RIVER SEINE SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR GROUPS

We can help you with all your needs along the river Seine or just in those port(s) you specify. If you are starting a program from scratch, we can help advise and quote on any element or if you are already established, we can work alongside any other local partners you have or you can centralize all through us.

Covid-19 third party sanitary certification for river ships

We can arrange a sanitary protocol audit for river ships in respect of Covid-19 risk. Upon completion if any recommended changes are made an industry recognized certification will be given to help reassure both crew and travelers.

Thanks to our large network of certified English and German speaking local guides, we can coordinate the guiding requirements for your Seine itinerary. We are used to managing availabilities, cancellations and logistical surprises that come from any changes or deviations that may arise. Over a season, this can save you a significant amount of work.

We can help advise on where a local guide is truly necessary and what can be done by foot or as a panoramic bus tour.

Headset rental: We can manage all the logistics regarding tour guide headset equipment. If you have your own headsets already and the logistics for storage and rotations are proving difficult, see if we can help somehow. Otherwise, we can arrange to rent ours and send the cases out in advance for each cruise or pre-extension and collect them at the end.

We can also help recruit cruise/program directors for you or advise on matters relating to employment in France via our tourism consultancy service.

SHORE EXCURSIONS ON THE RIVER SEINE

There are many possibilities for shore excursions and ways to add unique touches. One of the advantages of the Seine is that it’s particularly sinuous and meandering. This allows many excursions to be possible from other ports without adding too much difference in driving time. During deviations or if navigation time isn’t practical then this can be very helpful.

Some popular excursions are listed below from the ports they are easily accessible from. Not all of the smaller ports are mentioned and we’ve kept it very brief here as all our solutions are tailor made depending on volume and your specific clientele. We like to help customize new ideas with partners and to help with specific theme tours you may be running.

TicketsWe can organize all entrance tickets needed, even if you are coordinating the tour yourself. With some places, procedures can be complicated especially for groups. By centralising this through us, our clients avoid problems and extra administrative work.

Direction from Paris towards Honfleur:

• Conflans-Sainte-Honorine
  
  
• Poissy
  
  
• Mantes la Jolie
  
  

Versailles: The palace can easily be done from these ports, which for some operators is useful if timing in Paris is already too tight.

Auvers-sur-Oise: This village is only a 30 minute drive from Conflans (45 from Poissy) short and lets travelers see where Van Gogh lived and is now buried. A quaint little village with a nice walk, our guides can help bring it alive as otherwise much would be missed.

• La Roche Guyon
  
  
• Vernon
  
  

Giverny: Visit the world famous lily ponds which Monet portrayed in his famous paintings. See the Monet foundation museum and stroll around this beautiful and popular village.

Cider farms & Calvados distilleries: Visit an authentic cider & calvados farm to see how these local Normandy drinks are made and of course enjoy some tasting. Visits need to be rotated depending on number of coaches and capacity of farm.

• Rouen
  
  
• Caudebec-en-Caux
  
  

St Wandrille Abbey: The 7th century abbey is used to welcoming groups and some special visits can be arranged. Still active today, the monks here are famous for their work on art restoration, translations and the archiving online of religious texts. Since 2016 there is also a brewery on site where the monks brew their own beer. St Wandrille is especially practical when accessed from the port of Caudebec as it’s only a 10 minute drive away.

RIVER SHIP EXCURSIONS TO D-DAY NORMANDY BEACHES

Some river ships do not go further west than Rouen, either due to itinerary planning, water levels or ship certification limitations (for heading into salt waters). Others only go as far as Caudebec and some occasionally go up the canal to le Havre. Ideally for these Normandy beach excursions the ship would be docked at the beautiful port of Honfleur with a 1-1.5 hour journey. Otherwise they can still be done from elsewhere but for example it can take at least 2-2.5 hours travel time if done from Rouen.

A visit to the American cemetery overlooking Omaha beach sets the tone for this day, regardless of the nationality of the travelers. Expert local guides remind the groups of the events around the allied invasion of Normandy on June 6th 1944. Depending on the length of time allotted, a classic visit would include Pointe du Hoq and Arromanches. Other options include Juno beach or the German fortifications at Longues-sur-Mer. Pegasus bridge museum or the Caen memorial museum are also impactful but it’s normally a case of picking the best depending on nationality of group and timings (if included lunches are needed etc).

OTHER NORMANDY TOUR CONSIDERATIONS

If time allows, either as an optional tour or included feature, other impactful visits easily done from either Honfleur or Caudebec include:

• Etretat: Nice seaside town with famous cliffs that can be walked up for incredible views.
  
  
• Caen: Visit Caen castle built by Willam the Conqueror and have a short city tour. The nearby Mémorial de Caen museum is a very informative and well-designed experience that can help explain all the events around D-Day throughout the region as a whole.
  
  
• Bayeaux: Can be a good optional tour consideration for those interested in seeing the world famous Bayeaux tapestry. With a magnificent cathedral and pretty town center it can also be combined with a couple of the D-Day beaches over a full day. A journey time of 1.5 hour from Honfleur often means other visits are prioritized but it’s worth bearing in mind as feedback tends to be excellent for those who go.
  
  

MOTOR COACHES & TRANSFER ONLY

Our network of local contacts and logistics expertise mean that we are perfectly positioned to coordinate and contract all transport needed. If the excursion planning is outsourced to us then this is included as part of the service.

Many cruises on the Seine are one-way only meaning that travelers have to travel from Paris to Honfleur, Caudebec or Rouen by motorcoach. We can organize all this along with welcome staff reps if needed. This changeover day tends to be more complicated than in other areas due to the distance involved in getting back to central Paris or the airport. Turnarounds are always studied to be done the most efficiently as possible for costs and comfort.