Everything Viking France: Normandy, Paris, Provence

[Peregrina651]

We are back after the big upgrade/migration and it looks like our new home codes our posts in a different language. I don't expect that CC is going to be able to go back and fix that problem but I promise that I will update the two lists I have been keeping when I get back to my desktop. 

[Peregrina651]

New regime does not have advanced editing that allows adjustment of font size. What I wanted to post has been deleted from this post and now appears, with the font size adjusted in the next post.

Edited October 17, 2018 by Peregrina651

[Peregrina651]

Here is a legible list of relevant Roll Calls. If I missed any, please add them:

•  All Viking Paris Heart of Normandy cruises

• All Viking France's Finest 2018

• ALL 2019 Viking FRANCE'S FINEST

• ALL Viking 2019 Lyon & Provence

• All Viking 2018 Lyon & Provence

• All 2020 Viking Paris & the Heart of Normandy

• Viking: Avignon to Lyon: April 14, 2019

• Viking France's Finest || 11-25 July 2018

• All Viking Paris & Normandy 2018 cruise 

 

PS. Sorry for the strange formatting; it is the new software.

[Peregrina651]

Now, before I forget, here is a question for those who have already sailed. Which winery is visited on the optional Chateuneuf du Pape winery tour?

TIA

[jrkstl]

We went to Famile Perrin on the CNdP tour.

 

Jeff

[Peregrina651]

Jeff, thanks.

We now have the ability to thank people without having to make an entire post . The heart in the lower right hand corner of each post other than your own allows you to 'Like' 'Laugh' or 'Thank'.

Jeff, I see from your sig file that you are doing Eastern Passage and China. IMHO extend you stay as best you can. There is not enough time in Bucharest and I am really sorry that we did not add a few days there. We did the Prague extension but not Burcharest and I regret it. As for China, if you change to one of the longer itineraries or add time on either end.

[jrkstl]

9 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

Jeff, I see from your sig file that you are doing Eastern Passage and China. IMHO extend you stay as best you can. There is not enough time in Bucharest and I am really sorry that we did not add a few days there. We did the Prague extension but not Burcharest and I regret it. As for China, if you change to one of the longer itineraries or add time on either end.

For Passage to Eastern Europe - we are doing the trip extension on the end, which has more time in Bucharest and the trip to Transylvania. And for China, after the 14ish day cruise/trip, we are extending time in Shanghai on our own to spend a couple of days at Disney Shanghai as well as to have more city time in Shanghai.

Jeff

Edited October 17, 2018 by jrkstl

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, jrkstl said:

For Passage to Eastern Europe - we are doing the trip extension on the end, which has more time in Bucharest and the trip to Transylvania. And for China, after the 14ish day cruise/trip, we are extending time in Shanghai on our own to spend a couple of days at Disney Shanghai as well as to have more city time in Shanghai.

Jeff

 

Glad to see you are one step ahead of me! We loved both of those trips. If there wasn't so much more to see and do I would do those trips again.

[CharTrav]

On 10/17/2018 at 7:30 AM, jrkstl said:

We went to Famile Perrin on the CNdP tour.

 

Jeff

As I recall last Summer they told us that Viking now had a contract with them to not only do that excursion but also to provide their wines to the ships. 

[deec]

Looking for recommendations for pre-cruise stay in Paris and post in Avignon or Marseille.  VBRO or botique hotel???  How difficult is driving in France if we rent a car for the post stay?

[Peregrina651]

On our first trip to Paris, I found this funky, boutique hotel right near the Sorbonne. In fact, from our room, we could see right into the class rooms of the Sorbonne building across the street. Hotel Sorbonne. This place is not for everyone. They are old-fashion European hotel in size (i.e., small) and if I remember correctly, the bathroom was the shower. But, it was clean, newly decorated in 2010 and the front desk was friendly and helpful. Metro stops near by, lovely local restaurants on the square around the corner. And we walked to most everywhere--Notre-Dame, St. Sulpice, Louvre, Musee D'Orsay.

 

We are renting a car in March. I will let you know then. I have learned in my research:

• that it is much more expensive for us to pick-up a car at the airport when we arrive and then drop it in Avignon (so we will pick up the car in Avignon and save a couple of hundred €€€). (Do not know if the same penalty applies to picking up in Avignon and dropping at airport).
• manual transmission almost exclusively 
• there is a train between Marseille Airport and Avignon Center (as opposed to the TGV station a few miles out of town)
• the car rental is near the train station and both are not far from the dock
• parking inside the walls of Avignon is scarce and we are arranging parking through our hotel, hopefully at the hotel itself

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

We stayed at a lovely hotel on Ile St-Louis, which is like a private neighborhood in the middle of the Seine!  Highly recommend it if you don't mind being away from the 'action.'  

Hôtel de Lutèce

65, rue St-Louis-en-l’ile

 

As for renting a car: we rented at CDG and drove around Paris to Chartres and on to Giverny that first day.  Then after several days touring around we dropped the car in Lyon before taking a cruise down the Rhone.  Saving the cost of transfers on both ends paid back the charge for a one-way rental.  Also the selection is much better at CDG than at Avignon – we were able to get a Golf with auto from Hertz, which proved to be just the right size.  At the end of the trip we rented a car to go from Arles to Marseilles, and Peregrina is right about the lack of auto trans in that area – I had to brush up my manual shifting skills on the mountain roads to Les Baux!

