AmaWaterways France Cruises 2026 & 2027: The Complete Guide to the Seine, Rhône, and Bordeaux
- Danny Rodriguez-Stahl
- Jul 5
- 9 min read
By Danny Stahl, Certified AmaWaterways, Viking, Tauck, Backroads & Silversea Advisor | Danny’s Adventures | dannysadventures.com
Skip the research. Get the savings in one conversation!
I am Danny Stahl, a certified AmaWaterways advisor based in Raleigh, NC, serving clients nationwide. I know current availability, and every active promotion and discount. My service is completely free.
Hours: Monday–Friday 8am–6pm ET | Saturday 8am–11am ET
France is AmaWaterways’ fastest-filling destination outside the Rhine and Danube:
Seine sailings in spring (Monet’s Giverny gardens open April through October) and summer fill 8 to 12 months in advance for upper-deck twin-balcony staterooms. The Taste of Bordeaux wine cruise is one of the most in-demand itineraries in the entire AmaWaterways catalog. Complimentary land packages on select France departures including the Basque Country and Loire Valley extensions are capacity-controlled and disappear without notice.
France is the world’s most visited country, and AmaWaterways offers the finest way to experience it by water. Three rivers. Three completely different Frances. The Seine carries you through Impressionist art history and WWII memory to the heart of Paris.
The Rhône and Saône flow through lavender-scented Provence and the gastronomic capital of Lyon. The Garonne and Dordogne wind through the world’s most celebrated wine landscape, stopping at chateaux and Grand Cru estates that do not open their doors to standard tour groups.
This guide covers every AmaWaterways France itinerary, everything included, the best time to sail each river, and every pre and post-cruise land extension available from Paris and Giverny to Mont Saint-Michel, the Loire Valley, and the Spanish Basque Country.
All AmaWaterways France Itineraries at a Glance: 2026 & 2027
Itinerary | Nights | River(s) | Price From | Best For |
Paris & Normandy | 7 | Seine | From $4,799 pp | History lovers, art travelers, Paris fans, D-Day heritage |
Impressions of the Seine & Paris | 7 | Seine | From $3,999 pp | Deeper Seine exploration · golf program on select sailings (AmaDante) |
Impressions of the Seine & Paris with Brittany | 13 | Seine | From $5,999 pp | Extended itinerary adding Brittany coast and Saint-Malo |
Grand Seine & Rhône | 14 | Seine + Rhône | From $7,499 pp | Two rivers in one voyage: Paris/Normandy + Lyon/Provence |
Grand Seine & Bordeaux | 14 | Seine + Garonne | From $7,499 pp | Paris/Normandy + Bordeaux wine country in one voyage |
Colors of Provence | 7 | Rhône/Saône | From $3,999 pp | Lavender, Lyon gastronomy, Avignon, Arles · best in June/July |
Taste of Bordeaux | 7 | Garonne/Dordogne | From $3,799 pp | The definitive France wine cruise · Saint-Émilion, Médoc, Grand Cru |
All prices: Per person, double occupancy, cruise-only in entry-level stateroom. Port charges $250 per person (2026), $280 per person (2027) included.
The Seine: Paris, Normandy, and Monet’s Garden
The Seine is AmaWaterways’ most-booked French river and the natural starting point for travelers who want France’s defining combination of art history, wartime legacy, and the beauty of Paris itself. Ships sail round-trip from Paris, docking directly near the Eiffel Tower at embarkation and return.
Seine Port Highlights
• Les Andelys — Château Gaillard, Richard the Lionheart’s fortress above the river · Choice: castle tour, riverside hike, or guided bike tour
• Honfleur — the most photographed harbor in France · Impressionist painting tradition · where Monet, Boudin, and Courbet gathered
• Le Havre — UNESCO World Heritage post-war reconstruction by Auguste Perret · Normandy D-Day beaches full-day excursion available
• Normandy D-Day Beaches — Omaha Beach · American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer · Arromanches floating harbor remains · Longues-sur-Mer artillery battery · available as included full-day excursion
• Rouen — medieval cathedral Monet painted 30 times · the square where Joan of Arc was burned · walking tour, bike tour, or Tastes of Normandy culinary tour
• Vernon/Giverny — Claude Monet’s home and water lily gardens · open April through October · the most emotionally resonant AmaWaterways France excursion
Giverny is the moment most of my guests remember from any AmaWaterways France sailing.
Walking through the water lily pond and Japanese bridge that Monet painted for the last 27 years of his life recognizing a place you have looked at in museums your whole life and now standing inside it is the kind of travel experience that justifies the entire trip. AmaWaterways includes this as a standard excursion option, with bike tour, active walk, and gentle touring variants available at the same port.
Best months: April through early July for Giverny garden peak bloom and Normandy without summer holiday crowds. September and October for autumn light and peaceful villages. Note: Giverny gardens close November through March.
