Mantes-la-Jolie France

516 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

AmaWaterways (26 Cruises)

Cruise AMA AmaWaterways AmaDante Exterior Europe

AmaDante

144 Passengers
2850 tons
Visit the ship's page

CroisiEurope (58 Cruises)

Riviera Travel (54 Cruises)

MS Jane Austen.

MS Jane Austen

184 Passengers
Visit the ship's page

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise (378 Cruises)

S.S. Bon Voyage.

S.S. Bon Voyage

174 Passengers
Visit the ship's page
S.S. Catherine.

S.S. Catherine

215 Passengers
Visit the ship's page
S.S. Joie de Vivre.

S.S. Joie de Vivre

180 Passengers
Visit the ship's page
2 May 8 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
2 May 14 days One-way from Paris City to Arles
450-628-6241 Call us
2 May 15 days One-way from Paris City to Arles
450-628-6241 Call us
2 May 7 days Round-trip Paris Normandy
450-628-6241 Call us
9 May 8 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
9 May 7 days Round-trip Paris Normandy
450-628-6241 Call us
14 May 16 days One-way from Leith-Edinburgh to Paris City
450-628-6241 Call us
14 May 17 days One-way from Leith-Edinburgh to Paris City
450-628-6241 Call us
16 May 8 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
16 May 14 days One-way from Paris City to Istanbul
450-628-6241 Call us
16 May 13 days One-way from Paris City to Istanbul
450-628-6241 Call us
16 May 14 days One-way from Istanbul to Paris City
450-628-6241 Call us
16 May 15 days One-way from Paris City to Arles
450-628-6241 Call us
16 May 15 days One-way from Istanbul to Paris City
450-628-6241 Call us
16 May 7 days Round-trip Paris Normandy
450-628-6241 Call us
16 May 14 days One-way from Paris City to Arles
450-628-6241 Call us
23 May 7 days Round-trip Paris Normandy
450-628-6241 Call us
23 May 8 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
30 May 14 days One-way from Paris City to Arles
450-628-6241 Call us
30 May 15 days One-way from Paris City to Arles
450-628-6241 Call us
30 May 7 days Round-trip Paris Normandy
450-628-6241 Call us
30 May 8 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
1 August 7 days Round-trip Paris Normandy
450-628-6241 Call us
1 August 8 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
6 August 17 days One-way from Leith-Edinburgh to Paris City
450-628-6241 Call us
6 August 16 days One-way from Leith-Edinburgh to Paris City
450-628-6241 Call us
8 August 7 days Round-trip Paris Normandy
450-628-6241 Call us
8 August 15 days One-way from Paris City to Arles
450-628-6241 Call us
8 August 14 days One-way from Paris City to Arles
450-628-6241 Call us
8 August 8 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
13 August 17 days One-way from Leith-Edinburgh to Paris City
450-628-6241 Call us
13 August 16 days One-way from Leith-Edinburgh to Paris City
450-628-6241 Call us
15 August 8 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
15 August 7 days Round-trip Paris Normandy
450-628-6241 Call us
20 August 17 days One-way from Leith-Edinburgh to Paris City
450-628-6241 Call us
20 August 16 days One-way from Leith-Edinburgh to Paris City
450-628-6241 Call us
22 August 15 days One-way from Paris City to Arles
450-628-6241 Call us
22 August 14 days One-way from Paris City to Arles
450-628-6241 Call us
22 August 8 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
22 August 7 days Round-trip Paris Normandy
450-628-6241 Call us
27 August 17 days One-way from Leith-Edinburgh to Paris City
450-628-6241 Call us
27 August 16 days One-way from Leith-Edinburgh to Paris City
450-628-6241 Call us
29 August 8 days Round-trip from Paris City, France
450-628-6241 Call us
29 August 7 days Round-trip Paris Normandy
450-628-6241 Call us

Mantes-la-Jolie France | Seine River Cruise Guide

From afar, you might think you were seeing Notre-Dame de Paris stranded in the middle of the countryside. Yet the two towers overlooking the bend in the Seine belong to the collegiate church of Mantes-la-Jolie, and the resemblance is no coincidence: the two Gothic building sites grew up together in the 12th century. For ships linking Paris to Normandy, the stop offers a deep dive into nine centuries of history in the Yvelines, a few minutes' walk from the dock.

