Exciting and inspiring trip to France - without having to drive!
France
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May 27 - Jun 15, 2026
We wanted a once-in-a-lifetime trip to
France to focus on history, culture, wine and food, and Liz and Diliana at kimkim delivered!
In Paris, we particularly enjoyed the fabulous lunch at the Jules Verne restaurant on the Eiffel Tower, viewing a beautiful sunset from the Arc de Triomphe, touring the magnificent Paris Opera, and the incredible show at the Moulin Rouge.
Diliana helped us plan to avoid the crowds of soccer fans taking over the Champs Elysees and other areas of the city during the Champions League final between Paris St. Germain and Arsenal and victory celebrations the next day.
The Hotel College de France was a boutique hotel in the Latin Quarter with a very nice staff and easy access to shops, restaurants, Notre Dame and the Luxembourg Gardens.
Guide Sylvanie did a lovely job explaining Sainte-Chapelle and Notre Dame’s religious history, architecture and art, along with modern changes at the cathedral since the 2019 fire.
Transfers to and from the airport, train stations and accommodations went smoothly and were one of the reasons we used kimkim in the first place. We wanted a curated trip that wasn’t a large group tour and didn’t involve renting a car, and this worked very well.
Our next move was to the Hotel Central in Avignon, which, true to its name, was very centrally located on the main shopping and dining street. No laundry service despite it being advertised, but the night staff arranged to have some of our clothes washed with hotel laundry. Came back damp and wrinkled, but clean. Not ideal, but kind of them and inexpensive.
Les Palais du Papes was within walking distance and so was the carousel. We also enjoyed a day trip to two wineries in Chateau-neuf-du-Pape with guide Adam and visited the photogenic ruins of an early castle of the Avignon popes. Well-preserved Roman amphitheaters, a temple, an arena and the magnificent Pont du Gard aqueduct/bridge were highlights of day trip with knowledgeable guide Florian. Guide Matilde took us to St. Remy and Arles for Van Gogh memories, to the walled medieval city of Augues-Morte, and to the Parc Ornithologique to see flamingos and other protected birds in the Camargue, a large, protected wetlands area with its own culture. Matilde went above and beyond to accommodate our needs. Then an interesting trip in a 4x4 with guide Joe to see the Carmague’s special white horses and bulls and its pink salt marshes.
Nice was our next stop, where we stayed at the Best Western Lakmi, the hotel we liked best. The staff was super helpful and friendly. However, laundry service was available only through an outside company which was insanely expensive, so we spent three hours in a laundromat.
From Nice, we explored Antibes, Cap d’Antibes and the hill with commanding views of the bay and city, where once stood a castle called La Colline du Chateau. Guide Pierre was terrific about finding great photo spots; he also took us to Eze and Monaco the next day for a fun look at Monte Carlo’s casino and opera house, giant yachts, royal gardens and the changing of the palace guard.
For our trip to Mentón from Nice, guide Cyril was incredible about helping us get to the station and find seats on a very crowded train. A highlight was artist Marc Chagall’s
Wedding room in City Hall, followed by a lot of lemoncello tastings in the home of exceptionally sweet lemons.
Marseille’s highlights were mostly outside town, in beautiful lavender fields, the charming city of Aix and the high limestone cliffs and turquoise waters of the Calanques. Guide Tomas found the right fields for perfect lavender photos early in the season.
We ended our trip with a relaxing, special night at the Chateau de la Tour in Chantilly, about 40 minutes from the airport in Paris. Great food and wine, a pool and lovely grounds were an inspired way to end our trip and rest up for the flight home.
Merci, Liz, Diliana, and kimkim!
Hotel Review
The Central Hotel is well named, it is in the heart of Avignon. We would describe it as funky. Our room was on the top, on the fifth floor which was reached by an efficient elevator. Once on five there were three steps to a deck which led to our room. The AC worked well but the bathroom was odd. The shower had no curtains or walls and the drain in the floor did not keep the water from moving across the floor. The deck was available to other hotel guests and sometimes there were several who were smoking and drinking until 11 at night. The hotel staff was friendly but inexperienced. They did not know the hotel formerly had laundry service and was still mentioned in the room literature. We would prefer another hotel on future trips to Avignon.
