Cruising France’s Rhone River
Posted on June 09, 2011 By Joseph
Vive la France!Julie and I just got off a Uniworld Rhone river cruise. We traveled from Arles in Provence to Calon-sur-Saône in Burgundy and had a world of experiences which included some pretty exciting weather.
Everything from sunny days to rainstorms, fog and the famous Mistrial wind of Provence (which nearly whipped us off a hilltop in Viviers) was visited upon the 105 passengers and 30 plus crew members during our eight-day Southern France sail. Nevertheless, the iffy weather didn’t dissuade us from enjoying the shipboard amenities which included excellent dining and evening dancing or taking advantage of the once or twice-a-day land excursions.
Included in the cruise price were city tours of Arles, Avignon, Viviers, Tournon/Tain l’Hermitage, Lyon and Beaune. In addition, there were a number of optional explorations available. Some of the tour highlights were wandering the halls of the Pope’s Palace in Avignon, touring the only winery still operating in the Tain L’Hermitage, strolling through the open-air Saturday market of Beaune, walking with the owner through his 10th century chateau in Rully and tasting with the winemaker in his caves some of the vintages of Domaine du Château de Chamirey, a part of the Mercurey Burgundy appellation.
A particularly outstanding day started with our guided walk through Vieux Lyon and a stop at Soierie Saint-Georges where Ludovic De La Calle produces handcrafted silk goods on a 250-year-old loom. He is one of only a handful artisans left that can produce such works of art in the manner that began in Lyon more than five hundred years ago. We worked up an appetite while watching him work and afterwards proceeded to take our lunch at L’Amphitryon, which is prized as much for its old town location and lively clientele as its typical Lyonnais bouchon cuisine.
Back on board, we found the Uniworld’s River Royale a very relaxing, carefree way in which to travel through the La Belle France—which is exactly what we needed! Coming soon, listen to my pod cast which features onboard interviews with cruise director, Tony Jenkins, and hotel manager, Eric Christophe. For cruise information go to http://www.Uniworld.com.
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I would like to recommend a trip in the canal du midi. My wife and I rented a small boat for 70$ a day from Carnon to Homps. We had an amazing 5 day ride through the lovely treed canal du midi and also some etangs in the beautiful camargue. You can anchor you boat at designated camp sites or in isolated areas (we did the latter). Ride your bike into town and pick up a baguette and some local wine and goodies (du terroir). From old villages to wild horses this adventure is bound to please. The key is to do this during the shoulder season. We were the first boat to leave for the year on April 15th. The waterway can get really busy in July and August and the dykes become huge traffic jams. You can do this in several rivers and canals in France and can take anywhere from 2 days to 2 months. I am not associated with France Passion Plaisance but we did enjoy their service.
http://www.france-passion-plaisance.fr/