Uniworld Cruise

Uniworld Cruise - Paris to Paris - Paris & Normandy

Northern France offers a wealth of experiences for art and history lovers. Artists throughout the centuries have found inspiration in these regions, from the suburbs of Paris to the fishing villages of Normandy. You’ll see many favorite Impressionist works “come to life” as you visit Giverny, Honfleur and Auvers-sur-Oise. Then imagine walking the beaches where the Allied forces landed during World War II’s D-Day invasion—a day crucial to victory; seeing the site where Joan of Arc was martyred, or visiting Versailles, the cradle of the French Revolution. And did we mention Paris, the grand “City of Lights.” This is one unforgettable, all-inspiring journey that you won’t want to miss.

Who will enjoy this cruise: Art lovers will thrill at visiting villages and homes of the Impressionists, so inspirational and often represented in their works. Students of history will be awestruck by the D-Day memorial sites, the palace where Marie Antoinette riled the French Revolutionaries, and the site of Joan of Arc’s martyrdom.

Included Features

• 7-night cruise in an outside stateroom on River Baroness
• All meals onboard the ship
• 7 shore excursions with English-speaking guides
• Captain’s Welcome & Farewell Dinners
• Exciting onboard entertainment and insightful lectures

The Ships

Included Highlights

• Seine River Cruise
• Paris City Tour
• Auvers-sur-Oise Tour
• Walking Tour of Rouen
• Full-day Tour to Normandy Beaches
• Visit to Honfleur
• Monet’s Giverny

Itinerary

Day 3 Paris
Paris, one of the most beautiful and stunningly attractive cities in the world, is yours to explore. We begin our city tour with a drive up the grand boulevard Champs Elysées and past the Arc de Triomphe. We’ll stop for a photo opportunity at the Eiffel Tower before continuing to Place Vendome, Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Latin Quarter. We’ll then go to Les Invalides, the Louvre courtyard and the Luxembourg Gardens, where will see a slice of daily Parisian life: gentleman playing boules and children sailing boats on the glassy pond, as well as view Bartholdi’s model for the Statue of Liberty. Spend the afternoon on an optional tour of the Louvre, or simply relax in one of the many city’s bistros with a glass of champagne.

Day 4 Conflans Ste Honorine
From the charming French village of Conflans, we take you to a favored spot for artists of the Impressionist Period – Cezanne, Corot, and especially Van Gogh. The village of Auvers sur Oise may seem familiar to those who know Van Gogh’s work. He lived and died here, and in just 70 days, he painted the surrounding countryside, and many of the local sites and people of this quaint little town. The “Auberge Ravoux,” the “Church of Auvers sur Oise,” the “Wheat fields,” and countryside – all immortalized on canvas but also part of the everyday life in this quiet village along the River Oise.

Day 5 Rouen
Today, we travel back to the Middle Ages on a visit to the well-preserved city of Rouen, best known as the site where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. Our visit to Rouen will take you to the stunning Romanesque Cathedral of Rouen, painted so vividly by Monet, the haunting Medieval quarter with its half-timbered, glazed-tile houses, the Vieux Marche – site of Joan of Arc’s punishment for her defiance, and the Gros Horloge, a Renaissance clock tower that arches overhead.

Day 6 Le Havre
You’ll spend the day at the location where one of the most famous days in recent world history took place—the beaches at Normandy—site of the D-Day Invasion by the Allied forces during World War II. From the site of Pegasus Bridge to the American Cemetery at Colleville and the Landing Museum in Arromanches, you’ll journey back into the past and visit the haunting reminders of freedom hard fought at Pointe du Hoc, the Allied landing sites at Omaha, Juno and Gold Beaches and Mulberry Harbor at Arromanches, a feat of military engineering with remnants that can still be viewed today.

Le Havre
Honfleur is a charming French harbor town favored by artists such as Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet, who painted its fishing boats and slate-covered houses, among other picturesque vistas that have changed little over time. You’ll see for yourself as we take you on a walking tour from the former smuggler’s harbor of Vieux Bassin, the most often painted scene in Honfleur where the fishing village backdrop is seemingly unchanged from over 100 years ago, through the pedestrian streets, lined with artists workshops, to the Medieval town center.

Day 8 -Vernon (Giverny)
Visit Monet’s home in his beloved village of Giverny. The unique light of the area’s Seine River Valley in Normandy kept Monet in residence for 43 years, until his death in 1926. You’ll explore Monet’s house, furnished as it was when the leader of the Impressionist School lived here, including his precious collection of Japanese engravings. Strolling the gardens, you’ll see the familiar Japanese bridge and Water Garden shaded by weeping willows, with its pond still full of water lilies that so inspired this Master’s work.

Day 9 Depart P
Disembark the ship and transfer to the airport in Paris for your flight home.

Cost of This Trip