Western Europe
France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Paris and Provence, castles and coastlines, gardens, whisky and the D-Day beaches.
Classic Europe, close to home
Western Europe is easy to reach and easy to combine. You can do Ireland and Scotland in one trip, London and Paris by train, or Normandy and the Loire with a few days in Paris.
Pick a country below to get started. Every card links to the full itinerary. My own first trip to Europe was to London when I was 15, and it’s still a wonderful place to begin.
Short flights from home and no language barrier in half of it. A good place for a first trip or a tenth.
Any escorted tour on this page can also be recreated as a private trip on your own dates. See Private & Custom Itineraries.
Katie
France
Paris with Provence and the Riviera, the D-Day beaches and Mont-Saint-Michel, a river cruise through Provence, or a trip built around food and wine.
Lyon, Provence & the Rhineland
River cruise · Viking
Fifteen days from Avignon to Amsterdam: Arles, Viviers, the Train de l’Ardèche, Lyon, Beaujolais and Burgundy, then Strasbourg, the Middle Rhine, Cologne and Kinderdijk’s windmills. Also sails the other way.
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Paris & the Heart of Normandy
River cruise · Viking
Round trip from Paris on the Seine: Monet’s Giverny, La Roche-Guyon, Rouen, the D-Day beaches and the American Cemetery, and Château Gaillard at Les Andelys.
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London, Paris & D-Day
River cruisetour · Viking
Four nights in London for the Churchill War Rooms, Bletchley Park and Portsmouth’s D-Day Museum, then the Seine through Normandy to Rouen and the Utah Beach Landing Museum.
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Grand Seine & Bordeaux
River cruise · AmaWaterways
Two weeks in France: Paris, Les Andelys, Le Havre for Normandy, Rouen and Monet’s Giverny, then the Bordeaux wine country of Saint-Émilion, Blaye, Pauillac and Cadillac.
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Taste of Bordeaux
River cruise · AmaWaterways
Round trip from Bordeaux on the Dordogne and Garonne: Saint-Émilion, Fronsac, the Blaye citadel, Pauillac and Cadillac, with wine hosts aboard.
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Grand France WWII Remembrance, with the Riviera & London
River cruise · Avalon
Twenty days: two nights on the Riviera, the Rhône to Lyon, the Seine to the Normandy beaches, and three nights in London.
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Seine & Rhine Revealed WWII Remembrance
River cruise · Avalon
Seventeen days: Paris and the Normandy landing beaches with a history expert aboard, then seven nights on the Rhine to Amsterdam.
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Rhine & Rhône Revealed for Wine Lovers
River cruise · Avalon
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Beaujolais and a Chardonnay cellar in Mâcon, then Alsace, the Rhine Gorge, Cologne and Amsterdam.
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A Culinary Experience in Burgundy & Provence
River cruise · Avalon
Avignon’s Palace of the Popes, Tournon and Lyon, with tastings, a sommelier dinner and a Paul Bocuse, style menu.
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Paris to Normandy WWII Remembrance, with London
River cruise · Avalon
The Seine to Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc and the American Cemetery, then the train to three nights in London.
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8 Days in France: Paris, Provence & the Riviera
Independent, TGV then self-drive
Paris and a Seine cruise, then Provence, the Luberon villages and two nights in Nice.
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France for Foodies: Paris, the Loire & Bordeaux
Independent
A cooking class in Paris, Loire wines and châteaux, and Saint-Émilion.
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Paris, Normandy & the Loire Valley
Private
Versailles and Giverny, a day at the D-Day sites, the Bayeux Tapestry, Mont-Saint-Michel and the Loire.
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Lyon & Provence
River cruise
The Rhône from Avignon and Arles to Lyon, with the Beaujolais vineyards.
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London & Paris
Escorted
Guided sightseeing and river cruises in both cities, Montmartre, and plenty of free time.
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Band of Brothers
Escorted
All five D-Day beaches, then the Battle of the Bulge and on to the Eagle’s Nest.
See the full itinerary →Ireland
Drive it yourself, take an escorted tour, stay in castles on a honeymoon, or trace your family’s roots.
“An Irishman’s heart is nothing but his imagination.”George Bernard Shaw
Classic Ireland
Self-drive
A full loop of north and south: Belfast and the Antrim coast, Connemara, the Cliffs of Moher and the Ring of Kerry.
