A Perfect France Tour for Families

Eric planned the perfect holiday in France. Our driver was waiting for us on arrival. Off to Normandy for our first three nights, with a quick stop at Monet's garden at Giverny. Our guide brought the water lilies to life. We checked in at an amazing five-star hotel. Do not miss either of their two Michelin-star restaurants. It's a short walk into Port-en-Bessin-Huppain, where you will find many restaurants. We spent two days exploring everything Normandy and World War 2 with an exceptional guide.

Paris did not disappoint. We hit the ground running. Eric arranged a tour of Paris by car. The evening dinner cruise on the River Seine was definitely a highlight of the trip, as were beautiful views of the city lit up at night, including the Eiffel Tower. I had no idea how beautiful the Palace and Gardens of Versailles are - the restaurant on-site by the lake with rowboats is wonderful. Of course, the guide matters - she was the best! If you're a foodie, make sure you schedule a cooking class with our chef. Shopping at the local markets is an adventure in itself. I've been able to recreate the meal back in the States.

We chose to explore the Champagne houses on this trip. Both were exceptional and yes, we brought home four bottles. In between houses, we had the most wonderful lunch with a champagne flight at Au 36 in Hautvillers. A trip to Paris would not be complete without visiting the Louvre and Orangerie museums. We completed our holiday with a flute of champagne at the top of the Eiffel Tower! 

Eric and the guides made perfect restaurant recommendations. I most definitely recommend him and the travel agency!

Thank you to our travel planner and her company for helping us plan and schedule an amazing trip to Europe for our grand daughter’s graduation from high school.  This was a multi-generational tour - grandchildren, parents and grandparents.The trip was a year in the making to see the highlights and do some of the not to ordinary experiences in London and Paris, plus an extension to Budapest, Salzburg and Munich for the grandparents.  Our travel planner was attentive to our desires to do and see certain attractions, but also she suggested sights and activities unique to the places we were to visit.  She located condos in center city which were accessed by walking or public transportation to the major sites on our itinerary  ( We purchased Oyster Cards in London to make for quick and easy access on public transportation.)

Upon arriving in London we settled into our condo and then took off on our first adventure to ride on the Coca-Cola London Eye with  beautiful views of the city and then do a thrilling ride on the River Thames.  To highlight the activities in London: (the parents had previously visited London and Paris two times and the grandparents three times)  tour of Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral; in the evening  of the second day it was a dark, cold and rainy setting the stage for our Jack the Ripper Tour.  It made the walk on the cobbled alleyways eerie and thrilling reminding us of days gone by.  On our second full day we visited Wimbledon with behind the scenes visits of facilities used by the press, broadcasters and the world’s best tennis players.  Our grand daughters and their mother play tennis so it was very exciting for them to see the grass courts and to envision the championship players on center court.  Back to center city to visit the Tower of London to see the royal jewels and to hear the history of the castle and of those who were executed there.  Day three we were able to see the various stages of the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace,.  We didn’t have to stand in line for hours, as we had done in the past, but instead were able to see the inspection, Old Guard, New Guard, Palaces and were even able to march alongside the Guard and the Ceremonial Bands.

Leaving London, we arrived in Paris and were met and transferred to our centrally located condo.  On our first full day in France we traveled to Normandy via train.  We visited the Caen War Memorial, the Normandy Landing Beaches walking on the beaches where so many lost their lives fighting for our freedom and for those in other countries.  After lunch we visited the American Military Cemetery to remind us of the human sacrifice.

We purchased 4-day Museum Passes in Paris in order to visit the museums on our own time frame: the Louvre, the d’Orsay, the Rodin and the Palace of Versailles.  We put on our walking shoes and walked to the museums and other major sites: Notre Dame, the Eifel Tower, the Arc of Triumph and the Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise over the next four days.  In the evening of our second full day in Paris we did a Gourmet Food Tour walking in the Les Halles-Montorqueil section of Paris.  We sampled wonderful pastries, cheese, sausage, wines and candies from this famous area.After seeing Versailles three times before we were excited about the unique visit our travel planner had arranged for us.  We did a bike tour in the town of Versailles, purchased items for a picnic lunch and then pedaled out to the Palace grounds.  We explored Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet, and the Petit and Grand Trianons, picnicked at the end of the Grand Canal and skipped the lines to tour the Palace.

