‘Vive la France!’ is a blissful holiday built around three river cruises through enchanting French countryside in summertime, ending with two nights in Nice on the French Riviera. It takes place in August, a festive time in France, usually with beautiful weather.
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 three nights in Lyon, as well as the two nights in Nice.
‘Vive la France!’ lasts 29 days and costs from A$8599 twin share per person, including flights from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth to Paris and back from Nice. The holiday departs Australia on 9 August 2015. It’s valid for sale till 21 December 2014 or until sold out.
The three cruises included are:
• A six-night ‘The Land of Plenty’ river cruise on the Dordogne/Garonne Rivers plus Gironde estuary cruise aboard CroisiEurope’s Cyrano de Bergerac, round trip from Bordeaux.
• A four-night ‘The Valley of the Seine’ Seine River cruise (round-trip from Paris) aboard CroisiEurope’s Seine Princess;
• A four-night ‘The Magic of the Provencal Rhone and the Camargue’ River cruise (round trip from Lyon) aboard CroisiEurope’s Van Gogh.
The holiday starts when you cast off Australian winter and jet to Paris. Head to the Grand des Gobelins Hotel Paris, just steps from the lively Latin Quarter. Relax, 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 at the Mercure Bordeaux Centre Hotel, board CroisiEurope’s Cyrano de Bergerac for a six-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!’ includes five nights accommodation in Paris. Enjoy an initial night in Paris on arrival, another two nights after the first cruise and a further two nights after the second cruise. The holiday includes a night at the Mercure Bordeaux Centre Hotel in Bordeaux before the Dordogne/Garonne cruise and another night in a Bordeaux hotel afterwards; three nights at the Novotel Lyon La Part Dieu hotel in Lyon, and a final two nights at the Best Western Riviera 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 is staffed by French chefs. 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!’:
• Take in panoramic views over the Gironde Estuary from the citadel and fortress in Blaye;
• 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;
• Explore 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