The green hills and lush gardens of this charming part of northern France are as pretty as a painting—no wonder impressionist Claude Monet made his home here. Make a stop along the Seine River to explore the pleasures of Giverny and beyond when you:

• Visit the hilltop Chateau La Roche-Guyon, surrounded by beautiful gardens and offering sweeping views over the Seine.

• Hop aboard your bike and pedal a relaxing three miles to the postcard-pretty village of Giverny where the artist Monet lived for decades.

• Stroll through the grounds of Monet’s home, where the gardens he painstakingly tended still spill over with blooms—you’ll even see the famed Japanese bridge and water garden shaded by weeping willows.

A sober yet inspiring visit to the beaches of Normandy will give you a fuller appreciation of the sacrifices made by brave soldiers during WWII. In store for you today:

• Journey to Omaha Beach and the American cemetery, where almost 10,000 US soldiers are buried, most of whom lost their lives during the D-Day invasion—private transfers from your ship are included.

• View a moving private ceremony honoring the fallen at Omaha Beach.

• Visit Sainte-Mère-Église, the quiet Norman village that paratroopers rained down on as D-Day operations got underway in June 1944.

Ladies intrigued behind their fans, plots were hatched, and careers were made and destroyed beneath the sparkling chandeliers of this magnificent palace. Today, you’ll:

• Tour the royal apartments, which still look much as they did when Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette fled in 1789. In these rooms, you’ll 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.

• Say “au revoir” to the new friends you’ve made back on board your ship, during a special Capitan’s Farewell Reception and Dinner—enjoy a final night on the ship as you sail to the City of Lights!

Your river cruise is over, but the fun doesn’t have to end! See the sights that make the City of Lights one of the most romantic destinations in the world, on a whirlwind private tour of the best Paris has to offer during your custom post-stay:

• Let your private driver whisk you past the awe-inspiring monuments of the Champs Elysées, including the Arc de Triomphe, the Opéra Garnier, the designer shops of the Place Vendôme, and the Louvre.

• Stretch your legs at the Luxembourg Gardens and stroll toward the manicured grounds of the Champs de Mars, the perfect vantage point from which to see Paris’s most iconic structure—the Eiffel Tower.

• End your evening with a sunset bike ride along the banks of the Seine; cycle over centuries-old bridges before stopping into a café for a champagne toast!