MS Botticelli, 3 Night Stunning Window Displays and Christmas Markets in Paris ex Paris, France Return

A captivating tour of beguiling Paris, when the holiday season takes over the city and transforms it into a bright festival of lights and delights. Christmas markets spring up everywhere on streets decorated to the nines for the approaching holidays. A festive breeze spans Paris.

Day 1
You’ll board our ship at 6 p.m. Enjoy a quintessential evening of French Titi Parisian entertainment—straight out of novels by Dumas or Hugo.

Day 2
Included excursion: A panoramic tour of France’s capital bringing you to the must-see historical monuments and the famous large department stores such as Galeries Lafayette and Printemps Haussmann. Each year since 1909, famous decorators show off their talents at Paris’ largest department stores. Voyage through the magic surrounding Christmas with animated figures in captivating settings. Your tour guide will explain the fascinating history of these large department stores and their magnificent art deco embellishments, which have themselves become must-see sites in the city. Their architectural features—combining art nouveau, contemporary, and art deco styles—are considered museum-level masterpieces. Domes, glass ceilings, majestic staircases, and mosaics give extraordinary grandeur to these shop-until-you-drop havens.Enjoy an afternoon on your own exploring the magnificent metropolis and taking in the holiday atmosphere. Browse the boutiques to find the perfect gift for your loved ones. Small shops, gourmet stores, renowned candymakers, and top bakers sell the best holiday treats available from France and abroad.Tonight is our festive gala evening. Our ship will cruise to La Defense.(2) In the 1960s, then-president Charles de Gaulle helped develop the impressive futuristic business district known as La Defense. The imposing glass and steel structures form the largest business district in Europe.We’ll return to the Quai de Grenelle.(2)

Day 3
Included excursion: Guided tour of old-time Montmartre and a stroll through its charming Christmas market. The Sacré-Coeur Basilica provides a breathtaking view of the city and the quaint quarter that remains a favorite hangout for modern-day painters, sculptors, and poets. Montmartre—with its cobblestone streets, sidewalk cafés, and cabarets—is authentic Paris straight out of the 19th century. In December, the Place des Abbesses transforms into a marvelous Christmas market decked out with lights and decorations to the highest degree. French holiday fare and treats abound!Enjoy some free time in the afternoon. Just a few steps away: Roam the Eiffel Tower area, stroll through the Trocadéro, and visit Les Invalides. This is the time to find original gifts, drink a hot chocolate, enjoy some authentic gingerbread, and just let yourself bask in the approaching holiday ambiance.We’ll return on board the ship. We’ll set out on a night-time cruise through the most famous capital in the world.(2) See the city’s beautiful monuments bathed in superb lights, one after the other. An absolutely stunning moment.

Day 4
Enjoy breakfast on board this morning before disembarking at 9:00 a.m.

Named after the Italian painter Sandro Botticelli, one of the great masters of the Renaissance, this elegant standard ship sails on the Seine, a historic and authentic river with breathtaking landscapes. Completely renovated in 2016, the MS Botticelli is a standard ship that measures 110m long and 11,40m wide and can accommodate 149 passengers in 75 cabins on 2 decks. The size of a cabin is between 10m2 to 11,50m2, offering amenities and providing guests with all the comforts they need during their stay. The shades of taupe and beige, enhanced with emerald green, as well as the golden touches of the cabins and the precious fabrics of Venice, provide an elegant and cozy atmosphere. Located on the upper deck, the restaurant, where all meals are served during the cruise, offers a delicate cuisine in a refined setting, where large windows allow guests to fully enjoy the panorama. Also situated on the upper deck is the lounge / bar with a dance floor. Comfortable sun loungers are provided on the sun deck with a large shaded area, the ideal place to relax and admire the surrounding landscapes.

CroisiEurope has a fleet of Prestige category boats with cabins, which ply the most beautiful rivers in Europe. Spacious and light, they offer a welcoming and refined setting. Accommodation capacity varies from 100 to 180 passengers depending on the boat’s design. At the cutting edge of technology, their facilities offer comfort and safety.

Carefully maintained and partially renovated each year, the CroisiEurope fleet is largely made up of recently built vessels, less than five years old, all with Veritas certification. The leading European river tour operator, our company owes its international reputation to its seriousness, its dynamism, its sense of innovation and its recognised value for money of long standing.

