The 100% no-crowd’s itinerary in France

Get a glimpse of a 10-day no-crowds itinerary in France avoiding large groups, queues and overcrowded places: private tastings, niche museums-monuments, wild nature…

Ok so all of the talk in 2020 has been about keeping safe. And we agree that it is the most important thing as well. One of the conversations that spoke most strongly to me was the need to create and propose an itinerary that avoided large groups, queues and overcrowding. The simple fear of a second wave of Coronavirus is a fear to be taken seriously with. This trip takes the worry away for you, and allows you to approach a journey in a new and unknown light, yet still take in a full-dose of vie a la Française.

After spotting your name on a sign, and making your acquaintances with your masked driver-guide (we have a black book of excellent driver-guides) you’ll leave the airport and touch down in nearby Chablis. It’s kind of off the beaten track when it comes to Burgundy wine tourism, but it is incredibly welcoming and quaint. The lodgings we use are just outside town, and you will not be beaten to the breakfast buffet by a crowd of people as there are only a few rooms. The Château de la Resle (like the others in this trip) is chosen as it is in an area (Burgundy) with a green sticker label, thanks to the fact that Covid-19 is not circulating actively anymore. As I write this all shops, museums and most importantly restaurants have re-opened and are looking forward to welcoming international guests with precautions taken regarding overcrowding.

The next day sees you on electric bikes and off visiting the vineyards around Chablis. We will have your tastings pre-booked, a GPS programmed and we can organize a picnic. Simply put there is nothing you need to do, but turn the pedals, and let the Bosch motor do the hard work.

The following morning you’ll head south, your driver-guide taking you past some of the most gorgeous countryside: rolling green hills dotted with stony villages. The first stops should be the 12th century Cistercian monastery, in Abbaye de Fontenay, and then Semur-en-Auxois, a small fortress town in a hairpin of a river.

You will discover La Maison aux Mille Truffes and learn everything you didn’t know about truffles. With a loyal dog by his side, the owner explores his truffle patch, looking for black gems to share with his clients.

You’ll spend the night near Cluny. Cluny, well known to many as a center of the Catholic world, we will instead offer you a private visit inside a totally different world. Anyone keen enough will have spotted the oddly dressed fraternity of students around the town. The Gadz’Arts are engineering students proud of their ancient traditions. In the classroom and out in the village, the pupils wear a lab coat, giving the village a kind of Harry Potter at Hogwarts feel to the place. Gadz’Arts customize their coats individually. The coats of the first year students are generally rather somber and plain; whilst those of the second and third year students often have elaborate colored motifs and drawings. You and your guide will spend a couple of hours decrypting this interesting (and not very well known) site and museum with a local student.

Again the night is in a bed and breakfast in an 18th century building in a quiet square in central Cluny.

The next day is out in the fresh air at the Rock of Solutré, and exploring some of the UNESCO geopark sites in the Beaujolais. A prehistoric site of the eponymous Solutrean paleolithic culture, Solutré has been occupied for at least 55,000 years. It then attracted media coverage in the 1980s when President François Mitterrand started to make ritual ascents of the peak once per year. It is scenic, and historically and culturally significant. As you head south, the Beaujolais lies out in front of you, and a vast range of cultural, geological and historic sites are to visit. The Mount Brouilly site is exceptional and an easy place to pass an hour or two without much trouble.

Throughout the trip, as hunger calls, your driver-guide will always take you to small quaint inns and bistros that have great quality meals and lots of space to dine in. As every astute French person knows the nicest place to dine is on the outdoor terrace but you have to request it with politeness and humor!

Admittedly the Beaujolais is my adopted home in the hinterland of Lyon, but is also a beautiful set of valleys with history and many stories to tell. Subsequently the day’s exploration will be with an expert local hiking guide into the Beaujolais and exploring the history and these local legends.

After a couple of nights stay in wine country, you’ll be driven into the Massif Central and climb the volcanic plateau before arriving at your luxury Ecolodge, and slowing down next to the Lac du Pêcher. I can personally recommend the lodge following an excellent stay in 2017. The owners Laurence & Daniel, share a passion for freedom, wide open spaces and nature. They were fascinated enough by this fantastic territory to change their way of living and create an Ecolodge & Spa in the lodge tradition of yesteryears. Discover a vibrant environment, patchwork of pine forests, beech woods, bogs, waterfalls and lakes. Halfway between the luxury hotel and a guesthouse, the site encourages day-dreaming and meditation. During my visit we biked, walked around the lake, ate well and drank into the night. Two days and nights here will not even be close to enough (there is a spa and wellness, and a gourmet chef always on hand).

Your guide picks you up again after your stay and takes you into Sarlat, the capital of Dordogne. This can be a busy little town on market day; but with a bit of thought we will push you into a quiet guesthouse, in a residential part of the old town.

The best activities in Sarlat, are canoeing along the Vezere (or the Dordogne) and exploring prehistory at the Grotte de Font de Gaume. These caves are always limited to tiny groups at specific timings, and your guides will be taking all the precautions possible.

If you are interested in visiting this region longer or more in details, check out Joel’s article on 10 things to do in Dordogne with teens. Of course, all the activities mentioned can be done alone or in a duo as well.

After two nights in Dordogne the end of the trip is at Bordeaux airport or TGV station.

• The basic ways to see France (and avoid crowds) is with a private driver, or your own rental vehicle. However, if you do choose to travel by train, the CDG airport train station has far fewer train passengers than other stations in Paris (14 million travelers a year vs 290 million travelers at Gare du Nord). SNCF are making an effort to keep the trains safe too (masks are mandatory as I write).

• The regions are less densely populated than the cities (France has double the land area of the UK but roughly the same population) and so these are the places to explore before the cities. Note that in the regions, the restaurants are not so small so you will not be squeezed into a tiny bistro with no room for the waiters to pass behind you without rubbing your back!

• Avoid the bucket list sites and diversify your experiences.

• Learn the French vacation period, and travel outside that time. Let French folks take their holidays during the school holiday periods, and outside of that time lots of sites built for thousands, have only a few handfuls of daily visitors. September and October are key periods when the weather is warm.

• Paris will always be there, wait until next time. We love Paris. I love the museums, I love the Seine and I love the rush and buzz of being in the big city. But, it will still be there in 2021, and it will still be the most romantic capital in the world come 2022. There is no doubt you will be able to reschedule a trip back to Paris. The lines at the Louvre and the Eiffel tower are simply not appealing at the moment. We get it.

So while I would not advise you to take a risk and travel, the aim of this blog post is to show you a safe way to travel if and when you chose to come. What is taken for granted is that we choose suppliers who are professional and respect social distancing, and who use hand gel, masks and avoid shaking hands nor kissing acquaintances. This is the new normal, even in France.

Please do not hesitate to contact us by email for special offers, adapted Covid-19 cancellation terms and detailed recommendations.