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116 For complete itinerary details and videos, visit vikingcruises.com.au PARIS & THE HEART OF NORMANDY 8 day cruise with 7 guided tours DAY 1 Paris, France Arrive in Paris, romance capital of the world. Transfer from the airport in Paris to your ship. After boarding, take free time to explore Paris, or join our "welcome walk" to stretch your legs and get orientated. (D) Note: The Paris port authority assigned Viking Rinda a docking location in Le Pecq, a western suburb of Paris. To help maximise your time in the city centre, we are offering complimentary shuttles for Viking Rinda guests throughout your stay. DAY 2 Paris (Le Pecq), France After breakfast, embark on a tour of this dazzling city and take in its most remarkable sights, including the iconic Eiffel Tower. You'll also see the École Militaire, Orsay Museum and Latin Quarter and the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral. Then we'll drive past the Louvre and Opera House and along the famed Champs-Élysées. Highlights of Paris & the Louvre See the major sights of Paris and its renowned museums during a comprehensive full-day excursion. (B, L, D) DAY 3 Giverny & Vernon, France Arrive in Vernon before breakfast; take a short ride into the town of Giverny, where Claude Monet resided from 1883 until his death in 1926. Visit the beautiful gardens and charming stone farmhouse where he lived and worked; see the water garden with the recognisable Japanese bridge, water lilies, wisteria and azaleas that inspired many of his masterpieces. † After lunch, spend some time with your Program Director in the provincial town of Vernon. Take a stroll to see the Maison du Temps Jadis (House of Past Times), Vernon's oldest house, and the 11th-century Church of Notre Dame. Dinner is served aboard. (B, L, D) DAY 4 Rouen, France Indulge in a leisurely morning cruising along the Seine. You'll spend the afternoon in the medieval city of Rouen, preeminent capital of Normandy. Begin with a walking tour through the centre of Old Town, where you see the spectacular Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral, often painted by Claude Monet, and the famous Gros Horloge, a 16th-century astronomical clock. As you walk among the half- timbered storybook buildings, you'll feel transported back through time; see the 14th-century courthouse where Jeanne d' Arc was sentenced to death and the nearby Market Square where she was martyred. Rouen Countryside and Farm Visit Experience the daily life of a working Norman farm as you enjoy a leisurely visit to a bucolic homestead. Take free time to discover more of Rouen or visit one of its museums of art or antiquities. Dine aboard or at a sidewalk café. (B, L, D) DAY 5 Normandy Beaches, France After breakfast, begin your full- day tour to the historic beaches of Normandy. Drive past Gold Beach, Courseulles sur Mer and Juno Beach on your way to visit such World War II landmarks as Omaha Beach and Arromanches Debarkment D-Day Museum. Alternatively, you may take a tour of Bayeaux, where you can admire the magnificent tapestry that chronicles the pre–Battle of Hastings events. Afterward, continue to Normandy's coast and enjoy some free time at Juno Beach after your visit to the museum; then visit the Pegasus Museum. Return to your ship for dinner and relax aboard, or take an evening stroll in Rouen. (B, L, D) DAY 6 Les Andelys, France Enjoy a leisurely morning cruise to the small town of Les Andelys, known for its imposing castle, Château Gaillard, built in 1196 by Richard the Lionheart. After lunch, join a guided walk to this fatally flawed masterpiece of Middle Ages architecture. Return aboard for scenic cruising and dinner. (B, L, D) DAY 7 Paris (Le Pecq), France After breakfast, disembark for a visit to Château de Malmaison, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final days in France. Along with the Tuileries, this elegant manor house, purchased by the emperor's wife Josephine in 1799, served as the seat of Napoleon's French government from 1800 to 1802. The Palace of Versailles Enjoy a day at the former home of French Kings, the awe-inspiring Château de Versailles. (B, L, D) DAY 8 Paris, France After breakfast, disembark and proceed to Paris airport for your return flight. Or, extend your time in France's romantic capital with a three night Paris extension. (B) † Monet garden not available before 1 April or after 1 Nov; a visit to the village of Auvers-sur-Oise, favoured by van Gogh and other artists, will be substituted. Key Example of Optional Shore Excursion F R E N C H E S C A R G O T