We had previously taken the Rhine Getaway cruise and couldn't wait to repeat our river cruise experience. We took the Herja from Paris to the Swiss Alps (we took it in the other direction) and we found the Herja to be completely well-appointed and everyone on board was cordial, friendly and extremely helpful. Every excursion we took was completely worth the cost and the tour leaders were friendly, knowledgeable and very good at circumnavigating real life! The Arc de Triomphe was being visited by several foreign dignitaries, so our bus tour had to become a walking tour, and it was completely fascinating! We were able to see ceremony that was not planned for tourists. I appreciate the quick thinking of our guide to make what would have been a traffic-swamped stoppage into a new and fun experience.

We were so impressed with each excursion and were so lucky to see life as it is, whether in large cities or small, remote towns. The flavor of the local area came through in every case, and we never felt like we were intruding on locals' lives.

The accommodations were fabulous - our sink was running somewhat slowly in the morning and our housekeeper noticed it without our mention, and before we returned for lunch, the engineer had fixed it. Read more