This was published 7 years ago
France river cruise on APT's AmaLegro: The best thing about a France river cruise
Chateau de Bizy, nicknamed the Versailles of Normandy.Credit: Alamy
AmaLegro is a pleasant name for a ship, even though I haven't clue what it means. It trips off the tongue and has vaguely musical connotations.
"Allegro" is a tempo marking in music that indicates speed and liveliness. Not that AmaLegro is at all speedy, though that's a good thing. It practically drifts along the Seine, slow and sedate, doubling back on itself as the river sweeps in great hairpin bends through the heartland of French history. Happy days: there's plenty of time to let the landscape unfurl beyond the lounge windows. This journey is an Impressionist blur of old villages, dog-walking Frenchmen, paddling swans and limestone buffs crowned with castle ruins.
The 148-passenger AmaLegro is owned by US company AmaWaterways, with whom APT has long worked very closely. Currently it's the only ship offering APT cruises on the Seine River, but it's similar to other Aria-class vessels operating elsewhere in Europe, including AmaDolce, AmaLyra and AmaCello. Launched in 2007, it's ageing by the fast-changing river-cruise standards that have seen many new ships launched, and isn't as flash as APT's later Concert-class ships that have splashed onto rivers since 2010. The decor in brown, red and gold looks a little dated. Cheerful Impressionist prints on cabin and corridor walls add jaunty splashes of colour, but there isn't much wow.
APT ship AmaLegro docked at Les Andelys on the Seine River.
Here's the thing, however. If you're used to river cruises and have been on other, more recent ships your initial impression might be one of trifling disappointment. Question is, does it matter in the end? For me, the great joy of river cruising is the amount of time it allows you off the ship, exploring on land. And besides, what AmaLegro may lack in up-to-the-minute hardware it more than makes up for in software. By the time my week has ended, I'm so enthused about the food and particularly excellent tour guides – two crucial parts of any cruise – that the slightly outmoded decor no longer matters.
Don't bring your tightest trousers on this trip, because you'll need space for waistline expansion. (And don't worry: as the French claim, the red wine will counteract all the artery-hardening deliciousness.) Breakfasts are invariably good: what would a cruise in France be without fresh bread rolls and properly crisp croissants that leave butter all over your fingers? There's also abundant fresh fruit and the usual hot dishes, and sometimes I have eggs benedict or pancakes off the menu, just for a change. One morning, feeling nostalgic for my childhood, I order porridge with brown sugar.
Lunch is similarly served buffet style, with a good array of salads, sandwiches, cold cuts and some hot dishes. I particularly like the array of cheeses, which allows me to gobble my way through tangy cheddar, gorgonzola and the Swiss Tete de Moine whose intense flavour stands up well to accompanying apple chutney. Good French choices over the week include the nutty Tomme de Savoie, a nice creamy Saint-Nectaire and a triple brie that makes sacrificing dessert a pleasure.
Erlebnis Restaurant on AmaPrima.Credit: Michel Verdure
Evening meals are a four-course affair served by waiters, opening with a starter or salad, then soup, then a main course, and closing with a dessert or a cheese plate (or both, because calories don't count on holiday). There are always vegetarian options, and decent complimentary wines. What I like most are AmaLegro's frequent forays into French cuisine: terrines, consomme, meat-and-bean cassoulet stew, and an impressive quiche Lorraine that I'm pleased makes a second lunchtime appearance later in the week. Escargots and frogs' legs are offered too, daring by cruise standards, but nonetheless appreciated by many guests.
Beyond the main restaurant, there's a second dining choice in the evening, the Erlebnis specialty restaurant that APT has created on numerous ships out of the smaller rear lounge. It seats only 24 and has to be booked in advance, but is complimentary and offers a tranquil, more formal dining space with great river views from large picture windows. Chefs work behind glass and a maitre d presides in rather stately fashion. Though the six-course degustation is advertised as upmarket dining, I find a mixed experience. The entree (sliced duck on cherry compote) and subsequent smoked salmon are good, but no better than courses served in the main dining room. However, the main (beef with mushroom sauce) and a dessert inspired by macaroons are outstanding.
