France with Bordeaux & the River Seine

Southampton offers fast and efficient check-in areas, spacious departure lounges with seating areas, café-bars and smart washrooms. If you wish to travel by car and park for the duration of your cruise, you can pay for and reserve parking in advance directly with the relevant company. Alternatively, if being dropped off or collected by taxi or private car, they can drive right up alongside the terminal building.

Widely regarded as the world’s wine capital, the graceful French city of Bordeaux offers far more than just vineyards and claret. Having shaken off its rather sleepy image over the last few years, Bordeaux is now amongst France's most exciting and dynamic cities. While a sizeable number of the city's visitors are still enticed by the chance to taste what makes this wine-rich region so special, Bordeaux has many other surprising secrets. Stretched along the banks of the Garonne River, this City of Art and History is home to 362 historic monuments, with some buildings dating back to Roman times. Awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2007, Bordeaux’s historic centre is home to the Gothic Cathédrale Saint-André, 18th century mansions and popular art museums, such as the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux, and many other impressive treasures to discover. This urban and architectural ensemble includes public gardens that line the curving river quays, and the imposing Place de la Bourse…

Widely regarded as the world’s wine capital, the graceful French city of Bordeaux offers far more than just vineyards and claret. Having shaken off its rather sleepy image over the last few years, Bordeaux is now amongst France's most exciting and dynamic cities. While a sizeable number of the city's visitors are still enticed by the chance to taste what makes this wine-rich region so special, Bordeaux has many other surprising secrets. Stretched along the banks of the Garonne River, this City of Art and History is home to 362 historic monuments, with some buildings dating back to Roman times. Awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2007, Bordeaux’s historic centre is home to the Gothic Cathédrale Saint-André, 18th century mansions and popular art museums, such as the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux, and many other impressive treasures to discover. This urban and architectural ensemble includes public gardens that line the curving river quays, and the imposing Place de la Bourse…

Originally a fortified island, the walled city of St Malo at the mouth of the River Rance on France’s Brittany coast, is now connected to the mainland by a 'Sillon' causeway. Visiting this atmospheric port, once a stronghold for privateers (pirates approved by the king), is like stepping back in time. The walls of St Malo, largely destroyed in World War II, have been painstakingly reconstructed. A magnificent grey granite citadel protects the old city, the cobbled streets of which are packed with interesting shops, restaurants, bars and cafés. The main gate is Porte St-Vincent, home to the castle and town museum, and an eclectic mix of exhibits including maps and local artefacts. Saint-Malo Cathedral, built in Romanesque and Gothic styles, makes an impressive centrepiece. From the beach outside the citadel it’s possible to walk at low tide to the small island of Grand-Bé, to see the tomb of the 19th century politician and writer, Chateaubriand. To the south is where the original inhab…

The spire of the vast Gothic cathedral soars over a superbly restored medieval and Renaissance old town - Ruskin's 'labyrinth of delight'. The city is rich in monuments and museums, with narrow pedestrianised streets lined by tall, half-timbered houses, and of course, the statue marking the spot where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake.

It's a place of great historic charm, notably around the Vieux Basin, where lofty slate-and-timber fronted houses overlook the colourful yacht and fishing harbour, and sloping cobbled streets recall 16th century Honfleur. Not to be missed are the 15th century wooden church and the Impressionist paintings of the Museé Eugene Boudin.

Southampton offers fast and efficient check-in areas, spacious departure lounges with seating areas, café-bars and smart washrooms. If you wish to travel by car and park for the duration of your cruise, you can pay for and reserve parking in advance directly with the relevant company. Alternatively, if being dropped off or collected by taxi or private car, they can drive right up alongside the terminal building.