Compare Paris and Dubrovnik by Air by TripMasters vs Cruise on the Marne Canal from Paris to Epernay (port-to-port cruise) by CroisiEurope

Day 1 in Paris

Welcome to Paris! Upon arrival, you will go through customs and immigration. Should you opt to purchase a transfer to your hotel; a representative will be waiting for you as you exit immigration. Arrive at your hotel, check in and do not give in to jet lag! There is so much for you to see and do!

Begin the afternoon with a pleasant lunch in any of the charming streetside cafes to be found throughout Paris. Afterwards, we recommend that you get acquainted with the city by choosing an optional tour such as Hop-on Hop-off Tour, showcasing the main sights of the French capital.

As night falls, enjoy the Trocadéro scene and a twilight ride up the Eiffel Tower as it glitters with lights to mark the change from one hour to the next; or dine on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, one of the most famous avenues in the world, followed by a romantic cruise on the Seine River. Either way you're sure to fall in love with the `City of Light.`

Day 2 in Paris

Wake up early today and head for the Ile de la Cité to visit 13th-century Sainte-Chapelle. This is a relatively small chapel that is not too far from Notre Dame, but the interior, which consists of almost floor to ceiling stained glass, is absolutely breathtaking.

No more than ten minutes walk from Sainte Chapelle is Paris`s most famous religious building, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the major Catholic cathedral in Paris.*

*Note that on April 15th 2019 a devastating fire seriously damaged Notre Dame. We believe the cathedral will be closed for the foreseeable future as a result of this tragic incident.

A midday visit to the Luxembourg Gardens and lunch at `Cafe de Flore` on Boulevard Saint-Germain will revive you for an afternoon tour of the Louvre Museum. You may want to purchase an optional guided tour which will allow you to avoid the lengthy queues and visit the main works including the `Venus de Milo`, the `Winged Victory of Samothrace` and the `Mona Lisa`. You will then be free to explore other sections of the museum at your leisure.

After a busy day of sightseeing, board a relaxing river cruise from Pont Neuf. Then grab a bite to eat before heading back to the Latin Quarter for drinks and dancing at the famous `Le `Caveau de la Huchette` jazz club. The dance floor is located in an underground cave and the atmosphere is intoxicating. It`s sure to be a night you won`t forget!

Day 3 in Paris

Begin your day at the Arc de Triomphe, commissioned by Emperor Napoléon I to commemorate the victories of his Grande Armée. Continue with a stroll down the grandiose Avenue des Champs-Elysées - don`t forget to stop for coffee and macarons at Ladurée - before visiting the Jardin des Tuileries, a classic example of intricate and typical Parisian landscaping.

Cross the pedestrian bridge from the Tuileries Garden and tour the Orsay Museum, housing the world`s most important collection of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings, including works by Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Degas, Gaugin and Delacroix. This afternoon, tour the Rodin Museum and the Hôtel des Invalides or take the train from Orsay directly to Versailles.

On your final night in Paris, make your way to Odéon metro station, which will lead you straight to the Montmartre hill (or take the funicular up with a metro ticket) where you can enjoy an exceptional panorama over the city and its monuments illuminated at night. Stop at Sacre Coeur before exploring the winding, village-like streets of Montmartre then enjoy dinner at one of the charming cafes in Place du Tertre or consider a traditional Parisian cabaret at the legendary Moulin Rouge.

Additional Days in Paris

Should you be able to spend additional days in Paris be sure to visit the Marais district, including the Centre Georges Pompidou, a modern art museum, considered by Parisians to be the cultural pulse of the city. While in the area it is also worth visiting the Musée Picasso, Musée Carnavalet and Place des Voges, Paris`s oldest public square and a charming place to stop for lunch. Strangely obscure for such a renowned building, the remnats of the Bastille, the famous prison, lie almost forgotten at the edge of a tiny park. Marked only by a small plaque and usually missed by visitors to Paris, this is one gem worth seeing!

For sights from the modern to the macabre, we suggest Montparnasse Tower, an office skyscraper constructed from 1969 to 1973. The top floor terrace is open to the public and offers panoramic views of the city. In contrast, descent deep into the tunnels of Paris with a walking tour of the Catacombs. You will descend deep into the tunnels to explore over 1025 miles of Catacombs, dating back to 2 BC, that are decorated with human skulls and bones. You will discover the extraordinary history of the Catacombs and listen to the haunting stories and legends that embody these galleries of skeletons. If the catacombs are too creepy then you may want to visit the peaceful and park-like Père Lachaise cemetery - famous as the final resting place of The Doors lead singer, Jim Morrison, and French playwright Molière as well as composer Frédéric Chopin, author Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Edith Piaf and many more.

