Rhône & Saóne River Delights

Arrive at Lyon airport, where you’ll be met by your tour manager and transferred to your ship. Depending on the time of your flight, you can explore France’s third-largest city.

This evening, board the ship, and after settling into the cabin, meet the crew with a welcome cocktail before dinner and entertainment.

Enjoy your first breakfast on the water before joining a guided tour of Lyon to discover its famous traboules, types of passageways that are typical of the city.

Begin with a stop at the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, set atop Fourvière Hill and overlooking the city. Take in the beautiful views of the city below while learning about how it was first dedicated to a saint and the Virgin Mary.

You’ll then board a coach and move on to Lyon’s old town centre. With your local guide, travel into the heart and discover the hidden passageways that pass through buildings and courtyards, connecting various streets and district. Believed to have originated in the 4th century to provide quick and easy access to the river, they were also thought to have been used for transporting silk during the Renaissance.

There will be some free time to wander around the charming Saint Jean district with its medieval and Renaissance architecture, cobblestone streets and riverside cafés. Later, return to the ship for lunch and an afternoon of relaxation as you continue cruising to Mâcon.

This evening, a night of dinner and dancing awaits.

After breakfast, you can relax this morning or join an optional excursion to Cluny to see Cluny Abbey in the Burgundy countryside. For more than 200 years, it was the largest church in the world until the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Much of the abbey was destroyed during the French Revolution, when it was sold and dismantled for building materials. Today, only about 10% of the original structure remains, but the ruins still show how vast the complex once was.

Return to the ship, where you’ll spend the afternoon cruising to Vienne, an ideal time to relax on the sundeck.

This evening, there will be dinner and entertainment before docking in Vienne.

Once you’ve had breakfast, leave the ship and join a walking tour of Vienne. This town was an important Roman city more than 2,000 years ago and later became a major religious and cultural centre in medieval France. Many impressive Roman structures remain today.

You’ll first stop by the expansive Antique Theatre, which seated about 13,000 spectators, before the Temple of Augustus and Livia, one of the best-preserved Roman temples in France. Lastly, a visit to the Cathedral of St Maurice, a UNESCO-listed Gothic cathedral, will conclude this excursion.

Return to the ship this afternoon and spend the day cruising to Avignon. Dinner and an evening of entertainment await tonight.

Following breakfast, join a tour covering the old town of Avignon, built within well-preserved city walls. Your guide will lead you through Passage de l'Oratoire, a hidden alley into the heart of Avignon’s medieval centre. As you walk, you’ll be able to view the outside of 18th-century Chapelle de l’Oratoire and pretty shops lining this hidden walkway.

Continue to Cathédrale Notre‑Dame des Doms d’Avignon, the oldest in the city, and Place de l’Horloge, the charming town square, ringed by cafes and restaurants. Place du Palais is next, and this square is directly in front of Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), one of Europe’s largest Gothic palaces. You’ll get a chance to wander through the staterooms, with impressive frescos, the Grande Chapelle, and terraces, overlooking Avignon and the Rhône river.

Later, return to the ship before it cruises to Arles, where you can spend the afternoon relaxing or join one more optional excursion.

Choose to explore Camargue National Park, an expanse of rivers, marshes, and salt and rice fields. Keep an eye out for pink flamingos and indigenous Camargue horses, before visiting a manade (a bull breeding farm). The term comes from the Provençal word manada, meaning “herd” or “group. As you watch a demonstration, learn about the work of a manadier and how they raise these animals in semi-wild conditions. After the visit, enjoy a cocktail on the patio, while enjoying the views of the ranch.

Travel back to the ship in the evening for dinner and traditional Provençal entertainment.

Today, after breakfast, you can enjoy a leisurely morning or join an optional excursion. You’ll depart by foot to Arles, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famed for its vast assortment of Roman architectural highlights. This beautiful city inspired Vincent van Gogh, who painted over 300 works here between 1888-1889.

Later, travel by coach to the nearby town of Tarascon, where you’ll visit an olive estate, home to an orchard of 150,000 trees. Journey by trailers pulled by tractors across the property, learning about the production of olive oil before sitting down to taste the products in a Provencal country house. Return to the ship in the afternoon and then continue cruising to the village of Viviers.

Once you’ve arrived in Viviers in the evening, you’ll leave the ship for a walking tour encompassing the medieval streets, stone houses and France’s smallest cathedral, Cathédrale Saint-Vincent de Viviers. The excursion will conclude with a stop at a scenic viewpoint, Belvédère.

After breakfast, the ship will cruise towards riverside town of Tournon. If you’d like to do some exploring, join an optional excursion to walk around with a local guide. On foot, head towards the old town, pausing at the Château Museum, a castle and museum, dating back to the 10th century. Constructed on a high granite rock overlooking the town, this imposing structure promises beautiful views. The visit will end with a tasting or regional delicacies and wines before you can return to the ship at your own pace.

Your final evening will feature a special gala dinner as you cruise back to Lyon during the night.

This morning, have your final breakfast before disembarking and travelling to Lyon airport for your flight home.