Cruise & Tour: Indulge in France & Britain (2027)
Journey by land to experience Great Britain in all its glory, and by river on the S.S. Joie de Vivre to cruise from Paris through Normandy’s countryside.Journey by land to experience Great Britain in all its glory as you explore Alnwick and Edinburgh Castles. Join the Yeoman Warder for a Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. Partake in a traditional high tea in the grand Castle Howard after it closes to the public. See the ancient spas of Bath before enjoying a Michelin-starred lunch of seasonal fare. Moving your journey to the Seine River, board the S.S. Joie de Vivre to cruise from Paris through Normandy’s countryside, uncovering its many charms: Château de La Roche-Guyon, the medieval capital of Rouen, Monet’s beloved home in Giverny, and the famed Normandy beaches. Discover a different side of Northern France’s history with a behind-the-scenes tour of the majestic palace of Versailles, once home to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
- Edinburgh Castle Visit
A Local Expert guides you around magnificent Edinburgh Castle, perched on a black basalt outcrop. Discover the site’s 900-year history and take in the spectacular panoramic views over the city’s most famous landmarks.
- Edinburgh City Tour
Wander along Princes Street with your Local Expert, past the Gothic Sir Walter Scott Monument, and continue down the old-world Royal Mile to the gates of Holyrood Palace, the principal residence of Scottish royalty since the 16th century, and the Queen’s official Edinburgh lodgings.
- Meet a Professional Bagpiper
In true Gaelic style, meet a fabulously entertaining bagpiper, playing pipes passed down since 1888. Hear fascinating tales from the time he played for the Queen Mother, to riotous nights at Edinburgh Castle.
Other Excursions:
Visit the 17th-century Mary King's Close with a Local Expert, walk in the footsteps of former residents, and unlock fascinating stories from Edinburgh's sometimes dark past.
Try a wee dram of whisky as you embark on a tasting experience of this Scottish staple.
Featured Excursion:
- Alnwick Castle Visit
Join a Local Expert for an in-depth exploration of the 11th century castle, with its striking medieval architecture, and see why it was featured in the Harry Potter films.
Featured Excursions:
- Orientation to Shambles
Step back into medieval England as you meander through narrow, cobbled streets filled with timber-framed buildings and quirky shops spilling onto the walkway. The air is filled with history and charm as you pass traditional artisan stores and cozy cafés tucked into centuries-old architecture.
- Ullswater Cruise
Enjoy a scenic cruise across Ullswater, one of England’s most stunning lakes. Drift through serene waters framed by rolling hills and lush woodlands, soaking in the breathtaking views and tranquil beauty that have inspired poets and artists for centuries.
Featured Excursion:
- After-Hours Tour of Castle Howard with Afternoon Tea
Step into the world of a period drama with an exclusive after-hours tour of an elegant 18th-century mansion. Enjoy a private, guided experience through grand rooms and lavish interiors, immersing yourself in the refined charm of a bygone era in complete privacy. Sit for traditional English afternoon tea in the Grecian Hall.
Other Excursions:
Embark on a leisurely guided tour of the magnificent York Minster, a breathtaking masterpiece of Gothic architecture. Marvel at its soaring spires, intricate stained-glass windows, and rich history, immersing yourself in the grandeur and spiritual heritage of this iconic cathedral.
Get active and follow a Local Expert as you walk on the 13th century city walls to soak up the spectacular views of River Ouse and the Old Town.
Featured Excursions:
- Stratford Orientation
Fans of the famous playwright, William Shakespeare, will love exploring this vibrant town where he was born. This cultural center still has many rows of attractive half-timbered houses that date back to the 16th century.
- Cotswolds Scenic Drive
Journey through the Cotswolds, one of the most quintessential and unspoiled regions of England, famous for gentle, rolling hillsides known as ‘wolds’, green river valleys, and historic market towns, where time has stood still for over 300 years.
