Île de France: Oise & Seine itinerary

Day 1

Sunday

We meet at your hotel/airport in Paris and travel by private motor coach to Compiegne on the river Oise, where you will board your ship for a welcome reception with Champagne & petits fours, followed by a short walk around the town of Compiegne before dinner.

Day 2

Monday

Choose through the list of possible excursions:

• Chateau de Compiegne, residence of the French kings & emperors. Napoleon I restored the chateau to welcome his 2nd wife Marie Louise. This neo classical Palace was also the favorite residence of Napoleon III and Eugenie, and is splendidly furnished.
• Rethondes and its wagon where the Armistice of 1918 was signed. Discover the history of the Compiegne wagon which was destroyed before the end of WW2.
• Fortress of Pierrefonds, typical of a fabulous Gothic medieval architecture and the fortress got perfectly restored in the 19th cent. under the rule of Napoleon III by the architect Violette le Duc, situated in a lovely village in the heart of the Compiegne forest.

Day 3

Tuesday

• Visit Senlis, a magnificent romantic medieval town with many old cobbled streets and picturesque houses (Cathedral Notre-Dame, ancient fortification and towers dating from 13th/16th cent., Museum of Archeology and Museum of the history of the town… visit the ancient walls, one of the best preserved in France.
• Abbey of Royaumont built in 1235 by the Cistercians monks. The impressive cloister and buildings give a good idea of the Prosperity of the monks in the middle-age period, it got dissolved during the French revolution but it was brought back to service as a military hospital during the Battle of Somme.

Day 4

Wednesday

• In the town, visit the St-Martin Church, the Museum Louis-Senlecq displaying the art and the history of the district, the Center of Art Jacques-Henri-Lartigue, famous photographer; and the Chinese Pavilion of Cassan, remaining from a 18th cent English-Chinese garden.
• Then visit the museum of Nacre and Tablature in Meru, and discover the way buttons and dominos used to be manufactured in older times.
• Chateau de Chantilly, one of the most magnificent French sites. Visit the Chateau and its rich Collections, the Apartments of Le Grand Conde, the Park & vegetable garden, and the Great Stables. Chateau de Chantilly contains one of the largest fine art collections with focus on paintings and book illuminations from 15th & 16th cent., the town is also famous for being the capital of whipped cream.

Day 5

Thursday

• Auvers sur Oise, a pleasant village where many impressionists used to come (as Renoir, Monet, Pissaro & Cezanne) and particularly the house of Van Gogh 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.
• Visit the Museum of Absinthe, the famous liquor of the 19^th

Day 6

Friday

During the cruise one can admire many nice houses perched along the river and 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 … or
• Visit the City of Lights in half a day – a quick tour of Paris in the minibus with brief stops at the main sights: the Eiffel tower, Musee d’Orsay, Notre Dame Cathedral, Louvre Museum, the Arc de Triomphe, Trocadero, Montmartre & Sacre Coeur basilica

Day 7

Saturday

The cruises run in the opposite direction every other week!

Excursions are tailor-made to suit your interests.