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Secrets of Provence by Barge

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You are viewing the 2023 itinerary. Select your departure year
20232024
7 days Sold out
4.3 stars(33 reviews)
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Small Group

Sun-drenched towns and cities rich with history

2023 Tour code: CSR23

About the tour

Sublime, sun-drenched towns and cities rich with history and glittering waterways await on this fabulous cruise holiday. This fabulous barge cruise brings you the very best of France's elegant Provence region.

Highlights

What’s included

Itinerary

Day 1 - To Sete

Early this morning we meet at our dedicated Departure Office at St Pancras International and depart on the Eurostar to Avignon via Paris. On arrival we transfer to Sete, in the afternoon we board our home for the next seven days, the delightful Anne-Marie, a stylish hotel barge. We are presented to the crew and enjoy a welcome drink on board before we enjoy dinner together this evening.

Includes
  • Dinner
Day 2 - Étang De Thau & Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert

This morning takes us to Étang De Thau, world-famous for its shellfish. We visit the Étang De Thau Museum, where we learn about the history of the shell-fishing trade and discover how the farmers and fishermen made their living. We sample some of the freshly caught shellfish while savouring the beautiful scenery from a terrace along this unique seascape. This afternoon we enjoy an excursion by coach to Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, a beautiful French village tucked away in the folds of a verdant valley and boasting a wealth of medieval treasures. Here we embark on an informative guided tour that helps soak up the atmosphere of this destination that feels frozen in time. Some of the town's most impressive sights include its Romanesque abbey and the Devil's Bridge which spans a turquoise stretch of the Hérault River, and dates back to the 11th century when Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert was frequently visited by pilgrims following the St James' Way

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 - Palavas-Les-Flots

Today we visit an authentic 'manade' farm and discover the life of its herders, taking part in a bull sorting routine. We enjoy snacks made fresh on the farm and sample local produce before returning to the ship.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 - Aigues Mortes

Today we take a tour of Aigues-Mortes, perhaps one of the most beautiful sites in Provence. Encased by square medieval walls, this ancient fortified city is symmetrically perfect, white-washed terracotta topped houses contrast charmingly with the surrounding green countryside, in fact Aigues-Mortes is also famous for its nearby salt marshes which we discover by tourist train. Roman Legionnaires stationed nearby were paid a portion of their wage in salt from these very marshes - an intriguing facet of local history. What makes this sight spectacular is the marshes glow a pink colour, due to the microscopic algae in its waters.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 - The Camargue

Today we visit the Camargue, home to 140,000 hectares of natural wetlands, showcasing an array of different wildlife. This is a paradise for nature lovers as we see wild white horses and even the odd flamingo. Additionally this region is also home to some unusual paddy fields which produce red rice - a fascinating sight. We continue on to Sainte-Marie-la-Mer.

You have free time to explore here; perhaps visit the fortified church which was built in the 9th century as an imposing bastion to deter pirate raiders along the coast, located in a strategic position near the mouth of the Petit-Rhone. The church holds a towering presence over the village and can be seen as far as 10km inland.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 - Arles

Today we enjoy a guided tour of historic Arles, the home of some of Europe's best Roman ruins. With a long history dating back to Celtic times, Arles' heritage of conquest over the years has left it with a rich variety of architecture, which we explore during our visit. We take in the stunning Roman Amphitheatre and enjoy the myriad of Romanesque architecture and sun-baked houses.

Arles was the inspiration for some of Van Gogh's artistry and its heritage harks back to the glory days of Julius Caesar. Once a major Roman port, Arles rose to prominence after Caesar plundered Marseille for backing his political opponent, and evidence of that prosperity is preserved wonderfully for us to see. Following our tour we travel inland to learn about olive oil production in Provence and we sample some of the local produce. Tonight we enjoy a farewell Gala dinner back on board the Anne-Marie, as a perfect way to round off our wonderful French adventure.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 - To London

This morning we enjoy a buffet breakfast on board before making our way to Nimes by coach. Here we will take the the train to Paris, then change for our Eurostar service back home to London.

