Provence

Day 2 – Arrival / Marseille, France

Arrive at Marseille Provence Airport. Proceed through the immigration checkpoint to the baggage claim area and retrieve your luggage. After completing a customs screening, Transfer to embark the deluxe Viva Voyage. A light buffet lunch of soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta and dessert will be served on board.

Settle in and familiarize yourself with the river boat. This afternoon there will be a welcome briefing and a safety drill. Join your fellow passengers for the Captain’s Welcome Reception and Dinner this evening.

The boat overnights in Arles.

(r,l,d)

The ancient city of Arles is brimming with Roman ruins, colorful pastel houses and artistic inspiration. The Roman and Romanesque ruins are designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Take a guided tour of the city, including a visit to the colossal Roman Arles Amphitheatre, built around 90 A.D., when it hosted chariot races and bloody battles for sport. During the Middle Ages, it was expanded and used as a fortress. Nowadays, it hosts bullfights, concerts and plays. See other notable sites around the city, including the Romanesque Saint-Trophîme church, built between the 11th and 12th centuries. Stop by Le Café La Nuit, famous for inspiring Vincent van Gogh’s painting, “Café Terrace at Night.” At the conclusion of the tour, enjoy a little free time to shop or explore on your own.

Return to the river boat and settle in for a delicious lunch as the boat departs Arles for Avignon.

Spend the afternoon at leisure on board. Enjoy the Voyage’s amenities or spend time on deck, watching the beautiful scenery gliding by.

This evening, savor dinner on board. Afterward, spend the evening in Avignon, if you wish.
The river boat overnights in Avignon.

The walled, ancient, UNESCO‑inscribed city of Avignon is known for its architectural beauty and rich cultural heritage. Stroll past Gothic churches, beautiful townhouses and Cardinals’ palaces, and admire the extensive city wall. At the river’s edge, see the remaining four arches (originally, there were 22!) of Pont d’Avignon (also known as Pont Saint‑Bénézet), the only bridge built across the Rhône during the Middle Ages. Then, take an extensive guided tour of the grand Papal Palace, the largest château built in Europe during the Gothic era and a testament to Avignon’s golden age. It was the capital of the papacy from 1309 to 1377, after Pope Clement V, unhappy with factionalism in Rome, moved the papal capital to Avignon.

Return to the river boat and tuck into a delectable lunch.

Disembark for a panoramic drive through the French countryside, passing colorful fields and stucco houses, to reach the UNESCO World Heritage site of Pont du Gard, a 2,000-year-old aqueduct. Designed by architects and hydraulic engineers to carry water to the city of Nîmes over the Gard River, it triumphs as one of Europe’s most impressive archaeological sites and a technical masterpiece.

After visiting Pont du Gard, transfer to the historic village of Châteauneuf du Pape, where the ship is docked.

This evening, explore Châteauneuf du Pape on your own, if you wish. This area produces some of the most renowned wines in Provence—perhaps enjoy a tasting. You can return to the ship to dine on board, or remain in town and make your own plans for dinner.

Tonight the boat departs Châteauneuf du Pape and sails for Viviers.

Travel to Orange to explore the Roman city’s two UNESCO World Heritage sites. Stop to see the Triumphal Arch, built in the late first century as a tribute to Augustus and a symbol of Roman imperial glory. Admire the surviving original, intricate carvings and low reliefs commemorating the establishment of the Pax Romana, a period of about 200 years of comparative tranquility within the Roman Empire. Then, enjoy a guided visit inside the Roman Theater of Orange. Considered the best-preserved Roman theater in Europe, it features an extraordinary stage, notable for its large size and high stage wall; elaborate columns, friezes and niches; and acoustics for high-quality, pure sound projection. Wander beneath the arch and around the plaza to admire the impressive detail and construction of the arch.

Return to the river boat for another delicious lunch. Spend the afternoon at leisure on board as the boat departs Viviers and sails to Lyon.