Day trips from Paris are also popular and we offer a wide selection from Versailles Palace and Gardens Walking Tour and Mont-Saint-Michel Day Trip to Normandy D-Day Battlefields and Beaches Day Trip. Fontainebleau, Vaux-le-Vicomte and Giverny are also great choices so be sure to check our sightseeing tours for availability and prices.

Your Last Day in Paris

Depart your hotel for the airport for your return home. We recommend that you purchase a private transfer, if so a representative will meet you at the hotel, in time to take you to the airport for your flight out.

Day 1 in Dubrovnik

Welcome to Croatia! Upon arrival, you will go through customs and immigration. Should you opt to purchase a transfer to your hotel; a representative will be waiting for you as you exit immigration. Make your way to Dubrovnik and arrive at your hotel. Check in and do not give in to jet lag! There is so much for you to see and do!

Most of you will be arriving by air, so you will be coming from the east and arriving in Dubrovnik`s Old Town at Ploce Gate. Enter the Old Town and visit the Dominican monastery, which houses a museum featuring hundreds of local artifacts dating back centuries. Afterwards, visit the Old Synagogue of Dubrovnik, the second-oldest continuously operating Jewish house of worship in the world. Then walk south a block to the Stradun, the wide main avenue of the Old Town. This area boasts a lot of shops and cafes, so stroll to your heart`s content and stop in at every place you like along the way.

To get the full experience, walk east and start your Stradun journey at Luza Square, where many sights are close by, and then head west. Sponza Palace, the home of the Dubrovnik branch of the National Archives, sits just off the square, as does the Church of St. Blaise and the smaller of the two Onofrio fountains. Once you get to the end of the Stradun, you will reach Paskoje Milicevic Square, where there is the Renaissance-era votive-style Church of St. Saviour, the larger of the two Onofrio fountains, and the Franciscan monastery. Return to your accommodations at the end of the day; you can catch taxis and local buses outside Pile Gate, adjacent to Paskoje Milicevic Square.

Day 2 in Dubrovnik

Wake up early and explore the Pile neighborhood, stopping in at such important sights as Fort Lovrijenac, `the Gibraltar of Dubrovnik`, and Kolorina Bay, the original public beach in Dubrovnik. Then, head to the Dubrovnik Cable Car station and take the cable car up to the top of Srd, a foothill of the Dinaric Alps overlooking Dubrovnik. When you`re at the top, you can visit the nineteenth-century Fort Imperial, you can dine at a panoramic restaurant, and you can visit the large cross donated to the city by the Archbishop of Brac.

After you made it back down the hill, walk through Pile Gate, the western entrance into the Old Town. From there, walk to the Convent of St. Claire, which housed one of the oldest orphanages in the world. The next stop is the Church of St. Ignatius, perhaps one of the finest examples of Baroque religious architecture in Croatia. Another impressive Baroque church in the Old Town is the grand Dubrovnik Cathedral, north and east of St. Ignatius. After stopping by at the Cathedral, visit the museum inside the Rector`s Palace, the seat of governance during the time of the Republic of Ragusa.

Exit the Old Town at Ploce Gate and tour the Lazzarettos of Dubrovnik, which were once used to quarantine travelers arriving by sea to Dubrovnik. Next door is Banje Beach, the most popular public beach in the city. You can sun yourself on its sands, go swimming in the beautiful blue waters, and enjoy a number of water sports such as jet skiing and paddle boarding. There is also a bar on the beach with a nightclub component, the latter being a popular place to party in the summertime. Return to your accommodations at the end of the day.

Day 3 in Dubrovnik

Start bright and early and walk the entire length of the Dubrovnik town walls. If you get there early, you will beat a lot of the crowds, and you can enjoy a lot of the views in comparative solitude. Stop at the fortresses along the way; there is Minceta Tower at the northern end of the Old Town, Fort Bokar on the southwestern end, and finally in the southeast there is the Fort of St. John, where there is a multi-floor museum as well as an aquarium. Stroll Porporela Pier and people-watch for a while before heading to the Old Port of Dubrovnik, where you can catch a ferry during the high season to Lokrum Island, the former home of the Austrian archduke Maximilian. On Lokrum, you can tour the botanical gardens and a Benedictine monastery. If you are visiting during the low season, go to the Port of Dubrovnik in Gruz and take the Nona Ana catamaran ferry to the island of Mljet, a island 24 miles long that is home to Mljet National Park, a lush, green area with a secluded lake.