[Peregrina651]

9 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

– I had to brush up my manual shifting skills on the mountain roads to Les Baux!

 

HAH! I'll bet la Belle was happy about that!

I'm getting the impression we should consider Les Baux as a stop  on our three days pre-cruise. I don't think I want to spend the money they are asking for the tour that includes it. Right now we are planning on having a Roman ruins day on Sunday --Pont du Gard and the Roman Theatre in Orange but maybe if we have time we will add Les Baux. Monday we are headed in the direction of Menebres, Village of the Bories and Abbey Notre-Dame de Senanque. Tuesday we are looking at a vineyard visit and a drive around that area as mapped by Rick Steves (and back to the car rental by closing (5pm?).

[djh1959]

15 hours ago, deec said:

Looking for recommendations for pre-cruise stay in Paris and post in Avignon or Marseille.  VBRO or botique hotel???  How difficult is driving in France if we rent a car for the post stay?

Can't help with the driving but we were in Avignon last year and stayed at the Hotel de L'Horloge.  We had a terrace room with a view of the Palais du Papes.  Really nice, boutique style hotel.

[Host Jazzbeau]

6 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

HAH! I'll bet la Belle was happy about that!

I'm getting the impression we should consider Les Baux as a stop  on our three days pre-cruise. I don't think I want to spend the money they are asking for the tour that includes it. Right now we are planning on having a Roman ruins day on Sunday --Pont du Gard and the Roman Theatre in Orange but maybe if we have time we will add Les Baux. Monday we are headed in the direction of Menebres, Village of the Bories and Abbey Notre-Dame de Senanque. Tuesday we are looking at a vineyard visit and a drive around that area as mapped by Rick Steves (and back to the car rental by closing (5pm?).

 

Jazzbelle normally does the driving [so I can navigate] but she put this on me since her manual shifting is even rustier than mine. 

 

Les Baux is absolutely worth it, and you can include it with Pont du Gard in one day.  Not sure if you can also squeeze in Orange [we didn't go there].  In/near Les Baux, the Carrières de Lumières is also highly recommended.

[Peregrina651]

Okay, looks like we are going to have to discuss Les Baux and see if we can add it to the schedule. 

[deec]

thanks for all this GREAT help....really excited to spend some great time in France next fall!!!

Anyone rent a VBRO in Paris or Avignon or Marseille?

[Peregrina651]

Info about the train from Marseille airport to Avignon Centre:

https://www.thetrainline.com/en/train-times/vitrolles-aeroport-marseille-provence-ter-to-avignon-centre

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187212-i675-k5397295-Avignon_to_Marseille_Airport-Avignon_Vaucluse_Provence_Alpes_Cote_d_Azur.html (however, it is a bit old--2012)

timetables/SCNF -- https://en.oui.sncf/en/train/timetables/avignon/marseille

 

The names of the train stations are Vitrolles- Airport and Avignon-Centre.

 

[Peregrina651]

Avignon car rental heads-up!!

 

Looks like the rental office at/near the Avignon-Centre station has closed. The nearest rental agency is now the Avignon TGV station.

 

This is not the information that I found when looking these things up just this past May and have been talking about for the past five months.

[TerryLipford]

On 7/9/2018 at 11:30 AM, Peregrina651 said:

 

The older I get, the more useless I am on day one. Arriving early is becoming more and more of a necessity rather than an indulgence.

 

For those who might want to try to to Ponte du Gard on their own (and there is now an optional tour listed), do you remember what it cost you?

The current entry price is 8.50 euros - you can find the price on their website at;  https://billetterie.pontdugard.fr/en-GB/products

 

My family and I drove there from Carcassonne (on our way to Annecy) and enjoyed our visit. Pont du Gard is a living monument to Roman Construction standards!  

Edited October 30, 2018 by TerryLipford

[Peregrina651]

Check out TerryLipford's post in the All Viking Paris Heart of Normandy cruises thread.

[Peregrina651]

I've been looking for something to share to bump this thread back onto page one and finally this evening two things dropped into my lap.

 

First, for those who are traveling in 2019, shorex are not available for Lyon and Provence sailings, at least for March and April departures. Haven't heard if is for all 2019 sailings.

 

Second/Next/Last item, filed under "reading the fine print," we booked a car for our few days in Avignon. In the process, we learned that if you rent a car from Alamo at Marseilles Airport or Avignon TGV Station, that the actual rental will be fulfilled through Enterprise.

[philw1776]

Shorex for Paris & the Heart of Normandy 11 July 2019 surprisingly has been online for a couple months

[OneSixtyToOne]

15 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Second/Next/Last item, filed under "reading the fine print," we booked a car for our few days in Avignon. In the process, we learned that if you rent a car from Alamo at Marseilles Airport or Avignon TGV Station, that the actual rental will be fulfilled through Enterprise.

 

FYI Three holding companies own most of the rental car companies:

• AvisBudget Group (owns Avis, Budget, and Payless)
• Enterprise Holdings (owns Alamo, Enterprise, and National)
• Hertz Global Holdings (owns Dollar, Hertz, and Thrifty)

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, philw1776 said:

Shorex for Paris & the Heart of Normandy 11 July 2019 surprisingly has been online for a couple months

 

I know. Weird, isn't it.  We did our bookings for that leg of the journey at the beginning of October--right after someone posted (I think you) that they were available. Still, we haven't finished the process because Avignon has not been posted along with the rest of the shorex.