Viking Rivers Cruises – Paris & the Heart of Normandy (France) 8 Days

Paris, France
Embark your ship and settle into your stateroom. Long a hub of French culture and cuisine, Paris is one of the most romantic destinations in the world. Over the centuries, Parisian culture has been built on the wings of inspiration. Music, film, architecture, literature, dance and the visual arts all have their brilliant place in the museums, theaters, bookstores and remarkably preserved buildings of this magnificent city. At the center of it all is the Champs-Élysées. With its inviting riverside promenade, graceful bridges and splendid views of all things Parisian, from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre Museum.
* Ground transfers are included with Viking Air purchase.

Paris, France
One of the most pleasurable activities in Paris is whiling away the time in one of the city’s outdoor cafés. Whether you are sipping a café au lait or a kir royal, there is no better way to feel like a Parisian. The hub of social and culinary life, cafés have been part of the city’s fabric since the 1600s. During the 20th century, literary and artistic figures—such as Ernest Hemingway, Colette and Pablo Picasso—famously met over drinks to share their works and ideas. Today, thousands of cafés line the pavements and squares to connect with France’s culture and history.

Shore Excursions – Panoramic Paris
Duration: 4 hours
See the major sights of the romantic “City of Light” with a knowledgeable local guide. Meet your motor coach and drive along the famed Champs-Élysées, viewing the Arc de Triomphe, commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 to commemorate his victories. Pass many of Paris’s classic highlights, including the beautiful Grand Palais and Petit Palais, Place de la Concorde, Bridge of Alexandre III, the celebrated Louvre Museum, and La Conciergerie. Ride along the banks of the Seine to l’île de la Cité, where you will stroll through the island and marvel at the stately facade of Notre Dame de Paris before reboarding your coach. Continue into the Latin Quarter and view the picturesque St. Sulpice Church, Luxembourg Gardens and the Musée d’Orsay. Conclude your drive around Paris with Les Invalides complex, which houses Napoleon’s Tomb and the military school.

La Roche-Guyon, France
The picturesque village of La Roche-Guyon lies within the verdant Vexin Français Regional Nature Park, bound between the meandering Seine River and a striking wall of white chalk. This idyllic setting is home to a number of historic monuments, including a 15th-century church dedicated to St. Samson; a 16th-century salt store; a public fountain presented to the village in 1742; and the town hall, inaugurated in 1847. The beguiling 12th-century Château de La Roche-Guyon, however, is undoubtedly the village’s most emblematic landmark, once capturing the attention of poet Victor Hugo, impressionist Claude Monet and composer Joseph Kosma, among many others. The castle and its breathtaking surroundings still mesmerize all who visit it.

Shore Excursions – Monet Foundation Giverny
Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes      
Visit the enchanting gardens and estate that inspired one of history’s great painters, founder of impressionism Claude Monet. Drive with your guide into the countryside to Giverny, the village that Monet called home from 1883 until his death in 1926. At the Monet Foundation, you will explore the artist’s home and gardens, now a museum dedicated to the great painter. The house with its pink, crushed-brick facade and green shutters is furnished as it was when he lived here, and contains his precious collection of Japanese engravings. Stroll the gardens to see firsthand the landscapes that grace Monet’s paintings, including the Japanese bridge and water garden shaded by weeping willows and teeming with water lilies. Please note: The Monet Foundation is not available before April 1 or after November 1; during that time, a visit to the village of Auvers-sur-Oise, favored by van Gogh and other artists, will be substituted.

Vernon, France
Vernon is a charming provincial town. Its cobblestone streets are reminiscent of the Middle Ages, and some of its half-timbered houses feature magnificent wooden carvings. The town was founded by the Viking Rollo in the 9th century, where an island in the Seine made for easy crossings. Because of its importance as a transit point between Paris and Rouen, the town was well fortified and frequently besieged. Ruins of its old medieval bridge still linger on the Seine’s right bank. The remains of La Château des Tourelles are the last surviving witness to that era.

Monet gardens not available before April 1 or after November 1; a visit to the village of Auvers-sur-Oise, favored by van Gogh and other artists, will be substituted.

Scenic Sailing: Seine River
The Seine meanders through the mellow vistas of Normandy. As it makes its sleepy and serpentine way to the English Channel, it winds along for 240 miles from Paris, more than doubling the distance of a crow’s flight. As you sail, swathes of fields unfurl toward groves of apple orchards, sources of the region’s famed Normandy cider. Calvados apple brandy is also a regional specialty, and a celebrated staple ingredient in Normandy cuisine. You will also gaze upon picturesque villages and historic abbeys on these bucolic banks.

Rouen, France
Founded by Romans, Rouen is situated amid chalk cliffs along the Seine. The Norman capital boasts many pleasures, from the 700 charming half-timbered houses of the Old Town to the glorious Rouen Cathedral, which so captivated Claude Monet that he painted it many times in varying light. Until the 17th century, Rouen was the second-largest city in France. Today, it is the country’s fourth-largest port. The city is perhaps best known as the site of Joan of Arc’s last stand; the patron saint of France was tried and condemned here for heresy and burned at the stake in 1431.

Shore Excursions – Rouen Walking Tour
Duration: 2 hours
Explore the medieval quarter of the cultural capital of Normandy. Stroll with your guide to the historic city center. Known as the “Ville Aux Cent Clochers” or “City of a Hundred Spires,” Rouen’s most magnificent steeple rises from the Notre Dame Cathedral, a favorite subject of Claude Monet. Visit its breathtaking interior, burial place of Richard the Lionheart, English king and Norman duke, and admire the ornate gold face of the Renaissance-style Gros Horloge Astronomical Clock. Admire the Bourgtheroulde Mansion, see several beautiful half-timbered houses and the 14th-century abbey where Joan of Arc was sentenced to death and the Place du Vieux Marché, where she was burned at the stake. A statue of Joan marks the place of the pyre. At tour’s end, return to the ship at your leisure, a few blocks away on the beautiful Seine River.