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Irish Escape
Escorted
A week in the quieter season: the Cliffs of Moher, the Ring of Kerry, Blarney and Kilkenny.
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The Ultimate Honeymoon in Ireland
Flexible self-drive
Castle, manor and B&B stays booked ahead, on a route built around the two of you.
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Tracing Irish Ancestry
Private, with genealogists
A driver-guide, stops chosen from your family research, and a day with a genealogist.
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Heritage Journey across the Emerald North
Private
County Down to Derry with a private driver, then the Wild Atlantic Way to the Slieve League cliffs.
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Highlights of Dublin & Edinburgh
Independent
A literary pub crawl in Dublin, then Edinburgh Castle, a food walk and a whisky day.
See the full itinerary →United Kingdom
Scotland by car or small group, whisky on Islay, English gardens, and trips built around wartime and family history.
“Wherever I wander, wherever I rove, the hills of the Highlands for ever I love.”Robert Burns
Scottish Icons
Flexible self-drive
A road trip at your own pace taking in the Isle of Skye, St Andrews, Loch Ness and Edinburgh, with castles, manors and B&Bs booked ahead.
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Celtic Highlights
Escorted
Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the Lake District: Loch Ness, Glen Coe, the Giant’s Causeway, the Ring of Kerry and Snowdonia.
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Isle of Islay & the Whisky Coast
Small group
Three nights at Bowmore and the island’s best-known distilleries.
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London & Edinburgh for Foodies
Independent, by train
Food tours in London and Greenwich, a Thames dinner cruise, then whisky and a food walk in Edinburgh.
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English Gardens & the Chelsea Flower Show
Private group
Sissinghurst, Great Dixter, Blenheim, Hidcote and Highgrove, the Cotswold villages, and the Chelsea Flower Show in May.
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Heritage Journey: American Airfields in England
Private, with genealogists
Wartime sites tied to your family, the Tower of London, Churchill’s bunker, Canterbury and Dover.
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Scottish Family Heritage Journey
Private, with genealogists
The Lowlands with a driver-guide and a day with an on-site genealogist at your family’s places.
See the full itinerary →Netherlands, Belgium & Luxembourg
Canals and museums, Belgian chocolate and beer, the Rhine to Amsterdam, and the history of the Ardennes.
Tulip Time for Beer Enthusiasts
River cruise · Avalon
The Tulip Time route with a beer expert aboard, brewery visits in Antwerp and Ghent, and Keukenhof in bloom.
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Tulip Time Cruise
River cruise · Avalon · spring
Keukenhof’s seven million bulbs, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Ghent and Middelburg, ending with an Amsterdam canal cruise.
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Amsterdam & Brussels: A Dynamic Duo
Independent, by train
The Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum, windmills at Zaanse Schans, then Brussels and a day in Antwerp.
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Rhine Getaway
River cruise
Alsace, the castles of the Middle Rhine and Cologne, finishing at Kinderdijk and Amsterdam.
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Band of Brothers
Escorted
Bastogne and the foxholes of Bois Jacques, and the Luxembourg American Cemetery.
See the full itinerary →“Katie was excellent to work with when we decided to take a trip to Scotland. Very seamless, professional and highly recommended. Will be booking with her for future trips.”
Questions About Western Europe
Can I combine Ireland and Scotland?
Yes. Celtic Highlights does it as an escorted tour, and Dublin & Edinburgh links the two cities independently. A private trip can be built either way.
Do I need to drive in Ireland?
No, though many people enjoy it. Ireland drives on the left, so I usually recommend an automatic. If you’d rather not drive, an escorted tour or a private driver covers the same places.
What’s the easiest way between London and Paris?
The train under the Channel, city center to city center. It’s part of the London & Paris tour and easy to add to a private trip.
When is the Chelsea Flower Show?
It’s held each May, so the English Gardens trip is planned around those dates and fills early.
What does it cost to work with you?
For custom trips, my planning fee starts at $50 per person for a single city, and starts at $100 per person per city for a multi-city trip. Other trips vary, and I’ll tell you the exact fee before we start. My How It Works guide walks you through exactly how I plan your trip, step by step.
Let’s Plan Your Western Europe Trip
Tell me which countries you’re drawn to and when you can travel. I’ll take it from there.
