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The Seine at sunset in Paris

The Seine River Cruise Pilgrimage

Paris, Reims, Les Andelys, Le Havre, Honfleur, Caudebec-en-Caux, Rouen, Vernon and Giverny

Twelve days out of Paris, seven of them aboard a river ship on the Seine, from the coronation cathedral of St. Joan of Arc at Reims and the Miraculous Medal chapel on the Rue du Bac to the Normandy beaches and the Old Market Square at Rouen where St. Joan gave her life.

Departures

Current Tours to France

Upcoming departures to France. Each group has its own host, dates, and itinerary. The route below is our standard.

All current pilgrimages
The Route

Eight stops between Paris and the Normandy coast

Paris, Reims, Les Andelys, Le Havre, the Normandy beaches, Caudebec-en-Caux, Rouen and Vernon.

Itinerary · EU_NL-DE-FR-CH-CRUISE-11D-01

The Seine River Cruise Itinerary

One of our two river pilgrimages, a route on which you unpack once. Your group travels on its own dates, and the itinerary can be adjusted to fit the time you have and the places that matter most to your pilgrims.

DAYS 1–4

Paris and Reims

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame, the heart of Catholic Paris
Day 1

Depart the United States

We depart the United States on our overnight flight to Paris.Dinner and breakfast are served on board.
Day 2

Arrival in Paris

Our local tour escort meets us at Paris airport and accompanies us to our hotel.Welcome dinner and overnight in Paris.
Day 3

Reims

We travel east into Champagne to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Reims, where for centuries the kings of France were crowned and where St. Joan of Arc stood beside Charles VII on 17 July 1429, and entrust our pilgrimage to the patroness of France beneath the Smiling Angel.Mass is celebrated at Reims Cathedral. Dinner and overnight in Paris.
Day 4

Paris, Montmartre and Sacré-Coeur

We begin at Notre-Dame Cathedral, newly restored and reopened, and take in the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées and the Louvre, then climb Montmartre, where St. Ignatius of Loyola and six companions professed their first vows on 15 August 1534, to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, where the Blessed Sacrament has been adored without interruption since 1885.Mass is celebrated at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Dinner and overnight in Paris.
DAYS 5–9

Onto the Seine

The Seine at sunset, Paris
The Seine at sunset in Paris
Day 5

The Miraculous Medal and embarkation

We pray in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on the Rue du Bac, where Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Labouré in 1830 and whose incorrupt body rests beneath the altar, then walk on to venerate the relics of St. Vincent de Paul before boarding our river ship in Paris.Mass is celebrated at the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal. Dinner and overnight aboard.
Day 6

Les Andelys

Above the chalk cliffs stands Château Gaillard, raised by Richard the Lionheart in 1196. Tradition holds that St. Clotilde, queen of the Franks, changed the water of a spring here into wine for the workmen building her monastery, and pilgrims came to her spring until the end of the nineteenth century. Those who prefer may hike up to the fortress or join a guided bike tour.Mass is celebrated aboard. Lunch, dinner and overnight aboard.
Day 7

Le Havre and Honfleur

We set out from Le Havre for Honfleur and the old harbor that drew the painters of the nineteenth century, with a choice in the afternoon between a tour of Le Havre, rebuilt after the war and listed by UNESCO, and a guided bike tour.Mass is celebrated aboard. Lunch, dinner and overnight aboard.
Day 8

The Normandy beaches

We pray for the dead at the Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, then see Omaha Beach, the German battery at Longues-sur-Mer and Arromanches, where the remains of the floating harbor used in the landings still lie offshore. Pilgrims may instead tour the British and Canadian sectors at Gold and Juno, or spend the day in the orchard country of the Pays d’Auge. The ship waits for us at Caudebec-en-Caux.Mass is celebrated aboard. Lunch, dinner and overnight aboard.
Day 9

Rouen

We celebrate Mass at Rouen Cathedral, the Gothic Notre-Dame that Monet painted again and again in changing light, and walk beneath the Great Clock through the medieval streets to the Old Market Square, where St. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake on 30 May 1431 at the age of nineteen. The afternoon brings Bonnemare Castle, a sixteenth-century manor among avenues of poplars.Mass is celebrated at Rouen Cathedral. Lunch, dinner and overnight aboard.
DAYS 10–12

Giverny, Paris and home

The Eiffel Tower at sunrise, Paris
The Eiffel Tower at sunrise
Day 10

Vernon and Giverny

We disembark at Vernon for Giverny, the home and gardens where Claude Monet painted the water lilies, the Japanese bridge and the willows of his pond for more than four decades. Others may tour the eighteenth-century Château de Bizy, modeled on Versailles, or ride out into the Norman countryside.Mass is celebrated aboard. Lunch, dinner and overnight aboard.
Day 11

Paris

A choice of excursions: Auvers-sur-Oise and the Auberge Ravoux, where Vincent van Gogh spent the last seventy days of his life and painted more than seventy works; the Château de Malmaison, the home of Napoleon and Josephine; or a guided bike tour. Later we tour the Latin Quarter and the Luxembourg Gardens, laid out for Queen Marie de’ Medici.Mass is celebrated aboard. Farewell dinner and overnight aboard.
Day 12

Departure

We disembark in Paris and transfer to the airport for our return flight home.Breakfast on board.

Why leaders choose Canterbury

“Canterbury treats you like family! They handle everything, from creating exciting itineraries to managing calls, registrations, and payments.”

Patrick MadridPatrick Madrid
Catholic Speaker, Author & Host of The Patrick Madrid Show on Relevant Radio®
The Seine at sunset, Paris
The SeineUnpack once, and wake up somewhere sacred.
The Seine at sunset in Paris
Dates

Your group travels on its own dates.

