Photographs

Discovering the World

Embarking on a voyage or cruise, whether for business or pleasure, can offer a change of scene and break away from the stresses of everyday life.

Cruises

As well as year-round trips on regular lines, shipping companies offered a wide range of cruises, especially during vacation periods or for various religious holidays. All tastes were catered for, including cruises to the Caribbean or North African sun; discovering past civilizations at ancient sites in the Mediterranean and Far East; pilgrimages to holy places; or even excursions far north for those looking for adventure or something completely different!

Anonymous. Passengers from the liner De Grasse (CGT 1924) departing for stopover

Anonymous. Bab Agnaou in Marrakesh

Anonymous. Drottningholm Palace in Sweden

Anonymous. Forum at Pompeii

Anonymous. The liner Lafayette (CGT 1930) on stopover in Norway

Anonymous. Golden Hall at Stockholm City Hall

Anonymous. Frederiksborg castle, near Copenhagen

Anonymous. Horseback riding in the United States

Anonymous. Passenger on the ice at Spitsbergen, Magdalena Bay

Anonymous. Old houses in Stockholm

Anonymous. Arrival of French Line ship in Curaçao

Anonymous. Blake Pier, Victoria Bay, Hong Kong, 1948

Anonymous. The liner Armand Béhic (MM 1892) at Port Saïd

Byron Company. The liner De Grasse (CGT 1924) being towed into port at New York

Anonymous. Coaches at the port in Algeria

Anonymous. The liner De Grasse (CGT 1924) in Venice

Anonymous. Curaçao Port

Anonymous. The liner Paul Lecat (MM 1912) at Port Saïd

Anonymous. Quai du Maréchal Lyautey in Bordeaux

Anonymous. Arrival of the liner Champlain (CGT 1932) in Venice, 1938

Anonymous. Yokohama Port, 1929

Ports Around the World

Whether arriving at the biggest ports in the United States or Europe with marine terminals offering many services and a multitude of stores; or disembarking from more modest ports with a smaller capacity, the arrival of a ship always generated a flurry of activity. Tug-boats and launches came to meet the vessel guided by a pilot; docking pilots prepared to moor the ship; stevedores waited to load or unload goods at the pier; steam trains readied to depart and coaches were rented for the scheduled tour…

New York

No passenger can fail to be impressed when arriving at the mythical Port of New York. This mighty modern city, epitomized by gigantic skyscrapers, was a symbol of hope for emigrants arriving at Ellis Island in search of a better life. Transat built its largest and most majestic ships for the famous French Line, the prestigious and crucial line that departed from Le Havre. Paris, île-de-France, Normandie and France (1962) received a warm and triumphant welcome from New York City during their maiden voyage and were the embodiment of luxury and French art de vivre. Docked at a specially reserved pier, the vessels of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique inevitably drew a crowd of spectators to admire these masterpieces of French expertise.

Anonymous. The liner France (CGT 1962) at the piers in New York

Louis Hamon. Arrival of the liner Liberté (CGT 1950) at Pier 88 in New York

Anonymous. Crowded pier of the French Line in New York

Anonymous. The liners France (CGT 1912), Ile-de-France (CGT 1927) et De Grasse (CGT 1924) in New York

Anonymous. The liner Lafayette (CGT 1930) off Staten Island in New York

Anonymous. Arrival of the liner Champlain (CGT 1932) at French Line Pier in New York

Anonymous. Ile-de-France (CGT 1927) and Liberté (CGT 1950) at the French Line Pier in New York

Anonymous. Port of New York seen from the Brooklyn Bridge

Anonymous. The Statue of Liberty, seen from the deck of a ship

Byron Company. The liner Paris (CGT 1921) at the French Line dock in New York

Anonymous. Curaçao Port

Anonymous. Palace in North Africa

Anonymous. Prince of Wales Museum in Bombay

Anonymous. Dvortsovy Bridge in Leningrad

Anonymous. Bahia Palace in Marrakesh

Anonymous. Smeaton’s Tower in Plymouth

Anonymous. Temple of Concordia, Agrigento, Sicily

Anonymous. Street in Sfax

Anonymous. Port of Palma de Majorca and La Seu Cathedral

Anonymous. Traditional dance performance in Sweden

Tourism

Once at their destination, either for a stopover or long vacation, passengers left to discover new cultures and traditions—from lively North African souks to the serene English countryside; to the canals of Leningrad and the ruins at Pompeii; while also exploring the jewels of Islamic architecture and sites throughout Indochina and India—the possibilities were endless and the time was never long enough to satisfy the thirst and curiosity for culture.

Société des Voyages et Hôtels Nord-Africains

In order to diversify its activities, the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique created the Société des Voyages et Hôtels Nord-Africain (North African Hotel and Travel Company) to offer sightseeing tours throughout Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and the Sahara. This offer included the sea crossing from France, transport by coach or car, as well as stops at various Hôtels Transatlantique in order to have lunch or to spend the night. Passengers found menus offering top-quality French dining at these hotels, as well as every comfort in the on-board cabins following a long day of excursion under the blistering sun.