Compare Paris & the heart of Normandy by Viking River Cruises vs Paris and Versailles by Eskapas
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| Trip |
5 | Excellent
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5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 8 days | 5 days |
| Price From | $ 1,999 | $ 1,190 |
| Price Per Day | $ 250 | $ 238 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | River cruise | Group tour |
| Lodging Level | Premium | Standard |
| Physical Level |
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| Travel Themes |
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| Countries Visited | ||
| Cities and Attractions |
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| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Internal airfare and ground transport included |
| Activities |
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| Meals Included |
7 Breakfasts, 6 Lunches & 7 Dinners |
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| Description |
Enjoy Paris & Norman treasures See Monet’s paintings at Paris’s Musée d’Orsay, then discover his inspiration at the artist’s garden in Giverny. Trace the footsteps of Jeanne d’Arc in Rouen. Walk hallowed ground at the American Military Cemetery and World War II beaches of Normandy. Savor Normandy cuisine, and visit a working farm where these delicacies are produced. This 8-day cruise celebrates history, art, food, customs and all things Français in the country’s most dazzling urbane and pastoral settings. |
A city that simply oozes romance – the original city of love! Paris is the city of a thousand walks and is as close to perfection as is possible for a fabulous city break holiday. Paris’ monument-lined boulevards, museums, nightlife, its romantic Seine river, colorful lives, classical bistros, boutiques and much more. Paris is one of the world’s best places for food and drink. Our selection of 3*** city centered hotels and guided visits of iconic areas such as Versailles Palace, Louvre Museum, Eiffel Tower, Seine Cruise etc. during this full 5 days visited journey will make your trip unforgettable. Paris can be anything you want, but as a romantic city break it is just unmissable. In fact, for business or pleasure, Paris is a city beyond compare. “Once seen, never forgotten” Join our small group tour in Paris |
Day 1: Paris, France
Meals : D
Accommodation : Paris Louvre, France
Arrive in Paris, romance capital of the world. Transfer from the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris to your ship.* After boarding, take free time to explore Paris, or join our “welcome walk” to stretch your legs and get oriented.
Day 2: Paris, France
Meals : B, L, D
Accommodation : UNESCO Vernon Notre Dame, France
Wake up to a full day in Paris. After breakfast, embark on a half-day tour of this dazzling city and take in its most remarkable sights, including the iconic Eiffel Tower. You'll also see the École Militaire, Orsay Museum and Latin Quarter and the magnificent Cathedral of Notre Dame. Then we'll drive past the Louvre and Opera House and along the famed Champs-Élysées. Return aboard for lunch. This afternoon you're free to take in the Louvre, shop the fashionable boutiques, visit the artists’ district of Montmartre or enjoy a cruise along the Seine. As always, your Program Director can help you plan your free time. Dinner is served aboard your ship.
Day 3: Giverny & Vernon, France
Meals : B, L, D
Arrive in Vernon before breakfast; take a short ride into the town of Giverny, where Claude Monet resided from 1883 until his death in 1926. Visit the beautiful gardens and charming stone farmhouse where he lived and worked; see the water garden with the recognizable Japanese bridge, water lilies, wisteria and azaleas that inspired many of his masterpieces.
After lunch, spend some time with your Program Director in the provincial town of Vernon. Take a stroll to see the Maison du Temps Jadis (House of Past Times), Vernon’s oldest house, and the 11th-century Church of Notre Dame. Dinner is served aboard.
Day 4: Rouen, France
Meals : B, L, D
Indulge in leisurely morning cruising along the Seine. You'll spend the afternoon in the medieval city of Rouen, preeminent capital of Normandy. Begin with a walking tour through the center of Old Town, where you see the spectacular Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral, often painted by Claude Monet, and the famous Gros Horloge, a 16th-century astronomical clock. As you walk among the half-timbered storybook buildings, you'll feel transported back through time; see the 14th-century courthouse where Joan of Arc was sentenced to death and the nearby Market Square where she was martyred.
Take free time to discover more of Rouen or visit one of its museums of art or antiquities. Dine aboard or at a sidewalk café. Your ship remains docked overnight.
Day 5: Normandy Beaches, France
Meals : B, L, D
Accommodation : Les Andelys Chateau Galliard, France
After breakfast, begin your full-day tour to the historic beaches of Normandy. Drive past Gold Beach, Courseulles sur Mer and Juno Beach on your way to visit such World War II landmarks as Omaha Beach, the American Military Cemetery and Arromanches Debarkment D-Day Museum. Have dinner and relax aboard your ship or take an evening stroll.
Day 6: Les Andelys & Conflans, France
Meals : B, L, D
Accommodation : Conflans Palace Versailles, France
Enjoy a leisurely morning cruise to the small town of Les Andelys, known for its imposing castle, Château Gaillard, built in 1196 by Richard the Lionheart. After lunch, join a guided walk to this fatally flawed masterpiece of Middle Ages architecture. Return aboard for scenic cruising and dinner. Late in the evening we dock in Conflans, a riverside town whose unique culture reflects its status as a local hub for barge transportation along the Seine and its tributaries.
Day 7: Conflans & Paris, France
Meals : B, L, D
Accommodation : UNESCO, Paris, France
After breakfast, set out on a walking tour through the charming neighborhoods of Conflans. Or, join an optional tour to the luxurious Palace of Versailles, former home of Louis XIV. Lunch aboard your ship as you sail back to Paris this afternoon. Dine aboard and then enjoy some free time in the "City of Light."