The Rhône & Saône: Provence, Lyon, and the Lavender Fields
The Rhône and Saône rivers flow through the south of France a completely different landscape, climate, and culinary tradition from the Seine. This is the France of Roman amphitheaters, lavender fields, Michelin-starred cooking, and the most beautifully preserved medieval towns in the country.
Rhône & Saône Port Highlights
• Lyon — UNESCO World Heritage, France’s gastronomic capital, the bouchon restaurant tradition, the Parc de la Tête d’Or often the embarkation or disembarkation city
• Beaune — Burgundy’s wine capital · Hospices de Beaune (15th-century hospital)· private cellar tastings in the Pinot Noir heartland
• Avignon — Popes’ Palace, UNESCO World Heritage · the most complete medieval city in France · the famous Pont d’Avignon
• Arles — Roman amphitheater where gladiators fought, still used for bullfighting · Van Gogh’s town where he painted his most productive year
• Les Baux-de-Provence — perched village with panoramic Provence views · one of the most dramatic landscapes in France
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape — the most famous Rhône wine appellation · private tastings included
Best months: June and July for lavender fields at peak bloom in the Luberon and Valensole plateau. May and June for Provence spring wildflowers. September and October for wine harvest season, warm days, and dramatically reduced crowds. The Colors of Provence itinerary is timed specifically for these windows.
Grand Seine & Rhône (14 nights): The most comprehensive France option in the AmaWaterways catalog combining the full Paris/Normandy Seine experience with the full Lyon/Provence Rhône experience in one 14-night voyage. For travelers who want to cover France end-to-end without splitting a trip, this is the answer.
Bordeaux: The Definitive Wine River Cruise
If wine is the primary reason you travel to France, the Taste of Bordeaux itinerary is your cruise. No other AmaWaterways France sailing is as purely and immersively focused on a single world-class subject as the Bordeaux wine experience.
Bordeaux Port Highlights
• Bordeaux city — embarkation · Cité du Vin wine museum (the most innovative wine museum in the world) · UNESCO city center · water mirror reflecting the neoclassical facades
• Libourne/Saint-Émilion — UNESCO wine village perched on cliff · Grand Cru Classé tasting at Château de Ferrand or Château de Pressac · monolithic church carved from a single piece of limestone · catacombs and cave network beneath the church
• Blaye — Vauban Citadel fortifications (UNESCO) · exclusive AmaWaterways music and wine festival on a terrace above the river with Cotes du Bourg producers
• Bourg — Roman-era town · wine festival featuring local Cotes du Bourg appellation producers · one of the most authentically French market town experiences on any AmaWaterways itinerary
• Pauillac/Médoc — Médoc Grand Cru Classé tasting and vineyard tour · Left Bank Cabernet Sauvignon country · home of Château Margaux, Mouton Rothschild, and Lafite
• Cadillac/Sauternes — sweet Sauternes wine tastings · Château de Roquetaillade (preserved for 700 years by the same noble family)
The exclusive AmaWaterways wine festival at Bourg: AmaWaterways organizes a private wine and music festival on a terrace above the medieval town of Bourg, local Cotes du Bourg producers pouring their wines alongside regional food and live music, exclusively for AmaWaterways guests. This is not a public event. It is the kind of experience that defines the difference between booking AmaWaterways and booking any other Bordeaux river cruise.
Best months: April through June for spring vine growth and fewer visitors. September and October for harvest season the most dramatic time in wine country, when the Cabernet and Merlot grapes are coming in.
Pre & Post-Cruise Land Extensions: Completing the France Experience
Paris (2–3 nights) — Available on Seine and Bordeaux itineraries
The most popular AmaWaterways France extension. Paris pre-cruise adds 2 to 3 nights in the city before boarding the Seine ship at the Port de la Bourdonnais near the Eiffel Tower. Eiffel Tower, Musée d’Orsay, the Marais, Montmartre, and the Luxembourg Gardens are the classic pre-cruise Paris days. For Bordeaux sailings, Paris is available as a post-cruise extension after the Garonne/Dordogne voyage combining wine country and the capital in one trip is one of the most recommended France itinerary combinations.
Basque Country Spain — Pre-Cruise for Bordeaux (4 nights)
AmaWaterways offers a Basque Country pre-cruise extension on select Taste of Bordeaux departures: 2 nights in Bilbao (Guggenheim Museum, pintxos bar culture, old town) and 2 nights in San Sebastián (La Concha beach, the highest concentration of Michelin stars per capita of any city on Earth, the old quarter at sunset).
Loire Valley & Paris (3 nights) — Post-Cruise for Bordeaux
For Bordeaux guests wanting to extend beyond the wine country, the Loire Valley post-cruise extension adds visits to the Château de Chenonceau the only Renaissance castle built entirely by women, spanning the Cher River on stone arches and the Château d’Amboise, the final resting place of Leonardo da Vinci. Two nights in the Loire Valley then concludes with one night near Paris CDG before homeward flight. For travelers who have never seen the Loire châteaux, this extension is genuinely unmissable.
