The Must-see Sights of the Seine Valley (port-to-port cruise)

Included in tour package

<ul>
	<li>Ch&acirc;teau de Versailles</li>
	<li>Honfleur</li>
	<li>The C&ocirc;te d&#39;Alb&acirc;tre</li>
	<li>Rouen</li>
</ul>

Leave Honfleur by coach for the excursion to the Alabaster Coast, classified as a Natura 2000 site since 2009. This trip will be your chance to discover the natural heritage of the Pays de Caux and the Seine estuary. We will pass by Le Havre. The high cliffs of white chalk and stone beaches were popularised by the paintings of Claude Monet. The suspended valleys of the little coastal rivers, the Normandy bridge and Etretat, sights not to be missed bordering a coast that you will see in a fresh light after this trip. Marvel at the beauty of the Alabaster Coast and the diversity of its plant and animal life. Stop at Etretat. Once a fishing village, Etretat transformed itself into a seaside resort in the 19th century and became a place of inspiration for artists (Gustave Courbet, Eug&egrave;ne Boudin and Claude Monet), writers (Gustave Flaubert and Guy de Maupassant, Maurice Leblanc) and famous people (J. Michelet, F. Faure, the Queens of Spain, J. Bonaparte...). Etretat was the holiday spot of numerous famous opera composers and singers of the 19th century who had villas there or stayed there regularly in a comic-opera decor. The town has several remarkable chateaus, manor houses and villas, such as the Manoir de la Salamandre (a house admired by tourists and located in the main street near the hall), The Clos Lupin and the Ch&acirc;teau des Aygues which were the seaside residences of the Spanish queens Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies and Isabel II. Return by coach to Honfleur.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended. There is a 20min-walk between the parking lot and the cliffs (to and from).</li>
	<li>The stop in Etretat depends on suitable weather conditions.</li>
</ul>

The Alabaster coast

We&#39;ll meet up with our guide and set off on our walking tour. Honfleur, the cradle of Impressionism, is located at the mouth of the Seine as it flows into the English Channel. Untouched by the passage of time, this small port has kept the landmarks of its rich past, making it today one of the most visited towns in France. We&#39;ll begin our tour at the Vieux Bassin, one of the most charming sites in the city. The narrow houses squeezed against each other are quite a unique sight. Next, we&#39;ll see Saint Catherine&#39;s Church, the largest wooden church in France. It was listed as a historical monument in 1879 and has been the subject of scrupulous research by many archaeologists and historians. We&#39;ll then head for the original 17th-century Salt Halls (Greniers &agrave; Sel), now used for exhibitions, conferences and concerts. Our tour will finish with a visit to Saint L&eacute;onard Church. Destroyed during the Hundred Years War, it was rebuilt at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries-only to be partially burned down again during the Wars of Religion. We&#39;ll return to our ship on foot.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended.</li>
	<li>For some cruises, this excursion can occur at night after dinner depending on the schedules of the Honfleur port.</li>
	<li>In case the boat cannot moor in Honfleur because of navigation technical reasons, this excursion will be done by coach. Extra fee to pay on board : 10&euro;.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Guided walking tour of Honfleur

We&#39;ll leave on foot for a guided tour of Rouen. The historic center of the city and its famous cathedral are only a 5-minute walk from the ship. Stretched along the Seine, Rouen is Normandy&#39;s cultural, historical, and gastronomical capital. The exceptionally complex Notre-Dame Cathedral is renowned for the juxtaposition of all the Gothic periods - especially on the facade, which Monet painted time and again, reflecting its glory in different lights. Destroyed during the Viking invasions in 841 and, partially, in 1944, by allied bombardments, the cathedral continues to be a perpetually evolving structure. We&#39;ll then head to the market place where Joan of Arc was burned alive for heresy in 1431. The Gros-Horloge, or Great Clock, is one of the most emblematic monuments in the city. The Gothic belfry has housed the communal bells and clock of the city since its construction at the end of the 14th century. Finally, we&#39;ll visit the Saint Joan of Arc Church. Located on the Old Market Place, this large monument&#39;s construction ended in 1979 and was built both in honor of the Saint as well as the heroine celebrated by the French on the second Sunday in May. We&#39;ll return to our ship on foot at the end of the afternoon.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended.</li>
	<li>This excursion will occur in the morning or in the afternoon depending on the schedules of the Honfleur port.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits may change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Guided walking tour of Rouen

Departure by coach in the company of your hostess for a visit to the Ch&acirc;teau de Versailles. Listed as a World Heritage Site for thirty years, the Ch&acirc;teau de Versailles is considered to be one of the finest achievements of French art from the 17th century. Louis XIII&#39;s former hunting lodge was transformed and enlarged by his son Louis XIV, who fixed the Court and government of France here in 1682. Until the French Revolution, one king followed another, each embellishing the Ch&acirc;teau in his turn. When you arrive, your guide will take you through the King&#39;s Grand Apartment. These seven successive rooms were intended to serve as a Parade Apartment, that is to say for the sovereign&#39;s official business. This is why it was decorated with the most splendid riches and based on the model of Italian palaces of the time. During daytime, it was open to all, French and foreigners, who came to see the king, and it was reserved for the Court three evenings a week. Afterwards, you&#39;ll go through the Hall of Mirrors, known in the 17th century as the &quot;Great Gallery&quot; and which was where courtesans would wait, meet or just pass through every day. This 75m-long, 10m-wide and 12m-high hall was designed by Mansart in. The principal feature of this hall is the seventeen mirror-clad arches that reflect the seventeen arcaded windows that overlook the gardens. You tour will end with a visit to the Queen&#39;s Apartments, where the Queen would host the ladies of the Court when she rose in the morning and granted private audiences. After visiting the Ch&acirc;teau, you will still have a little free time to discover the fabulous formal French gardens created by Andr&eacute; Le Notre for Louis XIV. Return on board by coach.

PLEASE NOTE

<ul>
	<li>Good walking shoes are recommended.</li>
	<li>Pre-booking only. If the minimum of 25 participants isn&#39;t met, the excursion will be replaced with a visit to the Ch&acirc;teau de Malmaison.</li>
	<li>Flash photography is forbidden inside the Ch&acirc;teau.</li>
	<li>The Versailles Palace is closed on Mondays, visit to the Ch&acirc;teau de Malmaison instead.</li>
	<li>The order of the visits can change.</li>
	<li>Times are approximate.</li>
</ul>

Guided tour of the Ch&acirc;teau de Versailles

Image slider

CLASSIC EXCURSIONS PACKAGE

Included in tour package Château de Versailles Honfleur The Côte d'Albâtre Rouen

CLASSIC EXCURSIONS PACKAGE

Cruises

The Must-see Sights of the Seine Valley (port-to-port cruise)

CUSTOMERS

PROFESSIONNALS

CUSTOMERS

PROFESSIONNALS