France River Cruises
Embark on a river cruise along the Seine, Rhône and Bordeaux regions of France. Delight in fresh produce and French cuisine and enjoy a glass of local wine on the deck or amidst the neat rows of vines. Glide past the lavender fields of Provence, visit historic sites including the Landing Beaches of Normandy, and take in Paris from the water on a river cruise of France.
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8 Days Paris to Paris
Operator: Viking River Cruises
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From culture-rich cities to world-famous wine regions, Emerald Cruises represents a new chapter in the world of river cruising. Our deluxe fleet of revolutionary...more Star-Ships promise contemporary comfort and unique on-board innovations, while our generous offering combines affordability with great dining, exceptional service and immersive itineraries across Europe and Asia. With return flights, transfers, all on-board meals, complimentary drinks, tips and much more included in the price of an Emerald Cruises river cruise, we’ve taken care of everything. Our attentive team of crew, sommeliers and personal butlers are available day and night to ensure every minute on-board the Emerald Cruises fleet is as enriching, enjoyable and relaxing as possible.
Why pay for other people’s drinks? Why pay for shore excursions that don’t interest you? Family-owned Amadeus has spent 40-years' perfecting the balance...more without compromising quality. Beer, wine and soft drinks at lunch and dinner, but not during the day. Only pay for the shore excursions you want. Book an excursion package in advance for a discount or book individual excursions as you go. Gourmet dining, wi-fi, bottled water in cabins and of course one of the most luxurious five-star fleets on the European waterways. To quote a regular repeat guest “Amadeus are fantastic. A really great product and the crew are all so beautiful”. We look forward to welcoming you aboard.
With Scenic, it’s more than a 5-star river cruise...it’s a seamless journey from start to finish that places you, our guest, at the heart of everything...more we do. It’s taking you to extraordinary regions and immersing you in meaningful and enriching experiences. It’s exquisite cuisine, indulgent wellness, and a world-class team who will anticipate your every need. You'll find the difference is in the details with Scenic: the innovative ship design, expertly trained crew, immersive journey, and an unrivalled focus on health and safety protocols.
Discover Must do's to experience onboard your France river cruise
Monet’s Gardens at Giverny
Claude Monet’s artworks leap off the canvas here, where you can wander the gardens that inspired some of his masterpieces. A truly beautiful experience.
Normandy’s Landing Beaches
Take a moving excursion to the WWII landing beaches where you can learn about the region’s sombre past and pay your respects at the war cemeteries.
Palais des Papes, Avignon
Europe’s largest Gothic palace and once the pope’s residence, this sprawling monument is impressive in its grandeur, history, architecture and artistic frescoes.
The City of Light
Explore Paris by night, when it is illuminated by the warm glow of ornate street lamps. See the Champs-Élysées lit up in all its glory and watch as the city lights dance along the streets.
The French Art of Gastronomy
Join a chef at the Bordeaux markets to handpick produce that you’ll transform into delicious French fare under expert guidance. Pair it with some local wine and violà, a meal to remember. Bon appétit!
Recent France River Cruise Reviews What our clients are saying about their river cruises through France
Firstly, we have travelled with Viking by their river ships and we have driven to the same areas that were on our itinerary. Travelling by river eliminates the parking hazards and the grind in getting to and finding your bearings.
The France’s Finest river cruise actually combines two different river experiences and we did meet two couples who were ...read more only doing one week. Vikings product is excellent in both the ship accommodation and service levels. This package includes your transfer from Paris to Lyon (or vice versa ) if you combine the two trips and was seamless. The travellers comprised of about 80 per cent from the US.
The included walking tours had excellent guides in general though one issue which could be common to many such cruise trips is there are a number of individuals whose mobility is restricted and it can be tedious walking in such groups. There was an attempt at one port walk to have a fast group but unfortunately the tour guide was the hold up. We didn’t bother to do the guided walk but chose to explore ourselves in a few destinations. We would advise arriving at least 2 days earlier if flying from Australia whether you start this tour in Paris or Lyon. We found a wonderful boutique Paris hotel which was close to the Eiffel Tower and a short walk to the Viking dock.
