We'll Always Have Paris
- Cruises and ferries coming from the United Kingdom, Benelux, Germany or Scandinavia will likely call at Le Havre on the English Channel. Le Havre is also used by transatlantic liners, as it is on the mouth of the Seine River and the closest port to Paris, 125 miles east. Paris has more to see and do than can be covered in a lifetime, so it's best to schedule a multiday visit to the City of Light as a pre- or post-cruise stop, rather than as a one-day excursion from Le Havre. However, if this is your best opportunity to make it to the Champs-Elysees, by all means, do not hesitate for a glimpse of one of the world's fabled cities of beauty.
Normandy Days
- From Le Havre, alternatives to a Paris excursion include a 30-mile transfer to picturesque Honfleur, a delightful harborside village with medieval influences seen in its church bell tower and narrow half-timbered houses. This birthplace of Impressionism has inspired landscape artists and poets of highest repute. It's another 15 miles to the wide promenade along the beaches at Deauville, an elegant vacation retreat of grand hotels and designer shops overlooking a sandy beach. A popular excursion from both Le Havre and Cherbourg is to Normandy's Omaha Beach, where a museum, memorials and the largest American cemetery in France are a moving tribute to the 1944 D-Day invasions. Farther afield -- 108 miles from Cherbourg -- a visit to the famous ancient abbey on a rock, Le Mont-Saint-Michel, is considered a must-see by millions of visitors.
- Cabernet and Merlot
- Bordeaux is 60 miles from the sea, so whether your vessel is able to dock in the city depends on its size. Once you've had a chance to explore one of France's prettiest cities, the Medoc Wine Route awaits. Excursions from Bordeaux provide a full- or half-day opportunity to explore some of France's famous wine regions. From this corner of southwestern France, the town of Saint-Emilion is 30 minutes away. Not only is Saint-Emilion one of the world's most celebrated wine labels, it is also a lovely historic UNESCO World Heritage village. Wine-tasting sojourns through rolling hills covered with Cabernet and Merlot vines bring visitors to top- tier estates such as Château Margaux and Mouton-Rothschild to learn more about centuries-old blending traditions.
Fish Soup and Song
- Many cruise lines use France's largest port, Marseille, as a port of call to bring more than one million cruise passengers per year to the city. It's an important city and close to the heart of the French people, with a national anthem named for it. Marseille is France's oldest and second largest city, with a personality and a dialect of its own, enjoying sunny skies 300 days per year. Named European Capital of Culture for 2013, an excursion day in Marseilles can be spent within some of its 20 museums. Browsing around thousands of retail stores, one of France's largest shopping centers called Grand Littoral and a variety of outdoor markets keeps shoppers happy. Food lovers should sample the delicious -- if unpronounceable -- local seafood dish, Bouillabaisse a la Marseillaise, presented to America by Julia Child in 1968.
Riviera Rapture
- A Mediterranean cruise conjures up visions of James Bond-style shaken martinis, a spin of the roulette wheel, panoramic sea vistas, twisting roadways to medieval villages perched upon the rocks, sun-drenched villas, harbors filled with weather-worn fishing boats and sleek yachts. Fully charge your camera battery before leaving the ship; the French Riviera is truly dreamy. You may dock anywhere along its coastline, from Brigitte Bardot's St. Tropez in the west to Princess Grace's Monte Carlo just over the French border to the east. Some head for the luxury shops of Cannes' La Croisette or to a lounge chair on the beach. Others pull up a chair at a sidewalk cafe to enjoy a salad Nicoise, and those in search of scenery don't want to miss the storybook villages of St. Paul de Vence and Eze, just a few minutes from Nice.
