France Off the Beaten Path Reviews 571

An exceptional tour. Christy (and her support guide Christine) felt like genuine friends by the end of this trip. It felt like we were traveling with people we've known forever—who just so happen to have fantastic connections and excellent taste in experiences, food, and culture. Could not recommend more highly. Went so above and beyond our wildest expectations!

Date of experience: June 09, 2025

First class trip to Provence and Bordeaux! The Michelin star food! Wine! cheese! Couldn’t ask for a better trip! The guidesChristy (owner), Phillipe, Summer, Remi and Isabelle were a joy to be with and we fun, interesting and informative! Don’t miss these trips!

Date of experience: May 12, 2025

Our tour of Provence could not have been better. Philippe and Summer were more than just great tour guides, they were very gracious hosts. Because we were a small group of 3, they were able to take us to some unexpected places for photo ops and accommodated our special requests. We loved our hotel in St Remy and really enjoyed our daily excursions to the other towns in the regions. And the food and wine were excellent and we felt like VIP's wherever we went! The pace of the tour was perfect and one we would highly recommend to others. Thanks so much for an unforgettable experience!

Date of experience: April 29, 2025

I took 2 trips with France Off the Beaten Path in 2024, one to the Loire Valley with my husband (May), and a second to Provence with my sister (September). Both were amazing. In the Loire Valley, we saw chateaux I have dreamed about for years, as well as enjoying wonderful food in restaurants, a family-run vineyard and at the home of a local chef. In Provence, the food odyssey continued at excellent restaurants, two vineyards and the home of a woman who has followed up one successful career with another as a gracious host who prepares delicious meals. We visited lovely towns, admired spectacular scenery and enjoyed a market day, an olive oil tasting and even some Roman ruins. Be sure to take advantage of all the experience of Christy and Summer, and in Provence, Philippe, to find out more about the area and its history, and if you want to see something in particular, they may be able to help you fit it in, with the group or on your own. They and Christine, who drove the group in the Loire Valley, were always happy to answer questions and offered great suggestions about what we might like to do whenever we had free time to explore an area on our own. FOTBP is a great way to experience France!

Date of experience: September 18, 2024

What a great experience and their staff are a couple of wonderful people.

Date of experience: March 04, 2025

Not so much procrastination but a plan, I decided to hold off my post about my time with Off the Beaten Path, Provence (May 21-26, 2024) in order to do an experiment with my thoughts and memories. Before we left for Christy's tour, one of my friends and travel companions said, "this will be the trip of a lifetime for you." The only way for me to gauge the truth of that claim was to wait awhile (8 months in this case) and see whether in fact that promise held up to the intangible but real sense of happiness, delight, and nostalgia that comes along with memories of experiences past. Verdict: Absolutely! I've thought about our OBP Provence tour, with our charismatic, delightfully knowledgeable, guide Philippe, the warm, smart, and ebullient Summer, the expert driver Philippe (2), and -- not to be forgotten-- my seven wonderful tour mates, first strangers, now friends -- almost every day since then.

In a world rife with trouble and trauma, I have found myself going back to moments (mental and material) that relive the tour's lively, leisurely, and well-organized travels throughout Provence -- the delightful Hotel Gounod and its expert staff, the beauty of the landscape and the hospitality of our many French hosts (chef Catherine!, chef and architect Michelle!), so many superb meals, none of which I'll ever be able to replicate, the "French pour" accompaniments, historical sites both intimate and grand, the "tastings," the beauties from Saint Rémy & Les Baux-de Provence, to the Luberon with a walk in the poppy fields, seaside and perfumes in Cassis, a picture perfect lunch with the unforgettable chef Jean-Claude in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the markets and cobblestone streets, the colors of Provence, and all the rest (and the restfulness). Philippe and Summer, you were the (five) stars of the show!

It's now 2025, time to sign up for this year's OBP Provence tour. I'm here to bet that it may well be the experience of a lifetime for you, as it was for me.

Date of experience: May 22, 2024

My siblings and I went on an OTBP tour of Provence in September, and it was excellent, highly recommended. Our two guides, Summer and Phillipe, were knowledgeable, friendly, and fun, and the hotel was excellent. The food and wine tours and meals were definitely a highlight.