To end our tour in Paris and to send the grand daughters and their parents off to home, we highlighted the last night with a dinner cruise.  We all enjoyed the fine cuisine and the beautiful night time views of Paris along the River Seine.

We as grandparents continued our journey to Budapest, Salzburg, and Munich.  Staying in centrally located hotels we were able to walk to main attractions and to easily meet our guides for our tours.  In Budapest we did a walking tour of Pest learning about the history, legends and myths while visiting the major sites.  Our second day we took a market tour in one of Europe’s finest halls while sampling several foods and drinks.  Leaving the city we visited a winery-owned restaurant in Etyek for lunch and then drove to a family run winery for a wine tasting.Leaving Budapest we went by train to Salzburg via train.  (We found the trains comfortable, clean and an easy way to move from city to city and country to country. 

Doing the “Sound of Music” Tour was a highlight for us after enjoying the movie over the last fifty years.  We also visited the Fortress of Hohensalzberg, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birthplace, did a Mozart concert at the Fortress and toured the beautiful Salzkammergut area. 

Onto Munich for three days.  We enjoyed a walking/driving tour of the city with stops at the Bavarian monarchs palace, the 1972 Summer Olympic Park, the BMW Plant and the famous Hofbrauhaus.  On day two we went outside the city by train to the see King Ludwig‘s castles.  We marveled at the natural beauty of the Alps and villages and the magnificence of the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles.  To complete our stay we took a five hour tour to the Dachau Concentration Camp.  Our guide gave us a detailed tour of the camp and the memorials.  A sobering experience and “lest we forget” all those who lost their lives.

The total trip was remarkable and a special thank you goes out to our tour designer for her expertise and diligence in making everything work together in our time frame.  Her attention to detail was awesome: we had a detailed itinerary, all necessary vouchers for attractions and travel, excellent guides and accommodations.  We highly recommend this company and our outstanding agent.

Thank you to Zicasso for pairing us with our travel agency and their representative, who was wonderful and attentive. She checked in on us during the trip and surprised us with complimentary champagne for our 30th anniversary! She made sure everything during our 14 days around London, Jersey (an English Channel Island), Normandy, and Paris was very smooth, with professional tours, private drivers, and seamless connection points.

We couldn't have asked for better private and small-group guides, and I highly recommend them all. The guide in London was extremely knowledgeable, patient, and flexible while showing us around Soho and downtown. Another guide gave us background on past and present events for the tour of Windsor Castle. He was hilarious and an absolute treasure. Our other guide was a fantastic historian and showed us around Mont St. Michel on its 1,000th anniversary. Another guide took us on the most delicious Normandy cheese, cider, and Calvados tour, educating us on the processes. Our Giverny guide got us into Monet's Garden early, before the crowds, allowing for gorgeous pictures. Lastly, our St. Germain Secret Food tour guide took us to a Basque restaurant, where food and wine were so good you never want to leave.

This vacation trip in France for my wife and me was during the first two weeks of April, 2023.  It was springtime, with colorful flowers by the bunches in their prime everywhere we looked.  Trees and vineyards were just starting to green out for the coming season.  We initially contacted Zicasso in late-2022 about the possibility of this trip.  Zicasso connected us with the travel agency and our travel agent, Laurence for planning and arrangements.  She was responsive and good to work with as we exchanged itinerary ideas that converged to a plan.  She arranged to personally meet us at our Paris hotel at the beginning of our trip and that was a personal touch we appreciated.  Laurence was flawless throughout our trip in her arrangements for a car and driver every time we needed it such as taking us from CDG after the long flight to the boutique hotel near Luxembourg Garden.  She got us tickets for our visit to Musee d'Orsay, the beautiful and historic Chapel at Sainte Chapelle, and reservations for a couple of nice restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.  After a couple of days in Paris, she had a car for us to drive to Giverny and the Normandy Coast where her guide gave us a memorable, all-day, private tour of the D-Day beaches.  The next day, another private tour guide led us through Mont St Michel.  Spectacular!  Terrific tour.  Then, on to the Loire Valley where another of Laurence's private tour guides took us through the large Royal Chateau and Clos Luce where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years.  We were also able to visit Chateaus Chambord, Chaumont and Chenenceau.  Wow!  We also got the opportunity for a bicycle tour along the river.  To our surprise, that tour guide arranged to have a table set up for us under a shady tree in the middle of a vineyard where we enjoyed tasting really good local wines.  Then, our plan took us via the high-speed TGV train to Avignon in Southern France.  Laurence got us very nice, roomy accommodations in a B&B inside the city walls and within walking distance of the many historic sights and restaurants.  Tour guides took us sightseeing in nearby, beautifully preserved historical cities and villages including Arles, Nimes, Luberon, Goult, Pont du Gard and more.  We were busy.  More importantly, visiting the French countryside was a wonderful, unforgettable opportunity.  Given the quality of this trip, I highly recommend this travel agency and Laurence for planning such trips.  Excellent, excellent in every way.