Day 8: Paris, France
Meals : B
After breakfast, disembark and proceed to the Paris airport for your return flight.* Or, extend your time in France’s romantic capital with a 3-night Paris extension.
Day 1: Arrive in Paris, France
Arrival to Paris, “Bienvenue a Paris”, meet and greet and transfer to your city centered hotel in Paris.
Overnight: Paris Meals: N/A
Day 2: Paris Highlights
Spend a day exploring Paris in a very unusual way. This excursion on foot and riverboat will show you the highlights of Paris: visit the Louvre Museum and the Eiffel Tower with our professional guide.
After breakfast, meet with our guide in the center of Paris at 08:15 am. (Arc de Triumph of the Carrousel facing the Louvre pyramid)
He/she will take you straight to the famous Louvre Museum, through this must-see museum and tell you about the main artworks: the Venus of Milo statue representing the goddess Aphrodite, the impressive painting of The Wedding at Cana the Coronation of Napoleon illustrating the emperor’s crowning in the Notre-Dame Cathedral, and Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa which is the most visited work in the Museum.
After your tour of the Louvre Museum which takes about 2.30 hours, your guide will take you to the riverbank, before the Pont du Carrousel, to board a Batobus boat. This short cruise will show you Paris from a different angle. You will see some of the superb bridges over the Seine and Paris monuments along the banks. The boat moors at the Quai de la Bourdonnais at the foot of the Trocadéro, right opposite the Iron Lady
You will have time then for lunch on your own before going up to the Eiffel Tower
Your guide will let you disembark to go to the iconic monument of Paris. He/she will lead you up to the second floor where the secrets of the Eiffel Tower will be revealed. After hearing remarkable commentaries, you can enjoy the beautiful panorama of Paris and see the top Parisian landmarks. Keep on visiting the Tower on the second level and get down to the first one to experience the incredible glass floor.
The services of our professional guide will end on the second level of the Eiffel Tower and you will have free time at leisure (End approx 04:30 pm)
Day 3: Paris – Versailles
After breakfast, randez-vous at 08:15 am.
Departure from the center of Paris to the Palace of Versailles. Make the most of the 45-minute journey by luxury air-conditioned coach and listen to your guide’s introduction to the history of the palace.
The Palace of Versailles covers an area of over 721,000 square feet and has more than 700 rooms.
Follow your guide straight to the front of the line to see the palaces most beautiful rooms: the Kings Grand Apartments, with seven rooms each dedicated to a different god (Apollo, Mars, Mercy, Venus, etc.) and the Queens Grand Apartments, mirroring those of the king, including the Coronation Room and the Queens Bedroom, once occupied by Marie Antoinette, among others. Also, admire the spectacular Hall of Mirrors, a unique room in which guests were received and impressed, designed by the famous architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart. Almost 240 feet-long, it was created to dazzle visitors to the Sun King, Louis XIV; it is lit by 17 windows and some 350 mirrors, and overlooks the palace’s breath-taking gardens, the second part of your visit.</span></div>
Return to Paris at 12:30 pm
After noon free time at leisure
Overnight: Paris Meals: Breakfast</span></div>
Please note:
We strongly advise against high-heeled shoes (parquet flooring in the rooms and cobblestones in the courtyard)
Strollers are not permitted inside the palace
Access to the palace is challenging for those with reduced mobility
Photography without flash is permitted inside the palace
The skip-the-line access is subject to the Versailles Palace procedures: The Vigipirate plan, the security control or an unforeseen crowd can slow down the entrance.
Day 4: Paris
Breakfast and free day at leisure. Overnight: Paris Meals: Breakfast
Optional Tours:
Disneyland® Paris: 1 Day 2 Parks with round trip transport:
1 entrance ticket 1 day / 2 Parks
We begin our day by crossing Paris as far as the Porte de Bercy to join the A4 motorway leading to Disneyland ® Paris. (average journey : 1 hour). Our driver will leave you at the group parking area close to the park entrances. Take advantage of a nice day with your family at Disneyland ® Paris. Both adults and children will enjoy discovering the magic world of Disneyland Paris. You will be able to enter both parks:
Disneyland ® Park: Magic world where you will meet all the Disney characters who live in an endless fairy tale.
Walt Disney Studios ® Park: Go behind the scenes of the movies, cartoons and tv shows.
The group will re-join the coach at the same spot at the end of the day at 7.15 PM
Come back to Paris around 08.00 PM. Departure at 7.00 PM in winter 200€ per person Children Mont Saint-Michel Tour with lunch: (Only Friday – 14 Hour Experience) An exceptional day at Mont-Saint-Michel in the company of a professional guide. Discover the history and the riches of this Wonder of the West; through the enthusiastic commentary of our guide. 250€ per person
Loire Valley Castles: (Only Mondays - 13 Hours) Come and live an exceptional day in the heart of the Loire Valley in France. You will visit the Chateau de Chenonceau and the Chateau de Chambord with our guide, two of the greatest castles of the Loire Valley. This dive into French history will be completed by a visit to the Clos Lucé castle, the emblematic place of the famous Leonardo da Vinci. Take a seat in an air-conditioned vehicle, departure from the center of Paris at 7:15 am! 250€ per person
Normandy D-Day Beaches: (Only Saturdays - 13 Hours) Enjoy a full day excursion from Paris to the D-Day Beaches in Normandy in the company of an official guide, who will bring these historic sites to life. 250€ per person.
Day 5: Paris Departure
After breakfast, free time until your flight time. Transfer to the airport and end of ou services.
Au Revoir!
