Hello,
There are many things to discover in France. So many that it is today the 1st visited country in the world. We welcome each year between 75 and 80 million visitors. France has a lot to offer :a wonderful architecture, a strong history, awesome museums, unique shopping, a huge gastronomy, the world best wines...
You have three different ways to visit France:
- The first way is by yourself. Checking the Internet, the adresses, book your hotels, your flight and let's go! But often, you risk not to see the half of what you wanted to see originally. Because of the barrier language, the culture language, some of you are not "experienced travelers" and not able to cross he country to visit Paris on the first day, Chaumont-Sur-Loire's beautiful castle, Mont Saint Michel, Versailles...
Sometimes you will pay your train ticket to Mont Saint Michel the same price of a full private tour. I remember this 65 years-old woman from Hong-Kong, she bought her train ticket to Mont Saint Michel 186 EUR! I had a group of 4 booked in her hotel, for a Tour the following day, at the Mont Saint Michel. I told her I will cancel her train ticket, and book with us for 140 EUR ! She met the group, from Qatar, and we had a wonderful moment, sharing with each other, taking pictures, videos... That is what you may miss if you choose to plan your trip alone.
Second risk, the hotel. Thanks to Trip Advisor, there are thousands of hotel reviews. But points of view are very subjective, not updated. An hotel adress like "27 Rue Louis Blanc" means anythink for a tourist coming in Paris for the first time.
-Second way is to book several bus tours to the main France's highlights : there are many touristic sites that you can visit on a day-trip from Paris: the Champagne Region, Loire Valley's castles, the mysterious Mont Saint Michel, Deauville...it is mass tourism. The old way. And, clearly, from my own experience, not worth at all a private guided tour.
When you book a guided tour in Paris with a bus Tour company, here is the program : you have a meeting point somewhere in the City. If you want a pick-up from your hotel, it is charged. Once you get in the bus, sometimes the traffic is so heavy that you see Paris only through the bus window. You have two or three poor photo-stops in front of Arc de Triomphe, Tour Eiffel and Sacred-Heart Basilica. And then coming back to the meeting point. You will pay for that around 60 EUR. An example is given here
For other tours, in Loire castles for example, here is an example. 175 EUR, to be with 80 other persons and only ONE tour-guide. The visit is done in a rush, only cares the group. If you leave the group, the bus comes back to Paris without you. Mass tourism has its default, and those companies has put the service culture to the lowest possible.
It is the same for Mont Saint Michel : a 4-hours road in a noisy bus, a quick visit of the Abbey, they bring you in the tourist shops and tourist restaurant to take their commission, and the bus leaves at 5 PM.
The third way is to book your tour with a local guide. There is only advantages: an dedicated tour guide, a higher service, a private tour. For the same price, and sometimes cheaper than a bus Tour!
Personaly I made many guided tours in Malaysia, Dubai and Montreal and I always prefered guided tours by locals, passionate and easy-going.
Of course, local tour guides are not as visible as bus tours companies. But future of tourism is here...pasionnate local-guides that likes to share their knowledge, brings you into local places, takes no commission from anybody. The real France, the real French and the true experience, are here.