Viking's Paris to Normandy - Just Back!

The suitcases are unpacked, laundry is done and the jet-lag has almost past so it is time for a quick review. We did the Paris-Normandy cruise with a pre-extension in Paris and a post to Oxford (and Highclere Castle). Overall we had a wonderful time. The pre-extension in Paris was absolutely marvelous! We have been to Paris several times so we skipped the iconic landmarks and stayed for the most part off the tourist track. We spent time in the smaller museums, had a picnic in the gardens at Trocodero, did a Monmarte food tour and splurged on a cabaret show arranged through Viking.

The ship (Rolf) was great! It was our eighth river cruise with Viking so there were no surprises ... just the great service we have come to expect from Viking. The food was great, the wine was French (and plentiful!) and seeing the France outside of Paris was a delightful experience!

The post extension to Oxford was (unfortunately) less enjoyable. The itinerary was jam-packed and felt rushed at almost every turn. We saw a lot but had little free time to explore Oxford. Most venues (museums, libraries, shops) other than pubs and restaurants are closed by 6:00 PM and our daily outings brought us back to the hotel after 5:00 both days. The constant on and off of the bus was tiresome (especially with a group that apparently never learned the etiquette of exiting a bus!) and we are now having second thoughts as to whether or not to change our "ultimate Italy" post extension we have scheduled for our Christmas break trip on the Star. It sounds as though it could be another jam packed itinerary that could leave us cold. All that aside the hotel in Oxford was marvelous! It had lots of charm and the staff couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating!

All in all it was a great trip!

We just finished a cruise to Alaska and booked the post trip. Like you, we felt it was too much time on and off buses and on buses. Left very little time to explore on our own. Will never do another like it.

Glad the rest of your trip was sooo good. We are repeating our first (15 years ago) on the Seine, but as a Christmas market trip. It will be river cruise #23. Pat

Thanks for the update.

We are on the Viking Rolf in August. After reading a thread about Les Andelys, I'm thinking of taking the optional tour goes to La Roche-Guyon. Any thoughts?

We are just back also, and we did the La Roche-Guyon tour. I recommend it to get the most out of your visit at this port. The included tour walks up to Chateau Gaillard, which is a ruins. If you take the optional tour to La Roche-Guyon, the bus stops at a point where you get a view of Chateau Gaillard (although not close enough to explore it). At La Roche-Guyon, you tour some inside rooms of the castle. It is not full of furniture, but does have some art and many interesting things to see inside. We had the option to climb about 200 steps to the keep. If you can do it, I recommend it. It was fun and we had an awesome view of the Seine! When we returned to the boat, we had enough time to take a quick walk through Les Andelys, including going into the church there. There doesn't seem to be too much else to see there. A few shops, but we are not shoppers.