Circa Tours - Garden and Castle Tours in France

Gardens and Castles of France
Versailles, Loire Valley, Provence and the Riviera

There is no better place to start a garden tour of France than from one of the two Louis XIV chateaus where 17th-century formal gardens were at their best during the Sun King's reign: the grandiose palace of Versailles (a World Heritage Site) or the smaller but equally impressive castle of Vaux le Vicomte. Both were designed by André le Nôtre, the king's famous landscape architect and are textbook examples of formal French-style garden design.

Travel in France - garden and castle tours

Matching Louis XIV's refinement in classical garden design might seem like a difficult task. Well, not really! For example, an easy drive south of Paris, the Loire Valley (another World Heritage site) and the Touraine region (known as "the garden of France"), offer a cornucopia of well-preserved and beautifully decorated Renaissance castles with a variety of exquisite gardens: Chambord, Blois, Chenonceau and Chaumont, among others. From mid-May through mid-October you can attend the world-famous International Garden Festival at the latter. And, not to be missed in this area are the famous Renaissance gardens at the Château de Villandry (classified as "monument historique"), which include an attractive water garden, several ornamental flower gardens, and beautifully laid out vegetable gardens.

On to Provence via Bourges (with its World Heritage Gothic cathedral), Lyon and Avignon. In Provence and the French Riviera, plants thrive in the mild Mediterranean climate and geometrical designs give way to more natural settings. In Antibes, tour the experimental gardens of Villa Thuret where the National Institute of Agriculture conducts research on "plants of the future." Explore the botanical paradise of Menton, located next to the border with Italy: the Clos du Peyronnet known by plant collectors all over the world, the Jardin de Colombier, which takes you from Antiquity to the Renaissance, and the Val Rahmeh Gardens created in the 1930s by impassioned English botanists.

In Monte Carlo you will be impressed by the Exotic Garden, the Japanese Garden and the flower arrangements around the famous casino. Back in Nice, tour the scenic peninsula of St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat and the elegant domain of Baroness Ephrussi de Rothschild, the "Villa de France" surrounded by a series of stylized gardens.

Whether in formal gardens at Versailles or with more natural surroundings on the French Riviera, "elegance" and "beauty" are words that come to mind when looking for the essence of this sweeping route through France. A tour based on this itinerary is a paradise for plant and garden lovers!

Please tell us where and when you want to travel and we will create a custom tour that fits your specific interests, schedule and budget.

Your tailor-made package will include ground transportation, guided tours and hotel rooms.

The price of your program will depend on your needs (scheduled group tours, private guides...) and the number of participants in your group, the length of the trip, the category of hotels, the number of places visited, the time of year, etc.

We will do all the bookings and pay each individual provider on your behalf. In other words, you go and have fun and we'll take care of the details for you.

Custom Tours in France, Spain and Portugal

Gardens and Castles of France