Cruising the Seine plus Paris and London
Could we please have this tour as a subset of the France travel forum? I am interested in the details of this tour and really cannot find a separate discussion that covers this specific tour. I did post in General with a question about the details of the day in Paris. Sadly, it does not seem there is an excursion of the Louvre or the D'Orsay. I'd also like to know the detail of the day in Normandy and the day at the Manet home. If any of you who are traveling on this tour have time, I'd really appreciate your input.
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I’ve just read the tour details, they are all there. You just have a quick orientation of Paris, no time to visit those museums as they take hours. Suggest staying on in Paris for several days to see anywhere in detail.
I have been on a different Seine but the days are fairly standard: Monet Garden: You will be docked in Vernon which is very close to the gardens. You will arrive at opening time or possibly they may have arranged a pre opening arrival. Typically you will start in the Japanese gardens and then work your way to the gardens by the house and then walk through the house. it is a somewhat on your own tour without commentary. You will the leave the garden through the really nice gift shop. You cannot reenter. The bathrooms are just before you enter the gift shop. The walk from bus parking to the gardens is about 15 minutes. If you arrive just after opening, go to the house first then the water gardens. You will probably be there until 1230Ish. Vernon is nice to walk around in. If you are up to it, consider the bike ride back. It is flat.
D-Day: You are docked in Le Harve. You have about 90 minutes on the bus. You will leave early than typical, by if not before 8 AM. You will go to Pont du Hoc first and have a 90 minute walking tour. You can no longer wander through area but stay on a path and will be able to go into some of the bunkers and pill boxes. Afterwards they may drive down to the water edge but this can be variable. You will have lunch in the area and then have a couple of hours to wander through the American Cemetery. You will meet the ship late, late afternoon. It will have already set sail from Le Harve and will meet you up river.
In Paris the first day is a bus type tour. You can certainly opt out and plan your own day. The ship should be dock about a 20 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower. The Versailles day will also be an early start to get to the Palace at opening. You will have a guided tour of the Palace and a short amount of time to see the gardens immediately adjacent to the Palace.
Occasionally they may throw a special event in.
Let me know if you have any additional questions
If you spend extra time in Paris, the catacombs are interesting to visit.
I did this tour last year and the details in the Tauck catalog are pretty much how the days unfold and as how Ben described. One excursion choice from Le Havre was to see the Bayeux Tapestries, but the museum is closed for renovation until fall 2027. We were lucky enough to a have an after hours tour of the Louvre while in Paris, but that was a special surprise. It isn't always available, we just lucked out.