Special-Interest Vacations

In a country as diverse and popular as France, there are numerous options.

Ballooning -- The world's largest hot-air-balloon operator is Buddy Bombard's Private Europe, 333 Pershing Way, West Palm Beach, FL 33401 (tel. 800/862-8537 or 561/837-6610; fax 561/837-6623; www.buddybombard.com). It maintains about three dozen hot-air balloons, some in the Loire Valley and Burgundy. The 5-day tours, costing $7,844 per person (double occupancy), incorporate food and wine tasting and all meals, lodging in Relais & Châteaux hotels, sightseeing, rail transfers to and from Paris, and a daily balloon ride over vineyards and fields.

Bonaventura Balloon Co., 133 Wall Rd., Napa Valley, CA 94573 (tel. 800/FLY-NAPA or 707/944-2822; fax 707/944-2220; www.bonaventuraballoons.com), meets you in Paris and takes you on the high-speed train to Burgundy, where your balloon tour begins. It carries you over the scenic parts of the region. Guests stay in a 14th-century mill, now an inn owned by a three-star chef. A 7- to 9-day trip is $2,695 per person, including sightseeing in Paris, two balloon trips, lodging, cooking classes, wine tasting, and at least one meal per day.

Barge Cruises -- Before the advent of the railways, many crops, building supplies, raw materials, and finished products were barged through France on a series of rivers, canals, and estuaries. Many of these waterways retain their old-fashioned locks and pumps, allowing shallow-draft barges easy access through the idyllic countryside.

French Country Waterways, Ltd., P.O. Box 2195, Duxbury, MA 02331 (tel. 800/222-1236 or 781/934-2454; www.fcwl.com), leads 1-week tours through Burgundy and Champagne. For double occupancy, the price ranges from $4,095 to $5,995.

Le Boat, 980 Awald Rd., Annapolis, MD 21403 (tel. 800/992-0291 or 410/972-3008; fax 410/280-2406; www.leboat.com), focuses on regions of France not covered by many other operators. The company's luxury crafts fit through the narrow canals and locks of Camargue, Languedoc, and Provence. Each 6-night tour has 10 passengers in five cabins outfitted with mahogany and brass, plus meals prepared by a cordon bleu chef. Prices vary widely; for example, 6 nights in the Upper Loire begin at $3,700 per person, rising to $6,000 in summer.

Go Barging (tel. 800/394-8630; www.gobarging.com) operates Great Island Voyages, featuring river cruise ships. Fares start at $2,690 per person (double occupancy) for a 6-night cruise, including room, breakfast, and dinner. Bicycles are carried onboard for sightseeing trips. This company also offers cruises in the Loire Valley and the south of France.

Bicycling Tours -- Some of the best cycling tours of France are offered by VBT (Deluxe Bicycle Vacations), 614 Monkton Rd., Bristol, VT 05443 (tel. 800/245-3868; www.vbt.com), which offers trips in five of the most scenic parts of France. These range from Burgundy (which combines a barge tour) to the Loire Valley, even Provence and the Normandy Coast. Packages are priced from $2,495 to $3,445 per person.

Classic Adventures, P.O. Box 143, Hamlin, NY 14464 (tel. 800/777-8090; fax 585/964-7297; www.classicadventures.com), sponsors 6- to 10-day spring and fall tours of the Loire Valley and the Dordogne. Accommodations are upscale, and tours are van-supported and escorted. The 6-day tour, including room, breakfast, and dinner, is $2,489 per person, and for the Loire Valley, a 10-day tour of the Dordogne costs $3,129.

Euro-Bike & Walking Tours, P.O. Box 990, DeKalb, IL 60115 (tel. 800/321-6060 or 815/758-8851; www.eurobike.com), offers 10-day tours in the Dordogne ($2,300-$3,830 per person), 11-day tours in Provence ($3,250-$4,340 per person), 6-day tours of Burgundy ($1,580-$2,630 per person), and 8-day tours of the Loire ($2,050-$3,420 per person). All are escorted and include room, breakfast, and dinner.