Dan Hogan

Our trip to France was laid out to keep us on the move and see as much of Paris and Normandy as would be comfortable on a vacation.  The trip met our expectations, and was very enjoyable as vacations should be.  The weather was a little unsettling at time, some light rain, but for the most part most days just needed a sweater or light rain jacket, one day we needed to carry an umbrella. 

Of course the pick up at the airport is wonderful, after being in a jet for 12 hours, having not to worry about taxi or shuttle or rental car to get to the hotel is wonderful.  Our driver was very professional and wasted no time in getting us to our hotel.  He was not overly talkative but very polite and competent in his duties. Key point here, we avoided driving a car is Paris!

Our hotel that Zicasso booked for us was perfect. Just on the edge of the city, not too busy but within easy travel of most points we were interested in.  The room was clean, the staff very nice, and the daily breakfast was outstanding. The place where to relax and rest every day is very important, the the hotel was ideal for us... this made our time in Paris very pleasurable.   

We scheduled some tours (both private and group) through Zicasso, all were nice. Some involved transportation, which for the most part was great.... we did have one little miscue on a taxi ride, but one phone call to the Zicasso agent quickly resolved the potential problem and we made the tour as planned (out to Giverny). We did schedule a couple of walking tours but we would suggest letting the Zicasso agent take care of the tour details, especially those involving travel (train or van).

One of the most enjoyable days for us was having lunch on a luxury boat traveling the Seine river.  This was a 2 hour cruise on a glass covered boat, during light rain, enjoying French cuisine that is freshly prepared on board each day and served accordingly. It was wonderful being served this great food, with live entertainment, while slowly cruising the river and watching the Eiffel Tower pass in front. Actually was romantic, how very French!

We spent most of our time in Paris, but the last 3 days we journeyed over to Bayeux in Normandy, This was outstanding!  We stayed in a B&B that was dated 1560, but was in perfect condition (huge rooms), the hostess was most pleasant and kind... she served a great breakfast each morning, and kindly arranged several reservations for dinner for us. We were less than one block from Notre-Dame Cathedral (unbelievable).  Great shopping here too.

I'm kind of a history follower, so investigating this town and nearby places was wonderful. The tours that Zicasso arranged for us were right on.  We visited Utah, Omaha and Sword beaches (we were able to walk on Omaha and Sword at low tide).  We of course visited as many museums as we could, there are a couple of must do's, but there are many little privately operated places  (like next to a restaurant or quick stop) that have may pieces of memorabilia... we actually had one of the tour guides do a couple of unscheduled stops at these little places so I might take a few pictures, very cool.

The trip back to the airport (CDG) from Normandy was taken care of by Zicasso, of course, on time with no problems. I want to give out special kudos's to our driver that took us to the train station for the trip from Paris to Normandy: Beside not having to drive on these narrow packed streets, he promptly took us and our luggage to the station, he pulled up onto the curb right at the traffic light at the intersection (parking looked crazy), and I thought he was going to kindly drop us off on the side walk and be off (this is what I would expect). He unloaded our luggage and took us into the station (leaving his Mercedes van on the curb), had us wait a few minutes in the main lobby while he investigated where our train dock was (we don't read or speak French), and then escorted us on a 3 minute brisk walk through the main station to a remote dock and found our train number, and then explained what to look for on the overhead monitor when the train was ready to board.  This man is a true gentlemen.

The entire trip was wonderful!

Thank you Zicasso 

Working with Zicasso was great!  Our contact person was responsive to our questions and got us a sample itinerary quickly.  She was very helpful in adjusting the itinerary to meet our family’s needs.  She was also helpful in guiding through what would be reasonable expectations in terms of days in each city, day trips that might work with our locations and re-arranging the order of the cities to help with flight costs.

