A journey rich in culture and history, this European river cruise will take you into the very heart of the French experience — from the magical metropolis of Paris to the storied shores of Normandy, site of WWII's historic Allied invasion some 70 years ago. To honor this recent anniversary, our Seine River Cruise includes a full-day excursion to the landing sites at Pointe du Hoc, Utah, and Omaha beaches, and the American Cemetery. This France river cruise will reveal fascinating details of the operation that landed 160,000 troops here by air and by sea, as well as resonant stories of the heroic men and women who lived through these events.
This European river cruise features our Deluxe ms River Venture — the finest river ship on any Seine river cruise and one of the few vessels equipped to sail the Seine from the "City of Light" to the picturesque port of Honfleur. Along the way, our France river cruise calls on enchanting destinations like Rouen, Monet's garden at Giverny, and lovely Les Andelys. Join us on the Seine in 2018 to celebrate both France and the freedom so hard-won by "America's Greatest Generation."
Many children and family members of war veterans visit the Normandy coast to honor their ancestors' service to our country. If you're not sure when and where your family members may have served, you can visit these helpful links: Ancestry.com, Normandy American Cemetery, Omaha Beach Memorial.
Itinerary subject to change.
DAYS 1-2:
Depart home / Overnight flight to Paris / Embark ship
Following your overnight flight to Paris, you’ll arrive on Day 2 to begin your Europe river cruise (or arrive earlier for your pre-trip extension in Avignon, Lyon & Provence). If you purchased your airfare from Vantage, a representative will greet you on your arrival and arrange transfer to the Deluxe ms River Venture, your floating hotel for the next ten nights of river cruising and exploration. This evening, gather with your fellow travelers for a Welcome Drink, followed by a Welcome Dinner in the ship’s restaurant.
Included Meals: Dinner
DAY 3:
Paris
Waking up on this first full day of your Europe river cruise, you'll have a choice of tours. You may choose a panoramic city tour past such “must-see” sights as the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, including entrance to Notre Dame Cathedral. Active Feature: Or, you can cross the Seine for a two-hour, guided walking tour of the charming Marais — one of the city's oldest districts — which is well-known for its medieval aura and strong Jewish community. After lunch on board, enjoy the afternoon at leisure or take off on an optional tour of the Musée de l’Armée – Les Invalides.
Culinary Feature: Cooking lesson in the Captains’ Club. Tonight: Crepes Suzette.
And after dinner, join us in the lounge for Movie Night, featuring one of two French film selections: Populaire or Mademoiselle C.
Culinary Feature:
Cooking lesson in the Captains’ Club. Tonight: Crepes Suzette
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 4:
Vernon
You'll have a choice between two included tours today. Art lovers may visit the Giverny home, studio, and gardens of the beloved French Impressionist Claude Monet.* Monet designed the lush gardens, which he later depicted in his Water Lilies series and other well-known paintings. This tour also includes a visit to the Museum of Impressionism in Giverny village, and an apertif with locals. Or, take an excursion to the Chateau de La Roche-Guyon — an imposing castle built into a limestone hill along the Seine — that boasts 1,000 years of fascinating history. During World War II, German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel (aka the Desert Fox) used this site as his Normandy headquarters. Following lunch back on board, you'll have free time to explore Vernon on your own. Active Feature: You'll also have the chance to participate in a bike tour from Vernon to Giverny and back if you so choose. Cultural Connections: This afternoon, you'll hear an informative lecture about French Impressionism. You'll also enjoy a French language lesson, including handy phrases that will benefit any traveler. Before dinner, you can learn how to prepare a navarin of lamb dish during an interactive cooking lesson in the Captain's Club, and you'll also get an introduction to French drinking culture by a maitre'd. After dinner, you're in for tempting taste of old Paris when a talented troupe comes aboard to perform a high-energy Parisian cabaret show, featuring music, songs, and dancing, featuring, of course, the can-can.
Culinary Features:
Enjoy a French aperitif with locals in Giverny village
Introduction to French drinking culture by the ship’s maître d’
Cooking lesson in the Captains' Club. Tonight: Navarin of Lamb
*Please Note: Monet's home and gardens are open from late March until later October. As a result, the site will not be available on select departures departures. Instead, all travelers on those departures will visit the Chateau de La Roche–Guyon.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 5:
Les Andelys
This morning finds us in Les Andelys, a port town tucked into a bend where the Seine River winds past white limestone cliffs. Unforgettable Moment: High above, you’ll see the ruins of Château Gaillard, a fortress built by England’s Richard the Lionheart in the 12th century to guard his Normandy holdings. Active Feature: Active walkers can climb the hill for a view of the ruins or you may opt for a leisurely walking tour of Les Andelys to view its half-timbered houses and ancient churches. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure aboard ship; if you choose, you may join afternoon tea time, followed by a tour of your ship's galley. This evening, you can learn how to prepare matelote during an interactive cooking lesson in the Captain's Club, and enjoy a pairing dinner in the ship's restaurant presented by the maitre'd.
