Five of the Best River Cruises in France
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Cruises Editor
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Good news for those with a love of fine good, great wine, glorious countryside and towns packed with history: France has seen a huge increase in the choice of river-cruise itineraries over the past few years. You can now explore six waterways in three very different regions. Here are our top five river cruises in France.
APT’s eight-day Bordeaux River Cruise
APT launches in the Bordeaux region in 2016, and anyone on this cruise is in for a treat. It starts and finishes in Bordeaux, one of Europe’s most elegant cities, graced with honey-coloured 18th-century architecture and pretty riverside promenades. A river cruise takes you along the Dordogne and Garonne rivers and the Gironde Estuary, through the vineyards of world-famous wine regions such as Sauternes, Lafitte, Médoc and Saint-Émilion. Historic ports of call include Cadillac, Pauillac, Cognac and the citadel-topped Blaye.
Viking River Cruises’ eight-day Portraits of Southern France
Often called a Provence cruise, this itinerary actually takes in the fabled Côtes du Rhône wine region and southern Burgundy, too. Start at Chalon-sur-Saône with an excursion to the wine town of Beaune before heading to beautiful Lyon, France’s foodie capital. Once you’re on the Rhône River, highlights include Vienne (the great city of Roman Gaul) and Arles, with its impressive Roman arena and Van Gogh connections. The cruise finishes in Avignon, the impressive medieval seat of exiled popes.
Avalon’s 16-day Grand France Wine River Cruise
Though this cruise also follows the Rhône and Saône Rivers, it sets itself apart with an opening overnight on the French Riviera and an overland finale in Paris – why wouldn’t you want to see the world’s most gracious capital? This is also a wine-themed cruise in the company of a wine master, who shares his knowledge of France’s wines and hosts tastings and a wine-pairing dinner. There’s also a shore excursion and tasting to the fabled Châteauneuf du Pape wine district.
APT’s eight-day Romantic Seine
You can hardly complain about a cruise that starts and ends right in the heart of Paris but, beyond the Eiffel Tower and Champs-Élysées, this meander north along the Seine and back takes in other icons of France, too: Monet’s lily ponds and house at Giverny, D-Day beaches (including a pilgrimage to the Australian National Memorial) and an evening at the Moulin Rouge cabaret. You’ll also make visits to a castle, fishing village, Calvados distillery and Rouen, with its splendid medieval town centre and cathedral.
Uniworld’s 15-day Portrait of Majestic France
If you can’t get enough of baguettes and berets, this combination of two regions, tied together with a Paris stay, might just be the thing for you. It takes you from the misty, cow-chewed fields of Normandy in northern France, then down to the sun-kissed vineyards surrounding Bordeaux in the southwest. Among the best memories will be an evening tour of Bordeaux, a tasting of famous Médoc wines, a visit to D-Day memorial sites and a cycle along the Seine River at Rouen.
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