Mont Saint-Michel (1–2 nights) — Post-Cruise for Seine
The tidal island abbey of Mont Saint-Michel rising from the sea on its own rock on the Normandy coast is one of the most extraordinary architectural achievements in medieval history and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. AmaWaterways offers a post-cruise extension visiting Mont Saint-Michel from Rouen or Paris. At high tide, the causeway submerges and the abbey becomes a true island. Most guests who do the Seine sailing and skip this extension regret it immediately when they see photos from others who went.
Why Book Your AmaWaterways France Cruise Through Danny’s Adventures
• I confirm whether the complimentary Basque Country or Loire Valley extension is currently available on your target Bordeaux sailing these are capacity-controlled and disappear without announcement
• I advise which of the seven France itineraries best matches your travel interests: Giverny and D-Day point to the Seine, lavender and Michelin stars to the Rhône, wine immersion to the Bordeaux
• I apply every active AmaWaterways promotion to France sailings: Triple Savings, complimentary land packages, past passenger credits and know which France departures currently qualify for each
• I coordinate the Paris, Basque Country, Loire Valley, Mont Saint-Michel, and Geneva extensions as one seamless booking alongside the cruise
• I have access to promotions and perks not available to the general public.
BOOK SMARTER, NOT HARDER. CONTACT ME TODAY!
I am Danny Stahl, a certified AmaWaterways advisor based in Raleigh, NC, serving clients nationwide. I know current availability, and every active promotion and discount. My service is completely free.
Hours: Monday–Friday 8am–6pm ET | Saturday 8am–11am ET
Frequently Asked Questions: AmaWaterways France Cruises
What is the best AmaWaterways France river cruise?
The best AmaWaterways France cruise depends on your travel interests. Paris & Normandy on the Seine is best for art history, D-Day heritage, and Giverny — it’s the most-booked France itinerary and pairs naturally with a Paris extension. Colors of Provence on the Rhône is best for lavender season (June/July), Lyon gastronomy, Avignon, and Provence food and wine culture. Taste of Bordeaux is the best choice for wine lovers — it is the most wine-focused river cruise in the AmaWaterways portfolio, with Grand Cru tastings at multiple appellations and an exclusive on-ship wine festival. The Grand Seine & Rhône (14 nights) covers both Paris/Normandy and Provence in one voyage for travelers who want the complete France experience.
What is included in AmaWaterways France cruises?
All AmaWaterways France cruises include 7 nights aboard ship (or 13 to 14 nights on grand itineraries), all meals with regionally inspired French cuisine, complimentary wine and beer with every lunch and dinner, the daily Sip & Sail cocktail hour, multiple included shore excursion options at every port, bicycle use for self-guided exploration, Chef’s Table specialty dining, Wi-Fi, gratuities for all onboard staff, and port charges. Giverny, D-Day beaches, Saint-Émilion, Médoc Grand Cru tastings, and Provence market visits are all included excursion options at no extra charge.
Does AmaWaterways go to Giverny and Monet’s gardens?
Yes. Giverny Claude Monet’s home and the water lily gardens he painted for the last 27 years of his life — is a standard included excursion option on all AmaWaterways Seine River sailings departing from the Vernon port. Multiple options are available: standard guided tour of the house and gardens, active guided bike tour through the Giverny countryside, and a gentle walking variant. Note: Giverny gardens are open April through October and closed November through March. Confirm seasonal availability with your advisor before booking spring or fall sailings.
What pre and post-cruise extensions does AmaWaterways offer for France?
AmaWaterways France pre and post-cruise extensions include: Paris (2 to 3 nights, available for Seine and Bordeaux sailings), Basque Country Spain Bilbao and San Sebastián (4 nights, complimentary on select Bordeaux departures, capacity-controlled), Loire Valley and Paris CDG (3 nights post-cruise from Bordeaux, including Château de Chenonceau and Château d’Amboise), Mont Saint-Michel (1 to 2 nights post-cruise from Seine), Brittany and Saint-Malo (built into the 13-night Seine itinerary on select departures), and Geneva (2 nights post-cruise from Lyon). Extension availability varies by departure date.
What is the AmaWaterways Taste of Bordeaux cruise?
The AmaWaterways Taste of Bordeaux is a 7-night round-trip river cruise from Bordeaux sailing the Garonne and Dordogne rivers. It visits Saint-Émilion (UNESCO wine village, Grand Cru Classé tastings), Blaye (Vauban Citadel), Bourg (exclusive AmaWaterways music and wine festival), Pauillac and the Médoc (Grand Cru Classé vineyard tour and tasting), and Cadillac and the Sauternes region. It is the most wine-focused itinerary in the AmaWaterways France portfolio and the best choice for travelers whose primary motivation is Bordeaux wine education and Grand Cru access.
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