Behind the Erlebnis Restaurant, a fitness room provides some mute finger-wagging to those who've over indulged, but I never see it being used. The open top deck is a far better place to stride around as the Normandy landscape drifts by, throwing up an enormous riverside cathedral, fortified town or the fields of haystacks so beloved of Monet's paintbrush. Other public spaces include a library on the mezzanine level of the lobby, and the main lounge backed by a coffee station and bar counter. Occasionally, the ship suffers from rafting, or the need to tie ships together because of limited docking space; the downstairs dining room, in particular, can be thrown into gloom at lunchtime. However, this isn't a problem limited to AmaLegro and, calling it as I see it, if the ship is docked, why aren't you off it and wandering about, anyway?
The dining room on AmaDagio.Credit: APT
And so to the sleeping quarters. My cabin won't win an on-trend design prize, but what counts to me is that it ticks all boxes in terms of function and comfort – except perhaps for using blankets on the bed rather than doonas. It seems somewhat larger than many river-cruise cabins, with good storage space, room for an armchair and big sliding doors against a French balcony. (Only cabins on the lowest deck don't have balconies.) The shower is excellent, with three nozzles at various levels and an invariably gushing supply of hot water. Attention to small details is impressive: wardrobe lights, individual climate control, complimentary WiFi, bathrobes and slippers, and an umbrella, always a useful item in northern France. Happy days indeed. I lie on my bed feeling content, wiggle my toes, and watch the Seine passing by outside, flirting with morning sunlight.
SEINE SCENES
APT'S Seine River cruises sail into Normandy from Paris return. Here are five destination highlights along the river.
GIVERNY This little village was the home of Impressionist painter Claude Monet, whose house and wonderful gardens provide scenes straight out of some of his most famous paintings. The ship actually docks in Vernon nearby, which has a pleasant old town and riverside promenades; shore excursions also visit the Chateau de Bizy, nicknamed the "Versailles of Normandy", set in gardens filled with fountains and flowers.
ROUEN The capital of Normandy is a busy river port and industrial town that hides a delightful, mostly pedestrianised old town centre that you can walk to straight off the river ship. Its elaborate cathedral facade looks down on cobbled streets lined by medieval and Renaissance houses and towers. The city has many reminders of Joan of Arc, France's warrior-saint who was burned at the stake here in 1431.
HONFLEUR This port and fishing town sits near the mouth of the Seine River on the English Channel and is striking for its tall, coloured houses reflected in its 11th-century harbour. The reflections these create, and the pale light of Normandy, made this a subject much painted by Impressionists. The charming town is also notable for its impressive medieval wooden church, antique shops and innumerable cafes.
NORMANDY BEACHES There are optional (and complimentary) shore excursions on two different days to various sites associated with the World Wars. From Caudebec-en-Caux on the river you can travel to WWII's D-Day landing sites and memorials, while another trip from Rouen takes in the 1916 site of the Battle of the Somme, and the museum and Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux.
LES ANDELYS This beguiling small town on a quiet bend of the Seine, overlooked by limestone cliffs, is one of Europe's loveliest riverside stops. It's a fusion of two former fishing villages, now with rather fine houses and a few artists' studios. There are beautiful panoramas over the river and surrounding countryside from the cliff-top ruins of Chateau Gaillard, built by Richard the Lionheart in the 12th century.
TRIP NOTES
MORE INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Emirates operates regular service from Sydney and Melbourne to Dubai with onward connections to Paris. See emirates.com/au.
CRUISING THERE
APT's eight-day "Romantic Seine" cruise on AmaLegro is priced from $4695pp, twin share, including all meals, complimentary beverages, sightseeing, transfers, port charges and tipping. Phone 1300 196 420. See aptouring.com.au.
Brian Johnston travelled courtesy of APT.
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