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All things Avalon Paris to Normandy


YoungDubFan
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I had posted this originally in the main forum to have a place to go for discussion about this itinerary and for some reason it got moved into the roll call section. I'm hoping that the moderators leave it in the main section.

 

I finally got my mom to commit to taking this trip, but it isn't until May 2016. We were able to put a deposit down today to hold a spot. I know it is quite a bit away but I thought I would start a thread for any discussions about this itinerary - regardless of the date.

 

We will be going in one day early and staying at the Avalon hotel in Paris. I know some will say its cheaper to stay on our own, but my mom will be 75 next year and it is just easier to use Avalon's hotel and not try to deal with changing hotels, especially for just one day.

 

I am interested in knowing what people who have done this itinerary, or are planning to do this trip, do on their first day in Paris. I know that there is an included day in Paris on the last day of the trip. I plan to get details from Avalon about what is all included so that we don't repeat stuff. I'm thinking that we are going to go to Versailles on the first day that we get in and then do just some general sightseeing on embarkation day. On our prior Avalon river cruise from Basel to Amsterdam, Avalon had arranged a few optional excursions for embarkation day, and I will be interested to learn from anyone who has done this trip or is doing it in 2015 to post what the options are for embarkation day.

 

The planning is so much fun. Looking forward to more posts on this topic.

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We are doing the Avalon Grand France starting in Paris 26 September this year on the two newer boats. It is going to be part of an 8 week Europe/England trip! Plan to arrive the day before(train from Strasbourg) and have booked a hotel near the Notre Dame(hubby wanted to stay in that area).Will do some walking around that local area in the morning before either making our way to the hotel(for group transfer by bus to boat) or maybe straight to boat. Hope to do the optional excursion to Honflour and probably do the Taste of Normandy trip instead of Normandy beaches. Not sure what the the Monet gardens in Giverny will be like that time of year but still plan on taking that option.On the return back to Paris will do the walking tour as we have been to Paris previously so have visited the sites mentioned in the City Sightseeing. Not sure about the optional Moulin Rouge night. Looking forward to our trip - this will be our 2nd cruise with Avalon.

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YoungDubFan:

We took this exact trip w/Avalon in July '14. We arrived in Paris at 6am and after customs, etc., we were off to the hotel where Avalon was putting people (for the same reason as you - easier). Our room was not ready so we dropped our luggage, grabbed a quick breakfast, and took a cab over to see Notre Dame cathedral. We spent the morning there. To the right is a street filled with restaurants for lunch, and shopping. Cabbed back to the hotel and checked into our room - then rested for an hour and found a pizza place within walking distance for dinner.

The day we embarked, we took the optional tour w/Avalon to the Eiffel Tower. No lines, and from there they took us directly to the boat. It was purrfect for us. You will love this trip especially your day at Normandy. It was the highlight for us.

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Avalon is now listing the optional tours. Find your itinerary on their website then go down the page to "Excursions" written in black. You can see most, or all, of the optional tours there. I'm not sure if they have them for 2016 yet, but it would be worth a try.

 

Like you, I like to plan those things out ahead of time. If your mother can tolerate walking and stairs, the Metro is extremely easy to use and very quick for getting around to all the sites.

Edited by DrivesLikeMario
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TravelingLady - what did the Eiffel Tower tour include? Did you do any of the other optional excursions on the trip?

 

Kelly

 

The Eiffel Tower tour left from the hotel about 1 and drove directly there. It included a stop at the 2nd platform which is quite high. It is where everyone got off w/Avalon. Gorgeous views. To go to the very top, you need to buy another ticket and take another elevator and the Avalon tour did not include that. We had plenty of time, and you were on your own after we came down to walk around, take in a few shops and take lots of pix. From there the bus took us directly to the ship - we boarded and our luggage was in our room and we set sail shortly after that.

The final day in Paris (Monday) afternoon, we took the optional to the Louvre, and the dinner show Moulin Rouge that evening.

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We also did this trip in July '14, but as the 2nd half of Avalons Grand France.