Once we started our trip we had another contact.  She was amazing!  She was quick to respond whenever we had questions.  On the day we arrived in Paris, we were supposed to meet a tour group on a street corner for a tour of the Eiffel Tower.  Unfortunately, the meeting place was changed and we were not informed.  The street corner was quite a distance from the Eiffel tower so we couldn’t just ask at the information desk as we were no where near it so we just waited.  Eventually, when we were 15 minutes past the meeting time, I emailed and called our contact.  She got back to me pretty quickly and figured out that the meeting place had changed.  By that time, our tour group had left.  We were pretty frustrated, but our contact made some quick phone calls and got us added onto another group at a later time.  We were really grateful as we didn’t really have any significant down time in our schedule to come back to see the Eiffel Tower another day.  She even offered to reimburse us for a dinner for our trouble.  Amazing customer service.  In regards to the mix up to begin with, I don’t know if you have any say in meeting places, but our original meeting place on the street corner was a bit odd as it was a good 15-20 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower and it doesn’t really seem to make sense why it was so far away when there were obviously many groups meeting right at the base of the tower.

London - This may have been our favorite part of the trip (but it was all amazing so it’s hard to pick!).  We were thrilled with the location of our hotel - in the theater district.  It is a lovely part of town and we walked around a lot.  We were also right next to a tube station which was handy.  The hotel itself, including the staff was fantastic.  The meeting places for various tours was clear and it was pretty easy to get around (really glad we didn’t rent a car as the driving looks terrifying!).

Paris - The hotel was very pretty, but incredibly ornate and the rooms were small, a little less kid friendly than the other hotels.  Honestly, the small room size was actually what we were expecting in all the cities, so it wasn’t a big deal.  Our day trip to Versailles and Giverny was excellent.  Our guide was very good.  The walking tour of Île de la Cité was also very good - it would be good to mention the amount of walking for certain tours.  That day we had the walking tour in the morning, about 90 minutes break, then the Louvre tour in the afternoon.  We decided to walk from the hotel to  Île de la Cité which was probably a 45 minute walk.  We ended up walking for probably 8-10 hours, including walking the 400 some steps to the top of Notre Dame, that day and were exhausted (it also happened to be 90+ degrees out).  If we had known how much walking we’d be doing that day, we would probably have taken a taxi.  The Louvre scavenger hunt tour was probably our least favorite event of the trip.  The guide was very nice, but the scavenger hunt was not that great.  Our kids are 11, 15 and 18 and I think are a little too old to have been very engaged by it.  It also seemed like we were just rushed from one part of the museum to another looking for the next “clue”.  There were some things we weren’t interested in and others that we would have rather spent more time.  There was a lot of walking there and after spending the morning walking in the heat, I think we were pretty tired.  The Louvre is so big that I don’t know of a better way to see it, but those were our thoughts.

Barcelona - The hotel was very nice - it’s too bad they limit the air conditioning because it was very hot there too.  We did expect the heat, but were a little surprised at how few places had air conditioning (or kept it at a pretty warm setting).  The hotel staff was nice, but some of them didn’t seem very knowledgeable regarding locations of restaurants or meeting places.  The one thing we would have liked to have known ahead of time is regarding Park Guell.  We had an open afternoon and there suggestions on our itinerary to go to the beach or to Park Guell.  When we asked about the beach, we were told that the only one that was recommended was about an hour away by bus - we were told the others had a lot of vendors and that at those beaches, we could expect to be approached to buy things every 30 seconds.  When we asked about Park Guell, we were told that tickets need to be purchased a day in advance (on the itinerary, it seemed like we could just show up, get a ticket and walk around).  Luckily, we were able to work it into our schedule because it was worth it!

Rome - The hotel rooms were small, but nice.  The staff was pretty nice, but not especially helpful with our transportation questions.  On the day we were to see the Colosseum, we planned to take a taxi as it was pretty far to walk.  We asked the front desk staff the night before about getting a taxi (because there were 5 of us) and were told we just needed to come to the lobby when we were ready and they would call one.  That day, we found out that if we wanted a taxi for 5, it should have been scheduled in advance.  We were basically told to walk to the taxi station on the corner and hope that one with enough seats came by.  After a bit of a wait, we did get one, but it was pretty stressful since by then it was much too late to walk and get there on time.  In general, transportation was the biggest issue in Rome since none of it other than shuttles to and from the airport was arranged.  We loved the city itself.