A Collegiate Church of Cathedral Scale

The Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame ranks among the largest churches in the Île-de-France, and its raised forecourt looks out over the passing river. Inside, the nave soars in a single sweep, carried by a height unusual for a church that was never a cathedral, and the rose windows filter a soft light onto the golden stone. As you walk along the south side, don't miss the Navarre Chapel, a Gothic gem added in the 14th century by the Counts of Évreux, Kings of Navarre. Philip Augustus, the builder king who died in Mantes in 1223, wished for his heart to rest here: for him, the royal city was not a detour, it was a choice. Take the time to walk around the outside of the apse, whose flying buttresses are among the earliest in Gothic architecture.

William, Corot and the Others

Local history is not lacking in character. In 1087, William the Conqueror set fire to Mantes; injured during the sack, he died of his wounds a few weeks later in Rouen. Eight centuries later, painters took their revenge on the warriors: Corot set up his easel many times in front of the old bridge and the Gothic apse, capturing landscapes still recognizable from the riverbanks. The Hôtel-Dieu Museum, steps from the church, holds a fine collection of works by Maximilien Luce, a Neo-Impressionist who loved these banks, whose canvases capture the working, luminous Seine of a century ago.

Strolling Between the River and the Old Town

The old centre is easy to explore between visits: squares with cafés, a market hall, lanes leading down to the water. On the quays, lawns and plane trees invite a break, with the comings and goings of barges as a continuous show. Walkers can cross to Limay by the old 12th-century bridge, one of the oldest in France to span the Seine, now reserved for pedestrians; the view of the church from there is the one in the paintings. More discreet, the Church of Sainte-Anne de Gassicourt, a former Romanesque priory church, preserves medieval stained glass that is worth the detour. On fine days, the banks look like a painting: rowers, motionless anglers, families picnicking beneath the foliage. You quickly understand why the Impressionists and their heirs spent so much time at this bend in the river, where the light of the Île-de-France plays with reflections and poplars. The centre is just a few minutes' walk from the mooring, with no hill to climb.

Why "la Jolie"?

Legend attributes the nickname to Henri IV, who is said to have dated his love letters "from Mantes, the pretty one," when he was courting Gabrielle d'Estrées. Historians smile, locals embrace it: the official name eventually adopted the compliment. Passing sailors generally side with the king from the very first sunset. It must be said that the town has charm to spare when the evening sun strikes the towers and the reflections stretch across the water.

Following the Water Again

The ship sets off again toward Rouen or Paris, and the twin towers remain visible above the trees for a long time, exactly as Corot painted them. You take away a quiet lesson from this stop: great stories, royal or artistic, sometimes choose mid-sized towns to be written in. The Seine already knew it; its meanders always pass back through Mantes.

Frequently Asked Questions

On the Seine, a few minutes' walk from the centre. The mooring gives access to the town without a single hill.
Because both Gothic building sites grew up together in the 12th century. From a distance, the two towers rising above the bend in the Seine really do echo the Paris cathedral.
The nave, rising in one sweep to a height uncommon for a church that was never a cathedral, and the rose windows filtering soft light onto the pale stone. It is among the largest churches in the Île-de-France.
It is a Gothic jewel added in the 14th century by the counts of Évreux, kings of Navarre, along the south flank of the collegiate church. Many visitors walk past without noticing it.
Philip Augustus, the builder king, who died at Mantes in 1223. He wanted his heart to rest in the collegiate church: the royal town was not a detour for him, it was a choice.
In 1087 he burned the town. Wounded during the sack, he died a few weeks later at Rouen. It is the most dramatic episode in local history.
Legend credits the nickname to Henry IV, who is said to have dated his love letters « from Mantes, the pretty one » while courting Gabrielle d'Estrées. Historians smile, residents embrace it, and the official name eventually adopted the compliment.
Yes, on foot. The 12th-century bridge to Limay is among the oldest in France to span the Seine and is now pedestrian only. The view of the collegiate church from it is the one Corot painted.
A fine group of works by Maximilien Luce, a Neo-Impressionist devoted to these banks, whose canvases capture the working, light-filled Seine of a century ago. It stands a short walk from the collegiate church.
The collegiate church and a walk around its chevet with its early flying buttresses, the Hôtel-Dieu museum, then the quays and the old bridge. Sainte-Anne de Gassicourt church and its medieval stained glass are worth the detour if time remains.