Explore with Viking—Seine

Enjoy a day at the former home of French kings: the awe-inspiring Château de Versailles. The palace and its sprawling gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, began as a small hunting lodge. Over the years, it was enlarged by each of its three resident kings—most famously Louis XIV, the “Sun King.” A local guide will accompany you to the château, where you will marvel at the extravagance and excess of French royalty. See the state apartments of the king, the Hercules Drawing Room with its magnificent painted ceiling and the famed Hall of Mirrors—the glittering corridor of chandeliers and glass in which the Treaty of Versailles was signed, thus ending World War I. Learn about court life in the 18th century, and see the queen’s apartments and the chamber of Marie Antoinette. Later, there will be time to explore the vast, elaborate gardens.

Discover the iconic sights of Paris and its renowned museum during a comprehensive full-day excursion. Start along the famed Champs-Élysées, viewing the Arc de Triomphe. Pass the Palais Garnier opera house and the Hôtel de Ville, Paris’s 14th-century City Hall. Visit the Latin Quarter and drive by Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Luxembourg Gardens, Musée d’Orsay, Place de la Concorde and the striking Grand Palais and Petit Palais. See Les Invalides, where Napoleon is entombed, and the iconic Eiffel Tower. After lunch, continue to the celebrated Louvre Museum for an enlightening private tour of one of the world’s greatest art collections. Study the Renaissance masterpieces of Botticelli, Raphael and Titian; contemplate the mystery of the Mona Lisa’s smile; view 19th-century French Romantic works of Delacroix and Géricault; and see classical Greek statues like the Venus de Milo.

Ride through picturesque scenery as you explore the life of Claude Monet and sample a selection of Norman delights. Meet your guide at the pier and don your helmet before setting off by bicycle along the Seine River. Stop at the Église Sainte-Radegonde de Giverny and step inside to admire its Romanesque architecture. Visit the burial site of Claude Monet and his family; a beautiful white marble grave pays tribute to the great impressionist. Continue your ride to the Monet Foundation, a museum dedicated to his life and works, and his former home. Stroll the gardens and witness the landscapes that grace Monet’s paintings, including the Japanese bridge and water garden shaded by weeping willows. En route back to your ship, enjoy a stop at the Old Mill in Vernon. Sample a selection of Norman delicacies, including macarons, bread and French cheese, accompanied by a glass of cider or apple juice.

Visit one of the most celebrated districts in Paris—Montmartre. This bohemian enclave, in which Belle Époque (“Beautiful Era”) artists, writers and poets such as Dalí, Modigliani, Monet, Picasso and van Gogh whiled away hours and gained inspiration in cafés and at cabaret revues, still retains its charms from that bygone era. Meet your local guide and head to the foot of Montmartre Hill along the Rue Caulaincourt. Then, walk up the hill along winding, cobblestone streets to Sacré-Coeur, the splendid Church of the Sacred Heart. Its ovoid dome is the second-highest point in Paris after the Eiffel Tower. You can explore the glorious interior on your own, then enjoy a coffee and pastries in a stunning setting. Finally, you may choose to descend the hill on foot or in the historic funicular, which first opened in 1900.

Celebrate the colorful tradition of fin de siècle Paris during an unforgettable night out. Transfer to the Paradis Latin in the Latin Quarter, where you take your reserved seats. The Parisian cabaret was born in the late 19th century during a period of exuberance and progress. Though the Paradis Latin opened in 1803, it burned down and was rebuilt by Gustave Eiffel from 1887–1889, the same period in which he was building his great tower. As Paris grew more vast and impersonal, many Parisians forged a village atmosphere within their arrondissements and came to value unbridled entertainment. This spirit lives on today at Paradis Latin. After a delicious, elegant meal, sit back as an extravagant revue unfolds before you during a performance featuring acrobatics, sensuality and fantastic costumes. It is an evening you will never forget.