‘Vive la France 2015!’ is a blissful holiday built around three river cruises through superb French countryside in summertime and ending with two nights in Nice on the French Riviera.
As well as the two nights in Nice, the holiday, from Worldwide Cruise Centres (worldwidecruisecentres.com.au) includes return flights from Australia, five nights hotel accommodation in central Paris, another two nights in Bordeaux and two nights in Lyon.
‘Vive la France 2015!’ lasts 29 days and costs from A$8999 twin share per person, including flights from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth to Paris and back from Nice. The holiday departs Australia on 19 or 20 July 2015 (depending on state capital of departure). It’s valid for sale till 14 November 2014 or until sold out.
The three cruises included are:
• A five-day/four-night Gironde Estuary and Garonne River cruise aboard CroiseiEurope’s Princess d’Aquitaine (round trip from Bordeaux);
• An eight-day/seven-night Seine Valley and Normandy Beaches cruise along the Seine River (round-trip from Paris) aboard CroisiEurope’s Seine Princess;
• A six-day/five-night Scenery of the Provençal Rhone Lyon River cruise (round trip from Lyon) aboard CroisiEurpe’s Camargue.
The holiday starts when you cast off Australian winter and jet to Paris. Head to the Timhotel Montparnasse to relax and refresh and, next morning after breakfast, travel in style by first-class train from Paris to Bordeaux.
After a night in UNESCO World Heritage-listed Bordeaux, board CroisiEurope’s Princess d’Aquitaine for a four-night cruise. Settle into your cabin and sip a welcome cocktail as you head down the Garonne River and then join the Gironde River, passing Cazeau Island before arriving in Pauillac in time for lunch aboard.
CroisiEurope, the Strasbourg-based French river cruise line, delivers exceptional value. Cruises are on a full-board basis, so all meals are included – three meals a day.
Even better, unlimited wine, beer, fruit juice and mineral water (with meals) are covered in the cruise price on each of the three river cruises in this holiday, as are tea or coffee after each meal.
‘Vive la France 2015!’ includes two nights accommodation at the Grand des Gobelins Hotel Paris, just steps from the lively Latin Quarter. Enjoy an initial night in Paris on arrival and another two nights after the cruise. The holiday includes a night at the Mercure Bordeaux Centre Gare St Jean Hotel in Bordeaux before the Gironde/Garonne cruise and another night in a Bordeaux hotel afterwards; two nights at the Novotel Lyon La Part Dieu hotel in Lyon, and a final two nights at a three-star hotel in Nice. Daily breakfasts are included at all those hotels.
Plus four great French train trips, travelling in First Class all the way, namely:
• A one-way train journey from Paris Montparnasse to Bordeaux St Jean stations (a scenic trip taking about three and a half hours);
• The same train journey in the opposite direction back to Paris.
• One-way train trip from Paris Gare Lyon to Lyon Part Dieu stations.
• A one-way train trip from Lyon Part Dieu to Nice Ville station.
Welcome cocktails and Gala Dinner are included on each of the three cruises. Cuisine aboard is superb. CroisiEurope’s head chef, Alain Bohn, is a member of Maîtres Cuisiniers de France, an esteemed French association created 50 years ago with a membership of only 250 chefs worldwide. Passengers enjoy a range of classic French wines, bought direct from the wineries, accompanying meals.
The great rivers on this holiday flow through some of France’s most scenic regions. Verdant countryside, medieval villages and ancient castles – all wait to be explored.
Just a few highlights of ‘Vive la France 2015!’:
• Admire Paris by night, cruising past the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palais, the Orangerie, the Louvre and Notre-Dame cathedral in Ile de la Cité.
• Wander Pauillac, where houses belonging to old nobility line the quaysides; view the châteaux Lafite-Rothschild, Latour and Mouton Rothschild;
• See Saint-Emilion, with an optional guided visit to the underground monuments of this historic village;
• Take in panoramic views over the Gironde Estuary from the citadel and fortress in Blaye;
• Explore sublime Bordeaux;
• See Avignon, medieval City of the Popes;
CroisiEurope, Europe’s longest-established river-cruise company, is a family-owned and operated business based in Strasbourg. It attracts an educated, middle-income, chic clientele and the atmosphere aboard is just delightful.
To find your local Worldwide Cruise Centres agent, go to: www.worldwidecruisecentres.com.au
SOURCE Worldwide Cruise Centres