Riviera Travel Seine river cruise review: MS Jane Austen

A Seine river cruise built for British travelers

Riviera Travel is a British tour operator, and its The Seine, Paris & Normandy cruise is built around that market: prices in pounds, the round trip from the UK included by plane or Eurostar, and a D-Day day that offers Gold Beach, where British troops landed. A US site sells the same program in dollars.

In the Seine market, Riviera sits in the middle: well below luxury lines such as Tauck or Scenic, but with a generous drinks package and a real call at Honfleur. The cruise trade press describes it as a little cheaper than most of the big lines, and the entry prices bear that out.

We have no partnership with Riviera Travel: you can't book this cruise here, and we earn nothing if you book it. This page lays out the week, its price and its limits, then shows what we do sell: sightseeing cruises in Paris and a few day trips to Normandy. To see where Riviera stands among the other companies, our guide to Paris to Normandy river cruises compares them all.

The itinerary, day by day

The program as Riviera Travel publishes it on its UK site:

So the ship goes all the way to Honfleur and moors there: no coach ride to reach the old harbor. It is one of four Seine itineraries that do this, along with Scenic, Emerald and CroisiEurope; Tauck, AmaWaterways and the German lines stop at Le Havre, and Viking turns around at Rouen.

Giverny comes on day 6, from Vernon. Some dates, which Riviera calls "Riviera Moments", add a visit to the Musée des Impressionnismes. Monet's gardens normally open from April 1 to November 1, according to tourism sources; Riviera does not publish the months of its departures, so check the date you pick.

The D-Day beaches day: three choices

On day 4 the ship is at Caudebec-en-Caux, and Riviera offers three excursions to choose from:

• Bayeux, Arromanches and Gold Beach, the beach in the British sector;
• Bayeux, Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach;
• Taste of Normandy: cheese, cider and calvados, for those who prefer the countryside to the beaches.

That day lunch is not served on board: it is the only exception to full board, so plan to eat while you're out. The coast is a long way from the river, and much of the day is spent on the coach.

In our view, this three-way choice is a real plus. On other lines the day often follows a single program; Riviera lets each guest choose between two sectors of the beaches and the Normandy table. For a couple where one is into history and the other isn't, it is the most flexible setup we have seen on the Seine.

The MS Jane Austen

On the Seine, Riviera sails the MS Jane Austen, built in 2015, for 140 guests and 36 crew. The company presents it as a "5-star" ship. That makes it mid-sized for the river: smaller than Viking's Longships (168 guests), a little bigger than Tauck's.

Watch out for name mix-ups. The Seine Princess is a CroisiEurope ship, not Riviera's, and the Lord Byron does not run this cruise. On the Seine, it's the Jane Austen.

We found no cabin details and no information on accessibility on board on the itinerary page. If you need an elevator or an adapted cabin, ask before you book: nothing reliable has been published on this point.

What the package includes

On the UK site, the price includes:

• the return flight or Eurostar, with transfers;
• full board, except lunch on day 4;
• a free all-inclusive drinks package from 10 am to midnight;
• Wi-Fi;
• ten included visits and experiences;
• a cruise director.

Gratuities are not mentioned: ask about them before you sign. Among the optional extras, Riviera sells a cider farm (£76), a Montmartre tour (£65), the Tour Montparnasse (€22) and a Bateaux Parisiens cruise (£17).

That last one deserves a word. The one-hour Bateaux Parisiens sightseeing cruise from the Eiffel Tower is easy to book yourself, from €18 online, with an open-dated ticket valid for a year. If you arrive in Paris the day before, there is no need to take it as part of the package.

Riviera Travel Seine cruise price, Eurostar and booking

When we last checked, the UK site showed from £2,199 per person, double occupancy, travel included; depending on the date, other pages showed £1,749 or £2,249. Per night, the entry fare works out at around £315 with travel included: a moderate price for a package that also covers drinks.

The US site shows from $3,099, with a $600 deposit and the balance due 101 days before departure. Don't compare the two: different market, different currency.

Riviera lists around thirty departures across several seasons, without giving the months on the page. Dates, cabins and booking: directly at rivieratravel.co.uk. The Paris pier is confirmed in your travel documents.

Who it suits, and who it doesn't

This cruise is a very good fit for British travelers who want a simple package: travel, drinks and excursions paid in advance, Honfleur from the quay, and a reasonable entry price. The Gold Beach option, the Eurostar and the drinks package make it the most natural choice for that market.

It suits you less if you aren't starting from the UK: the included flight or Eurostar then loses its point. For a cruise in French and in euros, see our CroisiEurope review. Less, too, if you want luxury with no extras at all, gratuities included: Tauck or Scenic play in a different price bracket.

Your days in Paris, before or after the cruise

On day 1 you board in the late afternoon, and day 7 in Paris follows the ship's program. If you want the Seine at your own pace, arrive the day before: a one-hour sightseeing cruise at the foot of the Eiffel Tower costs around €20, and a Seine dinner cruise gives you a whole evening on the water.

Bateaux Parisiens boards at Port de la Bourdonnais, pontoon 3, upstream of Pont d'Iéna; Vedettes de Paris at Port de Suffren, just downstream. Both head upstream first, toward Notre-Dame and Île Saint-Louis. For the illuminations, our night cruise guide gives the useful times.

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Prices checked on October 17, 2026

Normandy as a day trip, without a cruise

A whole week seems a lot? Rouen is about 1 hour 30 minutes by train from Saint-Lazare, and the boat L'Escapade runs a 90-minute river trip there, from €20, with commentary in French. Giverny is a train ride to Vernon-Giverny, then a shuttle; you can add a little canoeing or kayaking on the Seine at Vernon. Honfleur has no train station, but the boat trip out to the Pont de Normandie is worth the drive. The details are on our Rouen and Honfleur page.

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Prices checked on October 17, 2026