Description

 Your Fly, Stay & Cruise package includes: 

·      Economy class flights from Sydney to Nantes, returning from Paris

·      12 night River Cruise and tour onboard Ms Loire Princesse & MS Botticelli

-      Includes all meals onboard as well as drinks with lunch and dinner, wifi, shore excursions + more

·      Airport transfers

·      Port charges and fees onboard your cruise and airline taxes

Itinerary 

29 August 19 Nantes

You will be picked up from the Nantes airport and transferred to the cruise ship. After comfortably settling into your cabins, we'll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail before dinner.

Tonight we will board a local boat for a cruise on the Erdre River, one of the most beautiful in France. As the scenery rolls by, discover the history of the river and its numerous chateaux.

30 August 19 – Nantes – Saint Nazaire

This morning, join us for a guided tour of Nantes to discover the small streets of the medieval Bouffay quarter and the beautiful Flamboyant-style cathedral of St Peter and St Paul. We will visit the ile Feydeau and its exceptional buildings dating back to the 18th Century. Discover the shopping districts created in the 18th century around the Theatre Graslin and the Passage Pommeraye. We will continue our tour to the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany. The last castle before the river reaches the ocean, this building dates back to the 15th century and will transport you back in time.

In the afternoon, take part in our optional excursion for a Tour of Saint-Nazaire, a town on the sea. We'll visit Escal’Atlantic, a museum that explores the historic ocean liner experience, and the Saint-Nazaire shipyard, one of the largest shipyards in Europe.

We'll return on board in Saint-Nazaire. After dinner enjoy an evening of dancing.

31 August 19 Saint Nazaire - Ancenis

We'll spend this morning cruising towards Ancenis.

In the afternoon, join us for an excursion to the Muscadet Wine Route and pass through several villages that are testimony to the strong winegrowing identity in the region. We will continue towards La Chapelle Heulin and stop at the Cassemichere Chateau (or similar site). This exceptional site invites you to discover its history filled vineyards, visit its cellars and taste the dry, light, fruity and aromatic wine.

After, we visit Clisson, a charming medieval town with 15th century vestiges and a slight Italian feel. Back on board enjoy an evening of entertainment.

1 September 19 – Ancenis – Angers - Bouchemaine

Today we will cruise towards Bouchemaine.

On arrival in Bouchemaine we will travel by coach for a tour of Angers. Angers was the capital of the historical Anjou province and is distinguished not only by its legacy, but also by its modern nature. Angers, particularly rich during the Renaissance, was home to the House of Plantagenet. The immense walls of the famous Château d’Angers contain the extraordinary Apocalypse Tapestry. We’ll visit the 13th century castle and discover the Apocalypse Tapestry, part of one of the most important collections of medieval tapestries in the world.

Back on board enjoy an evening of entertainment.

2 September 19 Bouchemaine – The Chateaux of the Loire Valley - Ancenis

Today we depart for a full-day excursion to discover the Castles of the Loire Valley.

We will leave by coach for the Azay-le Rideau Chateau. Built on a small island in the middle of the Indre River, the chateau as it is seen today was built under Francis 1 by Gilles Berthelot, a wealthy financer who wanted to incorporate its medieval past alongside the latest architectural styles of the Italian Renaissance. This chateau is a French national monument and possesses all the refinement found in the French Renaissance. We will continue to Villandry for lunch. After lunch, enjoy a walk through the lovely gardens surrounding the chateau. Spread out over an impressive area, the gardens bring together aestheticism, diversity and harmony. Afterwards, we will continue our tour and visit the Usse Chateau. Rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries, this stronghold with fortified towers, turrets and steeples looks like something out of a fairy tale. The castle is still inhabited today and takes visitors back to a time of legends and fairytales. It is thought to have inspired Charles Perrault when writing "Sleeping Beauty".

We'll return on board in Ancenis. Tonight's our gala dinner and evening. Our ship will start sailing towards Nantes.

3 September 19 Nantes - Paris

After breakfast we leave the cruise ship and you will be transferred to your hotel in Paris.

Along the way we will stop to visit the Château de Chambord which is perhaps the most iconic of the Loire Valley castles, with its multi-gabled roof, palatial grounds and opulent interior. The 15th-century castle, which took only 28 years to build and has had no additions in the ensuing centuries, receives well over half a million visitors a year.

On arrival in Paris you will be dropped at you hotel. The evening is yours to discover Paris at your leisure.

4 September 19 Paris – Tour of the Palace of Versailles

Today we will visit the Château de Versailles. Listed as a World Heritage Site for thirty years, the Château de Versailles is considered to be one of the finest achievements of French art from the 17th century. Louis XIII'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 Château in his turn. When you arrive, your guide will take you through the King's Grand Apartment. These seven successive rooms were intended to serve as a Parade Apartment, that is to say for the sovereign'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’ll go through the Hall of Mirrors, known in the 17th century as the "Great Gallery" 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'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 Château, you will still have a little free time to discover the fabulous formal French gardens created by André Le Notre for Louis XIV.

The afternoon is free to discover Paris at your leisure.

