If you like Impressionist art, a visit to Claude Monet’s house and garden at Giverny  in Normandy is a must. Most cruises on the Seine River north of Paris include this excursion, but if your cruise doesn’t take you there, you can easily do a day trip from Paris on the train.

Monet lived in Giverny from 1883 until his death in 1926. His property has been restored to the way it was when he lived there. There is a flower garden called Clos Normand in front of the house plus a Japanese-inspired water garden, which is  featured in Monet’s well-known water lily paintings. Inside the house, you can visit the kitchen done in blue and white and the dining room with a sunshine yellow theme. Unfortunately, you can’t take pictures inside the house, but here are some of the gardens and the outside of the house:

If you have time in Giverny, there is also a Museum of Impressionism. This was formerly called the Museum of American Art because it was founded by an American and focused primarily on the American artists who flocked to Giverny to study the new way of painting epitomized by Monet.  You can visit the hotel where many of these artists stayed, as well as the grave of Monet in the Giverny churchyard.

Back in Paris, don’t miss the Orsay Museum’s huge collection of Impressionist paintings and the Orangerie, which was specially redesigned to house Monet’s larger works, the Nymphéas.

Do you enjoy drinking wine and other alcoholic beverages?

Most cruise packages include water, tea and coffee, but beyond that, policies vary. If you don’t drink wine or other alcoholic beverages, you can usually save money on a cruise that doesn’t include these or only includes wine with dinner, for example.

The usual options, depending on the cruise, are:

1. Wine with dinner only, all other alcoholic drinks extra  (soft drinks may or may not be included with meals)
2. Wine with lunch and dinner, all other alcoholic drinks extra
3. Wine with lunch and dinner, plus open bar between meals

Most cruises include at least one or two wine tastings of local vintages, but if you’re really interested in wine, look for a wine theme cruise. Many of the smaller luxury barges offer these for group charters. We even offer a “Wine and Chocolate Cruise” in the Chablis region of Burgundy. This cruise is open to both individuals and groups in the spring and fall.

Do you want to do a lot of sightseeing or just relax?

Most cruises include at least one sightseeing excursion per day, and these are usually included in the price of the cruise. However, it’s a good idea to find out if any of the excursions are “optional,” i.e., you have to pay extra for them. In addition to wine tastings at local vineyards, excursions can range from visiting a village farmers market to touring nearby chateaus and cathedrals.

If you just want to relax, you can skip the excursions, of course. And with a barge charter, your group can decide to do things like additional wine tastings instead of sightseeing.

Do you have a special interest?

Besides wine cruises, you can take a cruise focused on a special interest, like garden cruises, golf cruises, bicycle cruises, etc. Most of these require putting together a group for a charter, but this can be arranged for groups as small as four people.

As you can see, there are a lot of choices available for cruising in France, from larger boats that cruise the Seine and Rhone Rivers to small luxury barge-hotels that travel the networks of canals and smaller rivers in Burgundy, Provence, Champagne, the Loire Valley and other regions. So, whatever your interests and budget, you’re sure to find the perfect cruise that will provide a lifetime of wonderful memories.