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Everything Viking France: Normandy, Paris, Provence

Peregrina651

By Peregrina651,
in River Cruising

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Peregrina651

Peregrina651

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Starting a list of all of the links we have shared that are not links to things on Cruise Critic. As always, please feel free to edit or add to the list:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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FuelScience

FuelScience

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11 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Starting a list of all of the links we have shared that are not links to things on Cruise Critic. As always, please feel free to edit or add to the list:

 

  • Valrhona  (The Valrona Chocolate Museum across the river from Viviers)

Small,  correction, should be across the river from Tournon.

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lackcreativity

lackcreativity

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I am doing some long term planning, and looking at the Lyon & Provence itinerary. I am debating adding the pre-cruise of Burgundy or the post cruise of the Riviera or (extravagantly) both. Any input from readers here regarding this? Certainly I know that these could be done less expensively on our own, but we are both still working and like for someone else to do the work for us on vacation.

 

I do like wine but am no expert, and I love small medieval towns and castles and churches. What would you choose?

 

(Sorry if this has already been addressed in this thread. I have read most, but not all, of it.)

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Peregrina651

Peregrina651

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CORRECTED

 

Starting a list of all of the links we have shared that are not links to things on Cruise Critic. As always, please feel free to edit or add to the list:

 

 

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philw1776

philw1776

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On 3/1/2019 at 2:05 PM, OneSixtyToOne said:

 

We took the Commonwealth tour and IMO is a better tour.

  • The tour is much less crowded (we had only 8 people)
  • You get to walk right on Juno Beach, right in front of the bunkers. (BTW all bunkers are closed because children found unspent explosives in some of them a number of years ago)
  • The Canadian visitors center is purposely staffed with Canadian college students , who are of a similar age as the troops who came ashore on D-Day. They show a very moving film.
  • You visit Bayeux to see the Tapestry which BTW is schedule to go on a multi-year display in the UK so this might be the last opportunity to see it in Bayeux for several years. The museum has full size replicas of the boats William used to cross the English Channel and well as dioramas of Norman villages and settlements.
  • You visit the Pegasus Bridge and Museum, the site of the first Allied D-Day casualty. It's the bridge featured in "The Longest Day" ("Hold until relieved"). The bagpipes of the piper are there as well as full scale reproduction of the gliders used in the assault and various others artifacts. It was one of my favorite places to visit in Normandy.
  • You visit two cemeteries that are a bit inland, where Commonwealth troops, as well as some German troops are buried. One is in a very charming small village so you get to see more of the Norman countryside.

Unless you have a personal reason to go to Omaha, I highly recommend the Commonwealth Tour.

 

Pegasus Bridge Memorial and Museum

 

Much appreciated informative post.

Just changed our 3 generations cruise booking to 6 people for the Commonwealth tour.  HS age granddaughters very excited about Bayeux Tapestry, studied in History class and the gliders, reminded them of Band of Brothers gliders.
I'd wanted to see the Richard Winters memorial but that will be on a future visit.
If we are stripped of our US citizenship as a result, you will be hearing from my lawyer,

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LFS517

LFS517

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8 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

I am doing some long term planning, and looking at the Lyon & Provence itinerary. I am debating adding the pre-cruise of Burgundy or the post cruise of the Riviera or (extravagantly) both. Any input from readers here regarding this? Certainly I know that these could be done less expensively on our own, but we are both still working and like for someone else to do the work for us on vacation.

 

I do like wine but am no expert, and I love small medieval towns and castles and churches. What would you choose?

 

(Sorry if this has already been addressed in this thread. I have read most, but not all, of it.)

 

We did a Burgundy pre-cruise excursion in 2017, not quite the same description but very close.  We absolutely loved it!  All of the excursion stops were fascinating and we had the best Viking guide, Charles, for the entire trip.  Highlights were definitely the Hospice of Beaune and the vineyards and wine tastings.  Perouges was also interesting.  Our only complaint, minor, was that the hotel in Dijon is not near the city center, not a lot of restaurants or activities nearby.  There is a public trolley stop fairly close so you can venture out on your own if you wish.

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Liga713

Liga713

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We did a post cruise once in Nice.  Stayed at the Palais de la Mediterrane.  Highly recommend this hotel because it is beautiful and in the perfect location to walk to most sites.  Also, it easy to tale short train excursions to other beautiful little towns.

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lackcreativity

lackcreativity

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6 hours ago, Liga713 said:

We did a post cruise once in Nice.  Stayed at the Palais de la Mediterrane.  Highly recommend this hotel because it is beautiful and in the perfect location to walk to most sites.  Also, it easy to tale short train excursions to other beautiful little towns.

Thanks for the suggestion. I definitely want to see Eze, and maybe St. Paul de Vence. Did you have any other recommendations for little towns to visit on your own from Nice?

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Cairn Mom

Cairn Mom

Posted
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On 3/6/2019 at 3:50 PM, lackcreativity said:

Thanks for the suggestion. I definitely want to see Eze, and maybe St. Paul de Vence. Did you have any other recommendations for little towns to visit on your own from Nice?

Well they’re not so little, but you can take the train to Cannes and or Monte Carlo.

