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These cruises sail through Burgundy and Provence, the gastronomic heartland of France that's home to some of the world's most revered wine-growing regions. With its sloping vineyards and riversides dotted with lofty cypresses and red poppies, the Rhône Valley makes for an exquisite destination for walkers. You can take it as slowly as you like, stopping at local boulangeries and patisseries for baguettes and cakes, and straying to wineries for a glass of robust Syrah. In Tain-l’Hermitage, visit Valrhona to sample some of the world's most decadent chocolate, before crossing the Passerelle Marc Seguin bridge.
Saône River Cruises
The voyage of discovery follows the brushstrokes of visionary Impressionist painters including Monet, Renoir, Cezanne and Degas. The first section of this Viking river cruise features two overnight stays in Paris. There's plenty of time to explore the City of Light on excursions such as a private visit of the highlights of the Louvre, which houses some of the world's greatest paintings, and a stroll around the charming bohemian art district of Montmartre. The Ardèche Gorge is one of those staggeringly beautiful places you see on postcards and in travel brochures. The teal-hued Ardèche River, flowing through a deep limestone gorge between Vallon-Pont-d'Arc and Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche, takes center stage and can be visited during your voyage.
Viking Rhône River Cruise: Wine and Cuisine
The Rhône begins to fragment here, carrying along some 20 million tonnes of stones, sand and clay with it every year and washing it all into the Mediterranean. The Rhône Delta is known for its black bulls, white horses and pink flamingos – you can watch the latter between the salt marshes and rice paddies, filtering water through their bills to extract plankton. Don’t miss the small town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, with its ninth-century fortified church. As a torrential mountain stream it thunders through the mountains of the Gotthard Massif, leaves Lake Geneva as a broad current and then turns into a deep, clear blue – the Rhône. During construction work in Lyon in 2003, six small ships were found which originated from the first century of our era. Wine was transported on the river in the Middle Ages, and also olive oil in amphora or marble from Italy.
Highlights of Saône River Cruises
After settling in to your spacious and tastefully furnished accommodation, there’s time to familiarise yourself with this five-star floating hotel. Arrive in Lyon, where your five-star floating hotel is moored in the picturesque historic center. Each of our Grand Balcony Suites features a number of fantastic inclusions, such as an in-suite Nespresso machine for that added home comfort, so that you can relax with a hot beverage at any time, day or night.
CHALON & BEAUNE
But whatever you call it, this rare, pungent (and highly perishable) fungus that grows under the ground in certain parts of Europe is one of the most expensive foods on Earth, highly prized by chefs and gourmets around the globe. Centuries ago, early truffle-hunters used pigs, with their keen sense of smell, to root these treasures out of the ground… but the piggies usually ate the truffles as soon as they found them! Like the pooches you'll meet and go truffle-hunting with today at a truffle farm in Grignan… followed by a tasting of products made with this precious ingredient. Yes, please keep me updated with the latest special offers, travel inspiration, product updates, and event invites. Slowly flowing to the Mediterranean Sea, the Rhône cuts a serene path through the heart of Southern France.
A Culinary Journey Along the Rhone - Cruise Critic
A Culinary Journey Along the Rhone.
Posted: Wed, 27 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Riverboat cruising
Sheer limestone cliffs plunge almost 1,000 feet to the river’s blue waters, which elegantly snake their way through stupendous rock formations, culminating in a huge natural arch, the Pont d’Arc. We enjoy marvelous views at every turn of caves, grottoes, and natural sculptures before returning to the ship moored in Le Pouzin. Enjoy a relaxing afternoon on board – perhaps catching up on some reading or just lazing in the sun as the temperature rises, before we arrive in the pretty provincial town of Tournon with its lovely tree-lined avenues. Across the river, you’ll see the vine-covered hillsides producing Hermitage, yet another of the world’s most revered wines – a fitting view as we enjoy another exquisite dinner in the ship’s excellent restaurant.
Our port today is in the ancient city of Avignon, filled with magnificent art and architecture and home to seven popes in the 14th century. This evening, return to our ship for a delightful Provençal dining experience, expertly prepared by Top Chef finalist, Fabien Morreale. Its 80,000 inhabitants make it the second-largest city in Burgundy today. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the Saône region by bicycle or visit the city, with its many beautiful old townhouses and the Cathédrale Saint-Vincent, which is definitely worth seeing. From the vineyards of Burgundy to the fragrant fields of Provence, there’s something to delight wine lovers, history buffs and gourmets of all types on a Rhône river cruise.
I've found the secret to exploring southern France without the crowds - The Times
I've found the secret to exploring southern France without the crowds.
Posted: Mon, 26 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
You will also have some free time to explore at your leisure before returning to the ship for dinner, during which we commence our cruise towards Chalon-sur-Saône. Arrive in Avignon, where your five-star floating hotel is moored in the picturesque historic center. The dedicated English-speaking crew will welcome you on board and help you to your cabin.
Tauck's European river cruise guide will help you find the right Danube, Rhone, Rhine, Seine or Douro river cruise for you. Drive past marshy fields of grazing bulls and white horses to a privately owned ranch in la Camargue, where the Rhône meets the sea, and experience a different taste of Provençal life for Tauck guests only. The Italians call them tartufo, but to the French and much of the rest of the world, they're known as truffles.
Enjoy a guided tour of the village or embark on a hike through the local vineyards and marvel at the rows upon rows of grapes used to make some of the finest wines in Europe. Today, a guided tour awaits you, including a visit to the Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourvière. Alternatively, explore the highlights of the city on two wheels as part of a guided bike tour of Lyon. Visit the historic walled village of Beaune in the Côte d’Or region, known for its soil and vineyards that have produced some of the most prestigious red wines in the world. Walk through the lively town, taking in the diverse architecture, and tour the medieval Hospices de Beaune, founded in 1443 as a hospital for the poor and now one of the most iconic landmarks in Burgundy.
Enchanting cities such as Arles and Avignon line its banks, beavers and river otters live in its wetlands – and its arms form the Camargue Delta, where flamingos strut through salt lakes and white horses live in the wild. A river for gourmets and for people who love the beautiful things in life. The Rhone river rises in Switzerland and for the large part is not fully navigable due to hydro-electric dams as it journeys west into France. At Lyon, it is joined by the Saone river, at the ‘confluence’, a recently redeveloped area now providing shops, restaurants and entertainments alongside both rivers.
We wander back to the ship for another superb lunch, during which we enter perhaps the most picturesque section of the Rhône as the river squeezes and twists past Condrieu, Saint-Rambert-d’Albon and Saint- Vallier, with wooded cliffs rising high on both sides. For 90+ years, the Tauck family has had a passion for sailing — aboard small ships and yachts at sea, riverboats along great inland waterways, and at home on the rivers and lakes of Connecticut and New York. When we began blending our land experience with our strong passion for cruising in our first European river cruise back in 1992, we knew that no "ordinary" river cruise experience would do for our guests. We wanted them to travel Europe's rivers in the same beyond-the-ordinary Tauck style they experienced on our land trips. With that in mind, we searched to find a company to partner with that would share our values and our commitment to "do the right thing" by our guests... Together, we crafted a river cruise experience that was ahead of its time and inspired by the destinations we explore.
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