The City Escapes: The Seine is a 7-night Europe cruise aboard AmaDante, operated by AmaWaterways. Departing Paris on March 6, 2027, the voyage visits 3 ports including Le Havre, Rouen, France. Fares start from $2,449 per person.
Even if you’ve never been to Paris before, you’ll feel like you recognise every corner of the city. Countless films, books, paintings, poems and songs have been set in the city of love. Yet there’s always more to discover. The fashion capital of the world, a mecca of art and culture, an oasis for gourmets and a metropolis for media, education and political and economic power – Paris is all of this and more. Paris is a city whose beauty never fades. The Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Madeleine, Opéra, Louvre, Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre, Dôme des Invalides and Centre Pompidou are just some of the sights that exemplify this city’s fame and grandeur.
Le Havre
As you sail on your MSC cruise to France, you’ll come to Le Havre, the country’s second-largest port, which takes up half the Seine estuary. However, the town itself, home to almost 200,000 people, is a place of pilgrimage for fans of contemporary architecture.
Le Havre – “The Harbour” – is the principal trading post of northern France and a port of call of our MSC Northern Europe cruises. Following its near-destruction during World War II, Le Havre was rebuilt by a single architect, Auguste Perret, between 1946 and 1964.
The sheer sense of space can be exhilarating: the showpiece monuments have a winning self-confidence, and the few surviving relics of the old city have been sensitively integrated into the whole. While the endless mundane residential blocks can be dispiriting, even those visitors who fail to agree with Perret’s famous dictum that “concrete is beautiful” may enjoy a stroll around his city. A shore excursion on your MSC Northern Europe cruise can also be the opportunity to discover Rouen, the capital of Upper Normandy, one of France’s most ancient cities.
Standing on the site of Rotomagus, built by the Romans at the lowest point where they could bridge the Seine, it was laid out by Rollo, the first duke of Normandy, in 911. Captured by the English in 1419, it became the stage in 1431 for the trial and execution of Joan of Arc, before returning to French control in 1449.
Rouen today can be very seductive, its lively and bustling centre well equipped with impressive churches and museums. North of the Seine at any rate, it’s a real pleasure to explore. As well as some great sights – Cathédrale de Notre-Dame, all the delightful twisting streets of timbered houses – there’s history aplenty too, most notably the links with Joan of Arc.
Rouen, France
Situated in a natural amphitheater on the Seine River, Rouen's status as a commercial and cultural center reaches as far back as the Middle Ages. As a result of its importance, the city was the target of many sieges. During the English occupation in the Hundred Years' War, Rouen was the site where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. Other tragedies include the destruction of a major part of the commercial and industrial center during bombing raids in World War II.
Today the city presents an interesting mix of medieval and modern architecture. Rouen expanded outward during the 20th century with the development of industries; its increasingly busy port is now the fourth largest in France. The city's greatest attraction is its historic center. Known as the “City of a Hundred Spires,” many of its important edifices are churches. Dominating the large central square is the magnificent Notre-Dame Cathedral, a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture. You may recognize the west façade of the cathedral from a series of studies by Claude Monet, which are now displayed in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
Surrounding the square are picturesque half-timbered houses with steeply pointed roofs. The wealth of architectural treasures and the ambiance of Rouen's historic center never fail to impress visitors.
Rouen also serves as a gateway to Paris. Driving distance is 2 hours by car or 1.5 hours by train. (Trains arrive in Paris at St. Lazare Station.)
Gliding along the phenomenally beautiful Main, Rhine and Moselle rivers, the AmaDante is a study in understated elegance, decorated with subdued colors and patterns that allow the breathtaking scenery outside to take precedence. Most accommodations include a French balcony, so you’ll never miss a vineyard, steeple or castle, even when relaxing in your elegantly-appointed stateroom. Every moment at leisure is a treat on AmaDante, whether you’re rejuvenating in the sauna or whirlpool, indulging in a massage or haircut, meeting new friends in the inviting Main Lounge, working out in the fitness room, taking a lap on the sun-deck walking track or crafting your daily java at the specialty coffee station. As the premier cruise line to offer a fleet of complimentary bikes, we’re pleased to offer the same on AmaDante, so you’ll enjoy exhilarating guided biking tours from ship to shore throughout Europe.
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