Featured Excursions:
- Bath City Tour
Join our Local Expert for a guided walk through the elegant streets of 18th-century Bath, where history and architecture come alive through rich storytelling. Wander along hidden lanes and quiet squares once graced by kings and queens and hear the fascinating tales that bring the city's past vividly to life.
- Michelin-Starred lunch at the Olive Tree Restaurant
Experience an exquisite Michelin-starred lunch at the Olive Tree restaurant. A fresh, seasonal menu, curated by award-winning Head Chef Chris Cleghorn, offers classic flavors combined with modern techniques. Relax in the chic, yet informal atmosphere and enjoy the best of British cuisine.
Other Excursions:
Visit the historic Roman Baths, which draw from Britain’s only natural mineral springs and gave the Georgian city its name. This remarkably preserved historic site was once a gathering spot for Romans to bathe and socialize over 2,000 years ago.
Visit the immersive Jane Austen Center dedicated to the writer who lived here in the early 1800s and used the city as a setting for two of her novels. Learn about her life, her works, and the Regency period from entertaining actors.
Featured Excursions:
- Exclusive After-Hours Visit to the Tower of London
You’re invited to the Tower of London to experience the Ceremony of the Keys, the oldest practiced military ceremony in the world. At your special after-hours visit you’ll get an inside look at the 700-year-old tradition that stood the tests of even the most tumultuous times.
- Visit Stonehenge
Visit the mysterious circle of upright stones, the best-known prehistoric site in Europe. Experience the lives led by Neolithic builders 3,500 years ago and admire the selection of archaeological treasures that have been unearthed in this place.
Featured Excursions:
- London City Tour
Your passionate Local Expert will lead you from Westminster to Piccadilly Circus as they recount fascinating tales of London and its famous landmarks. Pass by the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, and Trafalgar Square as you explore the English capital.
- Visit Horse Guards Parade and The Royal Mews in London
Step through history at Horse Guards Parade, the ceremonial grounds of St James's Park in the shadow of Buckingham Palace. Explore the royal stables and uncover their secrets as you marvel at the King’s majestic horses and grand carriages at The Royal Mews.
Other Excursions:
The limestone outcropping that eventually became known as Château de La Roche-Guyon began its history as a cave dwelling. It later transformed into a fortress, where medieval knights stood guard against marauding Vikings. Over the centuries it grew into a proper palace, housing a string of lords who gave the château its name—"La Roche-Guyon" translates to "the Rock of Guy," Guy being a typical name for these noblemen. You might think, as you walk through the elegantly designed garden and beautifully paneled rooms, that the residence’s military function was in the far distant past, but Rommel made his headquarters here during WWII, precisely because the ancient fortifications and caves were so secure.
The village of Château de La Roche-Guyon, which sprawls out across the hillsides of the estate that shares its name, is popularly considered one of the most beautiful in all of France. Begin your hike here today, passing along a restored 17th century garden, the Saint-Samson church, the old dungeon, and more. Please note that this hike may need to be cancelled in the event of rain.
Monet often painted the little riverside town of Vernon, so you are likely to recognize scenes the master rendered in oils on your way to his home in the village of Giverny, where he lived and worked for more than 40 years. When Monet bought the property, most of it was an orchard; he transformed it over the years into the enchanting visions immortalized in his paintings, essentially creating each work of art twice: once as a living garden and again as a painting. As you stroll through the grounds, you’ll see the famed Japanese bridge and water garden shaded by weeping willows. Monet’s house, which you will also visit, remains furnished as it was when the leader of the impressionist school lived here, complete with his precious collection of Japanese engravings.
Note: Giverny will be closed during the March, late October, and November cruise departure dates. On affected departures, an alternative excursion to Richard the Lionheart's Château Gaillard in Les Andelys will be offered instead.
The country roads between Vernon and Giverny offer easy—and pretty—biking. Hop aboard your bike and pedal about three miles to the village where the artist lived for decades. You’ll pass the church and cemetery where Monet is buried and the Hotel Baudy, where his painter friends often stayed, and arrive at the artist’s home and garden for a tour.
