Viking Longship - Lyon & Provence

Where this cruise calls, day by day

8 ports over 7 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Avignon

   FranceDepart

   For most of the 14th century the papacy operated from Avignon rather than Rome, and the enormous Gothic palace they built still dominates the walled town. River ships moor just outside the ramparts, so you pass through a medieval gate to get into town. This is the usual base for Provence excursions - the Pont du Gard aqueduct and the Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards are both close.

   • The Palais des Papes, the largest Gothic palace in Europe
   • Pont Saint-Benezet, the broken bridge of the song, and the Rocher des Doms garden
   • Les Halles covered market and its living green wall
   • The Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct, or a Chateauneuf-du-Pape tasting

   Getting ashore

   Ships tie up at the Allees de l'Oulle beside the city walls - you walk off and through the gate in a few minutes.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct (Jul brings the theatre festival and full hotels)

2. Day 2

   Avignon

   FrancePort

   For most of the 14th century the papacy operated from Avignon rather than Rome, and the enormous Gothic palace they built still dominates the walled town. River ships moor just outside the ramparts, so you pass through a medieval gate to get into town. This is the usual base for Provence excursions - the Pont du Gard aqueduct and the Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards are both close.

   • The Palais des Papes, the largest Gothic palace in Europe
   • Pont Saint-Benezet, the broken bridge of the song, and the Rocher des Doms garden
   • Les Halles covered market and its living green wall
   • The Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct, or a Chateauneuf-du-Pape tasting

   Getting ashore

   Ships tie up at the Allees de l'Oulle beside the city walls - you walk off and through the gate in a few minutes.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct (Jul brings the theatre festival and full hotels)

3. Day 3

   Arles

   FrancePort

   The southern end of most Rhone itineraries, and a town where the Roman remains are still in daily use - the amphitheatre hosts events rather than sitting behind glass. Van Gogh spent fifteen productive months here in 1888-89 and painted many of the surviving locations, though none of the paintings stayed. Arles is also the gateway to the Camargue, the marsh and salt-flat delta south of town.

   • The Roman amphitheatre and the adjacent Theatre Antique
   • Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles and the Van Gogh walking trail
   • The Saturday market along the Boulevard des Lices
   • The Camargue's white horses and flamingos, or Les Baux-de-Provence

   Getting ashore

   River ships moor on the quay directly below the town, a short walk up into the Roman centre.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct (the mistral is strongest in spring)

4. Day 4

   Viviers

   FrancePort

   A very small medieval town on the Ardeche bank of the Rhone, with under four thousand residents and a stacked upper quarter of narrow cobbled lanes. Saint-Vincent cathedral at the top is often described as the smallest working cathedral in France, and cruise groups are frequently given a short organ recital inside. The stop is quiet and entirely walkable, and often paired with an excursion further into the Ardeche.

   • Saint-Vincent cathedral and the climb through the old upper town
   • The Maison des Chevaliers and its carved Renaissance facade
   • The viewpoint over the Rhone from the cathedral terrace
   • An excursion to the Ardeche gorges or the Grotte Chauvet 2 cave replica

   Getting ashore

   Vessels tie up on the quay at the edge of the town and passengers walk off directly - the whole place is a few minutes on foot.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-Oct

5. Day 5

   Tournon

   FrancePort

   Tournon-sur-Rhone and Tain-l'Hermitage face each other across the river, joined by a slim suspension bridge built by Marc Seguin in the 1820s. The steep terraced hill above Tain is Hermitage, one of the great Syrah vineyards, and the two towns split the day between wine and chocolate - Valrhona has its factory and visitor centre in Tain. A castle museum on the Tournon side covers the river's own history.

   • The Cite du Chocolat Valrhona in Tain-l'Hermitage
   • A tasting from the Hermitage or Crozes-Hermitage terraces
   • Chateau de Tournon and its museum above the quay
   • The Train de l'Ardeche steam railway up the Doux gorge

   Getting ashore

   Vessels moor on one bank or the other in the middle of the two towns; you walk off and cross the footbridge between them.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-Oct

6. Day 6

   Vienne

   FrancePort

   A Roman town on a tight bend of the Rhone south of Lyon, with more surviving antiquity than its size suggests. A near-complete temple to Augustus and Livia stands in the middle of the street grid, a Roman theatre is cut into the hill behind, and a whole excavated Roman quarter sits across the river at Saint-Romain-en-Gal. In late June and July the theatre hosts a long-running international jazz festival.

   • The Temple of Augustus and Livia in the town centre
   • The Roman theatre on the slopes of Mont Pipet
   • Saint-Maurice cathedral and the Pyramide of the Roman circus
   • The Gallo-Roman museum and excavated site at Saint-Romain-en-Gal

   Getting ashore

   Ships moor on the quay in the middle of Vienne, so the Roman sites are all within an easy walk of the gangway.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-Oct

7. Day 7

   Lyon

   FrancePort

   France's gastronomic capital and the northern terminus of most Rhone itineraries, set where the Saone joins the Rhone. Vieux Lyon is one of the largest Renaissance quarters in Europe, threaded with traboules - covered passageways cut between buildings that silk workers once used. Above it, the Fourviere hill holds the Roman theatres and a basilica with the best view in the city.

   • Vieux Lyon and its traboules, reached across the Saone footbridges
   • Fourviere basilica and the Roman theatres, via the funicular
   • Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse for charcuterie and cheese
   • Lunch in a bouchon, the city's traditional small restaurants

   Getting ashore

   River ships moor on the Rhone at the Quai Claude Bernard or nearby quays, a 10-15 minute walk across to the Presqu'ile.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-Oct (early Dec for the Fete des Lumieres)

8. Day 8

   Lyon

   FranceArrive

   France's gastronomic capital and the northern terminus of most Rhone itineraries, set where the Saone joins the Rhone. Vieux Lyon is one of the largest Renaissance quarters in Europe, threaded with traboules - covered passageways cut between buildings that silk workers once used. Above it, the Fourviere hill holds the Roman theatres and a basilica with the best view in the city.

   • Vieux Lyon and its traboules, reached across the Saone footbridges
   • Fourviere basilica and the Roman theatres, via the funicular
   • Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse for charcuterie and cheese
   • Lunch in a bouchon, the city's traditional small restaurants

   Getting ashore

   River ships moor on the Rhone at the Quai Claude Bernard or nearby quays, a 10-15 minute walk across to the Presqu'ile.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-Oct (early Dec for the Fete des Lumieres)