Jewels of Southwest France Reviews

We really enjoyed our Back-Roads tour, we thought it was great that the other travellers were Australian and New Zealanders. The first night accommodation was pretty small but everything else was really good. I would've liked to have early notification of where the tour started and finished so that we organised our accommodation there but that is the ...read more only criticism- everything was really really good.

We really enjoyed our Back-Roads tour, we thought it was great that the other travellers were Australian and New Zealanders. The first night accommodation was pretty small but everything else was really good. I would've liked to have early notification of where the tour started and finished so that we organised our accommodation there but that is the ...read more only criticism- everything was really really good.

Excellent small group touring, good transport and guide. Good itinerary, good choice of food, nice picnics, great countryside touring, magical.

The tour itself was very good and the places visited amazing. I would have preferred a more diverse group of companions.

This 9-day tour, 'A Taste of Bordeaux', conducted by Back-Roads Touring, was very enjoyable. It was easy-paced, each day's travelling beginning about 8.45 or 9 am. The mantra of the company is 'guided independence', so don't go on these tours if you are not adventurous, and need full-time direction and assistance. You need, also, to be moderately fit. ...read more The coaches are excellent, but they are small, and leg-room is a problem for very tall travellers. And you can't take large, heavy bags! There were 15 in our group and that's one short of the maximum number, so it is very definitely small-group travelling. We certainly took back roads, not motorways, save when absolutely necessary. This opened up pastures green, delightful French villages and towns that travellers do not see in large coach tours. This was a real feature of the trip. Some members of our group were disappointed that the tour director/driver stuck closely to the itinerary, and thought he could have been a little more flexible. Hints were dropped, but I was not aware of anyone asking him directly to be more flexible. The director/driver was very knowledgable, spoke fluent French and was always enthusiastic. The included meals in this tour were a little better than most. All-in-all, a very good tour that I recommend for 'guided-independent' types.