Christmas markets, regional delicacies & ethereal church choirs

French Travel Connection’s new ‘Parisian Winter Holiday’ package combines the magic of the Parisian festive season with a seven-night luxury cruise to Normandy’s medieval townships.

Timed to coincide with the colourful Christmas markets that come alive across Paris² and offer regional specialities, gingerbread, hand-crafted toys, mulled wine and many more traditional treats, the new package includes four nights for the price of three at the four-star, centrally-located Victoria Palace Hotel.

Guests are free to explore Paris using a five-day Metro Pass (with unlimited rail and bus services in zones 1-3), and the package also includes a two-day Paris Museum Pass and a Moulin Rouge dinner and French can-can show.

Stepping aboard the 110-passenger floating luxury hotel, River Baroness, passengers then take a journey through Parisian waterways and north to Normandy, which offers its own unique Christmas market surrounding the majestic cathedral in Rouen.

Prices for the Parisian Winter Holiday package start from $3384*per person twin share, and include:

• complimentary airport-to-hotel transfer on arrival
• four nights for the price of three at Victoria Palace Hotel with daily breakfast
• five-day Zones 1-3 Metro Pass
• two-day Paris Museum Pass
• Moulin Rouge dinner and French can-can show (including pick-up/drop-off)
• seven nights’ twin share in a Riverview Stateroom onboard the River Baroness, with all meals including fine wines and entertainment
• guided shore excursions and signature lecture while onboard

The 11-night package is available for three December departures: 9, 16 and 23 December 2011.

The 110-passenger River Baroness offers panoramic lounges, bar, restaurant, sun deck, fitness room, massage treatments, a 24-hour specialty coffee and tea bar, 24-hour reception service and wireless Internet access. Staterooms feature hotel-style beds, fine linens, flat-screen TVs and an ensuite with L'Occitane body products.

For full details and bookings contact French Travel Connection on 1300 858 304, email info@frenchtravel.com.au or visit www.frenchtravel.com.au.

*Land-only/cruise-only special based on twin share. Return air travel not included. Conditions apply.

2.
Paris Christmas market locations include:

• Champs-Elysees (roundabout) to the Pace de la Concorde (Paris’s largest Christmas market)
• (in front of) Gare Montparnasse (specialising in regional French delicacies)
• Place de la Trocadero (opposite the Eiffel Tower) on an ice-skating rink
• Parvis de la Defe´nse near the Grance Arche among high-rise buildings (usually 550 stalls)
• Place Saint-Sulpice