5 September 19 Paris – Monets Garden Giverny – Boarding MS Botticelli

We’ll leave by coach for the Fondation Claude Monet in Giverny. Monet lived in the house with its famous pink crushed-brick facade from 1883 until his death in 1926. Monet designed several exuberantly colourful gardens, including one with lily ponds that led to his very finest paintings–Les Nymphéas, a series of paintings admired and studied across the world that put little Giverny on the map. The restored home of the Master of Impressionism has regained the colours, the furniture, the Japanese prints and the china that Monet loved. Facing the house and studio, the Clos Normand walled garden displays a breathtaking palette of flowers and shades. The water garden, with its Japanese bridge, water lilies, wisteria and azaleas instantly bring to mind the brilliant interpretations painted time and again.

After the tour you will be transferred by private vehicle to board the ship. After comfortably settling into your cabins, we’ll introduce our crew while you enjoy a welcome cocktail. Enjoy a traditional evening of entertainment with a "Titi Parisien" theme. The ship sets sail during the night.

6 September 19 Paris – Les Andelys - Honfleur

This morning will be spent cruising towards Les Andelys, an occasion to enjoy the magnificent view of the Roche Guyon.

In the afternoon we will visit of the Château de Martainville. We will cross Le Petit Andelys and pass by the St Sauveur Church (a 16th century church which still possesses a vintage organ). After 40 minutes' travelling through different villages along the Andelle (river running through the valley), we’ll arrive at Château de Martainville. This château was built at the end of the 15th century by Jacques Le Pelletier, and bought by the State in 1906, then turned into a museum in 1961.You will learn about 500 years of rural Normandy history. Travel through the heart of Norman traditions (work suits, headdresses, jewellery, and weavings), relive the past through the objects of everyday life (copper pans, pottery, baskets). Discover the largest collection of Upper Normandy furniture, the "Famous Norman Wardrobes" which was built at the end of the 15th Century.

We'll return on board and continue cruising towards Honfleur.

7 September 19 Honfleur

Today we visit the charming city of Honfleur in the morning. Our guided tour will take us to see the Vieux Bassin, Saint Catherine's Church the largest wooden church in France. We will then head for the original 17th century Salt Halls now used for exhibitions, conferences and concerts. Our tour will finish with a visit to St Leonard Church, which was destroyed during the Hundred Year War and then rebuilt at the end of the 15th Century.

In the afternoon, join us for a stroll along La Côte d'Albâtre, 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. Pass by villages, high cliffs, the suspended valleys of the little coastal rivers, the Normandy Bridge, Etrtat and Fecamp sights not to be missed bordering the coast.

We will continue by coach and visit the only distillery still producing Benedictine liqueur and enjoy a tasting at the end.

8 September 19 Honfleur – Duclair -Rouen

This morning we take a guided trip along the Norman Abbey Circuit. We will visit the Jumieges Abbey. Built in 654 when Christianity arrived in the region, and subsequently destroyed by the Vikings, the Abbey was restored in the 11th century by their descendants. With the arrival of the Romantic period, the abbey became extremely well known thanks to Victor Hugo who described it as the "most beautiful ruins in all of France." During our visit we will also discover the cloisters and the ruins of the Church of Saint Peter before visiting the Abbey of Saint Wandrille founded in the same century.

In the afternoon, our excursion is a guided tour of Rouen to discover the famous cathedral. Stretched along the Seine, Rouen is Normandy's cultural, historical and gastronomical capital. Destroyed by the Vikings invasion in 841 and partially in 1944, by allied bombings, the exceptionally complex Notre Dame Cathedral is renowned for the Gothic period. Walk past the great clock and visit the Saint Joan of Arc Church on the Old market place, both built in honour of the Saint.

Tonight's our gala dinner and evening. Our ship will cruise through the night.

9 September 19 Rouen - Paris

This morning will be spent sailing towards Paris along the banks of the Seine which have been beautifully landscaped. We'll cruise past the impressive concrete and glass buildings of the futuristic business district of La Défense, reaching Paris in the early afternoon.

On arrival we set off on a panoramic tour through Paris exploring the city's legendary places. Depart by coach with a guide to discover the mythical sites of the capital. Since its foundation as Lutèce on the Ile de la Cité, two thousand years of history have seen ecclesiastics, sovereigns and heads of state leave their mark on the city, building churches, erecting monuments and palaces, creating prestigious museums and outlining sumptuous perspectives. Its distinguished couturiers, perfumers and jewellers have strongly built up Paris’s reputation for taste and elegance. A city of festivities, theatres and famous cabarets, Paris also glows from the sparkle and shine of its well-known revues. Our coach will take you past Bercy, the F. Mitterrand National Library, the Bastille, the Marais, the Latin Quarter, St Germain, the Louvre, the Pyramid, the Opéra Garnier, Place Vendôme, the Concorde, the Champs Elysées, the Arc de Triomphe, the Invalides, the Trocadéro and of course the Eiffel Tower.

Tonight, we'll set out for a cruise through Paris by night

10 September 19 Paris

After breakfast you will be transferred from the cruise ship to the Paris airport for your flight back to Australia.