Vessels are rated four-star and food is superb – as you’d expect on a French-owned cruise line, staffed by French chefs and with top French and German wines aboard. One cruise of the Rhone and Saone Rivers in France concentrates on gastronomy and traditional French cusine, visiting Collonges Abbey, renowned for its great French chef, Paul Bocuse.

CroisiEurope is a family-owned and operated firm, with brothers and sisters running different aspects of the company and keeping a close eye on all operations to ensure excellence.

River cruising offers much free fun. Wake in the morning and observe the passing riverside scenery through your cabin window – perhaps from your bed. Gaze upon village churches or a patchwork of fields sparkling in the morning sun.

CroisiEurope’s network traverses a phenomenal number of European rivers and waterways. They range from the Guadalquivir and Guadiana (flowing through Spain and Portugal respectively); the Douro in Portugal, the Po and Venice Lagoon in Italy; the Rhone in Provence, plus the Seine from Paris to the Normandy Coast. And there’s more: the Moselle, the Neckar, the Saar, the Oder, the Havel, the Baltic Sea, the Camarge, the Rhine, the Main and the mighty Danube; the Tisza and the Black Sea; the Belgian and Dutch waterways. Everything from tulip time in Holland to Christmas Markets in Germany.

Drinks included with on board meals: mineral water, house wine, beer, fruit juice, and tea or coffee.

Select the Deck to view detail.

MS Botticelli - Main Deck

MS Botticelli - Upper Deck

MS Botticelli - Sun Deck

Select the Cabin to view detail.

Upper Deck Double Bed - Reduced Mobility Cabin

All cabins are fitted out to give them a maximum of space and light and feature warm colours and furnishings. Beds are 2 lower that can be joined to make a queen if required. They have a Floor to Ceiling window. Upper deck : 24 cabins (22 twins, 1 double bed cabin, 1 HA cabin). HA = cabin equipped for disabled with double bed. Equipments : all cabins are equipped with shower and toilet, hairdryer, satellite TV, radio, safe.

Main Deck 1 Single Bed

All cabins are fitted out to give them a maximum of space and light and feature warm colours and furnishings. Beds are 2 lower that can be joined to make a queen if required. They have a Floor to Ceiling window. Main deck : 51 cabins (49 twins, 1 Suite, 1 Single Cabin). Equipments : all cabins are equipped with shower and toilet, hairdryer, satellite TV, radio, safe.

Upper Deck 1 double bed

All cabins are fitted out to give them a maximum of space and light and feature warm colours and furnishings.

Beds are 2 lower that can be joined to make a queen if required. They have a Floor to Ceiling window. Upper deck : 24 cabins (22 twins, 1 double bed cabin, 1 HA cabin). HA = cabin equipped for disabled with double bed. Equipments : all cabins are equipped with shower and toilet, hairdryer, satellite TV, radio, safe.

Main deck 2 adjustable twin beds

All cabins are fitted out to give them a maximum of space and light and feature warm colours and furnishings. Beds are 2 lower that can be joined to make a queen if required. They have a Floor to Ceiling window. Main deck : 51 cabins (49 twins, 1 Suite, 1 Single Cabin). Equipments : all cabins are equipped with shower and toilet, hairdryer, satellite TV, radio, safe.

Main Deck Suite 2 Single Beds

All cabins are fitted out to give them a maximum of space and light and feature warm colours and furnishings. Beds are 2 lower that can be joined to make a queen if required. They have a Floor to Ceiling window. Main deck : 51 cabins (49 twins, 1 Suite, 1 Single Cabin). Equipments : all cabins are equipped with shower and toilet, hairdryer, satellite TV, radio, safe.

Main Deck 1 double bed

All cabins are fitted out to give them a maximum of space and light and feature warm colours and furnishings. Beds are 2 lower that can be joined to make a queen if required. They have a Floor to Ceiling window. Main deck : 51 cabins (49 twins, 1 Suite, 1 Single Cabin). Equipments : all cabins are equipped with shower and toilet, hairdryer, satellite TV, radio, safe.

Upper deck 2 adjustable twin beds

All cabins are fitted out to give them a maximum of space and light and feature warm colours and furnishings. Beds are 2 lower that can be joined to make a queen if required. They have a Floor to Ceiling window. Upper deck : 24 cabins (22 twins, 1 double bed cabin, 1 HA cabin). HA = cabin equipped for disabled with double bed. Equipments : all cabins are equipped with shower and toilet, hairdryer, satellite TV, radio, safe.