A Riviera Travel Seine cruise answers a specific question: how do you spend a week on the river between Paris and Normandy without paying luxury-line money? Riviera is a British tour operator that has moved hard into river cruising, and its pitch is unusually honest — premium comfort, most of the essentials included, and a fare that sits noticeably below the all-inclusive names sailing the same water.
We do not sell Riviera’s cruises and this is not their official page. What follows is a positioning guide: what the line is, where it cuts corners, and who should look elsewhere.
What Riviera Travel is
Riviera began as a UK escorted-tours company and now runs a fleet of river ships across Europe, sold almost exclusively to the British market. Pricing is in pounds, brochures assume you are starting from Britain, and the passenger list skews UK, 55-plus, well travelled. The product philosophy is “spend on what guests notice”: food, cabins and guiding get the budget; open bars and marble atriums do not.
The Seine product
Riviera’s Seine itineraries are round trips from Paris into Normandy — the corridor this river was made for, taking in Giverny, Rouen and the estuary towns, with D-Day beach excursions on the Normandy leg. The line publishes exact ports, ship assignments and dates on its official site, and they shift by season, so verify the current itinerary there rather than relying on any third-party summary, ours included. Fares typically land in the €1,500–4,000 per person band for a week — approximate, and heavily dependent on cabin deck and how early you book.
For what the route itself offers — and how all the lines compare on it — start with our Paris–Normandy guide.
The inclusions philosophy
This is where the price gap comes from. The fare generally covers full board, guided visits in most ports and an on-board cruise director. It generally does not cover drinks outside set times, gratuities or premium excursions. Against an all-inclusive line the brochure price looks dramatically cheaper; add a realistic bar bill and tips and the gap narrows — but rarely closes. If you drink modestly and like choosing your own extras, the maths favours Riviera.
Two features stand out for the UK buyer. First, connections from Britain — flights or rail — are sold as part of the package, which removes the most annoying admin of any river cruise. Second, solo departures: Riviera has built a genuine reputation for sailings aimed at solo travellers, with reduced or no single supplement on selected dates. Both change annually; confirm on the official site.
Local tip: on any Paris–Normandy itinerary, the ship usually moors overnight in central Paris at the start or end. Skip the optional coach tour that evening and walk the quays instead — then compare what an evening cruise in Paris costs against the same view from your own sundeck.
Who it suits — and who should skip it
Book Riviera if you are UK-based, want the Seine done properly at the sensible end of premium, or are travelling solo and tired of paying double. Skip it if you want all-inclusive simplicity (Uniworld is the benchmark), if you are booking from outside the UK, or if the ship itself — rather than the river — is the point of the trip.
How to book
Riviera sells direct through its official site and by phone, and through UK travel agents at the same price. There is no meaningful aggregator route for multi-day Seine cruises, so compare the line’s own dates against Avalon and Fred. Olsen before deciding.
Three practical notes on the buying process. Book early rather than late: value lines fill their cheapest cabin grades first, and the “from” price in the advert is usually gone months before departure. Ask directly what the fare includes on your specific sailing — drinks policy and excursion lists shift between seasons, and the official site’s fare breakdown is the only version that counts. And if you are solo, ring rather than browse: solo departures and supplement waivers are allocated by date, and phone agents can see which sailings still hold them.
Only in Paris for a few days? The short cruises above deliver the postcard stretch of the river for under €30 — the full comparison of every line on the Normandy run lives in the Paris–Normandy guide.
What we like
- Consistently undercuts luxury lines on comparable Seine routes
- Dedicated solo-traveller departures — rare on the river
- UK-friendly logistics: connections from Britain sold as part of the package
- English-speaking, largely British fellow passengers if that is what you want
What to watch out for
- Fewer inclusions than all-inclusive rivals — budget for drinks and some extras
- Ship interiors are comfortable rather than showpiece
- Marketed almost entirely to the UK; awkward to book from elsewhere
- Popular departures sell out early at the lowest fares
Frequently asked questions
Is Riviera Travel a luxury cruise line?
No, and it does not pretend to be. Riviera Travel sits in the value-premium band: proper cabins, good food and included guided visits, priced well below Uniworld or Tauck. You pay separately for most drinks and some optional extras. For travellers who would rather spend the difference ashore, that trade is the whole point.
Does Riviera Travel have solo cabins on Seine cruises?
The line has built a strong reputation for solo-traveller departures, including sailings reserved entirely for solo guests and reduced or waived single supplements on selected dates. Availability changes by season, so confirm current solo dates and supplements on the line's official site before you commit.
Where does a Riviera Travel Seine cruise go?
Seine itineraries run from Paris into Normandy and back — the classic corridor past Giverny, Rouen and the estuary towns, with the D-Day beaches usually offered as an excursion. Exact ports and durations vary by departure, so treat the line's official site as the source for the current route map.
How do I book Riviera Travel from outside the UK?
With difficulty. The line sells direct and through UK travel agents, prices in pounds, and builds its packages around UK departure points. Non-UK travellers can enquire direct, but US or Australian passengers are usually better served by lines that sell in their market — or by a day cruise while in Paris.
What is included in the Riviera Travel fare?
Typically the cabin, full board, guided excursions in most ports and the services of a cruise director — with drinks beyond mealtimes, gratuities and premium excursions charged separately. Inclusions differ by itinerary and year, so read the current fare breakdown on the official site rather than assuming.