We didnt have tours on the day of embarkation as we arrived from Dijon by fast train t around 5pm and straight to the ship. In vernon we could choose between Monets Garden, which we did it was absolutely beautiful, or Bizy Castle, these were included tours. There was a pastry demonstration onboard in the afternoon, very yummy, not like we needed more food though! :)

In Rouen there was a guided city tour which was very good in the morning, then an optional

Tour to Honhleur in the afternoon, we didnt do this but those who went enjoyed it.

We were docked for 2 nights in Rouen, make sure you walk back to the Cathedral after dinner, I think its around 10pm, but that may have been because it was daylight saving, to see the amazing light show, alot of the peopld on our cruise went both nights.

We took the Taste of Normandy tour, all tours are full days, around 10 hours, others went to the Landing Beaches. We had a great time, saw thde magnificent Bayeux Tapestry and had so much wonderful food and drinks, beautiful country scenery too.

In Les Andelys there is an included tour which takes you to Chateau Gaillard and around the town, we didnt do this, we walked to the Castle on our own, magnificent viewsfrom there and then walked into the greater Les Andelys town, about 2kms each way, we found a lovely market there too.

From Conflans there was the choice of 2 included tours one to Auvers-Sur-oise, a lovely little town where Van Gough lived and died, we chose this one, also there was a tour to Napoleon and Josephines chateau, I belive that wasvery nice too.

There was an optional tour to Versailles on our way back to Paris, many took this, we didnt as we planned on going on our own after the cruise. We did take the optional City Lights tour and on the last night we went to Moulin Rouge, crowded but was a great night. We also took the included city tour in Paris, it had to start late and was a little altered as most of the major streets were closed for most of the day as it was Bastille Day, the fireworks were fantastic and the top deck gave us a great view towards the Eiffel Tower.

We had a fantastic cruise, I am sure you will too, plus you'll probaly all have the new ships!

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Not too far from the Notre Dame there is a beautiful chapel called Sainte Chapelle. It was the royal chapel of Louis IX. I always thought that it was much prettier than Notre Dame. You may not have time to see it in the one day that you will be in Paris, but I thought I would mention it for others that might have more time. It's lovely, and was always one of my favorite spots to bring visitors.

 

This is an itinerary my husband and I are considering, so that's why I am following this board intently. Enjoy your cruise!

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I'm taking Grand France beginning 10/20/15. I'm going 2 days early. I saw the price for the Avalon hotel ... The extra nights pre-cruise. I used one of the hotel websites and booked a room for 2 nights at the same price Avalon was charging for 1 night. Breakfast at the hotel is super-expensive so I'll find a small coffee shop before beginning my own tour agenda.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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Webfoot - are you staying at the Avalon hotel but just booked it independently? If so I may have to look into that option for next year. I see you did the Paris to Normandy trip back in 2010. You must have enjoyed it since you are repeating as part of Grand France. Please post any suggestions here.

 

Kelly

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We took this trip a couple of years ago in September and Monet's Gardens were still lovely. We also took the opportunity to walk around Giverny as it is a very sweet little town.

 

We pretty much did the same tours as Tassietraveler did. We took some of the city tours but then struck out on our own. Les Andelys' Richard the Lionhearted Castle is absolutely beautifully situated and well worth the climb.

 

We took the Normandy Beaches tour and loved it as we did Honfleur. I personally think the Moulin Rouge is great fun.

 

We took the metro to Montmartre and walked through the Marais since we'd been to Versailles previously and it was still having work done on the interior.

 

We continued our river cruise from Paris to Provence and loved both segments! You and your mom are going to love your trip!

 

To help you with your research, have you discovered Frommer's walking tours? Click on following and you will see, on the left margin, 3 walking tours. There are also accompanying "maps" for each tour. Have fun researching!!!

 

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/paris/658465#sthash.iiNJjLjU.dpbs

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Yes, I did book the hotel independently using one of the better-known hotel websites. I have taken Grand France one other time when my husband was still alive. He had medical problems so we didn't see as much as we wanted. Now on my own I want to see these areas more in-depth. The second portion of the cruise is a wine-themed cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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  • 1 month later...

