3 Borders Company
Expert for daily tours from Alsace, to the Black forest & up to the Swiss Alps.
"thank you! We enjoyed our tour yesterday very much and you gave us lots of ideas and reasons to stay in Basel - paper museum, Tinguely, organ concert at Munster and Rathaus tour this afternoon...and more gelato! Made reservations at Au Violin for tonight! Great start to our vacation". Carol and everyone else.
"You have certainly gone above and beyond the call of duty! Many thanks again for the wonderful tour, my wife and I were talking about all the little things you mentioned (small slits in towers for defending/attacking) during our visit of the other towns the last two days. We’ll certainly be sure to look you up if we find ourselves in need of a tour guide in this part of the world! All the best", Erwin and Tess.
"Thank you for an excellent tour! Everyone was very impressed with your knowledge and enjoyed your presentation about Black forest. I am so happy that I wanted to let you know how pleased we were. Best of luck to you in your educational endeavors—you are a natural! Warm regards". Jill and Verner.
"We have finally made it home but wish we were back in Colmar!!!! We cannot thank you enough for one of our most memorable days of our trip. All of the wine, history and information you introduced us to was quite a pleasure.
We wish you all the best and merci beaucoup!!!" Mark (and the gang).
"Thanks for the amazing tour of Alsace last week. You showed us an amazing place and a wonderful time! Maureen and I are finding it hard to return to our normally stressed out lives! But I suppose that's a good indication of what a great time you showed us". Maureen and Linda.
"Our group of 8 just returned from our private tour of the area in Alsace our farther fought in WWII. Jean-Yves our driver exceeded our expectations. He was very knowledgeable as he had done his research. He actually pinpointed many of the small towns and villages our father was in explaining the battles and direction of troup movement. Hill 216 and Memorial Hill was emotional.
Thank you for putting our trip together and insuring it’s success.
Can’t thank you enough". Brian.
"Thanks to you once again! You really made our stay in Basel very special. And your guidance in Lucerne was perfect. You will always be welcome for a visit in New York. All the very best to you". Terri and Dan.
"Thank You for making our 2 days in Freiburg so enjoyable! You are such a delight and showed us such a wonderful time. Please keep our emails and surprise us with a visit one day soon! We have a big home in Green Bay, Wisconsin! Best of luck". Laurey and Phil.
"Best half day spent in Alsace! Our guide was super cool and friendly, he had lots of stories to share and
made our trip both fun and educational in the history of the region. So, thank you Mr Guide!"
Annick and family.
"Excellent day. We were so happy we took this tour. Small group and our guide was superb. He was engaging friendly and very informative.
Loved our eight hours with our great guide, whose name escapes me! Full of information without lecturing. Excellent English. There were only four in our group and we couldn’t have been happier. Thank you."
Jess & Vincent from Colorado.
Jean-Yves is a wonderful guide. Knowledgable, passionate and with a great sense of humour. His English is impeccable. He answered our many questions patiently and with consideration, paying specific attention to the purpose of our tour, research for a book. He is charming and welcoming and nothing was a problem. My family and I had a very special day in his company and we will always remember our day in the 'Colmar Pocket' with fond affection. Cannot recommend him highly enough.
Hello, We just returned from the half-day tour with Jean-Yves and I must say he was the absolute best guide I have ever had in all the years I have been traveling! I do not even know where to begin my praise; his knowledge, manners, pleasant voice, humour....
I will be sure to recommend this tour to friends and take my parents the next year!
Thank you Jean-Yves!
Wonderful tour of the Alsace Region with Jean-Yves who is a fantastic tour guide. He designed a day tour for exactly what we were looking for including wine tasting, history of the area and visiting many of the towns of the area. I would definitely recommend him. Thanks so much for a great day in Alsace! Zak (California).
Dear Jean-Yves,
We had a wonderful time thanks to you. Your knowledge and cheerful spirit made this a memorable and beautiful day. We are enjoying the beers now!
Let us know if you ever have any questions about coming to the US.
Warm regards, Anne & Mark.
