It was with some trepidation that we embarked on a French river cruise in September 2022. This was a very different sort of holiday for us. Normally we’d be somewhere far-flung, on the move every day, staying in various hotels, and never really unpacking.
I also wondered if I might find it a bit ‘gentle’, but we needn’t have worried. Travelling with Riviera – with whom we have done several great trips – we enjoyed it so much that we came home and immediately booked another cruise with them.
Our journey took us south from Avignon to Arles, back to Avignon, and then north, via beautiful Provençal towns. We passed through Lyon at night and then north on the Saône River in Burgundy before ending our cruise back in Lyon and catching a flight home from Geneva.
So what were the highlights? Here are eight things I would recommend you see and do, in journey order.
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Riviera Travel Lyon, Provençal Rhône & the Camargue River Cruise*
France | 11 days
1. Relax and enjoy the journey
The cruise boat. Credit: Sue Ablett
River cruises are a very easy way to travel. For us, it was a short flight to Nice, then a coach trip to join our boat in Avignon.
River cruise boats are pretty big (about the length of a football pitch), so have plenty of room to move around. And the cabins and common areas are comfortable.
Our boat had a capacity for 140 passengers – there were just 100 of us and, with 35 crew, we were very well looked after. The food was fabulous, so we forgot about calories and just enjoyed ourselves! It was also my birthday on the last night on board – and the cake looked and tasted incredible!
My birthday cake! Credit: Sue Ablett
Everywhere except Lyon, the boat docked within easy walking distance of the towns. Interestingly, for a river cruise, we had several excursions by coach! It was a very well-planned itinerary with excellent local guides.
At most stops, we had a guided walk of a couple of hours, followed by free time ashore. Some of the less mobile passengers did some of the shore excursions, but not all. And if you preferred to stay on board the boat, you could.
2. Visit the Medieval city of Avignon
The Bridge of Avignon. Credit: Sue Ablett
Avignon, the starting point for our cruise, is immaculately preserved with a wealth of monuments, impressive buildings, and, of course, the famous bridge. It’s one of the few French cities to still have its 15th-century walls pretty much intact and was one of several UNESCO World Heritage sites we encountered.
Who didn’t learn the song ‘Sur le Pont d’Avignon’ as a child? There was something quite surreal about standing at the end of the bridge, dancing around in a circle and singing it. Now with only four of the original 22 arches remaining, it’s still an impressive sight. Its proper name is Pont St Bénézet after the shepherd boy, who, as the story goes, heard a message from Christ telling him to build a bridge here.
I love to learn things when I’m on holiday. I had no idea that for 70 years, from 1309, Avignon was the seat of the Papacy, with seven popes residing in the vast Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes). This was a period of huge prosperity for Avignon.
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3. Stroll around Arles
We sailed south from Avignon to the gorgeous town of Arles. Here, our local guide explained that he’d be showing us “lots of Roman stuff and a bit of art!” Arles is such a pretty place – lots of beautiful buildings, blue shutters, and appealing cafes at every corner. I would love to go back and spend more time there.
Arles was a key stronghold on the Roman road to Spain. The Amphitheatre, built in 90AD – and inspired by the Colosseum in Rome – is the best preserved in the world. It’s huge and would have seated 20,000 spectators, who gathered for chariot racing or gladiatorial battles.
Nowadays, it’s home to a form of bullfighting where the matador has to remove ribbons from the horns of the bull – not an easy task apparently!
Van Gogh spent 18 months in Arles from 1888–1889. Like many artists, he was attracted to the south of France by the wonderful light. During that period he painted over 300 pictures before the tragic episode where he famously cut off his ear. The famous ‘yellow café’ in Arles, depicted in one of the many stone plinths around the town, was the inspiration for his painting, Terrasse de café le Soir (Café terrace at night), painted in 1888. Sadly, Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime.
4. Marvel at Le Pont du Gard
A short coach ride from Arles is the magnificent Pont du Gard, which makes for a wonderful visit. Built by the Romans in the first century AD, the aqueduct was originally 31 miles long and built to carry water to the town of Nimes.
At 160 feet, it was the tallest of all the Roman aqueducts, with water carried at the top level. It fell into disrepair with the fall of the Roman Empire. Without all the equipment we have today, you just have to wonder how on earth they did it!
