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River cruisesParis to Normandy by river

Paris to Normandy River Cruise: Lines, Ports and Prices

A multi-day Seine river cruise is a week aboard a floating hotel, round trip from Paris, with stops at Giverny, Rouen and sometimes Honfleur or Le Havre. Here is who goes where, at what price, and why we send you to book with the cruise lines themselves.

Length
usually 7 nights (8 days); 3, 5, 9 or 10 nights depending on the line
Departs
Paris (Port de Grenelle, Port de Javel Bas or another quay named in your documents); Le Pecq for A-ROSA
Price
from about €1,200 per person in a double cabin with entry-level lines; €4,000 and up with luxury lines
Season
late March to early November, plus a few Christmas sailings
Stops
Vernon (Giverny), Les Andelys, Rouen, Caudebec-en-Caux, Honfleur or Le Havre
Booking
with the cruise line or a travel agent: we have no partner for these cruises

Updated October 17, 2026Facts checked against official sourcesContains affiliate links

Normandy river cruises: what you can book

7 offers · Prices checked on October 17, 2026

Platform

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How a multi-day Seine river cruise works

This has nothing to do with the one-hour sightseeing cruise. Here you board a riverboat hotel 100 to 135 meters (330 to 440 ft) long, unpack once in your cabin, and the boat sails down the Seine toward Normandy while you sleep or eat lunch. By day, motorcoaches wait at the quay for the excursions: Giverny from Vernon, Rouen Cathedral, the D-Day beaches, Honfleur or Étretat. In the evening the boat sails on or stays moored.

Almost every line sells a round trip from Paris, eight days and seven nights. The boats are small as cruise ships go: from 105 passengers on CroisiEurope's Renoir to 202 on the A-ROSA VIVA, most of them around 125 to 170. Full board is standard; drinks, excursions and gratuities, on the other hand, vary hugely from one line to another, and that is where the headline prices become misleading.

The passengers change with the brand: mostly North American on Viking, Avalon, AmaWaterways, Tauck and Gate 1, Australian and British on Scenic, Emerald and Riviera Travel, German-speaking on nicko and A-ROSA, French and European on CroisiEurope. For an English speaker, that mix matters as much as the price.

The classic itinerary, stop by stop

The benchmark route is the one Viking publishes for "Paris & the Heart of Normandy". The other lines follow it with a few variations: they add Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (for Auvers-sur-Oise or the Malmaison), La Roche-Guyon and its château, or two nights in Honfleur.

A typical week, round trip from Paris

  1. Embark in Parisin the afternoon or early evening depending on the line, first night at the quay

  2. Parissightseeing in the city, the boat stays moored

  3. La Roche-Guyon and Vernoncoach to Giverny, Monet's house and gardens

  4. Sailing, then Rouenthe cathedral, the Gros-Horloge clock, Joan of Arc sites

  5. D-Day beachesa full day by coach from Rouen, about two hours' drive each way

  6. Les AndelysRichard the Lionheart's Château-Gaillard, completed in 1196

  7. Le Pecq, then Parislast evening; with Viking, an evening sail under the city lights

  8. Disembarkin the morning

Two things to know before choosing a date. The beaches day is long: on itineraries that turn around at Rouen, allow four hours on the coach round trip, and it is often sold as an optional extra. And Giverny closes from early November to late March: winter and Christmas sailings replace the visit with Auvers-sur-Oise or an extra day in Rouen. If Monet's gardens are your reason for going, aim for April to October.

Rouen, Honfleur or Le Havre: how far the boat goes

This is the real difference between the lines. Below Rouen the Seine is tidal, and not every line sails all the way to the sea.

There are two families of itineraries. The first turns around at Rouen or Caudebec-en-Caux: that is the case for Viking, Avalon, Uniworld and Gate 1. Honfleur and the coast are then done by coach, or not at all. The second family carries on to the estuary. Scenic, Emerald, CroisiEurope and Riviera Travel moor in Honfleur itself, often for two nights: you step off the boat and you are in town. AmaWaterways, nicko, A-ROSA and Tauck stop at Le Havre, from where a coach takes you to Honfleur in about thirty minutes.