Note: Giverny will be closed during the March and November cruise departure dates.
Note: Giverny will be closed during the March and November cruise departure dates. This evening, a special Captain’s Welcome Reception and Dinner will be prepared for you.
Featured Excursion:
- Nights Out: Private Concert at the Rouen Cathedral
Tonight, walk through the streets of Rouen with your Cruise Manager to see this charming medieval city in a different light. You’ll arrive at the famous cathedral to enjoy a private concert. This is a wonderful way to appreciate the long musical heritage of the cathedral, whose choir and grand organ date back several hundred years. As you take in the sounds of traditional European music, look around to appreciate the mix of Gothic, Renaissance, and other architectural styles that comprise this building.
Please note: we advise that you layer, as there is no heating in this historic cathedral.
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences Excursion:
- Camembert Cheese Farm
Cheese is a product integral to French heritage and culture, with hundreds of beloved varieties distinct to the regions and towns they hail from. Amongst the most famous is Camembert, an AOC-designated product from an eponymous town in the Normandy region. Visit a sustainably-minded, family farm today to see how it's made and taste a variety of their delicious Camemberts. To wash it down, sip on another classic product from Normandy, apple cider.
This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience supports Global Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; and Global Goal 15: Life on Land.
This excursion is only available on sailings that belong to the MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences program.
Other Excursions:
Victor Hugo called Rouen the city with a hundred bell towers. Easily the most famous of those towers is the one rising above Notre Dame Cathedral, which briefly made it the tallest building in the world. Begun some 800 years ago, the cathedral acquired a multitude of spires and styles as it was expanded and renovated in different eras. Stand on the opposite side of the square, under the apartment Monet used as a studio, for a view of the cathedral as the impressionist master saw it. On this tour, you'll also explore the cobblestone alleyways and half-timbered houses of the Old Town, Saint-Maclou (a spectacular late-Flamboyant Gothic church), and the adjacent Aître Saint-Maclou, once a cemetery for plague victims and now a garden. And of course, your guide will make sure to point out the bronze cross marking the most famous death in the city—the place where the English burned Joan of Arc at the stake.
Featured Excursion:
- Honfleur Walking Tour
Transfer to Honfleur, where our walking tour of the fishing village begins at the former smugglers’ harbor of Vieux Bassin—the most frequently painted scene in Honfleur—which looks much as it did a century ago, though now the boats in the harbor are more likely to be pleasure craft than fishing vessels. Your local guide will take you down tiny lanes, where houses stand shoulder to shoulder in a jumble of styles: narrow 19th-century slate-roofed townhouses, 15th-century fishermen’s cottages, and tall and elegant mansions— many adorned with figures of chimeras or saints. You’ll also see St. Catherine’s Church, built in the 15th century by shipwrights who gave it an oak ceiling that looks like the hull of a boat.
Note: shuttles to and from the ship will be offered in the afternoon for guests who would like additional time in town after their tour.
Other Excursions:
Travel back in time to June 6, 1944, when the Allied forces launched their D-Day invasion of Normandy. You'll visit historic Utah Beach and get an up-close view of the Airborne museum. Later stop at the American Cemetery followed by a special memorial ceremony at the Omaha beach.
Note: Lunch on own if participating in this excursion.
Immerse yourself in the tactics, desperate courage, and horrendous human cost of the 1944 Allied invasion of France, the first step in the ultimately victorious land campaign against the Nazis. It began here, on these Norman beaches, each of which was assigned a code name by the Allies as they planned their attack. At Arromanches—code-named Gold Beach—you can view the remnants of one of the two Mulberry harbors deployed in the D-Day invasion. These were artificial harbors constructed to ease and speed the process of unloading Allied troops, vehicles, and equipment onto the Normandy beaches.
Note: Lunch on own if participating in this excursion.
