Olde Ipswich Tours

Olde Ipswich Tours Cultural tours for small groups, enjoying exceptional food & wine, staying at elegant accommodations Local Culture. Small Groups. Superlative Cuisine.

Cultural tours for small groups, indulging in exceptional food and wine, staying at elegant accommodations with regional character, all at an exceptional value. Small Groups
We travel with small groups of six to sixteen. This gives us many ways to give you an exceptional vacation. We can squeeze through tiny narrow streets in medieval villages. We can overnight in amazing, tiny towns that have no

large hotels. We can take you to small, intimate restaurants and even into friends’ homes for unforgettable experiences. We can organize hands-on cooking classes, charter small boats, go on truffle hunts, and enjoy local guides who can answer each and every question anyone may have. We can be flexible—want to squeeze a special request into our itinerary? Chances are we can pull it off. Want to learn to make limoncello in our friend’s kitchen? Have dinner with the owner of a winery in his vineyard? Ride with a French philosopher in his hot-air balloon? We plan the trip of a lifetime, so that you can make it your own. You get person-to-person service every step of the way—before, during, and after the tour. Local Culture
Our tours are aimed at experiencing and enjoying regional culture. As such, we do not pick destinations off a map at random. Rather, we hand-select the most fascinating, fun, and culturally rich destinations and activities that a given region has to offer. You experience the region’s history, art, architecture, food and drink. What’s more, the experience is not of outsiders looking in, but as the guests and friends of our local hosts and expert guides. These, truly, are memories you will treasure for years to come. Gourmet Travel
One of our favorite ways to experience regional culture is at the dinner table! We dine at the finest restaurants, tour some of the best wineries in the world, and provide fascinating (yet informal) cooking classes at the hands of expert local chefs. And, after a long day of fun and feasting, we return to quaint inns and châteaux ideally situated to explore the region. We also offer just the right amount of free time in each region, affording you ample opportunity to relax, explore and really get to know your surroundings. Exceptional Value
And, while we are pretty proud of our philosophy, what you may appreciate most of all is the exceptional value. All of our tours include:

-Deluxe accommodations
-All breakfasts, some lunches, a number of gourmet dinners
-Full-time es**rt
-Small groups of six to sixteen
-All tour guides, museum and entrance fees
-All tips and taxes
-Round trip airfare from Boston or New York (except where specified)

What does the Alpine table taste like? 🧀🍫In Switzerland, you’ll follow flavor through mountain villages, lakefront citie...
06/04/2026

What does the Alpine table taste like? 🧀🍫

In Switzerland, you’ll follow flavor through mountain villages, lakefront cities and quiet Alpine landscapes.

After a chocolate tour and a visit to the cheese village of Gruyères, the journey continues to Zermatt, at the foot of the Matterhorn.
There, fondue becomes more than a dish: warm cheese, mountain air, bread at the table, and a moment made for sharing.

Then the rhythm shifts south to Lake Como, Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore, with northern Italian cuisine, a Valpolicella winery visit, and lakeside dinners to enjoy slowly.

Could there be a better way to travel from the Alps to the Italian lakes than by following the flavors along the way?

✨ Switzerland & Northern Italian Lakes
📅 Departs September 8, 2026.
Last spots still available. Full itinerary: https://ipswichtours.com/small-group-tour/switzerland-northern-italian-lakes

Summer isn't the only season worth planning for. September on the French and Italian Rivieras, when the coastal villages...
06/01/2026

Summer isn't the only season worth planning for.

September on the French and Italian Rivieras, when the coastal villages quiet down and the light turns golden. In Southwest France, truffle hunts in Périgord and wine poured in cellars older than the republic. October in Sicily, with ancient temples to yourself and the sea still warm. December in Bavaria, where Nuremberg's Christmas market has been running since 1628.

These are the trips that stay with you. Not because the destination was famous, but because the experience was exactly right. Small groups. Local guides who know the back roads. Dinners that take two hours because no one wants to leave the table.