In our view, if you keep only one criterion, keep this one. Two nights in Honfleur change the trip: you have the town in the evening, once the day's excursions are over. Conversely, if the D-Day beaches day is your priority, the itineraries that go down to Le Havre or Honfleur start from a little closer to the coast. We cover the sightseeing boats in those two towns, which you can do as a day trip without a cruise, on the Rouen and Honfleur page.

Where to embark in Paris: Grenelle, Javel, Bercy and Le Pecq

River cruise ships do not leave from the sightseeing-boat pontoons, and their quay is never guaranteed: it is in your travel documents.

Port de Grenelle (15th, downstream of the Eiffel Tower, Métro Charles Michels) is the most used. Viking presents it as its exclusive docking spot, a few minutes' walk from the tower, and CroisiEurope moors there when space is free.

Port de Javel Bas (15th, RER C Boulevard Victor–Pont du Garigliano) takes other lines, notably Uniworld according to specialist guides. Do not confuse it with Port de Javel Haut, at the foot of the Pont Mirabeau, where the Paris en Scène dinner cruises leave.

Bercy and Austerlitz serve as fallback quays. CroisiEurope warns that its boat may dock there instead of Grenelle, and confirms the location fifteen days before embarkation.

Le Pecq (Yvelines, Place de la Résistance) is about 20 km (12 miles) west of Paris. It is A-ROSA's departure and arrival port (the line also mentions Mantes-la-Jolie and Saint-Denis), and Viking spends its last evening there. Plan on a taxi or a transfer. The Paris quays used by the sightseeing boats are described on the Seine piers page.

The twelve cruise lines compared

"From" prices shown on each line's website, per person in a double cabin, cruise only unless stated. US sites are in dollars and reserved for US residents, UK sites often include the flight or the Eurostar: do not compare these figures as if they were the same currency and the same product.

Cruise line Nights Ship Farthest point Drinks From
CroisiEurope 7 Botticelli, Seine Princess, Renoir Honfleur all, at meals and at the bar about €1,659
nicko cruises 7 Seine Comtesse Le Havre not included about €1,199
A-ROSA 9 A-ROSA VIVA Le Havre beer, wine, soft drinks during bar hours about €1,298
Gate 1 7 Monarch Countess Caudebec wine and beer at meals $2,549 (no flights)
Riviera Travel 7 MS Jane Austen Honfleur all-inclusive package 10 am–midnight £2,199 with flight or train
Viking 7 six sister ships (168 passengers) Rouen wine, beer, soft drinks at meals about $2,800
Emerald 7 Emerald Lumi Honfleur at meals about €3,045
Avalon 7 Avalon Tapestry II Rouen not stated about $4,076
AmaWaterways 7 AmaLyra, AmaDante Le Havre wine and beer at meals, daily cocktail hour on request
Uniworld 7 S.S. Joie de Vivre Caudebec-en-Caux unlimited, spirits included about $4,650 from resellers
Tauck 7 ms Serene, ms Reverie Le Havre unlimited, premium spirits £4,490
Scenic 10 Scenic Gem Honfleur all-inclusive about €4,695

The Uniworld price comes from resellers and varies a lot by date. AmaWaterways shows no price and quotes on request. Nine lines have their own detailed review, with what the fare really includes: Viking, CroisiEurope, Scenic, Uniworld, Avalon, AmaWaterways, Tauck, Emerald and Riviera Travel.

Budget, mid-range, luxury: what you are really paying for

Brought down to a price per night, the gaps are mostly explained by what is included.

Entry level: CroisiEurope, nicko, A-ROSA, Gate 1. Budget around €150 to €250 a night with the three European lines; Gate 1, the value option for Americans, works out at around $360 a night without flights. CroisiEurope includes all drinks, at meals and at the bar, but its excursions are optional on the port-to-port fare. nicko is the opposite: a very low headline price, drinks not included (a package can be added), excursions extra. A-ROSA includes beer, wine and soft drinks during bar hours and recommends a €5-a-day gratuity.