When the Allies prepared to invade Normandy, they assigned a six-mile stretch of beach to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division under the command of Major-General Rodney Keller. The Canadians trained for their assault in Scotland and were generally regarded as the best-prepared of any of the invading forces. Unfortunately, preliminary bombing had failed to eliminate German battlements, so Canadian troops encountered stiff resistance, and several companies suffered heavy casualties. Walk the shoreline where so many died, and visit Juno Beach Center, dedicated to the Canadian war effort. One million Canadians served during WWII, and 14,000 participated in the landing. Exhibits describe both life at home during the war and the service of—and sacrifices made by—the men who fought.
Note: Lunch on own if participating in this excursion.
Featured Excursion:
- Versailles Palace Secret Apartments
It was the official residence of the country’s kings and queens from 1682 until the revolution, and though the monarchy possessed other palaces, Versailles stood alone in magnificence. Tour the palace to find lush silk draperies, exquisite marquetry tables, gilded beds, Aubusson carpets, and porcelain ornaments that reveal the elegance of the 18th-century royalty’s lifestyle, as well as the extravagance that helped fuel the rage leading to the revolution. Climb the great staircase and enter the jaw-dropping Hall of Mirrors, where the absolute ruler of France held court for the ambassadors of Siam, Persia, and the Ottoman Empire, along with all the great seigneurs of France. Ladies intrigued behind their fans, plots were hatched, and careers were made and destroyed beneath the sparkling chandeliers here. As a Uniworld guest, you’ll also enjoy a guided tour through The King’s Private Apartments, an area not open to individual visitors. Without the crowds, you’ll enjoy more time to admire the little details and hear your guide weave tales of the kings who lived here.
A special Captain’s Farewell Reception and Dinner will be prepared for you this evening.
Other Excursions:
If you are experiencing Paris for the first time, this tour will introduce you to the City of Light’s most cherished landmarks. You’ll drive along the Seine, passing the most stunning single-arch bridge in Paris. Pont Alexandre III displays elegantly sculpted nymphs, winged horses, and graceful art nouveau lamps. As you continue along riverbanks, you’ll be sure to spot the largest glass ceilings in France, which shelter the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais. From the Arc de Triomphe, commissioned by Napoleon to celebrate his Grand Army’s 128 victories, you'll drive down the Champs-Élysées to the Place de la Concorde. These broad 19th-century avenues and stately buildings were created by Baron Haussmann in a great urban development that eliminated the cramped, crazy-quilt medieval city and gave Paris its modern form. You’ll pass the magnificent Opéra Garnier, the Place Vendôme (home to designer salons), the legendary Louvre and, on the Left Bank, the Sorbonne University and the Panthéon. Stretch your legs at the Luxembourg Gardens, then take in the École Militaire before arriving at the manicured grounds of the Champs de Mars, the perfect vantage point from which to see Paris’s most iconic structure—the Eiffel Tower.
Note: You can opt to leave the tour at any stopping point if you would like to explore on your own. Shuttles between the ship and the Place de la Concorde will be available in the afternoon.
As a true Parisian would, take the Métro to the Latin Quarter. Wander through the narrow streets where for centuries artists, writers, philosophers, and the Sorbonne’s students have lived and worked, argued politics, painted, sipped absinthe, and lived the bohemian lifestyle for which the district is famous. Matisse, Picasso, Rimbaud, and Sartre, as well as American expatriate writers Hemingway and Fitzgerald, are just a few of the notables who made this district home. End with a view of the famous Notre Dame cathedral. Fun fact, Notre Dame is officially the center of France; facing its main entrance is Kilometer Zero, the location from which distances in France (including those of the French national highways) are traditionally measured.