Go-today.com (a division of Europe Express), 19021 120th Ave. NE, Suite 102, Bothell, WA 98011 (tel. 800/227-3235; www.go-today.com), has biking and walking tours of Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Dordogne, the Loire Valley, and Provence. An 8-day self-guided bike tour is $1,599 per person, double occupancy. All tours include overnight accommodations and most meals. Guided tours include van support and a guide; on nonguided tours, you'll always have the name of an English-speaking local contact.

Cooking Schools -- The famous/infamous Georges-Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935) taught the Edwardians how to eat. Today the Hôtel Ritz maintains the Ritz-Escoffier Ecole de Gastronomie Française, 38 rue Cambon, 75001 Paris (tel. 01-43-16-30-50; www.ritzparis.com), which offers demonstration classes of the master's techniques on Saturdays. These cost 125€ ($163) each. Courses, taught in French and English, start at 980€ ($1,274) for 1 week, up to 5,550€ ($7,215) for 6 weeks.

Le Cordon Bleu, 8 rue Léon-Delhomme, 75015 Paris (tel. 800/457-2433 in the U.S., or 01-53-68-22-50; www.cordonbleu.edu), was established in 1895 and is the most famous French cooking school -- where Julia Child learned to perfect her pâté brisée and mousse au chocolat. The best-known courses last 10 weeks, after which you are awarded a certificate. Many enthusiasts prefer a less intense immersion and opt for a 4-day workshop or a 3-hour demonstration class. Enrollment in either is first-come, first-served; costs start at 30€ ($39) for a demonstration and start at 889€ ($1,156) for the 4-day workshop. Classes are in English.

Language Schools -- The Alliance Française, 101 bd. Raspail, Paris 75270 (tel. 01-42-84-90-00; fax 01-42-84-91-00; www.alliancefr.org), a nonprofit organization with a network of 1,100 establishments in 138 countries, offers French-language courses to some 350,000 students. The school in Paris is open all year; month-long courses range from 350€ to 660€ ($455-$858), depending on the number of hours per day. Request information and an application at least 1 month before your departure. In North America, the largest branch is the Alliance Française, 1 N. LaSalle St., Suite 1350, Chicago, IL 60602 (tel. 800/6-FRANCE; fax 800/491-6980; www.afusa.org).

A clearinghouse for information on French-language schools is Lingua Service Worldwide, 42 Artillery Dr., Woodbury, CT 06798 (tel. 800/394-LEARN or 203/263-6294; www.linguaserviceworldwide.com). Its programs are available in many cities throughout France. They cost $920 to $2,250 for 2 weeks, depending on the city, the school, and the accommodations.

Music Tours -- One outfit that coordinates hotel stays in Paris with major musical events, usually in at least one (and often both) of the city's opera houses, is Dailey-Thorp Travel, P.O. Box 670, Big Horn, Wyoming 82833 (tel. 800/998-4677 or 307/673-1555; fax 307/674-7474; www.daileythorp.com). Sojourns tend to last 3 to 7 days and, in many cases, tie in with performances in other cities (usually London, Berlin, or Milan). Expect accommodations in deluxe hotels such as the Hôtel du Louvre or the Hôtel Scribe, and a staff that has made arrangements for all the nuts and bolts of your arrival in, and artistic exposure to, Paris.

Tennis Tours -- Die-hard fans around the world set their calendars by the French Open, held at Paris's Roland-Garros stadium. You can book your hotel and tickets to the event on your own, but if you're unsure about scheduling, consider a California-based company, Advantage Tennis Tours, 33 White Sail Dr., Suite 100, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 (tel. 800/341-8687 or 949/661-7331; fax 949/489-2837; www.advantagetennistours.com). They typically book packages including 5 or 6 nights of hotel accommodations in Paris, 2 or 3 days on Center Court, and the skills of a bilingual hostess; rates per person, without airfare, begin at $2,995, double occupancy, depending on your choice of hotel and the duration of your visit.