You are so sweet and a treasure! I will never forget you… and the tour magnificent!!
You have so much to share with visitors and I feel blessed to know you and to have shared time with your knowledge! Thank you so very much for guiding us! Anita
Great tour! Jean-Yves is very personable and really an expert on the area. I learned so much along the drive and had some laughs as well. I would recommend it as a great way to start your time in Alsace as you get a taste of several different villages and can decide from there is you want to visit any of them more or get recommendations as well for other places to explore. Jenny (USA).
Jean-Yves was absolutely amazing and this tour is definitely worth booking. He helped us customize our day and make the most of every area, yet never rushing us at all. He showed us many beautiful villages, the wine road, taught us history of the area and culture of the people. It was great to tour these areas with someone who actually grew up there. Christy (Chicago).
Einfach super, Yves war sehr bemüht um mich alles möglichst aus den Alsace zu zeigen. Es hat wirklich Spass gemacht, war wie einer Reise mit einem alten Freund:) Rebeca (Berlin).
Jean-Yves was fantastic and went over and beyond to make our experience very personable and fun. The day was varied with a mixture of adrenaline fused activities, to hiking to relaxing and enjoying the scenery. We also went to vicinities not known to tourists and so we got a true experience of the German culture. Would recommend this experience to anyone, a fantastic tour and well worth every penny. Adam
Jean- Yves was a wonderful guide for our first time in Strasbourg. He offered to pick us up at the train station and drop us by the hotel, then we spent the next 3 hours walking through the cobblestone streets learning about the history and architecture of the old city. He is very knowledgeable and so easy to talk with. He gave us lots of helpful tips and answered all the many historical questions we had. We wish we had more time in the Alsace region; we would have scheduled an additional trip with him. Carol Alexander
Hi Jean-Yves! We haven’t stopped talking about what a wonderful day we had. Alsace has been the highlight of our trip, many thanks to you! We are so appreciative of all the villages you took us too and going past time, we loved all the history we learned!. We do hope we will see you again next year!
♥️Jules and David
I would highly recommend Jean-Yves to anyone traveling to this region! He was so kind and knowledgeable; we learned so much about the wine, history, and culture of the Alsace region. We were able to see multiple charming villages surrounding Colmar—Riquewihr looked like a fairy tale! We are coming back next year and plan to book a day with him again.” Thank you so much for a fantastic day, Jean-Yves! We will be back next year and hope we can see you again :)
Es una mirada increíble a pueblos que normalmente pasan desapercibidos, que tienen una increíble historia, gastronomía y gente. Jean es muy amable, explica cada cosa, no hace el tour con prisa; esto da tiempo de tomar fotos, ver bien casa pueblo, entre otras cosas. Recomendado !!” Jean-Yves; a thousand times thanks !! It has been amazing, we discover the region and taste it. I hope you continue doing tours and teaching people about Alsace. Best regards! Andres and Ana (Mexico Ciudad).
Jean-Yves is super friendly and made sure we had a great experience…one of the genuinely good people on this planet! He’s very knowledgeable on the history and culture of the area and shares it along the way. The trip is exactly as described. We had a great day, thanks Jean-Yves! Dennis
Jean-Yves knowledge was very deep, and personal. It was fascinating to learn about the very long history of conflicts in the Alsace, Lorraine region, over the many centuries. Also the very complicated family relationships of the German and Alsace people who live in the area. It is so hard today to imagine the total destruction that the people and the beautiful villages you see today, that experienced the 1940's. This guide was 100% terrific, and we received a great value from his day with us. Anthony (Nebraska).
First of all the guide himself. Brilliant and thoroughly efficient. He knows practically every little village and town in the Black forest and Alsace region and took us to some very quaint little places. If you are looking for trips out of Freiburg then Jeanne is the guy to go to. Fluent in English and we needed that. Manoj (India).
Jean-Yves was excellent. He exceeded our expectations and made the day very memorable. Russell
A perfect tour in all respects. A comfortable vehicle with all family members requirements considered, including a booster seat for the youngest. Jean-Yves listened carefully to our requests and made pertinent suggestions. We especially appreciated being taken off of the main tourist route to take in some special sites. Well worth the experience. Denise (Australia).