Includes
  • Breakfast

Additional information

Shore Excursions

Arles

Our fabulous guided tour of historic Arles takes in the Roman Amphitheatre and a grand collection of other Romanesque architecture. We also have a chance to sample some of the local produce in Arles.

Aigues-Mortes

We enjoy time in the walled city of Aigues- Mortes. This city's walls are contrasted against the pink glowing salt marshes nearby and make for a marvellous sight.

Palavas-Les-Flots

Our time here is spent visiting a fascinating 'manade' farm, where we discover the lives of its herders and have chance to sample some of the produce made on site.

Étang De Thau

The shellfish capital of Étang De Thau comprises the largest stretch of lagoons along the French coast and is a prime spot for the local shell-fishing trade. We have a chance to sample the locally caught shellfish.

Departure times

Provisional departure and return times, where available, can be found together with our dates and prices by clicking on the 'Prices & Availability' button. We write to all booked customers approximately 10 weeks prior to the start of their tour to advise the exact departure and return time for their particular group.

Mobility information

Due to the nature of our tours they are generally unsuitable for those with restricted mobility. If you’d like to discuss any particular holiday with us in this respect, then please don’t hesitate to call us.

Trains

Eurostar
TGV

Ship

MS Anne Marie

Enhance your holiday

Upgrades

Door to door luggage from £180
Upgrade to Standard Premier Class on Eurostar
London Hotels
UK rail connections

Reviews

4.3 stars4.3 / 5 · 33 reviews

  1. 5 stars
    (18)
  2. 4 stars
    (11)
  3. 3 stars
    (2)
  4. 2 stars
    (1)
  5. 1 star
    (1)

Madelaine Kerr

4 stars

Submitted 12/Sep

Wonderful holiday .Peaceful cruising-interesting outings good company and superb food and drink. Cabins on the small side but very comfortable Highly recommend

Collected by Trustpilot

Pam

4 stars

Submitted 12/Sep

Absolutely wonderful experience apart from tour guide and follow up to holiday feedback

Collected by Trustpilot

Geoff Herbert

5 stars

Submitted 7/Sep

Excellent all round. The Barge, The Crew, The Food, The Activities. Nothing could be faulted Totally relaxing.

Collected by Trustpilot

Ronni

1 stars

Submitted 3/Aug

Overall my husband and I had a great time on this holiday. The barge itself was charming - cabins a bit snug but only to be expected - the crew were delightful and couldn't do enough to help and the excursions were good - apart from the St Marie de la Mer trip which we'd done before on your Rhone River Cruise and felt added nothing to the holiday as it is a tacky and rather boring resort. We particularly enjoyed the visit to the olive farm. The only let down of the week was our tour guide - ie the man who escorted us to and from the barge. For example, he couldn't find the coach to take us from Gare de Nord to Gare de Lyon; when we arrived at Avignon there was only one taxi for nine of us and we had to wait for at least 30 minutes in the searing heat for another one to arrive, and then when we eventually got to Sete we were held back because we weren't on the security list. How much of this was Mark's fault I'm not sure but it wasn't helped by him having to use Google Translate to deal with the problems. Also he was very self promoting which became annoyingly tedious. However overall we enjoyed ourselves tremendously and will certainly consider signing up for another GRJ barge cruise in the future.

Collected by Trustpilot

Mrs Carolyn Hannah

5 stars

Submitted 3/Aug

Excellent boat, fantastic crew and superb food. Altogether a great trip if a little too warm!!

Collected by Trustpilot

Barbara Bell

4 stars

Submitted 27/Jul

Lovely restful holiday. Good company, good food, good wine. First day was very long, connection at Avignon not good with taxi drivers passing everyone on road

Collected by Trustpilot

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