Tell us the window you have in mind and we will build the itinerary around it: the time you have, and the places that matter most to your pilgrims.

Your pilgrimage includes

Tour Package Includes

These inclusions can be easily tailored to the individual needs of your group

  • Daily Mass at the churches we visit
  • Round-trip group airfare
  • Airport transfers on arrival & departure
  • 4-Star hotel accommodations
  • Private motorcoach transportation
  • Breakfast & dinner served daily
  • Wine served with some dinners
  • Dedicated tour manager
  • Licensed guiding & admission fees
  • Porterage service at hotels
  • Whisper headsets when touring
  • Tips for hotel & restaurant staff
  • 9 – 5 PM (EST) reservation support
  • 24/7 travel emergency support
  • Canterbury Mobile App
For the group leader

What you get as the group leader

You travel free.

Every group earns complimentary places. The more pilgrims you bring, the more you earn. How complimentary places work

No financial risk.

If the group does not fill, deposits are returned. You owe nothing and neither do your pilgrims. What happens if a group does not fill

We produce the promotional materials.

Flyers, a registration page, and what you need to invite your people. Our guide to promoting a pilgrimage

We handle your pilgrims.

Registrations, rooming lists, payment plans and the phone calls. How leading a pilgrimage works

In your pocket

The Canterbury Mobile App

Every pilgrim in your group gets the app. Their itinerary, hotels and flights, the prayers of the day and a way to reach one another, all in one place and kept current as the pilgrimage unfolds.

  • Group chat

    Your whole group in one thread, so a change of plan reaches everyone at once.

  • Their itinerary

    The full day-by-day schedule, always current, in every pilgrim’s pocket.

  • Hotels

    Where the group is staying each night, with addresses and dates.

  • Flights

    Flight details kept alongside everything else, not in a separate email.

  • Daily prayers

    The prayers of the day, including the Liturgy of the Hours.

  • Shrine passport

    A keepsake record of the shrines your group visits along the way.

  • Live updates

    Times and meeting points pushed to everyone the moment they change.

Photographs
Rouen Cathedral and the Old Market Square
Rouen Cathedral and the Old Market Square
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris
The Eiffel Tower at sunrise
The Seine at sunset, Paris
The Seine at sunset in Paris
The Eiffel Tower at sunrise, Paris
Notre-Dame, the heart of Catholic Paris
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame, the heart of Catholic Paris

What group leaders say

“They’re big enough to handle any problem that arises, and small enough to craft truly unique experiences.”

Chris StefanickChris Stefanick
Founder & President of Real Life Catholic
Before you ask

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the best time to take the Seine cruise?

The river cruising season runs from spring to autumn. May, June and September bring the mildest weather and the longest days on deck, while July and August are the warmest and the busiest. Water levels are a matter for the ship rather than the pilgrimage, and the operator will always tell you well ahead if a stretch has to be covered by coach.

How physically demanding is this pilgrimage?

Moderate. Most days involve two to four hours on your feet, with walking on uneven ground, ancient stone, and steps at archaeological sites. Pilgrims who can manage a full day of sightseeing at their own pace do well. If anyone in your group has mobility limitations, tell us early and we will adapt the days around them. What activity level means.

What is generally not included?

Travel insurance, lunches, drinks beyond those served with included meals, personal expenses, and gratuities for your tour manager and driver. Any of these can be built into your package on request, so tell us what you would like covered and we will arrange it. Passports and visa fees are the one exception and remain the responsibility of each pilgrim.

How much walking does a river pilgrimage involve?

Less than a coach pilgrimage, and that is the point. The ship ties up in the middle of each town, so Les Andelys, Rouen and Vernon are all explored on foot from the quayside, with the ship a short walk away whenever anyone wants to rest. You unpack once, on Day 5, and stay in the same cabin until Paris.

Can our priest celebrate Mass at the churches?

Yes. Daily Mass is built into the itinerary, and we arrange times and locations in advance with each church. Your priest should travel with a celebret or letter of good standing from his bishop or superior. We handle the scheduling.

How many pilgrims do you need for a group?

Most of our groups are between 20 and 50 pilgrims, and we can arrange smaller tours as well. We have also organized pilgrimages for groups as large as 2,500, so whatever size your group turns out to be, we can build for it. Minimum group size for a group flight.

Enquire

Interested in Leading a Pilgrimage to France?

A pilgrimage consultant replies within one business day. No deposit or commitment.

    Your Information

    Your Group

    First time? You are in good company. Many of our group leaders start right here, and we guide you through every step.

    Where You Would Like to Go

    Destinations of interest (check all that apply)

    These are some of our most popular destinations, but we build CUSTOM ITINERARIES anywhere in the world. If you do not see your destination, tell us below.

    Italy, Rome and AssisiFrance, Lourdes and ParisPortugal and FátimaSpain and the Camino de SantiagoPortugal, Spain and France togetherGreece and TurkeyThe Holy LandEgypt and Mount SinaiPoland, Prague and Central EuropeMedjugorje and the BalkansIreland and the United KingdomMexico and Our Lady of GuadalupeArgentinaPeruJapan, Nagasaki and AkitaUnited States and Canada shrinesA pilgrimage cruiseA choir pilgrimageChristmas markets and AdventWorld Youth Day Seoul 2027Somewhere else, or not sure yet

    When

    Group Size and Budget

    Complimentary places are arranged based on the size of your group. Let us know how many you expect so we can request them from our suppliers from the start.

    A Few Last Details

    Would you like sample itineraries emailed to you?

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