When you arrive in Rouen, opportunities to see some of France’s key historic sights await as soon as you leave your ship. The city is home to one of the country’s most famous Gothic cathedrals, beautifully captured on canvas in a series of paintings by Claude Monet, as well as the remains of the castle where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Beyond the city limits, Giverny, where Monet’s house and gardens have been lovingly preserved, is an hour away. Paris, which needs no introduction, is roughly two hours by car or train. Closer to Rouen, Honfleur’s Old Port is lined with restaurants, shops and 300-year-old houses. If you want to make the journey to Paris, the TGV leaves early in the morning and takes you from Rouen to the Gare du Nord, in the heart of the City of Light. From there, you can stroll along the Champs-Élysées, have lunch in a restaurant in Montmartre with a view of the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur and then explore the world-famous Louvre museum, with enough time to see several of its highlights. At the end of a full day in Paris you can catch a late-evening train back to Rouen.