Four departures still available for 2026:
🌊 French & Italian Rivieras — Sept. 5
🏰 Bordeaux, Dordogne & Languedoc — Sept. 6
🏛 Sicily & Malta — Sept. 29
🎄 Christmas Markets in Bavaria — Dec. 1

Full itineraries at https://ipswichtours.com/small-group-tours-2

Christmas feels different where many of its traditions began. 🎄In Bavaria, wooden stalls glow after dark, brass music fi...
05/28/2026

Christmas feels different where many of its traditions began. 🎄

In Bavaria, wooden stalls glow after dark, brass music fills the cold air, and cobbled streets smell of mulled wine, gingerbread and roasting sausages.

The journey begins in Munich, with its historic markets, dinner at the Hofbräuhaus and a Christmas music concert.

Then south to Garmisch, where Alpine peaks frame a smaller, snow-dusted market.

From there, continue through the Württemberg wine region for a winter tasting, before reaching Rothenburg — medieval walls, half-timbered houses and one of Germany’s most atmospheric Christmas markets.

Dinkelsbühl adds handmade decorations and storybook charm.

The final stop is Nuremberg, explored with a local chef through one of Germany’s most iconic Christmas markets.

✨ Christmas Markets in Bavaria — December 1–9
7 overnights | Small group experience
📅 Full itinerary: https://ipswichtours.com/small-group-tour/christmas-markets-in-bavaria

What if your first morning in Sicily began at a fish stall, watching a man fillet a bluefin tuna the size of a child? 🐟🔪...
05/26/2026

What if your first morning in Sicily began at a fish stall, watching a man fillet a bluefin tuna the size of a child? 🐟🔪

That is Day 1. Before the temples, before the vineyards — Catania’s fish market. La Pescheria sits below the Baroque city, carved into volcanic rock and still smelling faintly of the sea.

By seven, whole swordfish are already on ice. Ricci di mare are cracked open at the stall. Tonno rosso is cut to order on black stone worn by centuries of mornings like this.

You don’t observe this market from a distance. You walk through it with a guide who knows the vendors, the season, and which fisherman came in that morning.

And the journey keeps following the same philosophy: eat where the ingredient lives.

A gourmet dinner outside the Valley of the Temples at dusk. A wine-tasting lunch at a baron-owned estate on Etna, pouring volcanic reds found nowhere else on earth.

These are only the first tastes of a journey through Sicily and Malta, where every meal carries the soul of the place.

✨ Sicily & Malta — small group, twelve days.
📅 Full itinerary: https://ipswichtours.com/small-group-tour/sicily-italy-malta
📞 (978) 356-5163

Along the Riviera, the journey is measured in moments 🌊A walk through sunlit hilltop villages. A coastal road that slips...
05/21/2026

Along the Riviera, the journey is measured in moments 🌊

A walk through sunlit hilltop villages. A coastal road that slips from France into Italy. A boat ride to Portofino, San Fruttuoso and Camogli, where fishing boats, pastel houses and the scent of the sea set the pace.

In Provence, there are narrow lanes, market colors, seafood, wine and Pastis. In Liguria, the rhythm changes again: harbors, cliffside views, the freshest seafood, and a cooking class in a friend’s kitchen near the Cinque Terre.

By September, the Riviera feels softer. The towns are quieter, the light is warmer, and there is time to linger — over lunch, over a glass of wine, over a view you are not quite ready to leave.

📅 French & Italian Rivieras departs September 5, 2026.
Small group of sixteen. Full details: https://ipswichtours.com/small-group-tour/french-italian-rivieras

France is home to thousands of châteaux 🏰 Some of the most dramatic stretch from Bordeaux to the Languedoc, perched abov...
05/18/2026

France is home to thousands of châteaux 🏰

Some of the most dramatic stretch from Bordeaux to the Languedoc, perched above river valleys, surrounded by vineyards and woven into medieval hilltop villages.