Date of experience: September 10, 2024

OFF THE BEATEN PATH company was founded by an American, Christy who has been living in France for over 28 years. Her team members Philippe (French) and Summer (American) took our group around, wined and dined us like friends would do. It helped tremendously that they spoke English. They were very caring , kind, and professional. Philippe mainly discussed the highlights of the important villages or regions. We enjoyed ourselves tremendously. I would highly recommend then to anyone who wishes to see the ff regions: Provence, Loirre Valley and Bordeaux.

Date of experience: September 16, 2024

The OTBP team was delightful! We had great meals with great wine every day- along with fun trips to fun places in the area. I would highly recommend.

Date of experience: September 17, 2024

We absolutely loved our tour of Provence with Philippe and Summer! They were amazing guides who were dependable, knowledgeable, flexible and FUN! They went out of their way to accommodate our needs, and their connections in the area provided many opportunities to meet interesting locals. In addition to visiting incredible historical sites, charming villages, vineyards, markets and the seaside, we ate the most amazing meals at outstanding restaurants and in two instances had private chefs prepare special meals for us at a vineyard in one instance and at the chefs own residence in the other! This gave us the opportunity to talk to these fascinating characters who were preparing our memorable meals! These experiences set this tour apart from all others we have experienced and the small group size made it even more special!! Our only complaint... after all those delicious lunches, we could have done without an evening meal too! We highly recommend this tour!

Date of experience: October 01, 2024

Amazing food, wine and history. We visited, ate and learned from friends of Christy. Truely an amazing experience!!!

Date of experience: September 02, 2024

This was one of the best travel experiences we have had! Christy, Philippe and Summer are very knowledgeable about the area and have crafted an excellent tour of Provence with meticulous attention to detail. The hotel location was perfect and we had the best rooms (facing the courtyard). The schedule was not tight and we had just the right amount of time to explore a village before moving on to the next. The size of the group made it feel more like friends vacationing together with local hosts driving us around and sharing their favorite places to visit. We are hoping to be able to take another tour soon.

Tip: For an even more enjoyable experience next time, we plan to disembark in Paris and catch the train the next day. Connecting through CDG airport to a regional airport was not a pleasant experience.

Date of experience: September 17, 2024

Christy and her professional team of Hela and Remy met our high expectations for this tour of Bordeaux and its surrounds. Each and every day brought more surprises: walking and history in the form of stories by Hela, architecture, restaurants, wine cave, wineries and an award winning fromagerie. Just when you thought it couldn’t get better, the restaurant in Arcachon with a table at the sea’s edge. And cooking (and eating!) in a French chef’s home. Christy ensures 5 stars all the way. We will travel with her again!

Date of experience: June 03, 2024

It was the perfect small group tour of Provence!! Our tour guides, Philipe and Summer were knowledgeable but most of all, they answered each of our questions wit respect and a wealth of knowledge!
Our hotel was so attentive to our needs and each and every one of our chef prepared meals as well as the restaurant meals were the best of the cuisine of Provence!! I cannot think of one negative - We just did not want to leave!! Our small group of 8 also helped create the experience of a lifetime!! And, I do not want to neglect the Lavender fields- they were indeed more beautiful than the pictures!!

Date of experience: June 25, 2024

I have been on two other trips with Christy and this one was next on my bucket list. It offered all the stops I wanted to tour in Normandy as well as a focus on D-Day and the history of WWII in Normandy. Our unique guide, Florent, had an exceptional knowledge of Normandy and this tour offered a most wonderful way to learn about the people who sacrificed so much for us. There is no other way I would want to tour this area. Christy and Christine, our guides, were both well versed in the area and provided all the assistance we could want. Included on this tour are Mont St Michel and Giverny, which are not to be missed! We recommend this trip to everyone. As my daughter said, it was: "the best trip ever."
Noelle and Erica

Date of experience: June 25, 2024

The Off the Beaten Path Tour in Provence is wonderful. The guides were knowledgeable and always helpful. My wife and I have been on other tours -- what makes this special is that you stay in one hotel in St. Remy for the duration of the tour. So it's not necessary to repack every few days to go to another hotel. The hotel, btw, is lovely. Day trips are provided to small towns, lavender fields, and wine producing areas. And the food and wine are exceptional. A great tour!

Date of experience: July 02, 2024

Christy and Florent and Christine did a fantastic job as usual for our tour trip in France and Normandy specifically! We genuinely enjoyed Flo’s descriptions of key locations and historical knowledge of the events and people associated with 1944. We were particularly moved by the spots that Flo took us to which were clearly “off the beaten path” and not usually highlighted by other tours, such as the tiny church in Angoville au Plain and the two medics taking care of soldiers and the local child!

