2 Weeks in France

2 Weeks in France

Combine any two regions: Alsace, Northern or Southern Burgundy, Bordeaux & the Dordogne, the Cévennes, Provence, the Loire Valley or Champagne. You can even create other combinations with our two part-French trips, in the Basque Country or in Switzerland and the regions bordering (the Jura and the Savoie).

On this page, you will find a complete list of all of our 2-week trips in France. The chart offers links to the detailed region-by-region routes that different departures follow, and lists prices and departure dates.

Having trouble choosing? Follow this link for a general introduction to our French routes.

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A Certain “Joie de Vivre”

France is a special place, about which few are dispassionate. Her appeal is hard to explain. An Economist statistical analysis of “Best Places to Live” put her 11th. But then they simply polled their staff, and she won hands down.

A strong native culture insulates her from American influence, and complicates our understanding. Her rejection of our certainties frustrates us... but we are drawn to the result. Commentators and pundits doggedly predict the demise of the exception française, which nonetheless soldiers on. And their fascination (obsession?) with the topic is symptomatic.

Approached with an open mind, France’s culture is terrifically rewarding. The more you understand, the more layers of tradition and social influence are stripped away, revealing fundamental roots of a delightful lifestyle.

It is no accident that Blue Marble’s home office is in Paris. French culture fits ours in many respects (7 weeks’ paid vacation, for instance) and influences our style of travel even in other countries.

And then there is the food. And the wine! The French table is a deity: the great social organizer, leisure activity, consumer of disposable income. If the French have such a solid reputation for their gastronomy, it is because they spend their time on it, and inevitably we shall, too. And then cycle through picture-book landscapes to work it off. Well, try to work it off.

This is an à la carte selection of our French routes. Each departure of the trip includes two different itineraries.

2 Weeks in France
Note that some of the most popular of these combo trips have their own pages, linked from the chart.
For trips combining France and Switzerland, try *C’est* Cheese (with Southern Burgundy),
or White Wine Roads (with Alsace)
To visit France (the Loire Valley) and the French / Spanish Basque Country, try Tapestries and Tapas.
2008 Dates	Baggage Services Offered** (optional)	Trip Prices* $US or C	Trip Prices* €	Trip Name or Code	Regions Visited
~~May 11 - 24~~	Half - Lite	$3,650	2,390€		Provence, Bordeaux & the Dordogne — Trip Full
May 17 - 31	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,750	2,475€	Rivers & Canyons	Bordeaux & the Dordogne, the Cévennes
~~May 17 - 30~~	Daily - Lite	$3,375	2,225€	Red Wine Roads	Bordeaux & the Dordogne, Southern Burgundy — Trip Full
May 24 - June 6	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,425	2,295€	Roman Souvenirs	The Cévennes, Provence
May 25 - June 6	Daily - Lite	$2,950	1,975€	Tx51	Southern Burgundy, Provence — Trip Full
June 1 - 13	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,375	2,195€	Tx52	Provence, the Loire Valley
June 7 - 21	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,795	2,425€	Tapestries & Tapas	The Loire Valley, 1T, Basque Country
June 14 - 27	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,695	2,395€	Tx53	Basque Country, Northern Burgundy
June 22 - July 4	Daily - Half - Lite	$2,995	1,850€	Burgundy Biking	Northern Burgundy, Southern Burgundy
June 22 - July 5	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,495	2,250€	Tx54	Northern Burgundy, 1D, Alsace
June 28 - July 12	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,895	2,550€	Tx55	Alsace, Bordeaux & the Dordogne
June 28 - July 12	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,750	2,395€	White Wine Roads	Alsace, Switzerland
June 29 - July 12	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,275	2,075€	C’est Cheese	Southern Burgundy, 1D, Switzerland
June 29 - July 12	Half - Lite	$3,375	2,225€	Red Wine Roads	Southern Burgundy, Bordeaux & the Dordogne — Trip Full
~~July 5 - 19~~	Half - Lite	$3,595	2,475€	~~Rivers & Canyons~~	Bordeaux & the Dordogne, the Cévennes — Trip Full
~~July 12 - 25~~	Half - Lite	$3,250	2,250€	~~Tx56~~	The Cévennes, 1N, 1P, Champagne — Trip Full
August 3 - 15	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,275	2,125€	Tx57	Northern Burgundy, 1P, the Loire Valley
August 9 - 23	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,795	2,450€	Tx58	The Loire Valley, 1T, Switzerland
August 17 - 30	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,750	2,395€	White Wine Roads	Switzerland, Alsace
August 23 - Sept. 5	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,525	2,275€	Tx59	Alsace, the Loire Valley
August 23 - Sept. 5	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,325	2,195€	Tx510	Alsace, Southern Burgundy
August 30 - Sept. 13	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,795	2,425€	Tapestries & Tapas	Loire Valley, 1T, Basque
August 30 - Sept. 13	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,725	2,450€	Tx511	Loire Valley, 1T, Bordeaux & the Dordogne
August 31 - Sept. 13	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,495	2,295€	Tx512	Southern Burgundy, Basque
August 31 - Sept. 13	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,495	2,225€	Red Wine Roads	Southern Burgundy, 1D, Bordeaux & the Dordogne
September 6 - 20	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,750	2,475€	Rivers & Canyons	Bordeaux & the Dordogne, the Cévennes
September 13 - 26	Daily - Half - Lite	$3,425	2,295€	Roman Souvenirs	The Cévennes, Provence
* Prices in $ and € do not include precisely the same things. Click here for details, and for prices of optional extras: private single rooms, baggage services, and (in the case of the € price only) bike rental and shipping. At least 4 riders must subscribe to a given baggage service for it to operate. The services listed are those currently offered on the departure in question. Services which appear in bold** already have at least 3 subscribers (so, one more would ensure their operation). See here for a discussion of our baggage services.
Notes on Travel Between Regions Numbers (1 or 2) indicate that the trip includes 1 or 2 independent nights between regions. The letters (P, D, M, T and A) tell you where they fall. (P) is Paris; (D) is Burgundy’s capital, Dijon; (M) is another Burgundian regional center, Montbard; (T) is Tours, the biggest city in the heart of the Loire Valley, and one of France’s most beautiful; (A) is Aix-en-Provence. So, for instance, a notation 1A indicates that an independent night is spent in Aix-en-Provence between two regions. Hotel and breakfast are provided as part of the trip cost. Nights in the same places which are an integral part of your trip (a Blue Marble coordinator is present) are not specifically mentioned. If you subscribe to a Baggage Transfer service, baggage is available to you on any transition nights between the trips. Conversely, you may have to travel between the trips with both your luggage and your bicycle, which involves a certain amount of athletic effort and complexity (for instance, you may have to lock your bike at the station, walk your bags to the hotel, and return to the station for your bike). Your bicycle may or may not be available to you during the transition days, but if you want it, ask about the possibilities. We have some flexibility here in some cases. We select the route and timing of your travel between the two regions composing your trip. However, if our choices do not reflect your preferences, you may be able to negotiate an alternate plan at a generally modest extra cost.