Mid-range: Viking, Avalon, Emerald, Riviera Travel. Around $400 a night with Viking, which includes one excursion per stop and wine at meals, but not gratuities. Emerald includes gratuities; Riviera, sold to British travelers, includes the flight or Eurostar and a drinks package from 10 am to midnight.

Luxury: Uniworld, Tauck, Scenic, and AmaWaterways on request. On Uniworld, Tauck and Scenic, drinks are unlimited, spirits included, and gratuities are covered. Tauck goes over £600 a night and adds private dinners and transfers; Scenic, with its single ten-night itinerary, gives every suite a butler and includes a concert at the Château de La Roche-Guyon.

When to go: season, Christmas and the Rouen Armada

The main season runs from late March to early November. April–May for Giverny's gardens in bloom, September–October for the autumn light on the valley: in our view, those are the two best windows. Summer gives the longest days on the top deck, and evenings when the sun sets after 9:30 pm.

In December a few lines sell Christmas cruises: Viking created an eight-day itinerary built around the Rouen Christmas market, nicko and Gate 1 sell them too, and CroisiEurope offers Christmas and New Year in the Seine valley. Giverny is closed then, so do not book a winter cruise for Monet.

The next Armada in Rouen, the great gathering of tall ships on the quays, takes place in late June (dates on our Rouen and Honfleur page). CroisiEurope sells special five-night sailings during the event. For the other lines, the berths in Rouen are taken by the sailing ships for that fortnight, so a regular itinerary may skip Rouen or be changed. Ask before you book. Floods, finally, mostly affect winter and spring, and can alter a route for a few days.

Who these cruises suit

They suit travelers who want to see Paris and Normandy without packing and unpacking, couples and older travelers who like a steady rhythm, history lovers for the D-Day beaches day, and Impressionism fans for Giverny, Rouen and Honfleur. The boat is also a good answer if you would rather not drive in Normandy: all the transport is organized.

They suit less well families with young children (A-ROSA, with its kids' club, is the exception), travelers who want free evenings in Paris, and tight budgets: even the cheapest line costs far more than a trip by train with hotel nights. For a wheelchair user, check ship by ship: the A-ROSA VIVA has neither an elevator nor an adapted cabin, and on Viking's ships the elevator only serves the middle and upper decks.

The language on board matters too: the American, British and Australian lines are built for English speakers, while nicko advertises German and English on board. CroisiEurope, a French line with a mostly French and European clientele, is the natural choice if you want a French atmosphere; ask about the languages of the commentary before booking. If you are torn between a week on the water and a few hours, our page on the best Seine river cruise helps you decide.

Why we don't sell these cruises

To be clear: none of our partner platforms (GetYourGuide, Tiqets, Headout) sells these cruises. We earn nothing if you book one, and the links below go straight to the cruise lines' websites. The final price, available cabins and cancellation terms are shown there, and nowhere else.

Two booking tips. Check the deposit amount and the final-payment date: with Viking or Tauck, full payment is due about four months before departure. And compare the same product in the same currency: a British price with flights is not more expensive than an American price without them, it simply does not include the same things.

A day on the Seine instead of a week

Don't have a week? You can get a taste of the Seine in a day, and that part we do sell. In Paris, the one-hour sightseeing cruise costs around €20 and passes the Louvre, Notre-Dame and the Eiffel Tower; the 12:45 pm Bateaux Parisiens lunch cruise lasts two hours and goes upstream as far as the Bibliothèque nationale. See one-hour cruise, lunch and brunch cruises and Seine dinner cruise.

For Normandy, several day trips exist: a boat trip out to sea from Honfleur under the Pont de Normandie, canoeing on the Seine at Vernon, right next to Giverny, and Paris tours from the port of Le Havre for ocean-cruise passengers, covered on our from London or Le Havre page. Giverny also works very well on your own: a train from Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny in under an hour, then a shuttle bus (€10 round trip), from April 1 to November 1.