History this rich deserves more than a morning. It deserves a truffle hunt, a long lunch, and a Michelin-starred dinner to end the day.

Swipe to discover three of the castles featured on the Bordeaux, Dordogne & Languedoc early autumn tour, and the villages we've paired them with 👉 Château de Bourdeilles, Château de Beynac and Carcassonne.

Every day, an experience worth remembering. Relais & châteaux properties, foie gras and wine tastings, carefully selected private visits, and an intimate group experience.

📅 Full itinerary and booking details: https://ipswichtours.com/small-group-tour/bordeaux-gourmet-wine-tours-france

Alpine peaks. Italian lakes. One beautifully paced journey 🏔️This small-group journey moves from the heights of Switzerl...
05/14/2026

Alpine peaks. Italian lakes. One beautifully paced journey 🏔️

This small-group journey moves from the heights of Switzerland to the elegance of Northern Italy, following a route shaped by mountain light, lakeside villages, and memorable local flavors.

Along the way, you’ll ride above Zermatt, walk inside a glacier, and see waterfalls hidden inside a mountain. You’ll taste chocolate, visit the cheese village of Gruyères, and continue south to Villa Carlotta and Bellagio on Lake Como.

Then come Valpolicella wine country and Verona, before the journey ends on Lake Maggiore with the Borromean Islands, explored by boat among palaces and gardens.

✨ Switzerland & Northern Italian Lakes. Small group of sixteen.
📅 Departs September 8, 2026.
🔗 Full itinerary: https://ipswichtours.com/small-group-tour/switzerland-northern-italian-lakes

Two islands. One shared Mediterranean story 🌊Long before borders existed, Sicily and Malta were shaped by Phoenician tra...
05/11/2026

Two islands. One shared Mediterranean story 🌊

Long before borders existed, Sicily and Malta were shaped by Phoenician traders, Arab influence, Norman architecture and centuries of Spanish rule.

Today, traces of those civilizations remain in bustling markets, Baroque cities, citrus groves and harbors filled with everyday Mediterranean life.

On this journey, you’ll wander through Catania and Valletta, sip wine beneath Mount Etna, discover ancient temples overlooking the Mediterranean, and experience fishing villages where old rhythms still guide the day.

📅 Sicily, Italy & Malta departs September 29, 2026.
Boutique hotels, private visits and an intimate group experience. Full details: https://ipswichtours.com/small-group-tour/sicily-italy-malta

What does the Riviera taste like in September?In Nice, it’s socca — crisp, golden, eaten hot in the street, still warm f...
05/07/2026

What does the Riviera taste like in September?

In Nice, it’s socca — crisp, golden, eaten hot in the street, still warm from the pan.

Cross into Italy, and it changes. Focaccia di Recco, thin and delicate, best enjoyed slowly with the sea just a few steps away. And then, a glass of rosé on a terrace. The light softer, the towns quieter, the rhythm of the day just a little slower.

This is when the Riviera feels most like itself.

📅 French & Italian Rivieras departs September 5, 2026.
Small group of sixteen. Full details: https://ipswichtours.com/small-group-tour/french-italian-rivieras

Have you ever tasted an oyster just moments after it’s opened, with the sea right in front of you?In Cancale, you don’t ...
05/04/2026

Have you ever tasted an oyster just moments after it’s opened, with the sea right in front of you?

In Cancale, you don’t sit down for it. You stand by the water, watch them being opened one by one, and eat them with nothing more than lemon and the tide rolling in.

And what about a lunch that turns into the afternoon? A glass of cider, then another. Calvados poured slowly. No rush, no schedule, just the quiet rhythm of the place.

This is the kind of journey that doesn’t wait to be repeated.

✨ Normandy & Brittany departs June 1, 2026.
Final places remain, with the next departure not returning until 2027.
🔗 Full itinerary: https://ipswichtours.com/small-group-tour/normandy-brittany-france

Address

Ipswich, MA

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+19783565163

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