My wife and I wanted to begin our stay in the Strasbourg-area with a day in the Black Forest. Jean-Yves planned a full day for us, beginning with City of Fribourg and a visit to the farmers market with anything you could want. Then on to the coo-coo clock capital of the world (actually interesting !), quaint villages, a monestary, and ending with Lake Tittisee. Jean-Yves had extensive knowledge of the history, culture and development of the region which enriched our experience and understanding. Bill (Texas).
My wife and I wanted to begin our stay in the Strasbourg-area with a day in the Black Forest. Jean-Yves planned a full day for us, beginning with City of Fribourg and a visit to the farmers market with anything you could want. Then on to the coo-coo clock capital of the world (actually interesting!), quaint villages, a monestary, and ending with Lake Tittisee. Jean-Yves had extensive knowledge of the history, culture and development of the region which enriched our experience and understanding.
Hi Jean, we had a wonderful day today ! Beautiful places we covered & Triberg was probably my favourite. Nice to have you bring us around. Will definitely recommend you to our friends visiting Germany & France. Hope to meet again ! Saira (Canada).
Jean Yves It's been nearly a year since our tour of Zinswiller and Woerth, where my father fought during WWII. The impact of that day on my life took another step this weekend. We have connected with Mark, the son of one of the other GI at Woerth We had dinner and are spending the weekend sharing stories about our fathers and families. I am forever grateful for what you did for us. Have a great weekend. Denny (USA).
Hello. I just did a private tour with one of your guide in Colmar. His name is Jean-Yves. Even for just a day trip, we am at peace with his guidance. It is our blessing to have a wonderful, fun filled and kind tour guide who is also very knowledgeable. Sandy (UK).
Jean-Yves was wonderful! Safe driver, flexible and a pleasure to speak to. We spent the whole day exploring the beautiful towns in Alsace and his recommendations were perfect. I would love to go back and would definitely contact him. thank you Jean-Yves!!! Sander’s Family (Detroit).
We had a fabulous full-day tour of the Alsace area in France on a cold December day with Tours By Locals guide, Jean-Yves Monier. It was so much fun ! Jean-Yves knowledge of the area is vast and he provided wonderful details of everyday life in this beautiful area now and what tw as like in years past. He’s also a very safe driver and with my bum leg made sure I safely climbed in and out of his van. We hope to return to this area in the spring or summer and would want Jean-Yves to be our guide. Jan (USA).
Wonderful day in Alsace . Guide was pleasant and knowledgeable and very accommodating to our groups special needs. We had a wonderful day. Thanks for being so accommodating and ordering up some sunshine:-)! Betty and Henry (Connecticut – USA).
Dear Jean Yves, Thank you so much for the excellent tour today. Your knowledge of the Alsace area was quite impressive and just perfect. We will keep you informed when we share the details of our tour with our dear friend Sue about her fathers combat in Alsace. Thanks again for your special gift that we will share with Sue. Again, you have our thanks for all of your efforts & kindness. Tony
Jean-Yves is the perfect tour guide - he is knowledgeable, personable and went out of his way to make sure we thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the Alsatian villages and castle. I would highly recommend him to anyone - I wish we were here for more time because I would have liked to schedule another tour with him. Dawn (Seattle).
Excellent guide ! Had a great day in the villages around Colmar. Had an excellent talk on the background history of the area on the way down to our tour area and Jean-Yves took us through several other villages that were not on the agenda. Highly recommend this tour. Himari (Japan).
We had a fantastic time looking at a lot of villages in the Alsace. Jean Yves is very knowledgeable and accommodating to our wants and needs. It is obvious how much he adores Alsace areas. We truly enjoyed his company throughout the day. John and Cindy (NYC)
Thank you so much for the most perfect tour. We will be back. Alsace is magical and full of history. We appreciated your knowledge and patience. Hope you have a wonderful holiday. I will be recommending you to others! Hillary
Bonjour, Jean-Yves Thank You for making our 2 days in Basel so enjoyable! You are such a delight and showed us such a wonderful time. Please keep our emails and surprise us with a visit one day soon! Or, pass this on to your daughter. We have a big home in Green Bay, and would take good care of her! Laurey and Phil (Wisconsin).
