Paris and the Aquitaine Region from Bordeaux to Royan

Our coach will meet you at the airport to take you to Paris, where you'll check into a 4-star hotel. Dinner on your own and night at the hotel.

Breakfast will be served at the hotel. Enjoy your morning at leisure to discover the French capital with the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour (available for 3 Days). Get a first overview of the city, make your way around, pick the sights you want to explore in more detail and hop-off at the closest location to visit the landmarks and attractions. Choose to stop at Notre Dame and take a moment to admire its architecture from the left bank of the Seine, shop in the Champs-Elysées or climb the top of the Arc de Triomphe or the Eiffel Tower for the best views of the city! Lunch on your own. In the afternoon, optional excursions:

-Enjoy the Paris Museum Pass to skip the queues and gain free access to more than fifty museums and monuments in Paris. Lucky cardholders receive free to the Arc de Triomphe, Sainte-Chapelle, Panthéon, Louvre, Musée Rodin and many more.

-Plan a food tour in Le Marais (or similar): taste of a French croissant or Viennoiserie and learn about their history, collect some amazing French bread, enjoy croque monsieur with wines and cheeses, … On a stroll to digest, you will go through the streets of the Marais, witness the numerous "Hôtels Particuliers", living testimony of the power of the Renaissance period Nobility (Note: For this tour, you will meet the guide directly at the location. No transfer to or from the hotel is planned.) (For optional services, we ask for confirmation 4 months prior to departure).

For dinner, we’ll have a Seine Dinner Cruise which combines the perfection of service, the excellence of French gastronomy and the magic of a cruise on the Seine.

Night at the hotel.

Breakfast will be served at the hotel. In the morning, departure by coach for a guided visit to 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. Lunch at a local restaurant. Return to Paris by coach. In the afternoon, continue your discovery of the French capital with the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour. Dinner on your own. Night at the hotel.

Breakfast will be served at the hotel. Morning at leisure. Lunch on your own. Coach transfer to Montparnasse train station for your train to Bordeaux (approximately 2 or 3 hours). Upon arrival in Bordeaux, you'll have a coach transfer to board our ship, the MS Cyrano de Bergerac, at 6 p.m. After comfortably settling into your cabins, we’ll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail and enjoy our first evening together. Our ship will begin to cruise to Cussac-Fort-Médoc. We’ll begin on the Garonne River, before entering the Gironde River, where we’ll pass the islands of Cazeau and Patiras before reaching Cussac-Fort-Médoc.

This morning, join us on a CLASSIC / DISCOVERY excursions: Tour through the Médoc vineyards(only on pre-booking before departure). 

CLASSIC / DISCOVERY excursion: Royan, guided tour on foot.

Join us for an evening of dinner and dancing.

Excursion for both packages: The seaside cities of Rochefort and La Rochelle. We’ll leave by coach for Rochefort. Rochefort was originally chosen by Jean-Baptiste Colbert as a refuge, defense, and supply post for the French Navy back in the mid-1660s. We’ll stop  for lunch in a local restaurant. The over 1,000-year-old city of La Rochelle is the capital of the Charente Maritime. It’s tucked along the Bay of Biscay and contains some of the most beautiful natural and architectural heritage in the area. Enjoy some free time before returning to the ship. After we return on board, we’ll spend the rest of our day cruising up the Dordogne to Libourne.   

This morning, we offer two excursions:

CLASSIC: Saint-Émilion.
DISCOVERY: Libourne by bike and wine tasting*.

We’ll return to the ship in Libourne and spend the afternoon cruising to Bordeaux.

We’ll cruise along the Garonne, getting a good glimpse of Bordeaux from the water as we continue on to Cadillac. This morning, we offer two excursions:   

CLASSIC: a visit to the magnificent and prestigious Château de Roquetaillade.

DISCOVERY: Gourmet hikes in Cadillac.

We’ll spend the afternoon cruising to Bordeaux, and we’ll arrive during the evening. Tonight is our festive gala evening.

Excursion for both packages: To the center of Arcachon Bay. Departure by coach from Bordeaux for the Bassin d'Arcachon. We will start our tour with a boat trip on the Bassin d'Arcachon. You'll be able to see the Bird Island, the famous "Cabanes tchanquées" houses on stilts and the oyster beds. Free time in Arcachon. We will have lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, we will go to the Great Dune of Pilat. Culminating at 107m, it is the highest sand dune in Europe. The view from the top is awe-inspiring. Return to Bordeaux at the end of the day.

OR

This morning, we offer two excursions: 

CLASSIC: The Chartrons District, Wine and Commerce Museum.

DISCOVERY: The Bassins des Lumières.

Lunch will be served on board. Enjoy some free time on your own in the city this afternoon.

Join us for dinner and an evening of entertainment.  

Enjoy breakfast on board this morning before disembarking at 9:00 a.m. End of our services.