We found it easy also to use the airport train and metro to arrive at our hotel. COVID restrictions in general had been removed at the time of sailing. Viking staff all were required to wear masks. The only real COVID issue we faced was 3 weeks prior when our airline changed our flight schedule. We are thankful that we had booked our flights via Viking and together with Hannah from Global Journeys as we were able to resolve this significant problem. We were lucky that we had considerable flexibility to depart early as we are a retired couple. We have used the services of Global Journeys on previous bookings and would recommend the company. They were always ready to respond quickly to your queries.
The France’s Finest river cruise actually combines two different river experiences and we did meet two couples who were ...read more only doing one week. Vikings product is excellent in both the ship accommodation and service levels. This package includes your transfer from Paris to Lyon (or vice versa ) if you combine the two trips and was seamless. The travellers comprised of about 80 per cent from the US.
The included walking tours had excellent guides in general though one issue which could be common to many such cruise trips is there are a number of individuals whose mobility is restricted and it can be tedious walking in such groups. There was an attempt at one port walk to have a fast group but unfortunately the tour guide was the hold up. We didn’t bother to do the guided walk but chose to explore ourselves in a few destinations. We would advise arriving at least 2 days earlier if flying from Australia whether you start this tour in Paris or Lyon. We found a wonderful boutique Paris hotel which was close to the Eiffel Tower and a short walk to the Viking dock.
We found it easy also to use the airport train and metro to arrive at our hotel. COVID restrictions in general had been removed at the time of sailing. Viking staff all were required to wear masks. The only real COVID issue we faced was 3 weeks prior when our airline changed our flight schedule. We are thankful that we had booked our flights via Viking and together with Hannah from Global Journeys as we were able to resolve this significant problem. We were lucky that we had considerable flexibility to depart early as we are a retired couple. We have used the services of Global Journeys on previous bookings and would recommend the company. They were always ready to respond quickly to your queries.
Wonderful way to experience the beauty of the South of France Eileen & Samuel, QLD, Australia, Aug 2022
From the three day pre extension in Nice to the three day post extension in Paris our Provence to Lyon river cruise with Viking was by far the best holiday we have had so far. Everything was perfect the weather, the high standard of the Viking staff, the food on board the ship and the tours at each port were well above our expectations. Nothing was ...read more too much trouble for all the people who work on the Viking ships I would highly recommend this company to anyone wanting to see France or any other country where they sail. Global Journeys looked after all our bookings and did a wonderful job of making sure everything went to plan, well done!
Grand France , indeed, back to back wonderful river cruising. Eileen & David, WA, Australia, Jul 2022
July 2022 we left Australia to join Uniworld's Grand France on S.S Catherine and S.S Joie de Vivre. Luxury boats with all amenities. Beautiful boats, excellent staff, lovely sites and food, all along the way. All transfers on arrival and departure days were spot on and even an escort came with 7 of us on the TGV train from Lyon to Paris and our luggage ...read more was already in our cabin when we got there.
I probably shouldn't comment on other passengers but on the first leg there was a large group of Americans 60-70 guests, belonging to "The Presidents Club". They do" good work " and travel around the world on holidays together at least once a year, very jolly etc. Next time I think I would be inclined to enquire if there was such a big group booked in and might choose a different date!
Enough said , it really is a marvelous way to see France from South to North and the guides are excellent so knowledgeable and fun too. And still at the helm of Global Journeys, Georgie was there to guide us with all her expertise and knowledge, Thanks again, Georgie.
I probably shouldn't comment on other passengers but on the first leg there was a large group of Americans 60-70 guests, belonging to "The Presidents Club". They do" good work " and travel around the world on holidays together at least once a year, very jolly etc. Next time I think I would be inclined to enquire if there was such a big group booked in and might choose a different date!
Enough said , it really is a marvelous way to see France from South to North and the guides are excellent so knowledgeable and fun too. And still at the helm of Global Journeys, Georgie was there to guide us with all her expertise and knowledge, Thanks again, Georgie.
Unfortunately for us, we were not able to board the Suite Ship on day 3 as per itinerary due to the unsuitable water level. We were transported by coach from Dijon to Lyon to board the Suite Ship which was docked till day 6. Hence, we missed out on a lot of cruising. When we did cruise, it was in the evening. The extra we paid for the cabin with balcony ...read more was wasted. In the day time we could only see the river bank or another ship docked next to ours from the balcony. We were, however, compensated with one free optional tour in Lyon. We did make good of our time by enjoying the land tours (free and optional ones), food and company of fellow cruisers. Overall, the trip was relaxing and enjoyable.