I've noticed that a few questions regarding Avalon's Paris to Normandy itinerary have been posted as separate threads on this forum. I have tried to bump this thread up so that we can try to consolidate the questions into one location, to make it easier to find / ask questions. Hopefully the moderators will leave this thread on the first page.

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  • 4 months later...

Only 77 days before we join our Grand France cruise in Paris & only 62 days before we leave for the start of our Europe adventures, not that I'm counting!!!

Haven't decided yet if we will make our way to the hotel or go straight to the ship on departure day, will probably decide on the day and what we end up doing in the morning.

Definitely want to visit Honfleur and still deciding on which Normandy trip(I'm thinking a Taste of Normandy but hubby may want to do the beaches). Will also hopefully visit Monet's garden though not sure if anything will be in bloom late September.

On the return leg to Paris we won't do the Versailles optional tour as we have visited before, also not sure about the city lights tour. On the Friday I have arranged to do a lunch food tour in the Latin Quarter, we will be doing their aperitif tour the night before our cruise starts. Not interested in the Moulin Rouge visit so hopefully will do something else that night. Have been checking on marinetraffic to check where the ship docks and have worked out which metro/tram to catch.

Looking forward to being on the newer ships as we really liked the layout of the room with the bed facing the window and the sliding door when we travelled on the Vista at Christmas/New Year 2013/2014. Have a cabin on the middle deck like our previous trip, we have the same cabin number for both legs of the trip.

Hopefully the weather will be kind to us but am expecting it to be a bit cool, maybe some rain/wind, so I am going to pack accordingly!!

Will be interesting to see how many people do the full Grand France cruise and how the transfer to the train works.

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Hi! We will also be taking the Grand France itinerary this fall(October),only on Avalon Creativity/Scenery. (anyone been on these ships?)Would like to have taken one of the newer ships, but they alternate their schedule, so the timing didn't fit ours. First time for Avalon, and am anticipating a great cruise! Been to Normandy beaches during 60th anniversary of D-Day and we will return again this time. It's poignant to us(F-I-L landed on Omaha on D-day). Want to take optional to Honfleur and maybe Versailles. Really excited about Rouen! Seems so charming.

I've traveled to Europe in Oct-Nov and found weather very unpredictable(or maybe its predictably unpredictable) I too will take rain jacket and sweater/lite fleece if needed under it.Overall, layers should work since we're going from cooler to warmer weather in South. Thoughts on other tips for river travel that time of year; or sites/sights to not miss, etc?

Love to hear a summary from those taking this itin before we do, too! Thanx.

 

Anyone doing this itinerary this year? Would love to keep discussions going.

 

,

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Really enjoyed the Paris to Normandy Beaches cruise on the Tapestry II June 27-July 4.

 

So many memorable tours with fantastic guides. We did the optional Eiffel Tower tour in the afternoon before boarding the ship. In Giverny, we visited the gorgeous Monet Gardens. In Les Andelys we did the tour to Chateau Gaillard (yes we climbed all the way to the top - what a view!). In Caudebec we took the Abbey Road tour to Jumieges & St. Wandrille monastery, and then went to the beautiful sea-side town of Honfleur (which became my favorite). The following day we took the all-day tour to the UK/Canadian Landing Beaches...an emotional experience.

 

Spent all day Wednesday in Rouen with a walking tour in the morning, visited the Joan of Arc site, and had free time the rest of the day. In Conflans we took the morning tour to Van Gogh's village and in the afternoon we went to the incredible Palace of Versailles.

 

Docked our last 2 nights in Paris...on our last day in Paris, we took the walking tour of the "isle de la Cite" and the Notre Dame Cathedral. In the afternoon we took the tram up the hill on our tour to lovely Montmartre, and to top off our final night, we went to the Moulin Rouge show. Back to the ship, sat on the top deck and watched the Eiffel Tower doing the sparkly-light show which happens at 11pm and midnight.