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Tiqets →See everything on Headout →Prices checked on October 17, 2026

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Tiqets →See everything on Headout →Prices checked on October 17, 2026

Seine river cruise line reviews

We read the day-by-day itineraries and the small print on gratuities for every major line sailing the Seine. Each review says who the line suits, what it really includes, how far its ship goes (Rouen, Caudebec, Honfleur or Le Havre) and where it docks in Paris. Ship names are a frequent source of mistakes: Emerald sails the Seine with the Emerald Lumi, Riviera Travel with the MS Jane Austen, Tauck with the ms Serene and the ms Reverie. Our reviews stick to the names the lines themselves publish.

River cruise lineVikingViking's Seine river cruise reviewed: 8 days round trip from Port de Grenelle, turning at Rouen, from about $2,799. Itinerary, what's included, our verdict.Read the review →River cruise lineAvalon WaterwaysAvalon Paris to Normandy reviewed: 8 days round trip via Vernon, Rouen and Conflans on Avalon Tapestry II, from $4,076 on a November date. Our verdict.Read the review →River cruise lineUniworldUniworld Paris & Normandy on the S.S. Joie de Vivre: 8 days, 128 guests, all-inclusive, about $4,650 to $8,250 depending on date. Itinerary and our verdict.Read the review →River cruise lineAmaWaterwaysAmaWaterways Paris & Normandy reviewed: 7 nights on AmaLyra or AmaDante, two nights in Le Havre, bikes and Sip & Sail, price on request. Itinerary, our verdict.Read the review →River cruise lineTauckTauck on the Seine reviewed: 8 or 10 days on ms Serene or ms Reverie, from £4,490 excluding flights, drinks and tips included. Itinerary, price, our verdict.Read the review →River cruise lineScenicScenic Gem reviewed: 11 days Paris to Paris with 2 nights moored in Honfleur, all-inclusive, from €4,695 per person. Itinerary, D-Day, Giverny, our verdict.Read the review →River cruise lineEmerald CruisesEmerald Lumi, a new 130-guest ship: 8 days Paris to Paris, two days moored in Honfleur, gratuities included, from €3,045 in Europe. Itinerary and our verdict.Read the review →River cruise lineCroisiEuropeCroisiEurope on the Seine: 8 days from €1,659, Paris short breaks from €518, Armada sailings, boarding at Grenelle. Ships, what's included and our verdict.Read the review →River cruise lineRiviera TravelRiviera Travel's Seine river cruise: 8 days Paris to Honfleur on MS Jane Austen (140 guests), from £2,199 with flight or Eurostar, drinks 10 am to midnight.Read the review →

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Paris to Normandy river cruise cost?

From about €1,200 per person in a double cabin with nicko, A-ROSA or CroisiEurope, around $2,800 with Viking, and over 4,000 (euros, dollars or pounds depending on the website) with Uniworld, Tauck or Scenic. The gaps come mostly from whether drinks, excursions and gratuities are included.

Which cruise lines go to Honfleur?

Scenic, Emerald, CroisiEurope and Riviera Travel moor in Honfleur. AmaWaterways, nicko, A-ROSA and Tauck stop at Le Havre and go to Honfleur by coach. Viking, Avalon and Uniworld turn around at Rouen or Caudebec-en-Caux.

Where does the ship leave from in Paris?

Most often from the Port de Grenelle, downstream of the Eiffel Tower, sometimes from Port de Javel Bas, Bercy or Austerlitz; A-ROSA leaves from Le Pecq, west of Paris. The exact quay is always in your travel documents, because it can change.

Can I visit Giverny on the cruise?

Yes from April to October, from the stop at Vernon. Monet's gardens close from early November to late March, so winter and Christmas cruises offer a different visit.

Is there a short two- or three-day Seine cruise?

CroisiEurope sells a three-night stay on board, in Paris only, from about €518 at the end of the year, and five-night itineraries to Honfleur and Rouen. We found no two-night cruise to Normandy.

Keep exploring

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