Day 1
Sunday
St Mammes
We meet at your hotel/airport in Paris in the early afternoon and travel by private motor coach to St Mammes on the river Seine, where you will board your ship for a welcome reception with champagne & petits fours.
Later on you can stroll around the medieval town of Moret sur Loing and visit the house of Alfred Sisley, a 19th-century English painter associated with the Impressionist movement. Sisley lived in Moret and painted iconic landscapes and fascinating buildings around the banks of Loing and Seine. He immortalised this area of France, and these picturesque spots haven’t changed since then. He and his wife are buried in the local cemetery. Moret is a royal town also famous for its barley sugar candy, fortified medieval gates, superb renaissance facades and Notre-Dame church.
Day 2
Monday
Cruise from St Mammes to Melun
Begin the day by a morning excursion as we depart for a visit to the Chateau of Fontainebleau and its magnificent gardens with fountains and flowerbeds. Established by Francois I in the 16th century, this splendid royal palace was home to many French kings and queens as well as Napoleon. The chateau reflects eight centuries of architectural evolution, as each monarch embellished it to suit their style. We can also visit the town that spring around the chateau where you can do some shopping.
Upon return we have lunch and set sail for your first cruise on the river Seine. You can sit back and enjoy the bucolic scenery along the riverbanks until we reach our mooring in Melun. We will be passing commercial boats transporting goods as well as the village of Thomery where Rosa Bonheur has her museum and the village of Samois sur Seine where gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt lived.
Day 3
Tuesday
Cruise from Melun to Evry
In the morning after breakfast we visit Barbizon, a charming village set in the Forest of Fontainebleau. Barbizon found fame in the 19th century through the works of art created by landscape impressionist painters who were members of Barbizon school. The whole generation of artists decided to paint from nature, leaving their studios to work in situ, like their English precursors, John Constable and Turner. The Auberge Ganne where the artist once lived is now an official museum. This art movement contributed to advancement of Realism movement and included artists such as Monet, Renoir, and Sisley who all found inspiration in this picturesque village. You can stroll through the cobbled streets and push the door of small shops and art galleries. Return to the Aurora for cocktails and dinner aboard.
Day 4
Wednesday
Cruise from Evry to Paris
After breakfast on the front deck we take a drive to the sumptuous Château of Vaux-le-Vicomte. This privately-owned estate is one of the most spectacular palaces in France, features magnificent gardens and has an intriguing history. Built by the widely celebrated King’s Principal architect Le Vau, who was a great ambassador of Italianate style and drew inspiration from classical antiquity. Chateau was financed and built by Nicholas Fouquet, finance minister of Louis XIV, but it’s opulence drew the king’s envy and led to Fouquet’s imprisonment for life. His arrest inspired the famous story “ The man with iron mask” and the creation of Versailles in retaliation.
After our tour we return on board Aurora moored in Evry and we will spend the afternoon cruising to Paris.
Day 5
Thursday
Cruise from Paris to Bougival
We start cruising in the morning so you can enjoy the beauty of the City of Lights in all its glory. During the cruise one can admire many famous historical landmarks such as Louvre, Museum Orsay, Pont Alexandre III, Grand Palais, Eiffel Tower etc and once we leave Paris behind you can admire many nice houses perched along the river. Arrival in Bougival in the early afternoon hours so after the lunch we can visit:
Chateau de Malmaison, a beautiful palace built west of Paris in a splendid green setting where one can discover the story behind Napoleon and his wife Josephine (with many personal objects on display), it was the seat of the French government and a place where the Civil Code was thought of or the idea of the Legion of Honour.
Day 6
Friday
Cruise from Bougival to Conflans
During the last and final cruise we sail past St Germain-en-Laye and Maisons Lafitte suburbs and many beautiful villas along the river Seine until we reach our final destination of the cruise, Conflans St Honorine – a quaint village situated on the confluence of rivers Oise and Seine where many working barges have retired. After lunch we shall visit nearby Auvers sur Oise, a pleasant village where many impressionists used to come (such as Renoir, Monet, Pissaro & Cezanne) and particularly the house of Van Gogh (Auberge Ravoux) where the famous painter lived and died. The chateau-museum has been specially installed to show the décor and Life in Paris and around in the time of the Impressionists. We can also visit the Museum of Absinthe, the famous liquor of the 19th century or Maison-Atelier de Daubigny, a French historical monument.
Day 7
Saturday
Breakfast on board and morning return to Paris by private van either to the airport or a hotel of your choice.
The cruise runs in a reverse order every other week.
Excursions are tailor-made to suit your interests.