If you have time in the afternoon, return to Dubrovnik and head to Lapad. Enjoy some sun and sand time at Bellevue Beach, and afterwards you can eat a delicious dinner at the Michelin-listed restaurant inside the nearby Bellevue Hotel. If you want to experience nature a little more, head west on the Lapad Peninsula toward the Forest Park Velika and Mala Petka, where you can hike in an oak forest up both of the hills that give the forest park its name. Return to your accommodations at the end of the day.

Additional Days in Dubrovnik

If you have extra days, consider hiring your own yacht and exploring the nearby islands. You can look into yacht rentals at the ACI Marina Dubrovnik, located on the ria Rijeka Dubrovacka about 2.5 miles east of the Franjo Tudjman Bridge. From there, you can make your own trips to the Elaphite Islands, consisting of Kolocep, Lopud, and Sipan. These islands feature charming villages such as Kolocep, Lopud, Sudurad, and the town of Sipanska Luka. North and west of these three islands is the aforementioned Mljet Island, the largest of the southern Adriatic islands. Take some time to explore Mljet in detail, including the limestone underground Odysseus Caves.

If you want to stay on the mainland, head south from Dubrovnik and stay a night in the village of Srebreno. The village grew in the early 20th century as a summer vacation destination, where the richest families in Dubrovnik owned summer homes. Today, the beachfront in Srebreno is home to top-rated resorts, while still maintaining its quiet ambience. There is also a gem of a destination located on the eastern side of Dubrovnik Airport, in the town of Cilipi. If you are in the area on a Sunday, stop by Cilipi`s main square for a party. Locals dress up in traditional Dalmatian folk outfits and perform dances for visitors, and they want you to know that you are invited to Sunday mass as well!

Your Last Day in Dubrovnik

Depart your hotel and head to the airport for your return home. We recommend that you purchase a private transfer; if so, a representative will meet you at the hotel in time to take you to the airport for your flight out. We hope you enjoyed the noteworthy sights of Dubrovnik and South Dalmatia!

Day 1 PARIS

Passengers are welcome to board our ship at 6:00 p.m. After comfortably settling into your cabins, we'll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail before dinner.

Day 2 PARIS - LAGNY-SUR-MARNE

We'll set out on an excursion through the major sites of the capital: the Place de la République, the main boulevards, the Opera, the Place de la Madeleine, Place Vendôme and the Louvre. Join us on an original walk along the prettiest covered arcades in Paris, allowing you to travel back through time and history around the Palais Royal. We'll return on board and start cruising towards Lagny-sur-Marne.

Day 3 LAGNY-SUR-MARNE - ISLES-LES-MELDEUSES - SAINT-JEAN-LESDEUX- JUMEAUX

This morning will be spent cruising to Isles-les-Meldeuses. This afternoon, join us on a tour of the charming town of Meaux, from the Cathedral to the Bishops' Palace, passing the Gallo-Roman ramparts and the magnificent Bossuet Garden, traditionally believed to be an early work of Le Nôtre. We'll discover and taste the Brie de Meaux cheese, hailed as "the King of Cheeses”. During this visit, the ship continues cruising to Saint-Jean-Les-Deux-Jumeaux where we will return on board.

Day 4 SAINT-JEAN-LES-DEUX-JUMEAUX - CHÂTEAU-THIERRY

This morning will be spent cruising, passing Champigny and Drachy, through the heart of the Seine-et-Marne countryside and its Champagne vines. In the afternoon, we'll arrive in Château-Thierry and set off for an excursion with an educational falconry performance (1). We'll get the chance to discover an art that has been classified as Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Afterwards, we'll return on board.

Day 5 CHÂTEAU-THIERRY - DORMANS

We'll start sailing towards Dormans. This afternoon, join us on an excursion along the famous Champagne route. We'll start off with a guided tour of the village of Hautvillers. This picturesque village is located in the Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park and is best explored on foot. We'll continue our visit to a prominent champagne house, with a tasting*.

Day 6 DORMANS - EPERNAY

This morning will be spent sailing towards Epernay. This afternoon, we'll set off by coach for our excursion to Reims, known as the "City of Coronations”. We'll take part in a guided tour of the historic center as well as a guided visit of the cathedral, which receives about one million visitors annually. We'll return on board. Tonight is our gala dinner and evening.

Day 7 EPERNAY - Paris(2)

Enjoy one last buffet breakfast on board before disembarking at 9:00 a.m. Possible transfer by coach to Paris(2). End of our services.