The Saone, the Rhone valley, Camargue...
6 nights
Lyon-MARTIGUES-ARLES-AVIGNON-CHALON SUR SAONE-Lyon

Price per person based on 2 persons in double cabin occupancy
For triple cabins (2 adults + one child ONLY), please call our friendly agents +1 212-986-3800.
DRINKS are included for lunch and diner onboard (beer, wine, fruit juice, mineral water, tea/coffee)

Inclusions:

ITINERARY:
1st Day: LYON – MARTIGUES – THE MEDITERRANEAN
Rendezvous at 13h30 in Lyon in front of the “Brasserie Georges” (Cours de Verdun, next to the Gare Perrache). Transfer by coach to Martigues. Boarding around 18h, presentation of the crew and welcome cocktail. Dinner followed by free time in this typically Mediterranean town and overnight stopover on the coast.

2nd Day: PORT SAINT LOUIS – ARLES – AVIGNON (the City of the Popes) – THE CAMARGUE
Breakfast on board. Morning departure for Port Saint-Louis taking the Fos canal which runs alongside the Mediterranean. Arrival around 9h. Departure for the optional excursion to the Camargue. An immense exceptional plain where sea, wetlands and pools are inhabited by an extraordinary variety of water fowl. Here, bulls and horses live in the world which, along with the horsemen of the Camargue, are the soul of the country. Free time in the delightful village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Back to the boat in Arles for lunch. Continuation in the direction of Avignon. As we sail along, discover the castles of Beaucaire and Tarascon. Arrival in Avignon around 16h. Disembarkation and free time or optional guided tour of the City of the Popes and its Palace, a veritable citadel athwart an outcrop of rock, surrounded by its mighty ramparts. Free time in the city centre and back to the boat for dinner. Overnight stopover.

3rd Day: AVIGNON – VIVIERS – THE ARDECHE GORGE
Breakfast on board and departure of the boat early in the morning. During the morning's sailing, we will pass through the lock in Bollène which, with a variation in height of 20 metres, was one of the major civil engineering projects of the 1950s. Lunch on board. Arrival in Viviers around 14h. Departure for the optional excursion to the Ardèche Gorge. Heading towards Bourg Saint Andéol across the Plateau des Gras to reach Vallon Pont d’Arc. Here, the Ardèche has hewn through the cliff to form a great natural arch, “the Pont d’Arc”, 34 m high. From here, the itinerary follows the famous Gorge Trail from where you can see the harmonious meanders of the river. Past the Belvederes of the Colombier and the Ranc Pointu. They are situated on the high corniche and offer breathtaking views over the Gorge. Back to the boat at the end of the afternoon in Viviers. Dinner on board. Followed by an optional guided tour on foot: explore this medieval town, which is within a conservation area and has been a bishopric since the 5th century. Overnight stopover.

4th Day: VIVIERS – TAIN L’HERMITAGE – THE CÔTES DU RHÔNE
Breakfast on board. Continuation of the cruise up the Rhone. Montélimar, famous for its nougat, La Voulte, overlooked by its castle, Valence, dominated by the Saint-Apollinaire Cathedral, to the mouth of tributaries of the Rhone, the Isère and the Drôme. Opposite, the hanging fortress of Crussol in one of the most spectacular sites in the Rhone valley. Lunch on board. Arrival in Tain-l’Hermitage around 15h. Wine tasting* in a wine cellar (optional). Back to the boat for dinner. Overnight stopover.

5th Day: TAIN L'HERMITAGE – VIENNE – LYON
Very early departure, breakfast on board as we pass Saint-Vallier, adorned by the castle of Diane de Poitiers, and a lovely vista of the gorge of the same name, Serrières at the gateway to the Vivarais, Condrieu in the heart of the “Côte Rôtie” vineyards. Arrival in Vienne around 10h, where we will call in to allow you to take the optional guided tour on foot of Vienne, which was once the capital of the Roman province of Vienna Senatoria and, until the 15th century, a religious capital. Departure around 12h30 for Lyons. Lunch on board. Lyons is admirably situated at the confluence of the Rhone and the Saône. Arrival around 15h, free time or optional guided tour of the city. Back to the boat for dinner. Departure of the boat at nightfall up the Saône, sailing past the illuminated old neighbourhoods of Lyons, a unique spectacle. Overnight stopover in Collonges in the Mont d’Or.

6th Day: MACON – CHALON SUR SAONE – BURGUNDY AND THE BEAUJOLAIS
Departure early in the morning for Mâcon. Cruise on the Saône during which you will see the Beaujolais and then the Mâconnais vineyards. Lunch and stop in Mâcon. Departure for the optional excursion to Beaune to visit the famous Hospices de Beaune, a masterpiece of Burgundian-Flemish art. Continuation along the wine trail of the Côte de Beaune through villages with names which are evocative of great wines: Pommard, Meursault, Volnay. Wine tasting in a wine maker's cellar. Back on board in Chalon-sur-Saône at the end of the afternoon. Dinner and gala evening. Overnight stopover.

7th Day: CHALON-SUR-SAONE – BURGUNDY – LYON
Disembarkation after breakfast in Chalon-sur-Saône. Coach transfer to Lyons, in front of the “Brasserie Georges”. Arrival at the end of the morning. End of our journey.

Practical Cruise Information, click here.

Comfort and Onboard Service, click here.

Shore Excursion on the Rhone/Soane river, click here.


Not include: