France Cruise Ports
France is one of the most popular countries in the world as a holiday destination and it is no surprise why thanks to the huge contrasts found across the country.
If you are a lover of history and culture, you will know that France is a country that has both of those things in abundance.
The World War 1 and 2 battlefields found across the northern coast of the country are a must visit not just for those who had family members lost there but it is also somewhere everyone should visit at least once to pay their respect and to gain an understanding into the incredible sacrifices made.
The west coast of the country is an ideal destination for food and drinks lovers with many of the world’s greatest wines coming from the area and a host of household cheeses, amongst other great places of interest and fantastic towns and cities.
If sun, sea, and sand is more to your liking, the countries southern coast is the place to visit which many of the Mediterranean best spots easily reached from a cruise holiday including the French Riviere where you can walk amongst celebrities and multi million pound yachts.
Cruises To France
Cruise Holidays to France
From incredible mountain ranges to wonderful coastline and from open countryside to historic cities, there is something for everybody in France but perhaps best of all from our point of view is that many of the absolute best, must see places and landmarks can be visited easily via the many cruise ports found around the French coastline.
The highlight for many visitors heading to France for the first time is a visit to the iconic capital city of Paris, which can be easily reached from a choice of ports despite been not a cruise port of call due to its location, but there is a lot more on offer throughout the country just waiting to be explored and enjoyed whilst on a cruise holiday.
France Cruise Guide
Popular Ports in France
When it comes to cruise port of calls and cruise holiday destinations in France, the choice is a vast one thanks in part to the long maritime and naval past of the country that has led to many ports been established around the entire country.
From the poignant historic sites in the north of the country, to the food and wine regions in the west to the Catalan culture to the south and of course the always popular French Riviere, the many cruise ports in the country can be best split into the three bodies of water that they sit on: the English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea.
Le Havre is a city in the Normandy region of France and sits on the right bank of the Seine Estuary, so it will come as no surprise that whilst the city offers a great day of exploring on foot and taking in the great river views, the majority of cruises dock in Le Havre due to its closeness to the nation’s capital of Paris.
Honfleur sits across the river from Le Havre and is the port of choice for a limited number of smaller cruise ships offering trips into the capital.
Cherbourg is a major port on the English Channel with ferry companies, commercial services and even the French military using it but a small number of cruise lines also use it as a port of call. The port played an important part in World War 2 and offers a number of opportunities to visit historic sites of interest.
Saint-Malo, often also written as St Malo, is an historic French port in Brittany that features many sites of interest including an ancient walled centre, the Solidor Tower, a beautiful cathedral, the popular Great Aquarium Saint-Malo, Fort National and a number of sandy beaches.
La Rochelle, on the Bay of Biscay, is a famous port city known for its Old Town and it beautiful entrance flanked by 2 towers.
From the towns harbour, boats trips can be enjoyed to Fort Boyard, where the tv programme of the same name was filmed but for many it is simply walking around the historic streets of the city that makes for a great day out as there is so much to see and do.
Famed for its wine and vineyards, it is trips to enjoy a tipple or 2 that are amongst the most popular excursions for cruise ships that call into the city but there is so much more to Bordeaux than its claret.
The city is one of the largest in the country and offers a wide range of activities, attractions and with a good public transport network including a modern tramway, it is easy to explore all that is on offer your own.
Le Verdon, or Le Verdon-sur-Mer, is a small port of call that acts as a gateway to Bordeaux and Frances wine region.
It is one of the least well connected ports in France and one that only a few ships visit each year.
Marseille is one of the most popular cities for visitors to France and it is amongst the most visited ports of call for cruises to the country.
With stunning views, a beautiful and historic old town and a thriving new town coupled with lots of attractions and activities to enjoy, Marseille makes for a great day out on any cruise of the Med.
Toulon is one of the largest ports on the French Riviera and is one of the most popular cruise ports of call in the region thanks to the great range of attractions waiting visitors including a stunning Opera House, the beautiful Place de la Liberte, the cable car to Mount Faron and of course its beautiful beaches that to take advantage of the beautiful weather on the French Riviera.
Cannes is one of the most famous cities on the French Riviera and is one of the most popular destinations for cruise holidaymakers.
Famed as a hot spot of the rich and famous, the city is a place to see and to be seen but thankfully for us mere mortals, there is lots to enjoy including a stunning harbourfront and lots of attractions including museums, landmarks, festivals, and stunning beaches.
Nice is a place that lives up to its name, sorry could not resist, as it is simply a pleasant city to walk around and take in all of the sites and sounds of this bustling capital of the Alpes-Maritimes department of France.
From beautiful beaches to a bustling harbour and marina to long tree lined avenues to historic sites of interest, there is lots to see and do on a shore day at Nice.
Whilst not actually in France, the Principality of Monaco and its iconic Monte Carlo capital share a lot of links to the country and it is one of the iconic ports of call on a Med cruise and is a must visit for cruisers.
Known as been a millionaires playground, you always have a chance of bumping into a celebrity whilst walking the streets but with stunning views from almost every street, you will never be short of photo opportunities, especially if you are an F1 fan where you can walk around the majority of the iconic racetrack.
The island of Corsica, sits between France and North Africa in the middle of the Med and directly north of the Italian island of Sardinia, which offers a day out in France with a difference.
The majority of cruises that call into the Islands dock in the capital city of Ajaccio, which offers lots for visitors to enjoy but it also makes it easy to explore to whole of this historic and beautiful island.
Popular Cruise Lines
Here are our top cruise lines offering holidays to France.
France
The country of France is one of history, from a world leading nation full of power, culture, and wealth, to years as a feudal Kingdom, with the country been also one of the leading regions in many of the most important eras, from the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution.
That makes for any great sites of interest to visit all around the country and when you mix in its longer term history as a key part of the Roman Empire and you have a special country to visit.
If history is not to your liking, the modern day culture of beautiful food and wine can be explored and enjoyed no matter where you dock with the ports of Bordeaux and Marseille amongst the most popular for foodies.
The natural beauty of the country is one that cannot be matched by many with some of the world’s largest and most impressive mountains found amongst its numerous mountain ranges in the Alps, the Massif Central and the Pyrenees.
The north of the country is dominated by industrial cities and the nation’s capital city of Paris, whilst the west of the country is dominated by food, drink and culture with the south coast dominated by the beauty of the French Riviera and the Catalan culture of the south-west, which epitomised by Rugby League heartlands.
The country is one of the most visited by holidaymakers in the world and in our opinion one of the best ways to see the country is on a cruise holiday as so many of the great cities, attractions and sites of interest are located near to or on the coast.
Best Time To Visit France
The north of France can experience bad weather aside from summer, so if you want to explore the historical sites and cities of the Channel and Atlantic coast, it may be best to visit between May-September but with the climate been warm all year around on the Mediterranean coast, France is a country you can visit all year around.
Cruises From UK
With France been just a few miles from the south coast of England, it will come as no surprise that not only is it possible to visit France on a cruise from the United Kingdom, but there is one of the widest variety of options for all aspects of cruising for those wanting to do so.
Just about every cruise ship operating out of the UK offer itineraries with a stop in France and just about every French cruise port can be visited.
Itineraries heading to Northern Europe, Scandinavia or the Baltics will often stop at a northern French cruise ports such as Cherbourg or Le Havre whilst those heading to Iberia, the Canaries or on a transatlantic will often stop in west coast French cruise ports such as La Rochelle or Le Verdon.
For those heading to the Med, there are a range of French cruise port of calls to visit including Marseille.
Cruises From Southampton
Although a number of cruise ports in the UK will offer the chance to visit France but for the wildest range of cruise lines, cruise ships and French cruise ports, you will be best starting out from the port of Southampton.
Here at CruiseHols.co.uk we bring you all of the information you will ever need to choose the right cruise destination for you and your family.
Our destination guides include everything from ports to attractions and excursion to the positives and negatives of the destination.