Normandy Beaches, France
History focused its sights along the coast of Normandy, France—notably Omaha, Juno and Gold Beaches—on the early morning of June 6, 1944, as American, Canadian and British troops made landfall in their first European incursion during World War II. The entire operation was termed Operation Overlord, the code name for the invasion of Normandy. The remains of the concrete structures and steel causeway of Mulberry Harbor, built by the British, can still be seen on the beach near the village of Arromanches. The Arromanches Debarkment D-Day Museum presents animated 3D scale models to help visitors grasp this exceptional harbor and its contribution to the battle—considered perhaps the single greatest innovation that ensured victory for the Allies.

Shore Excursions – Normandy Beaches: US
Duration: 11 hours
Ponder the courage of the Allied troops who changed the course of World War II during a visit to the D-Day Beaches. Travel with your guide to the Caen Memorial Museum, where you will learn about the invasion of Normandy and the events that led to the liberation of Europe. On-screen, watch “D-Day and the Battle of Normandy” featuring archived footage. Browse the museum exhibits and souvenir shop. After lunch, follow the coast to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer. Located high on a cliff over Omaha Beach, it is the final resting place of nearly 9,400 American service personnel. You can walk among its many white crosses and Stars of David, then browse the visitor center. After your tour, return to your ship.

Shore Excursions – Normandy Beaches in World War II
Duration: 11 hours      
Witness memorials to a World War II invasion that had far-reaching consequences for the British Commonwealth. Drive to the town of Bayeux to visit the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy. Explore with your guide, see maps, uniforms and vehicles, and learn about the events of the battle. Next, visit the beaches of Normandy, where the Allies landed on D-Day. See Gold Beach and the seaside village of Arromanches, and the remains of the Mulberry Harbor. Pause at Juno Beach to learn more about Canadian troops, seeing the shore where the troops launched their assault, exploring a local museum and visiting the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian cemetery. Discover relics from the British 6th Airborne Division and the Pegasus Bridge, the site of a strategic capture that limited the German invasion. Finally, drive to the British cemetery at Ranville, the first village to be freed by the British.

Les Andelys, France
Les Andelys is best known for its imposing castle overlooking the city, the Château Gaillard. Built in 1196 by Richard the Lionheart, the castle and the village’s strategic location bolstered the importance of Les Andelys throughout the Middle Ages. The town also gained notice for its Sainte Clotilde Miraculous Spring, where the wife of the first Frankish king, Clovis, turned well water into wine to serve the builders of her Benedictine monastery. Europe’s devout, upon hearing of the act, flocked here on pilgrimages until the end of the 19th century.

Shore Excursions – Château Gaillard Walking Tour
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes  
Explore one of the most fantastic fortresses of Normandy while admiring sweeping views of the Seine as it winds its way through the countryside. You will accompany your Program Director to the remarkable Château Gaillard, which seems to beckon from atop its high hill. The stronghold was built in the 12th century by Richard the Lionheart of England, who was also Duke of Normandy. His structure is considered the most dramatic sight anywhere along the Seine between the coast and Paris. The strongest and most magnificent castle of its age, it guarded the Seine River Valley and was the key structure in a vast system that defended Normandy during the Wars of Religion. It was also of critical importance in Richard’s campaigns against France. You will tour the exterior of this fine example of medieval siege warfare construction, considered invincible for as long as Richard lived.

Le Pecq, France
The origins of Paris can be traced back to a Gallic settlement founded during the 3rd century BC. By the time Napoleon III established the Second Empire during the mid-19th century, it had expanded into a large city and was in need of a major transformation. What transpired was a division of Paris into 20 arrondissements, starting at the Île de la Cité and spiraling out in a consecutive numerical order—the city’s present design. From the lively jazz bars of the Latin Quarter to the steep, ivy-clad streets of Montmartre, these charming districts are a delight to explore.

Shore Excursions – Napoleon’s Château de Malmaison
Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes   |
Visit the historic château where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final days in France. Along with the Tuileries, this elegant manor house, purchased by the emperor’s wife, Josephine, in 1799, served as the seat of Napoleon’s French government from 1800 to 1802. After the couple’s divorce, she collected an annual pension of 5 million francs and kept the house, which she called home until her death in 1814. The emperor returned the following year after his defeat at Waterloo and received news of his exile to the island of Saint Helena. Admire the courtyards and see Josephine’s beloved music room and library. Visit her opulent chambers and salon, and view the emperor’s bedroom and the stunning mahogany decor of his study with its original furnishings. Enjoy free time here before returning to your ship.

Paris, France
Life in Paris revolves around the Seine River, with 37 bridges crossing the river, each telling a story. Perhaps none are so extravagant as the Pont Alexandre III, a graceful span named for the Russian tsar who signed the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1892. Downriver, the five-arched Pont d’Iéna is beloved for its scenic location linking the Eiffel Tower to the Trocadéro district. The Pont des Arts, set between the Louvre and the Institut de France, was famed for its thousands of padlocks, attached by couples to the railing grate as a sign of their devotion to each other.

Paris, France
Bid farewell to your fellow guests and journey home. Or spend more time exploring, perhaps joining one of our extensions.
* Ground transfers are included with Viking Air purchase.