Local Living Tours & Trips in France and Spain

Try a traditional crepe with a drink in the Breton village of Dinan, then wander through Renaissance Sarlat-la-Canéda's cobblestone streets where locals shop at outdoor markets. You'll see Collonges-la-Rouge, built entirely with red stone by medieval craftsmen, and walk through Saint-Émilion's wine village in Bordeaux's vineyards.

Get a feel for Basque culture in San Sebastian's Parte Vieja district as you walk through Centro Romántico and spend time at Playa de la Concha beach, then take a hands-on MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® cooking class in Barcelona where you'll prepare paella and tapas with regional ingredients. Stay in hostels and local hotels across Paris, Bordeaux, and San Sebastian while checking out neighborhood markets and family-run places to eat.

You'll visit Quinta da Aveleda estate just outside Porto to see how they make wine there, then head to Freixo de Espada à Cinta where there's a museum showing traditional silk processing by hand. Later you'll wander through Provesende village and pop into Morgadio da Calçada manor house to try bola, a local pastry, before meeting a truffle farmer near Tournus.

See authentic French life by shopping with a Scenic chef at Avignon's markets, learning lavender cream-making at organic Provence farms, and tasting cheeses and calvados from Normandy producers. Join silk painting workshops in Lyon, create tiles in Porto, and watch traditional almond production at Casa Painova estate. Visit the old bakery in Provesende and walk through Quinta Aveleda's fairytale estate.

Cook traditional Spanish dishes in Barcelona during an optional MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® cooking class and get a taste of local life on a Pintxos tour through San Sebastian's Parte Vieja, sampling Basque tapas with locals. Check out Bordeaux's historic wine region where vineyards have produced wine since the 1st Century and stroll past the Miroir d'eau reflecting pool.

Stay at local quintas in the Douro Valley and take a tile-painting workshop in Porto, then learn traditional silk-making in Freixo de Espada à Cinta. Visit family-run olive estates in Regua, taste homemade bola at Provesende's Morgadio da Calçada manor, and shop with a Scenic chef at Avignon's market before heading back.