Hello Jean-Yves, Today was a real pleasure! Thank you for such a wonderful time and a fantastic tour. Sandi, Turner and Charlie and I fully enjoyed your informative, interesting and knowledgeable tour narrative. You have a significant knowledge of the history of the area. The tour will be forever memorable to all of us and it greatly enhanced our time in the Alsace region. Thank you again and all the best to you from the family. Jeff
We booked a tour with Jean-Yves Monier based on his reviews. We were a group of 6 adults wanting to do a private tour from Colmar to Eguisheim France. Jean-Yves was right on time to meet us at our ship, arrived in a lovely van and was very professional, friendly and knowledgeable. He was a wonderful guide and I would only recommend him again, touring with Jean-Yves was a breeze! Dianne
Bonjour Jean-Yves, This is Joe and you provided a fantastic tour and experience for myself, wife, and two daughters last December. I just wanted to let you know that your tour and information was great and we fully enjoyed. I really enjoyed your knowledge of the area and talking history of region.
I let Paris travel agencies know the value of what you provided and recommended you highly. It’s the least I could do. Hopefully I will be back soon and you can help us with tours of the area and those adjacent in Switzerland and Black Forest. Regards.
Struthof's concentration camp: Very sobering and humbling experience, but very glad we took the time to see and remember those individuals that suffered so much. Jean-Yves provided us a very knowledgeable and gracious host on our tour. Would highly recommend to all our friend. Thanks again. Family Grant (NYC – USA).
Jean-Yves is the best of guides because he understands what you are interested in seeing, and because of his cultural skill set, comprehensive knowledge and passion for French culture and history. Betsy (Seattle)
Without the word "perfect," it is difficult to describe the magnificent tour we had with Jean-Yves. His tour style is gentle & fluid, not rigid & memorized. He wove area facts into our conversations, highlighting history & points of interest as we drove & chatted. His easy, friendly style was both fun & informative. Jean-Yves seems to love this area: his enthusiasm made our tour so special. We highly recommend Jean-Yves. He gave us the perfect tour. Linda & Tom
Jean Yves was a great driver and guide. He did a phenomenal job of orienting us to the geography region and history. For our family of 5 it was a great balance of guiding while in the car and on our own time in the different towns. He even made lunch reservations for us at a charming restaurant that ended up being one of the best meals we had in the area. He was very kind, flexible and clear in where to meet him etc. He always worked to find convenient places for getting in and out of the van. Pamela, Yellowknife (Canada).
We had a wonderful day touring the Route du Vin with Jean-Yves. He took us to so many charming little towns, explained the history of the area and made us a lunch reservation at a wonderful spot. He is very kind and funny. We would definitely tour with him again if we are in this area in the future. Courtney, Steve and the children (New Zealand).
MERCI to Jean-Yves for a marvelous day in Alsace! His knowledge of the history and culture of Alsace was most impressive. The drives through the small villages were just what we needed after the bustle of the Christmas markets in Strasbourg. We had a lovely lunch of typical local food. Jean-Yves' anecdotes were informative and amusing. Best of all, he drove us to my great-grandfather's birthplace Magstatt-le-Haut, How wonderful that he found a distant cousin of mine there! I HIGHLY recommend Jean-Yves! Susan and Brian (Chicago)
We absolutely loved our day with Jean Ives. He took us to Colmar for the Xmas market and then surprised us by taking us to Kaiserberg, an even better stop for a Christmas market experience. Furthermore, he had made reservations for us at a Michelin star restaurant that was superb. Surprised us with a memorial for US soldiers and a quick trip to Breisach too. Great info, historical facts and stories. He was awesome. Highly recommend! Merci! Angelina, Ruth and David 😊