Culinary Features:
Learn about the French apero experience, a convivial drink with snacks
Enjoy a tasting of Normandy cheeses and calvados apple brandy
Cooking lesson in the Captains’ Club. Tonight: Matelote (fish cooked in cider)
Wine pairing dinner, presented in the ship’s restaurant by the maître d’
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 6:
Caudebec-en-Caux
Your tour of Normandy continues with your arrival in the town of Caudebec-en-Caux. Begin your visit with a walk to the town's Notre Dame Cathedral, built in the style known as flamboyant gothic, for an organ concert. This afternoon, we follow the Abbey Trail and visit the centuries-old monastery complexes dotting the hillsides of Upper Normandy. Our explorations include a scenic drive along the Seine to the ruins of the once-magnificent Jumièges Abbey, as well as a visit to the Abbey of St. Wandrille. Monks still reside here today, following generations of predecessors who found their calling in the monastic life. This evening, toast your French discoveries at the Captain's Cocktail Party and Gala Dinner — accompanied by jazz classics compliments of a band that comes on board.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 7:
Le Havre / Honfleur
A morning of scenic cruising awaits as our river cruise ship passes through locks into the tidal Seine River Estuary*. Cultural Connection and Unforgettable Moment: As we cruise, a member of the ship’s culinary staff will demonstrate how to make a Normandy apple tart. You'll depart for picturesque Honfleur — birthplace of the early Impressionist painter Eugene Boudin and an artists’ enclave to this day. Active Feature: You'll enjoy a guided walking tour, with views of the charming harbor-front area and spired 15th-century Church of St. Etienne, followed by free time to explore on your own. You'll also have the opportunity to explore the area on two wheels during a biking excursion from Honfleur to Deauville and back if you so choose. Cultural Connection: Later, prepare for the next day’s tour of Normandy with an insightful onboard lecture about the Normandy landings. Before dinner, you'll have the chance to join an interactive cooking lesson on preparing Normandy Mussels in the Captain's Club. After dinner, enjoy Movie Night in the lounge, featuring The Longest Day.
Culinary Features:
Demonstration on making a traditional Normandy apple tart
Cooking lesson in the Captains’ Club. Tonight: Normandy mussels in apple cider sauce
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 8:
Honfleur / Normandy Beaches
The events of D-Day take center stage today, with a full-day tour of Normandy, including the beaches that took their place in history on June 6, 1944. We’ll drive to the coastal village of Colleville-sur-Mer, site of the Normandy American Cemetery & Memorial, where nearly 10,000 soldiers who died invading France are buried beneath white headstones. Cultural Connection: Here, take part in a solemn wreath-laying ceremony in remembrance of those American lives lost. We'll transfer to nearby Grandcamp-Maisy for lunch — and panoramic harbor views — at a traditional seafood restaurant. Then, it's on to the coastal promontory of Pointe du Hoc, where US Rangers famously scaled the cliffs to destroy a German battery that threatened the Omaha Beach landings. Finally, continue on to iconic Omaha Beach, where US Army infantry prevailed in the face of fierce resistance, for a photo stop. Afterwards, enjoy a French "Le Gouter" experience, a bit of a French snacktime. Upon returning to your river cruise ship this evening, enjoy dinner.
Culinary Features:
French le gouter experience: Traditional afternoon snack at a café or tea house
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 9:
Honfleur / Normandy Beaches
Early today, you'll depart on a Taste of Normandy tour to Fecamp, a Benedictine Monastery and a goat farm. Afterwards, you'll have a choice of interesting tours. You may transfer to the town of Bayeux for an English-language audio tour of the remarkable Bayeux Tapestry, a 230-foot embroidered cloth depicting events leading up to the 1066 Norman conquest of England. Or, you can take an excursion to the thought-provoking Caen Peace Memorial — a museum dedicated to lasting peace that is considered among the best World War II museums in France. After a late lunch on board, enjoy the afternoon at leisure, or participate in an interactive cooking lesson in the Captain's Club. If you like, join your Cruise Director for a casual pub crawl in Honfleur.
Culinary Features:
Taste of Normandy tour with Benedictine tasting and visit to a goat farm Cooking lesson in the Captains’ Club. Tonight: Joue du Boeuf
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 10:
Rouen
Active Feature and Unforgettable Moment: This morning, we’ll disembark for a walking tour of historic Rouen, an ancient city that has played a large role in the region’s history. Our tour includes entrance to the city’s flamboyant Gothic cathedral, which boasts the highest spire in France. It was also the subject of Monet's famous series of paintings depicting the soaring façade at different times of the day and year. After lunch at a local restaurant, you will have free time this afternoon to explore Rouen on your own, and the chance to explore it on a biking tour. When you return to the ship, you may participate in an interactive cooking lesson in the Captain's Club. After dinner, head up to the lounge, where you can enjoy standards by the singer Roberto, a favorite of Vantage travelers.
Culinary Features:
Lunch at La Couronne restaurant in Rouen, oldest auberge in France and where Julia Child said she had “the most exciting meal of my life.”
Cooking lesson in the Captains' Club. Tonight: Poulet Bretonne
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 11:
Conflans / Paris
After a morning of scenic river cruising, we arrive at Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. Located where the Oise River flows into the Seine River, the town was once an important center for barge traffic. Today, many old barges have been converted to charming houseboats moored along the river. Active Feature: Join an active walking tour of Conflans, which includes entrance to the Marine Museum, or choose an optional "Auvers-sur-Oise: Footsteps of Van Gogh" tour, which will show you some of the sites the artist painted in his final months here. This evening, as you cruise the winding Seine toward the historic heart of Paris, enjoy a final evening of camaraderie with a Farewell Drink. You'll be entertained during cocktail hour and after dinner by Alex Kolarski, a recording artist who translates his love for American music into French. You'll be invited to dance and sing along to French and American songs performed by Alex on vocals and bass with his sideman Nicolas Duc on guitar.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 12:
Paris / Disembark ship / Return home
Following breakfast on board, disembark and transfer to the airport for your flight home. Or, begin your optional post-trip extension in Paris.
Included Meals: Breakfast
