Day 1: Paris, France (embarkation)

Welcome to France. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding
Flights into Paris must arrive by 2:30 pm.
Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.

Your day is free to explore the world’s most romantic city before starting your cruise on the Seine. Get acquainted with the City of Light today with some shopping, strolling, or with a croissant and café au lait to watch the world go by amid the Parisian cityscape.

Evening/overnight cruise to Vernon. (Dinner)

Day 2: Vernon - Monet’s muses, castle courtyards, and crêpes du jour

Visit the Adventure Center for today’s activities with your Adventure Host.

• Active Excursion: Explore Vernon's Chateau des Tourelles by foot with your Adventure Host, OR:
• Classic Excursion: Take a Guided Tour of Giverny, home and inspiration of the master impressionist painter Claude Monet. Walk the grounds and see Monet’s charming residence, and the fl ower and water gardens captured in his masterpieces, OR:
• Classic Excursion: Join a Guided Visit to Bizy Castle—called “Normandy’s Versailles” for its magnifi cent courtyard, water garden, and stables.
• Discovery Excursion: While sailing, enjoy a traditional French luncheon of authentic French crêpes, followed by a Pastry Demonstration.

This afternoon , enjoy a beautiful cruise to the picturesque town of Les Andelys.

Les Andelys - serenity on the Seine’s most beautiful riverbends

• Active Excursion: Join a Guided Hike up to the castle ruins of Château Gaillard—historic home of King Richard the Lionheart**, OR:
• Classic Excursion: Take a Guided Walking Tour of Les Andelys—one of France’s most picturesque spots on the Seine.

Evening/overnight cruise to Caudebec. (Breakfast, unch, Dinner)

Day 3: Caudebec - Ancient Abbeys Along the Seine

• Active Excursion : Enjoy a relaxing bike ride along the river with your Adventure Host, OR
• Classic Excursion: Take a Guided Trip along the Normandy Abbeys Route—where more than 100 medieval Benedictine and Augustine abbeys and churches were built along the Seine, OR:

This afternoon, you may choose a Guided Optional Excursion to the old seaside town of Honfleur. Later enjoy live entertainment onboard.

Overnight docking in Caudebec.(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 4: Caudebec - heroic bravery and French farming traditions 

• Classic Excursion: Join a Guided Tour of Normandy’s WWII landing beaches, visit signifi cant U.S. sites, including Omaha Beach, the Pointe du Hoc monument, and the American Cemetery, OR:
• Classic Excursion: Take a full-day Guided Tour of the British and Canadian commemorative sites, including the British cemetery, Pegasus Memorial, the seaside town of Arromanches, the Juno Beach Centre, and the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, OR:
• Classic Excursion: Join a Guided Tour to get a taste of authentic tradition in the beautiful region of Normandy. Toast the day with a brandy tasting in Calvados.

Later, enjoy live entertainment on board your ship.

Evening cruise to Rouen (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)                         

Day 5: Rouen - The Cathedral of Our Lady and a Heroine for France

• Active Excursion: Take a Guided Bike Tour to discover and explore the most famous monuments and the lesser known hidden gems of Rouen on two wheels, OR:
  
• Classic Excursion: Take a Guided Walking Tour of Rouen—home of the martyred Joan of Arc—and see the medieval quarter with its 16th-century Astronomical Clock, and Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Enjoy onboard entertainment before setting sail this evening.

Evening/overnight cruise to Conflans. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 6: Conflans - in the footsteps of Van Gogh, Bonaparte, and Louis XIV 

• Active Excursion: Enjoy a relaxing bike ride along the Seine with your Adventure Host, OR:
• Classic Excursion: Join a Guided Visit to Auvers-sur-Oise, home and resting place of Vincent van Gogh, OR:
• Classic Excursion: Take a Guided tour of the opulent Château de Malmaison—home of Napoléon Bonaparte and his wife Josephine..

Perhaps, join a Guided Optional Excursion to the Palace of Versailles—home to a succession of French kings. 

Evening cruise to Paris. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)   

Day 7: Paris - cafés, cathedrals, and canvases — the City of Lights Truly shines

• Active Excursion: Experience the Seine river by foot with your Adventure Host, OR:
• Classic Excursioin: Discover the ancient heart of Paris on a captivating Guided Walk featuring the Palais-Royal, Louvre pyramid, ancient sites on Île de la Cité, the Left Bank, bustling Latin Quarter, and more, OR:
• Classic Excursion: Join a Guided City Tour, that shows you the iconic sites of Paris, such as the Louvre Museum, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, Opéra Garnier, and the famous Champs-Élysées.

Stroll through Paris on your own, or linger over wine in a literary café on the Left Bank.

Overnight docking in Paris. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)   

Day 8: Paris (Disembarkation)

Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning. (Breakfast)   

In the event of technical or water level issues, it may be necessary to operate the itinerary by motorcoach or alter the program, including hotel overnight when necessary. Guided Tours, Optional Excursions, activities, sailing and docking schedules may be contingent on weather conditions or other issues outside of our control and could therefore be subject to change at any time. 

Prices shown exclude flights and transfers, call Avalon to add flights

Avalon brochure price in black from £1700

Travel 55 discount price in red from £1582

Telephone Avalon on 0330 0588 237 and quote the code TRAVEL55