Ultimate France

DAY 1: Paris
Once you’ve made your way through customs, collected your baggage and exited the secured area, you will be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to the hotel. Once you reach the hotel, you will be greeted by your local host, who will show you the neighborhood. The rest of the day is yours to do with as you wish. Unwind at the hotel or go out and explore the city. There are so many fabulous things to see and do in Paris; your host can offer suggestions to help you make the best use of your time. You might visit Montmartre to watch the artists working in the Place du Tertre or go for a stroll down the famed Champs-Élysées.

During the evening, you’ll gather with your fellow travelers for an informative briefing at the hotel. Please ask your local host for dinner recommendations.

DAY 2: Paris
FEATURED EXCURSION: Opera Garnier discovery walk
Put on comfortable walking shoes and plan to spend a couple of hours strolling through the geographical heart of Paris. Begin in the 9th arrondissement and the Opéra de Paris Garnier, also known as Palais Garnier. Work on this extravagant opera house began in 1865 and continued for 15 trouble-filled years, which included the discovery of an underground lake beneath the construction site. (It’s still there, incidentally—confined to an enormous cistern where carp swim and rescue divers train.) Your guide will take you inside to explore this glorious tribute to Second Empire opulence, complete with dazzling chandeliers, red-velvet wall coverings and draperies, gold-leafed cherubs, marble friezes—and a spectacular 20th-century ceiling by Marc Chagall. Then head out through the 8th arrondissement, exploring the wide avenues and arcades designed by Baron Haussmann when he modernized Paris between 1852 and 1870. As you walk toward the river and the 1st arrondissement, you’ll come to the Palais-Royal, built by Cardinal Richelieu in 1629 (Louis XIV lived here as a child). The palace itself now houses government offices, but the garden offers a lovely breath of fresh air and greenery. Your next destination, just a block or two away, is the Comédie-Française, the only state theater to have its own troupe—it specializes in the work of Molière— before you loop back toward your hotel, passing the National Library and the Paris Bourse.

DAY 3: Paris
Today you embark on your river cruise. Guests headed to Provence will be transferred to their ship, the S.S. Catherine, in Lyon by TGV this morning. Guests going on to Bordeaux will be transferred to their ship, the S.S. Bon Voyage, in Bordeaux, also by TGV this morning. And guests staying on in Paris for the start of their cruise will be transferred to their nearby ship, the S.S. Joie de Vivre, by motorcoach later today.