Date of experience: June 25, 2024

Off The Beaten Path delivered an experience beyond our expectations. My husband and I chose the Provence tour to celebrate our 50th anniversary and it did not disappoint. Not only were the excursions and meals fantastic, the guides were knowledgeable, accommodating and amazing, as was our van driver, Philippe II! I highly recommend experiencing a guided tour through OTBP! Cheers!

Date of experience: July 02, 2024

We had a wonderful 5 days in the Loire Valley with Christy of France Off the Beaten Path Tours and her team member, Christine. We stayed at the Hotel Le Pavillion des Lys in the beautiful and charming town of Amboise. The hotel was lovely as were the people that ran it and the breakfast was amazing!

Having Amboise as our "home base" was perfect! We could unpack and relax and then each day we would gather in the lobby and then go to a different Chateau or Castle. While touring these beautiful residences we also learned about the Royal families that had these Chateaux built and the elaborate and animated lives they lived. Christy is quite the story teller!

In addition to touring the Chateaux and Castles we also had the pleasure of meeting wonderful chefs and winemakers that Christy has gotten to know over the years. Such a special experience spending time with each of them doing a cooking class, cheese tasting, or learning about and tasting wonderful wines. We ended those wonderful experiences with by either having dinner in one of their restaurants or lunch or dinner with them in their homes - Such a Treat!!

We would have never had these experiences that were so beautiful and intimate if we hadn't found Christy's tour.
It was a wonderful 5 days full of so much beauty, laughter, friendship, learning, amazing food and wine. (Also, Christy also builds in time so you can do your own wondering). Thank you Christy and Christine!!

Date of experience: June 18, 2024

Boundless thanks & highest praise to Off the Beaten Path, LLC for a wonderful tour of Provence. Our experience created memories, and friends, that will last our lifetime. From start to finish, the journey was both seamless and utterly enjoyable.

The website was accurate and informative. Once we registered for the tour, the communication from OTBP was very helpful. We knew what to pack and to expect.

Shortly following our arrival at the Avignon rail station, we were greeted by the broad, shining smile of Summer, who was a guide and quickly became a friend. She was always helpful, prepared and pleasant. What a joy!

As the adventure began, it quickly became apparent just how knowledgeable Phillipe, our lead tour guide, was with regard to Southern France. He offered so much information, along with humor. Phillipe shared details involving history, geography, and geology. Plus, he answered all of our questions about wine.

Our welcome dinner with Chef Catherine at her farmhouse was a perfect time to get to know others on the tour. The food was marvelous, and Catherine was welcoming & fun.

The next day, we enjoyed our first tour of St. Remy and its market. There were vendors offer local goods, and we bought some souvenirs to bring home. Then we hit the road. The countryside was lovely, and our lunch, with included eggplant, cheese, chicken, bread & fresh dessert was magnificent. Our driver (Phillipe #2) was very thoughtful and he kept us moving from one highlight to the next.

Day three included lots of lovely lavender fields. Plus, we visited a lavender distillery. Phillipe provided information to help us understand this significant local flower. Again, the countryside was lovely, and we bonded further with our new-found friends on the tour.

On the fourth day, we journeyed to the Mediterranean Coast. The sea was magnificent. We enjoyed a nice boat tour of the coastline. And then we spent time in Cassis, walking, shopping and eating. We even got to visit a perfumery that has been in operation for centuries! After we returned to St. Remy, we had a cozy group dinner in a pop up restaurant (in a former church)! The appetizers, entrees (lamb, vegetable lasagna and more) and desserts (and bread and wine) were incredible.

The following day, we ventured to Chateauneuf-Du-Pape. We toured the vineyard and learned more about this region's special wine. And then, Chef Jean-Claude treated us to a fantastic lunch. And he even added some humor and song to heighten our fun. That evening, we enjoyed another outstanding dinner in St. Remy, with our friends on the tour, along with Phillipe, Summer and even Christy, the founder and owner of OTBP. Once again, memories were made.

If you have interest in small group tours of regional sites with unique character, I cannot offer a higher recommendation than I would for Off the Beaten Path. Christy has curated an adventure that involves one highlight after another. My wife and I will never forget this wonderful trip, and we're already talking about a return to France for another experience with Christy, her team and Off the Beaten Path!

Date of experience: July 02, 2024