| Cruise Departure | Double Occupancy Pricing | Ship | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fri, 16 Apr 2027
(Edinburgh to Paris) |
$20,789.00 |
S.S. Joie de Vivre |
Select this date | |
|
Fri, 14 May 2027
(Edinburgh to Paris) |
$21,779.00 |
S.S. Joie de Vivre |
Select this date | |
|
Fri, 04 Jun 2027
(Edinburgh to Paris) |
$0.00 |
S.S. Joie de Vivre |
Select this date | |
|
Fri, 18 Jun 2027
(Edinburgh to Paris) |
$21,869.00 |
S.S. Joie de Vivre |
Select this date | |
|
Fri, 02 Jul 2027
(Edinburgh to Paris) |
$21,419.00 |
S.S. Joie de Vivre |
Select this date | |
|
Fri, 16 Jul 2027
(Edinburgh to Paris) |
$21,419.00 |
S.S. Joie de Vivre |
Select this date | |
|
Fri, 06 Aug 2027
(Edinburgh to Paris) |
$22,049.00 |
S.S. Joie de Vivre |
Select this date | |
|
Fri, 13 Aug 2027
(Edinburgh to Paris) |
$22,049.00 |
S.S. Joie de Vivre |
Select this date | |
|
Fri, 20 Aug 2027
(Edinburgh to Paris) |
$22,499.00 |
S.S. Joie de Vivre |
Select this date | |
|
Fri, 27 Aug 2027
(Edinburgh to Paris) |
$22,049.00 |
S.S. Joie de Vivre |
Select this date | |
|
Fri, 24 Sep 2027
(Edinburgh to Paris) |
$21,959.00 |
S.S. Joie de Vivre |
Select this date | |
|
Fri, 01 Oct 2027
(Edinburgh to Paris) |
$21,959.00 |
S.S. Joie de Vivre |
Select this date | |
- All fares are per guest in US Dollars based on double occupancy unless otherwise noted.
- Fares are capacity controlled and are subject to change at any time without notice.
- Availability of all stateroom categories cannot be guaranteed.
- Single Supplement applies for single accommodation.
- Itineraries, hotels, and vessels may change, and substitute visits to other sites may occur during your trip due to water level fluctuations and other uncontrollable factors.
- The order of sightseeing and docking ports are subject to change according to port authority assignments.
- Prices exclude additional port charges of $260 per person
Dining
- All meals during your cruise, prepared using the finest and freshest ingredients
- Daily breakfast during your land tour, with additional meals included on select days and at least one acclaimed dining experience
- 16 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 10 dinners
- Captain’s Welcome and Farewell Receptions during your cruise
- Unlimited beverages during your cruise including fine wine, beer, spirits, specialty coffee and tea, soft drinks and mineral water
Excursions
- 14 days of included experiences
- State-of-the-art Quietvox portable audio-headset system
- Use of bicycles and Nordic walking sticks during your cruise
Accommodations
- 2-night stay in Edinburgh at the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel (or similar)
- 1-night stay in the Lake District at the Merewood Country House Hotel (or similar)
- 2-night stay in York at The Grand (or similar)
- 2-night stay in Bath at The Francis Hotel (or similar)
- 2-night stay in London at The Rubens at the Palace (or similar)
- 7-night cruise in a riverview stateroom onboard the S.S. Joie de Vivre
- Lavishly appointed riverview staterooms and suites on the cruise ship have handcrafted Savoir® Beds of England, custom cotton sateen sheets and European duvets, and a menu of pillow options
- Free Wi-Fi during the cruise, at hotels, and on select coaches
Experiences
- 2 countries: France, United Kingdom (England, Scotland)
- 9 UNESCO World Heritage sites
- Services of an experienced Uniworld Cruise Manager during the cruise
- Services of a Luxury Gold Travel Concierge during the land tour. From securing exclusive reservations to expertly guiding you through each destination, your Travel Concierge ensures every aspect of your trip is tailored to your tastes and preferences
- Unparalleled comfort aboard “Business Class” coaches for your land tour. Custom fitted with fewer seats per vehicle, these coaches afford ample legroom, reclining seats, and panoramic windows for enjoying the impressive views
- In-room porterage included at all hotels
- Gratuities for onboard personnel (ship staff, crew, Cruise Manager) are included during the cruise
- Hotel taxes, porterage and tips, as well as tips for included dining experiences
- Captivating onboard local entertainment and enrichment opportunities