 

It was go-go-go the entire week and I loved every minute of it. However, we did all of this through a heat wave our entire cruise with temps which at times reached above 40C (104F). :eek:

 

A shout-out to Avalon and the great staff on the Tapestry II. :)

 

Cindy

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We will be cruising the same itinerary Sept.8...we will be on the Avalon Creativity not as new as the Tapestry. We have cruised twice with Uniworld absolutely fabulous but pricey. We cruised also a few years ago on AMA wasn't our favorite due to food issue wasn't good.. This will be our first time on Avalon and it was an unbelievable price? We could not resist.. After being on Uniworld I just hope we won't be disappointed.. Did you also do a precruise Hotel! Thx.

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No, we did not do a pre-cruise hotel. Flew in the morning of departure day and was met at the airport and transferred for the day to the Pullman Montparnasse. From there we took the Eiffel Tower tour and our luggage was locked up on the bus. After the Eiffel Tower we were transported to the ship for boarding around 4pm.

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Thank you so much for the summary! Sounds like you really enjoyed the trip. We're excited about the whole experience! Thx so much for your views on the cruise, ports, guides and staff! Hot!! Don't think we'll see that in Oct.:)

 

Really enjoyed the Paris to Normandy Beaches cruise on the Tapestry II June 27-July 4.

 

So many memorable tours with fantastic guides. We did the optional Eiffel Tower tour in the afternoon before boarding the ship. In Giverny, we visited the gorgeous Monet Gardens. In Les Andelys we did the tour to Chateau Gaillard (yes we climbed all the way to the top - what a view!). In Caudebec we took the Abbey Road tour to Jumieges & St. Wandrille monastery, and then went to the beautiful sea-side town of Honfleur (which became my favorite). The following day we took the all-day tour to the UK/Canadian Landing Beaches...an emotional experience.

 

Spent all day Wednesday in Rouen with a walking tour in the morning, visited the Joan of Arc site, and had free time the rest of the day. In Conflans we took the morning tour to Van Gogh's village and in the afternoon we went to the incredible Palace of Versailles.

 

Docked our last 2 nights in Paris...on our last day in Paris, we took the walking tour of the "isle de la Cite" and the Notre Dame Cathedral. In the afternoon we took the tram up the hill on our tour to lovely Montmartre, and to top off our final night, we went to the Moulin Rouge show. Back to the ship, sat on the top deck and watched the Eiffel Tower doing the sparkly-light show which happens at 11pm and midnight.

 

It was go-go-go the entire week and I loved every minute of it. However, we did all of this through a heat wave our entire cruise with temps which at times reached above 40C (104F). :eek:

 

A shout-out to Avalon and the great staff on the Tapestry II. :)

 

Cindy

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  • 2 weeks later...

My DH and I have booked the September 22 Paris to Normandy cruise on the Creativity. We were able to get a Category A French balcony for an amazing price, thanks to a referral from AMD1234! We weren't planning on doing this cruise until next year but the discounted price made us reconsider. Less than 2 months away and lots of planning to do. Very excited!

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So glad you were able to book this great deal. I can hardly believe it! We are usually not this spontaneous. Now trying to plan what to do the first day in Paris with our friends. its exhausting the first day so we are thinking of the Hop off hop on bus. Less walking the first day. Try to have an early dinner hit the bed early. Two years ago we stayed in the Rue Cler area this time we are staying in the Latin Quarter area.

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We're not usually spontaneous either but couldn't pass this up! The HOHO bus sounds like a wonderful idea for the first day. I rarely sleep much on overnight flights so riding a bus around the city, getting off at interesting stops would be a great way to get oriented. We arrive two days before the cruise and want to see as much as we can before we embark. Still looking at hotels..

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We have booked one night at the Hotel Albe in the St. Michael district. Good location overlookng the Seine. Only one night and a recommendation fron cruise critic forum.. We are also not far from the Pullman Hotel Avalon Hotel for their pre cruise guests. We will take a cab to Pullman at 3 o'clock and they will transfer us to the ship. I have made the arrangements with Avalon.:) We booked our air with Avalon good times non stop on American..

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