Hi from Rick: A Perfectly French Vacation
My favorite street in Paris is a cobbled market lane called Rue Cler. Rather than giant department stores and noisy traffic, it's a street of cafés, flower shops, and the incessant kissing of cheeks. I love to grab a tiny outdoor table, swirl a little wine, and watch Parisians mix daily chores with a love of life. Punctuated with a montage of friendly encounters, they assemble their evening meal: Bread from the boulangerie…vegetables from the produce stand…and always…wine from the cave à vins on the corner. The entire street is that hungry daily derby of classic shopping trolleys, where each stop offers a tasty nibble of French culture.
Every stop also comes with a conversation. Imagine: On a French market street — big city or small town — people know each other…and they have time to talk. Locals don't simply wander into the fromagerie, pick up some brie, pay, and leave. They take time to chat up the cheesemonger to learn what's new and pick their brain about what pairs best with the bottle in their basket, and, oh, how was that cousin's wedding?
This ritual isn't just a Rue Cler, or even a Paris, thing. All across France, locals enjoy the inconvenience of "many-stop shopping." Cities are collections of neighborhoods, and neighborhoods come with a market street. From big-city Lyon to tiny Provençal towns, you'll find petite family-run stores specializing in something they're passionate about, with locals queuing up at the counter, artfully assembling their meal.
A Rick Steves tour is a Whitman's Sampler of such cultural delights — like that classic box of assorted chocolates: some big, some tiny…all adding up to one grand and serendipitous travel experience. If sampling this type of local life sounds like your ideal next vacation, then you'd love a hearty taste of France on a Rick Steves' Europe tour. On each of our five France itineraries, you'll come face-to-face with this slice of French culture…whether exploring the colorful weekly market of Sarlat on our Loire to the South of France in 13 Days tour, browsing ancient and candlelit wine cellars in Burgundy's Beaune on the Best of Eastern France in 14 Days tour, or strolling down the Rue Cler on one of our many itineraries that include Paris.
And that's just food! France is bursting with ooh la la! Learn more in this month's Tour News with a colorful, day-by-day slideshow of our Loire to the South of France tour, a video feast of French treats, raves from recent tour members about touring in France, and a charming interview with one of our favorite France guides, Julie Sonveau.
Our many tours take ample time in each destination to not only guide you through key sights but also give you the luxury of free time to experience it on your own. These aren't quick-hit itineraries — a Rick Steves tour is a slow-down-and-smell-the-stinky-cheese experience…the travel version of many-stop shopping and artfully assembling the perfect European vacation.
Bon voyage,
Rick