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Cairn Mom

Cairn Mom

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On 3/6/2019 at 9:35 AM, Liga713 said:

We did a post cruise once in Nice.  Stayed at the Palais de la Mediterrane.  Highly recommend this hotel because it is beautiful and in the perfect location to walk to most sites.  Also, it easy to tale short train excursions to other beautiful little towns.

We’re staying there prior to an ocean cruise this coming summer. Do you have any tips about the hotel? Thx in advance.

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Peregrina651

Peregrina651

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27 minutes ago, Cairn Mom said:

Well they’re not so little, but you can take the train to Cannes and or Monte Carlo.

 

Take the 100 Bus towards Menton to get to Monte Carlo. The ride along the ocean is beautiful. Google will get you more info.

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Peregrina651

Peregrina651

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Moving the lists forward.

 

All Roll Calls for France's Finest, Paris & Normandy, Lyon & Provence:

 

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Cairn Mom

Cairn Mom

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Look what I got today in my email. Now, I’m even more excited for this trip. 

Thank you so much Viking!!

 

Dear Viking Guest,

Congratulations!

You have received a complimentary category upgrade. You are now booked in  A-VERANDA STATEROOM, stateroom number 311.

Please visit vikingcruises.com to find out more details about your stateroom.

We look forward to welcoming you on board.

Sincerely,

Viking

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Peregrina651

Peregrina651

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1 hour ago, Cairn Mom said:

Look what I got today in my email. Now, I’m even more excited for this trip. 

Thank you so much Viking!!

 

Dear Viking Guest,

Congratulations!

You have received a complimentary category upgrade. You are now booked in  A-VERANDA STATEROOM, stateroom number 311.

Please visit vikingcruises.com to find out more details about your stateroom.

We look forward to welcoming you on board.

Sincerely,

Viking

 

Sweet.  Congratulations. The Upgrade Fairy Lives!

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Sacramento2012

Sacramento2012

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I have a question. This is my first Viking Cruise, and first time to France. We sail on April 16 from Lyon to Avignon. We're visiting a friend of mine in France after the cruise, and I've purchased train tickets and made reservations for the Avignon TGV high speed train. Our tickets are for the 8:51 a.m. train. My question is, is this adequate time to get to the train station, and does anyone know if taxis are easy to get? Would the Viking program director be able to help us secure a taxi? It looks like the train station is not too far from the dock, but does anyone know how much time it will take? Thanks! 

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djh1959

djh1959

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19 minutes ago, Sacramento2012 said:

but does anyone know how much time it will take? Thanks! 

 

Hi, we weren't on a river cruise, but we did spend a few days in Avignon a couple of years ago.  We were staying very central, right near the Pope's Palace.  We had a driver who drove us to Avignon TGV station and it took around 20 minutes.

 

She suggested driving us rather than a taxi, as she said it could be difficult getting a taxi so early in the morning - our train was at about the same time as yours.  So on that basis, allow as much time as possible.

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gnome12 Excellent Advice! Rare

gnome12

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If Viking is anything like the other lines, a few days before departure they will ask what your plans are, and what transportation you need. They will arrange a taxi for you (and tell you what time you should leave). Just a note, people likely have flights that are earlier than that, and have to be at the airport MUCH earlier. This is not an issue.

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Peregrina651

Peregrina651

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5 hours ago, Sacramento2012 said:

I have a question. This is my first Viking Cruise, and first time to France. We sail on April 16 from Lyon to Avignon. We're visiting a friend of mine in France after the cruise, and I've purchased train tickets and made reservations for the Avignon TGV high speed train. Our tickets are for the 8:51 a.m. train. My question is, is this adequate time to get to the train station, and does anyone know if taxis are easy to get? Would the Viking program director be able to help us secure a taxi? It looks like the train station is not too far from the dock, but does anyone know how much time it will take? Thanks! 

 

Please note that Avignon has 2 train stations -- Avignon TGV (the one you are using) and Avignon Centreville (the one that is closer to the dock). Since you will be docked overnight, early departure will not depend on waiting for the ship to dock and as gnome12 has suggested, Viking can help you arrange for a cab.

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MURPHY27

MURPHY27

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2 hours ago, Sacramento2012 said:

Thank you all for the feedback. One less thing to fret about! 

 

2 hours ago, Sacramento2012 said:

Thank you all for the feedback. One less thing to fret about! 

 

A prearranged car is smart.  Viking errs on the side of caution with transportation.  If you arrive early, you can get coffee. 

Avignon is a nice modern station w elevators as well as a ramp up to the platforms, so very user friendly.

Is your train direct or do you change in Lyon?

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Sacramento2012

Sacramento2012

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18 minutes ago, MURPHY27 said:

 

 

A prearranged car is smart.  Viking errs on the side of caution with transportation.  If you arrive early, you can get coffee. 

Avignon is a nice modern station w elevators as well as a ramp up to the platforms, so very user friendly.

Is your train direct or do you change in Lyon?

Thank you for the information. So will Viking help me prearrange a car? I always prefer to be early and not rushed. Our train is a direct train to Besancon where my friend lives. 

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