good small group tour company for Provence?
 

We're not able to drive ourselves or to do trains. I'm hoping to find an excellent well-established company that has small group tours. I've looked at France Off the Beaten Track and they look terrific, but they do too much of the cooking class kind of thing for our taste. Tauck Tours doesn't do a Provence.
Suggestions greatly appreciated.

Hi Poss,
You are posing a good question. Answer from my observations – they’re aren’t many tours of just Provence. Believe me, I have looked and would welcome any information that other Fodorites might suggest.

I have checked out Collette Tours –“Colors of Provence”
A cultural and epicurean journey through the south of France
You might want to add a few days in Nice where there are so many museums and attractions with good public transportation I am told.

Also check out THE LUBERON EXPERIENCE. When I enquired once on this board about this tour, it received good reviews. It only goes a few times a year – spring and fall.
Good luck. You will love Provence no matter how you travel….

ttt - hoping for some suggestions

Most of the people here travel independently, thus the dearth of tour recommendations. Have you thought of doing a Rhône river cruise on a small river ship? Those leave from lower Burgundy and go all the way to Arles; there are options for tours both before and after the cruise. The cruises are a great way to travel without the need for driving or taking trains.

Underhill, that sounds like a good suggestions. Thanks...

Thanks much for these suggestions.
Luberon Experience looks like just our kind of thing, but, alas, they don't have tours in late June or July, which is when we're able to travel.
I'd love to do a river cruise, having much enjoyed our journeys on Regent Seven Seas ocean cruises. But we need a king bed-- are too uncomfortable in queen (and not much fun to sleep separately). I've checked every single river cruise line I know of and largest beds are only 64"
Haven't checked out Collette Tours yet-- but we do love Nice.
I hope there'll be more suggestions, though it's true that these forums are mostly for independent travelers (ah, those were the days!)

Have you tried the cruise forum here and on tripadvisor?

http://www.intimatefrance.com/

George posts on Fodors sometimes.

Hi Poss,

Checked dates for Collette tour of Provence. There are none scheduled from the first week of June until the middle of September. Evidently,it's too hot to attract enough travelers during the summer months...

Some friends in the DC area run tours of Provence. I originally met them at a Fodor's Group lunch (we used to do this several times a year, but have moved from the area so are no longer active :-( ) At the risk of getting clobbered for advertising: http://www.musicetc.us/Provencefirstpage.html that is a link to their page. I know they do a fabulous job.

"Music and Markets" is the name of their enterprise, and they specialize in tours that blend - well - music and markets!

Thanks very much. I wish that they'd included name of accommodations in Aix (That's important to us.) I guess I'll have to telephone them, but I do think it's curious that this sort of information is not mentioned. I'd be more interested in an art/architecture tour, but the idea of a music theme sounds very nice as well.
Thanks again.

Anne and Kirk are just great! Maybe they haven't nailed down the accommodations yet.

About the river cruises: have you looked at the Viking line? Some of their ships' cabins have king-sized beds.

Since you have such specific criteria -- king sized beds, June/July, not cookery centered, etc . . .

Have you considered just hiring a private driver-guide.

Finding an organized tour that meets all or even most of your wish list could be that needle in a haystack. Whereas a driver/guide can provide everything you wan.

>>. . . everything you want.<<

Many thanks for continued feedback-- truly much appreciated.
Private driver/guide too expensive, and while that'd be nice for a day or so, I can't imagine it for an entire week of touring.
Have looked at Viking: no king beds on France tours.
May wind up going with France Off the Beaten Track. It sure looks like a first-rate company. (I guess we could just skip the cooking aspects, though one is paying for that sort of thing.)
Again-- thanks!

"<i>Private driver/guide too expensive, and while that'd be nice for a day or so, I can't imagine it for an entire week of touring.</i>"

Are you sure? A driver would charge a flat fee -- not per person. Haven't any specific knowledge of driver guides in France, but in the UK that would be cheaper than an mid to high-ish end small group tour for two.

And me personally -- if possible I'd prefer to go where and when and for how long I wished, not a set group itinerary.

But if you can find a tour that meets your needs - great. I just don't think it exists.

Actually Tauck does do Provence as part of their Culturious small group division.
http://www.tauck.com/tours/europe-to...r-vf-2011.aspx

Or you can do what my parents did last year. They also don't like to drive overseas and found the private cars to be too expensive in France. So they stayed in Avignon and did day trips with bus companies like Viator. Worked for them.

Di2, hey, that Tauck tours sounds great - a bit above my budget traveling solo and adding air fare and a night or two on the front end.

When I checked the Tauck site, I could not find the dates. I would be surprised if they coincided with Poss's requirement for June and July. Hope I’m wrong.

Your suggestion of staying in one place like Aix and taking Viatour excursions sound doable. I have also noticed several day tours and boat excursions from Nice which is a fabulous place to stay.

Actually my folks also stayed in Nice and did daytrips from there as well (mostly by train). That worked out well for them after the bus excursions in Provence, they could do a little more on their own from Nice.

Tauck only has this years remaining dates on its website. So I looked at a paper brochure and they did have dates in June as late as the 26th.