Gastronomy of the Seine River Cruise
Day 1 – Arrival at Paris
On arrival, the friendly crew will welcome you on board, helping you settle into your spacious and exquisitely furnished accommodation – you’ll immediately feel at home.
This evening you’ll enjoy your first sumptuous dinner, served in the ship’s restaurant.
Day 2 – Château Gaillard & cider farm
You can enjoy a leisurely start to the day beginning with a typical French brunch onboard, including an array of delicious pastries, breads and jams. Today, you’ll be treated to a picturesque morning sailing along the Seine as the landscape glides by.
By noon the captain has skilfully berthed at Les Andelys, a small town dominated by one of the most spectacular sights along the entire valley – Château Gaillard. This afternoon we’ll discover the story behind this remarkable castle. Château Gaillard guards the apex of the river bend and was built by Richard the Lionheart in the 12th century to defend Rouen from the French.
Day 3 – Rouen
We’ll awake in Rouen, Normandy’s capital, one of Europe’s finest medieval cities and the scene of many momentous events over the centuries. Pride of place on our guided tour of the city is its stunning Gothic cathedral.
Rouen’s beautifully tangled alleyways are a revelation, lined with antique shops, tasteful boutiques and, of course, countless restaurants serving exceptional local cuisine emphasising the country’s outstanding gastronomic heritage.
During lunch, we’ll cast off to navigate through yet more twists and turns, chalk cliffs and a landscape of forest-covered hills that are designated as areas of outstanding natural beauty and sanctuaries for diverse wildlife, including deer and wild boar.
Day 4 – Normandy Beaches
Our first visit of the day will be to Ranville Cemetery – the resting place of 2,152 British soldiers, as well as hundreds of WWII soldiers from Canada, New Zealand, Germany, and France. We’ll see Pegasus Bridge – which was captured on D-Day, securing the eastern flank of the Allied invasion’s landing zone – before stopping in Courseulles sur Mer where we’ll enjoy free time for lunch.
Continuing to the British Normandy Memorial – unveiled in 2021, the 77th anniversary of the D-Day landings. From here, you have the best point of view of Gold Beach, one of the five main landing sites on D-Day, when Allied forces surged into Normandy to begin the liberation of occupied Europe.
Day 5 – Honfleur
Watch the talented artists capturing the captivating views along the waterfront, while the intricate maze of streets behind is also well worth discovering. The eaves of the tall half-timbered buildings almost touch, and on the streets below is an abundance of traditional shops selling antiques, books and fine foods. Honfleur’s most famous son is Eugene Boudin, one of the forerunners of Impressionism and a friend of Claude Monet, who also painted the harbour many times.
During our walking tour, we’ll stop at Honfleur’s oldest crêperie. Here, we’ll taste the thin rolled pancake that has been popular in the French-speaking world for at least seven centuries. Sitting to eat, you can enjoy your choice of crêpe with sweet caramel, jam, chocolate, butter or sugar, made to order. Alternatively, you could try a local speciality – a galichot – which is a mixture of a pancake and a blini, offering the perfect combination of sweet and salty. Whichever you choose, you can wash it down with a glass of cider local to the area.
Day 6 – Giverny & Bizy Castle
The artist himself called his garden his ‘most beautiful masterpiece’, and it’s certainly one of the world’s most photographed and painted, ideally viewed in the delicate morning light. In the Japanese-inspired water garden, shaded by great weeping willows and surrounded by bamboo, rhododendrons and azaleas, is the lily pond where he painted his extraordinary Les Nymphéas (Water Lilies) series. There’s ample time to wander here, absorbing the tranquil atmosphere while marvelling at the light bouncing off foliage of every hue and the magical reflections dancing off the water.
Day 7 – Paris
Those who have yet to see the world-famous landmarks of Paris – including the Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, the Trocadéro, the Musee D’Orsay and much more – could take a panoramic sightseeing tour of this beautiful capital by coach. During the tour, you’ll get to sample the famous macaron.
Day 8 – Transfer to airport for flight home
Note this itinerary operates in reverse on certain dates.
Why not extend your stay in Cologne or Basel? Talk to your JWT cruise experts for more details
