Western Europe Gardens and Treasures | Small Group Tour in Europe

Odyssey offers easy, convenient, and relaxed escorted small group tours across Western Europe and beyond. We explore Belgium, Luxembourg and France’s fairy-tale natural beauty, its heritage, its World Heritage Sites, and world famous cities, all with some truly spectacular scenery along the way. This and more is all waiting to be explored on one of Odyssey’s small group tours of Belgium, Luxembourg and France, designed for the senior traveller, and led by experienced, and enthusiastic like minded people.

This short escorted tour combines visits to France, Belgium and Luxembourg. During our 13-day garden tour journey, we will discover a selection of the finest gardens and chateau x in Europe. Your knowledge is extended as professional guides share their studies of the culture and history of the places visited on gardens tour France and  Western Europe Gardens and Treasures small group tour begins in Paris and ends in Luxembourg. A longer version of the tour (26 days) is also available if you would like to spend longer learning about garden design and exploring more of the finest gardens.

Paris

This Western Europe treasures and gardens small group tour begins in the pedestrian-friendly city of Paris. Here we explore Parisian arrondissements (rounded off areas or boroughs) by both foot and bus. We visit the Seine and the historic districts on the Left and Right Banks, then visit Paris gardens, starting with the Bagatelle Gardens, a landscaped garden dating back to the 18th century. Now a botanical garden of the city of Paris, it is famous for its rose garden and annual international roses contest held since 1907. We stop to view the famous Parc Andrew Citroen, a 35 acre park built on the site of the Citroen factory. If spending extra time in the city before the tour, you may wish to visit Luxembourg Garden (Jardin du Luxembourg), dating back to 1612,it covers 23 hectares and is known for its lawns, tree-lined promenades, flower garden, model sailboats on its circular basin, and picturesque Medici Fountain.

Giverny

Our next stop on this escorted tour is Giverny, where we explore Claude Monet’s house and garden. We also visit Les Andelys, where Great and Little Andelys grew towards each other over the centuries to form the present town. Given its strategic position, Richard the Lionheart, the Duke of Normandy, and the King of England built Chateau Gaillard on a cliff to protect the duchy and its capital, Rouen, from the French Crown. We also visit Harcourt, whose arboretum ranges over 25 acres and boasts a botanical collection of around 500 species. The oldest specimens date back to 200 years. The arboretum, created in 1810, surrounds a vast medieval fortress. The outer wall, moats, and facades of the fortress are still visible. Touring through these castles and palace(s) on guided tour, we begin to get a sense of how some of these French gardens were expressions of aristocracy and power.

Honfleur

We will visit Honfleur, a pivot of the Celtic Arc extending from Normandy through the west of England and Scotland. The origin of the name Honfleur comes from its Scandinavian landowner "Honna" followed by "flow". In the Nordic language this meant "cove or small estuary". The word eventually became "fjord" in Scandinavian, while in French it evolved into "fleur", which can be found in the name of many small Norman towns: Barfleur, Harfleur, and Honfleur. As early as the 11th century, Honfleur was one of the most important towns in the dukedom of Normandy.

Highlights

Other highlights of the tour include a memorial service in Villers-Bretonneux. During World War I, this saw the greatest sacrifice of Australian and New Zealand troops. Travellers on this garden tour have the chance to explore Bruges then roam through the Bagatelle Rose Gardens, and the Gardens of Annevoie. Learn from professional guides about castle of Vianden in Luxembourg. For lovers of Europe, this tour encompasses breathtaking scenery, delicious regional cuisine and some of Europe's hidden gems you might not have had a chance to visit before. Stroll through some of the world's most beautiful and remarkable gardens on this unique travel experience, accompanied by a knowledgeable local guide. This will be vacation like no other where you will gain an insight into some of the most interesting history Europe has to offer.

This is one of more than 70 small group escorted tour offered by Odyssey Travel each year.  These small group tours visit some of the best places in Europe and are suited to the senior or mature couple or solo traveller. 

Note: This tour was previously known as "Odyssey through the Low Countries  or Treasures of Western Europe."

For more details, click the ‘Top 5’ or ‘Itinerary’ buttons above! If you’re keen to experience this tour, please call or send an email. Or, to book, simply fill in the form on the right hand side of this page.

• Art and Literature
• Discovery
• Level 2 - Moderate
• Short Trip