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Riviera Travel The Majestic Rhine, Heidelberg & Switzerland river cruise*
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Riviera Travel Lyon, Provençal Rhône & the Camargue River Cruise*
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5. Explore locks and bridges
Approaching Kitchener Bridge. Credit: Sue Ablett
In the course of this river cruise, we went through 15 locks – an interesting challenge as the locks are 12 metres wide and the boat 11 metres 40, so not much room for error!
Our itinerary told us to be on top deck at 11pm one night to experience the Bollène Lock. It’s the deepest lock in France – 23 metres, with walls that tower above the boat. It holds over 50 million litres of water and takes just 7-10 minutes to fill. Quite an incredible experience and well worth staying up for.
En route, we passed under quite a few bridges. As we approached Lyon at night. We passed under the lowest bridge in France, the Kitchener-Marchand Bridge. This was certainly a tight squeeze! No one was allowed on the top deck as we went under the bridge, and the floor and roof of the wheelhouse had to be lowered. There was just a 10cm clearance. Not surprisingly the captain got a round of applause as we came out the other side.
6. Soak in the beauty of Les Gorges de l’Ardèche
Pont d’Arc. Credit: Sue Ablett
Known as The Grand Canyon of Europe, the Ardèche Gorges are considered to be one of France’s most outstanding natural wonders – and a stop here confirmed its beauty.
With limestone cliffs towering 1,000 feet above the valley, the Gorges have green oak woods below, and a narrow river which, at times, is lovely and calm and at others torrential rapids. The Pont d’Arc, pictured above is a natural phenomenon formed by the river eroding the rocks over thousands of years.
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7. Sip wine in Burgundy
Chalon-sur-Saône. Credit: Sue Ablett
Heading north of Lyon, on the River Saône, we found ourselves in the heart of Burgundy wine country. The little town of Chalon-sur-Saône was once a busy port used to distribute local Burgundy wines. Now a lovely quiet spot with some beautiful timber-framed buildings, it’s easy to explore on your own.
From Chalon, it was a short coach journey to Beaune, a lovely walled town, with battlements, ramparts and a moat still in good condition.
Regarded as the wine capital of Burgundy, there are wine cellars galore underneath the town so plenty of opportunities for wine tasting. The surrounding countryside is covered in vineyards. Our excellent local guide explained how the terroir (natural environment in which the grapes are grown) has a massive influence on the quality of the wine produced.
8. Fall in love with the city of Lyon
Passerelle Paul Couturier. Credit: Sue Ablett
Some years ago I was lucky enough to spend a week in Lyon on a work trip. I loved the city but had no idea then of my personal connection to it.
Lyon sits on the confluence of two rivers, the Rhône and the Saône. It has beautiful buildings, an interesting history and real character. Particularly interesting is Le Vieux Lyon (the old part of the city) with its amazing network of traboules (the inner corridors that link the three main streets of the old city and lead down to the river).
Lyon has long been the centre of the silk industry in France. It’s also the culinary capital of France and home of nouvelle cuisine, so an absolute haven for foodies.
Cobbles in Lyon. Credit: Sue Ablett
It’s Lyon’s silk industry that I connect to personally. Go back seven generations in my family tree, on the side of my paternal grandmother, and we find my Huguenot ancestor, Samuel Rodier, a silk merchant from Lyon.
Huguenots were protestants in mainly catholic France and many fled to escape religious persecution. Samuel was born in 1664 in Lyon and died in 1758 in Topsham, Devon. It felt very special to walk the alleyways in the area of St George, where Samuel would have lived and worked.
One of the most beautiful buildings in Lyon is the 19th-century Basilica of Notre Dame de la Fourvière, which sits on one of the two hills in the city. Built in Byzantine style, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who’s said to have saved the city from the bubonic plague in 1643, it’s very ornate inside, with some wonderful mosaics.
Lyon is also home to Place Bellecour, one of Europe’s most splendid town squares. Now the largest pedestrian square in Europe – but perhaps not so good during the French Revolution – as this is where the guillotine was located. The bronze equestrian statue is of Louis XIV. This is a replica, the original having been melted down to make cannons during the French Revolution.
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Riviera Travel Lyon, Provençal Rhône & the Camargue River Cruise*
France | 11 days
Final thoughts…
I’ve spent so many years travelling to far-flung remote places that I’d forgotten just how much there is to see and enjoy in France – especially when it’s just a short plane ride away.
This trip exceeded my expectations with such beautiful places to visit en route, the ease of travel, and a great itinerary, which balanced time on and off the boat, time on guided tours and free time to explore. It really did cater for everyone.
Have you done a river cruise in France? Or perhaps it’s on your travel list? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
