside in France. They also bring a wealth of local information and history to enrich each guest's experience, and have personally been selected by Christy for their comprehensive understanding of French culture. You will find that Christy and her team of guides are wonderful traveling companions, whose knowledge and sense of fun and positive attitude make each day a wonderful experience.