The captivating city of Lyon is a UNESCO World Heritage site located at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers. This morning, embark on a panoramic city tour, stopping at the top of Fourvière Hill to take in the expansive views of Lyon. Continue to the Vieux Lyon Renaissance district, Old Town, to begin a guided walking tour. Learn about Lyon’s status as the “silk capital of the world,” dating to 1466 when King Louis XI established a national silk industry in Lyon. See the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste and other notable sites. Venture into Lyon’s historic, secret traboules—narrow, hidden passageways that wind their way through buildings, courtyards, and up and down staircases. During the Second World War, the traboules were used by the resistance for secret meetings and considered instrumental in preventing the Nazis from occupying the whole of Lyon.

Return to the river boat for lunch, or choose to stay in town and have lunch on your own.

A shuttle bus will be provided to take you from the ship to the centrally located pedestrian square, Place Bellecour, to explore more of Lyon at leisure this afternoon. Stop in a patisserie for a still-warm pain au chocolat or freshly baked croissant with an espresso or café au lait, and shop for Lyon’s signature silk and other distinctly French products, such as lavender soaps and sachets.

The river boat departs Lyon this evening, cruising overnight to Chalon-sur-Saône.

This morning, enjoy a scenic drive, admiring vineyards and the countryside along the way, to enchanting Beaune, founded in the fifth century B.C. Tour the magnificent Hôtel-Dieu, also known as the Hospices de Beaune, a former charitable almshouse founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor to the Duke of Burgundy, and his wife, Guigone de Salins, as a hospital for the poor. Admire its imposing architecture and ornate, glazed tile roof, and see the hospital rooms and beds where patients were treated. View the impressive polyptych altarpiece painting, “The Last Judgment,” by Rogier van der Weyden.

After your tour, stroll around Beaune during time at leisure. The Place de Halle is the square in the center of town, which hosts an open market on weekends with local foods, wines and crafts. Search out a wine cave (cellar) if time allows to indulge in a glass of Burgundy from the region.

Enjoy an included lunch in Beaune today.

Drive a short distance to the 12th-century Château de Rully, a medieval fortress set on a hill overlooking the vineyards and pastoral countryside. Enjoy a private tour by owner Count Raoul de Ternay, who will share some of the history of the château, which has remained in his family since it was built, as well as the challenges of maintaining and living in a medieval château with his family. Conclude the tour with a wine tasting of three of the château’s own wines, with commentary by de Ternay, in the atmospheric and authentic medieval kitchen.

The boat departs Chalon-sur-Saône, cruising overnight to Macon.

Take a panoramic drive by motorcoach for an in-depth guided visit to 12th-century Romanesque Cluny Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery and one of the most significant abbeys of the Christian Middle Ages. It was erected between 1088 and 1130 on the site of the two former churches of St. Peter and St. Paul, imposing a reform order that strictly observed the Rule of St. Benedict. At the height of its prominence around 1100, its monastic order held authority over 10,000 monks and 1,500 monasteries across Europe. Remains that testify to its former glory include the massive Holy Water belfry tower, the Clock Tower, the Jean de Bourbon chapel, convent buildings, a cloister and an old flour store. American archaeologist Professor Kenneth Conant has done extensive research here and constructed a model of the original sacred building.

Return to the river boat to savor a delectable lunch as the boat departs Macon for Montmerle-sur-Saône.

Disembark and journey through the bucolic French countryside during a scenic drive to the 18th-century Château Montmelas in the beautiful Beaujolais region of France. During a guided tour, appreciate the stunning landscape, vineyards, lovely grounds and wine cellar. Enjoy a fortepiano concert by Marcia Hadjimarkos, an internally recognized early keyboard specialist who lives in Burgundy. Conclude the tour with a delightful Beaujolais wine tasting with canapés.

Return to the river boat, now docked in Trevoux.

Join your fellow passengers for the Captain’s Farewell Reception and Dinner this evening.

The boat departs Trevoux, cruising overnight to Lyon.