Gardens and Castles of France

Versailles, Loire Valley, Provence and the Riviera

Please note that this is a "suggested" private group itinerary, which can be changed to suit your interests. The tour price will depend on the number of participants, travel dates, type of hotels, etc.

There is no better place to start a garden tour of France than the two Louis XIV chateaus where famous 17th-century formal gardens were at their best during the Sun King's reign: the grandiose palace of Versailles (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and 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.

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 UNESCO 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 Château de Chaumont. 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 UNESCO 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 Villandry 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 itinerary through France. This tour itinerary is a paradise for plant and garden lovers from Versailles to Provence!

There are many possibilities on this tour route. Let us know where and when you want to go. We will create a custom program that fits interests and requirements of your group.

  

Places on this route we have personally visited: Paris, Versailles, Vaux-le-Vicomte, many Loire Valley chateaus, Lyon, Avignon, Arles, Aix-en-Provence and Nice. See pictures from our trips:

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