Come Travel to France With Me
What makes my tours special?
First, I am your driver and guide. The tours are private and all-inclusive, except lunches. We stay in lovely, country inns, enjoy full breakfasts and tasty dinners with beverages included. (mineral waters, beer, cider or wine and coffee) Three couples make up a tour and generally, we work together to plan the itinerary including activities, lodging and dining. I always recommend at least 10 days to 2 weeks to enjoy and relax. Since many museums and other attractions don’t open before 10h00, we don’t leave the hotel at 8h00! The vehicle we use is a 9-seater. They are comfortable and have decent room for luggage. The seats are individual, except a bench seat in the front.
If it’s a tour of the battlefields, I always try to personalize it. Often, there are people on board who have a loved one “Over there…” and I try my best to find the location of the family member who didn’t return. Occasionally, we visit the graves of people we know. Although I prefer to visit sites that have a Canadian connection, we do visit other places of interest.
We will design the specifics of your tour together, making sure to include the places you want to see most, in the time we have. My goal is to make your trip memorable and satisfying to your interests.
I am offering travel for 2024 in
Spring: April, May, June
Fall: September & October
How are the tours priced?
This depends on the vehicle rental, fuel, parking and tolls. Then, the cost of rooms and meals. Most of the hotels I book are rated 3 stars as often as possible, I choose hotels that I know and trust. Finally, the attractions, most of which are paying at a reasonable cost.
In addition, I try to keep the daily activities close to where we stay, avoiding long drives as much as possible. The Loire itinerary is easier for distances whereas the drive from Amiens to Dieppe is longer. We make frequent stops, often in places of interest. I avoid the autoroutes if possible. The national and departmental roads are well maintained and scenic!
When you have had time to think about the sites you would like to visit on your trip, get in touch with Gren to start your individual and custom tour planning.
When is the best time to go to France?
I prefer to travel in France in the spring and fall. In 2018, France had over 89 million visitors and many of them travelled in the summer! Also, I try to respect the environment and avoid times around certain holidays. France is trying to encourage its citizens to avoid driving and travel by train. The railways and equipment are amazing, but it’s not always possible to use the trains. In my years of travel in France, I have only used the trains with students en route to St-Malo and on another occasion, it was a personal tour for one couple. Actually, it worked out quite well, as we went to the Loire Valley from the airport by train and then rented a car.
In 2024, I am offering travel in April, May, June, September, October and possibly a Christmas Market tour in late November.
What Past Guests Have To Say
We have done two tours with Gren, one in 2006 & another in 2019, and have been highly impressed and satisfied with both. Gren Jones has outstanding knowledge of WW1 & 2 history in France, which he communicates effortlessly en route without distracting from his driving. The tours are conducted in a comfortable, new SUV. He has strong & extensive French networks for quality accommodations & restaurants. He is totally bilingual.
He has intimate knowledge of Saint Malo, the fascinating walled city in Brittany, where he taught French immersion to Canadian summer students for a number of years.
He is very accommodating. On our 2006 tour, he stopped at a small Canadian cemetery en route to Paris where a tour member’s RCAF father was buried. He later arranged for this member to meet a local person who had seen the plane crash.
His tours are very economical, and the costs are all inclusive except for air fare and noon lunches.
We highly recommend Travel With Gren!
~Judy & Frank