Say ‘oui’ to French cruising
RIVER cruises across the Channel provide a perfect chance to see the quintessential France, revealing beautiful wine regions and the haunts of famous artists.
These cruises can be a real gastronomic treat, with gourmet-style cuisine on board and memorable cheese and wine tastings en route. Plus you’ll be treated to seven-course gala evenings with regional wines served by an attentive crew, who number one to every four passengers and offer outstanding service.
And with sumptuous beds thoughtfully turned towards the river, you need never miss the view through the floor-to-ceiling windows, as you glide past chocolate-box French villages and glorious pastoral scenes.
With more new itineraries in France this year aboard the latest intimate, yet spacious, river ships, it’s a great time to say ‘oui’ to this easy-going and culturally enriching style of holiday. WINE CELLARS AND FLAMINGOS A BURGUNDY and Provence itinerary on the Rhone, for example, includes incredible highlights, beginning in Monte Carlo and ending in Paris.
Cruises usually start in the capital of Provence, Arles, revealing the spots where Van Gogh set up his easel, as well as a Roman amphitheatre.
Then they’ll often continue into the Camargue National Park, home to marshy fields of black bulls, white horses, Provencal cowboys, pink flamingos and migratory birds.
Avignon is dominated by the grandiose Palace of the Popes and was the centre of the Catholic Church in the 14th century.
Explore it in depth, or opt to visit Pont du Gard, or the famed wine cellars of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Charming medieval towns such as Viviers, Tournon, with its 16th-century castle and Roman ruins, and Vienne, with its Roman theatre and temples, keep on coming to you. And France’s gastronomic capital, Lyon, unveils more Roman ruins, museums and Renaissance architecture, plus the chance to sample Beaujolais, the wine of the region. Chalon-sur-Soane and Beaune bring wine cellar visits and cheese tastings, before this delicious Rhone cruise is rounded off by sightseeing in Paris, the City Of Light. TSAR TREK BY RIVER IF YOU were fascinated by the world of BBC1’s War And Peace, why not take a tsar-trek through Russia?
Visit opulent palaces, fortified monasteries, beautiful cathedrals, unique islands, quaint villages and onion-domed churches such as the brilliant red and white church, St Dimitry on the Blood at Uglich.
In Moscow, view the 189-carat Orlov Diamond in the Kremlin, and the famous Red Square. And after sailing into St Petersburg on the Neva river, see the eye-wateringly opulent blue, white and gold Catherine Palace, the Hermitage Museum, Faberge Museum and the Peterhof Gardens.
River ships will moor overnight in both cities to give passengers time to explore the elegant palaces and treasure trove of sights. And as well as daily tours, Russian language lessons and dance and folklore classes may be included in the price.