PRIVATE CASTLE TOURS IN FRANCE
Capped gates and coach seats fill weeks ahead, and the good ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Review of a private Versailles tour covering the Hall of Mirrors, royal gardens, Petit Trianon, Marie Antoinette’s hamlet, and tour value.
“Our guide, Remy, was very friendly, knowledgeable, professional, and positive. We learned many unexpected details that made our experience unforgettable. This gardens are nothing short of miraculous.”
Review of a private Loire Valley tour from Paris to Amboise, Chenonceau, and Chambord, with luxury transport, guide, tickets, and practical advice.
“Excellent tour experience visiting the Loire Valley Castles on the VIP Private Tour. Ricardo did a fantastic job!!! He gave us personalized attention and was super flexible. Visiting these three castles on the Loire Valley Castles VIP Private Tour is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in the history, culture, and beauty of the region made perfect by our excellent tour guide.”
Review of a private five-hour Alsace tour from Strasbourg, with Haut-Koenigsbourg, Riquewihr, wine tasting, and an electric vehicle.
“Stephane gave us a wonderful, customized tour that exceeded our expectations. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a first class trip.”
Visit Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte from Paris with private hotel pickup, skip-the-line entry, gardens, royal rooms, and free time.
“Private drive to Fountainebleau and Vaux Le Vicomte was a wonderful day. This is one of the few tours that picks up and drops off at your hotel which is a definite plus. Yasser did a great job and escorted us into both sites to obtain our audio guides and get us headed in the right direction. Time at each site was adequate for us to complete the audio guide and also have time to explore on our own. Highly recommend both sites as they are beautiful and play an important role in history. The new audio guide for Vaux Le Vicomte was amazing and interactive, nice that they are…”
Compare Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte on a private Paris day trip with hotel pickup, expert guides, gardens, and royal history.
“A wonderful experience. Our guide was knowledgeable, friendly and professional and made us feel like we being shown around the castles by a friend. Our Driver was also excellent.”
Review this private Loire Valley day trip from Paris, with Chambord, Blois, Chenonceau, Cheverny, private transport, and practical booking advice.
“We booked this tour a couple weeks in advance and received numerous updates from TripAdvisor reminding us of it. Come the morning of the tour, no one showed up. The tour operator texted us later in the day to say he never received the info from Viator. The good news is that TripAdvisor processed the refund. The bad news, of course, is that we didn’t get the tour we looked forward to. Our takeaway is to book directly with operators and don’t do business with TripAdvisor.”
Explore 30,000-year-old cave paintings and Beynac Castle on a private half-day tour from Sarlat, with transport, a guide, and prehistoric demonstrations.
“David was an outstanding guide! We learned alot from him. Excellent tour! Highly recommend!”
Review of Carcassonne’s private city and castle tour, with guide Julien, castle entry, basilica visit, pricing, pace, and practical advice.
“Julian is an excellent guide with a very friendly manner. His information was detailed and interesting but not pedantic. My husband uses a cane to walk and Julian was very accommodating of his pace and kept us engaged. This was a wonderful introduction to the old walled city. We particularly enjoyed his echo in the Castle room with the frescos. Another couple were in the room and they looked like they wanted to join us. I also like the explanation of the 3 different centuries of stained glass. Julian's story of the accountant's loo was funny and memorable.”
Exploreo24 pairs Cro-Magnon cave art, a fire demonstration, Beynac Castle, and La Roque-Gageac in a private Dordogne afternoon.
“Amazing caves and David brought to life with his knowledge and demonstrations. CASTLE TOUR great too!”
Explore Saint-Émilion and Pomerol with private château visits, wine tastings, local history, lunch, and Bordeaux pickup.
“We had a wonderful day in St Emilion and had wine tasting at 3 private wineries with Katherine. She had a very good knowledge about the area and made the journey super special.”
Compare Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte on a private Paris day trip with hotel pickup, skip-the-line entry, guides, and countryside views.
“Everything was so nice on this tour. Andy picked us up at our hotel and off we went. Andy was so kind and funny on our tour and told us some of the background history on the 2 castles. would definitely recommend this company.”
Explore Blois Castle on a private two-hour tour with entry, royal apartments, Renaissance art, four architectural styles, and a local guide.
“Audrey was exceptional, very well educated and informed on the history of Chsteau de Blois. Great guide!”
Review of a private Bordeaux to Dordogne tour with Sarlat, Domme, Castelnaud, river villages, transport, costs, and practical tips.
“The prehistoric caves in Lascaux and particularly Ruffinac were outstanding sites to visit. Our guide Christian is one of best we've ever toured with. He is kind, knowledgeable, and went out of his way to make our experience perfect.”
Review of a private Bordeaux to Dordogne tour covering Sarlat, castles, caves, Domme, La Roque-Gageac, and Marqueyssac.
“Christian’s tour of Dordogne was wonderful. It was so special to be able to get away from the city and tour the countryside - river, valley, farmland, castles and medieval villages. Christian entertained us with many stories - historical and contemporary. He was very friendly and relaxed.”
Explore Nice with a private local guide, from Cours Saleya and Sainte-Réparate Cathedral to Castle Hill and the harbor.
“Our guide,Aram, was very informative about the history of Nice, shared some of his favourite places which we’d not even normally notice. He shared some great stories about the local cultures and the cultural history of Nice. We especially loved Aram’s passion about the city he loves. We’d highly recommend this tour! Thanks Aram!”
A keep, a citadel, a palace with battlements, or a day trip to reach one.
