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French Riviera and Rhône Cruise

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4.2 stars(6 reviews)
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River Cruise

Discover the immaculate French Riviera and enchanting Nice

You are viewing the 2024 itinerary. Select your departure year
20232024
12 days From £3,495 per person

2024 Tour code: FIR24

About the tour

Experience the carefree lifestyle of the French Riviera. Enjoy a guided tour of the Côte d'Azur's stylish cities, Nice and Monaco, visit the charming hill-town of St-Paul-de-Vence - where Picasso and his con-temporaries left their mark -and see the highlights of Provence.

Highlights

What’s included

Itinerary

Day 1 – London and Nice

We meet at our London St Pancras departure office before boarding the Eurostar to Paris. From here, we continue by rail to Nice and check into our hotel close to the beautiful Riviera seafront.

Day 2 – Exploring Nice

Our French Riviera experience begins with a guided tour of Nice, the glittering jewel of coastal Provence. This fabulous city overlooks the Mediterranean coastline, close to Italy, and has attracted visitors and travellers for centuries. We walk through the enchanting streets, seeing the opulent mansions and gardens of Mont Boron, the historical Old Town, including details like the chequered floor of the Place d'Opera. We also discover the history of the city, from the days of Greek settlers who founded Nice, to the modern day. If you prefer, you are free to explore independently.

Includes
  • Breakfast
Day 3 - Free day in Nice

With a free day, you might like to look around Nice's Musée Matisse, take the train to glamorous Cannes or the pretty coastal town of Antibes. For something more relaxing, maybe walk along the Promenade des Anglais - a popular activity with locals - or wander through the flower market in the Old Town. Or spend some time beside the sea on the sun-drenched pebble beach.

Includes
  • Breakfast
Day 4 – Monaco

Today we visit the glamorous city-state of Monaco, long known as a retreat for the rich and famous. Taking a coach, we begin our day in the district of Monte Carlo, where we stop at the entrance of the iconic casino to admire its palm tree-lined fountains. From here we take a guided tour, seeing the fantastic flowers of the Jardin Exotique, the grand windows of the Place de l'Opéra, and the beautiful Old Town. On our return to Nice, we visit the elegant Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, seaside home of the Rothschild banking family.

Includes
  • Breakfast
Day 5 - To our ship

After a free morning, we board our train to Lyon, bidding farewell to the south of France. Arriving into the city's colourful old town, we board your luxurious ship, the MS Amadeus Provence. We have time to settle into our cabins before we enjoy a welcome cocktail, which you may like to take on the sun deck as we admire Lyon's colourful townhouses and lively streets. Later, we enjoy a 5-course dinner with drinks, before setting sail for Beaune.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6 - Beaune and wine tasting

We arrive into Beaune this morning. Deep in the heart of the wine region of Burgundy, Beaune is a classic French medieval town with impressive town walls, terracotta roofs and fascinating historical buildings. We embark on a sightseeing tour, discovering the sights as we wander the enchanting streets. We enjoy a tasting of some delectable wines which make this town, and the Burgundy region so famous. Back on board later, we enjoy a leisurely afternoon cruising back to Lyon.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 - Lyon on a guided tour

Arriving in Lyon this morning, we disembark for a guided tour. One of France's iconic cities, Lyon sits on the meeting point of the Rhône and the Saône rivers. The beautiful pinks, oranges, reds and whites of the buildings on Lyon's riverfront give a hint of the city's elegance. We explore some of the city's highlights and extensive history here. The Old Town is a World Heritage site, and the small shops and traditional businesses lend a truly French flair to our surroundings. After returning to the ship for lunch, we enjoy an afternoon at leisure as we cruise to Tournon sur Rhône. This is one of the most scenic and panoramic sections of the river, and it's well worth taking the time to admire the scenery from the spacious sun deck. Rolling hills and verdant vineyards rise and fall under the gaze of numerous châteaux and stately homes.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 - Train de l'Ardèche

Early this morning, we travel by coach to Tournon sur Rhône's railway station to board the wonderful Train de l'Ardèche. We take a memorable journey through the spectacular Gorges du Doux region, as the railway winds through the scenic foothills and valley. Stone bridges criss-cross the brooks and rivers which snake under the trees, and our charming locomotive takes us to sections of the gorges which no other form of transport can access. Later, our ship continues its course to the ancient city of Avignon.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9 - Exploring Avignon

In Avignon today, we set out on a guided tour of this stately city, known as the seat of the Pope in the 14th century. Its striking white papal palaces and majestic cathedral are just some of the highlights we see walking through Avignon's historic centre, which earned World Heritage status in 1995. We also enter the Pope's Palace, admiring its spectacular interiors and a collection of holy and religious artefacts. You are then free until early evening to discover the city at your own pace. After dinner tonight, our ship sets sail for Arles.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10 - Arles, the Camargue Delta or Pont du Gard

We begin the day with a guided tour of pretty Arles, the inspiration for many of Vincent Van Gogh's most famous paintings. This afternoon, you have the choice of two excursions. Your first option is a visit to the beautiful Camargue Delta, where the Rhône opens out into the Mediterranean. This is a treat for nature lovers, as the wetlands and parkland are home to hundreds of bird species, including pink flamingos and wild horses which may be seen roaming freely. Your second option takes you to the iconic arches of the Pont du Gard, an ancient Ro-man aqueduct which spans the Gardon river, another World Heritage site. Later, we return to our cruise ship and sail for Chateauneuf du Rhône.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Days 11 - The Ardèche Gorge

Today we visit the stunning Ardèche Gorge, also known as the 'Grand Canyon of Europe'. An area of snaking rivers and deep gorges, this is a dramatic example of the natural world. Sheer cliffs rise above waterways of sparkling emerald and deep green forests. Our tour takes us to some of the most impressive sights in the gorge, including the Pont d'Arc. Afterwards, we rejoin the ship at Le Pouzin, where we begin our return sailing to Lyon. This evening we are invited to attend the captain's gala dinner.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12 - London

Today our holiday ends and we are transferred either to the airport to board a flight home, or to the station to travel by rail to Paris. From the French capital we join the Eurostar service back to London.

Includes
  • Breakfast

Additional information

Please note

Optional shore excursions are not included in the price of your tour and are payable on board the ship.

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.

Hotels

Hotel Aston La Scala

Hotel Aston La Scala, Nice

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La Malmaison Nice Boutique Hotel, Nice

La Malmaison Nice Boutique Hotel, Nice

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Trains

Eurostar
TGV

Ship

MS Amadeus Provence

Enhance your holiday

Upgrades

Door to door luggage from £180
London Hotels
UK rail connections

Reviews

4.2 stars4.2 / 5 · 6 reviews

  1. 5 stars
    (2)
  2. 4 stars
    (3)
  3. 3 stars
    (1)
  4. 2 stars
    (0)
  5. 1 star
    (0)

Antoni Janik

4 stars

Submitted 13 Sep 2022

The Rhone cruise was excellent, the Amadeus Provence immaculate with great cabins and an amazing friendly and helpful crew. The off ship excursions were well organised and of just about the right duration. I would give 5 stars to this part of the tour The journey to the French Riviera by train and then back to Lyons was spoilt by the commuter train we took from Nice to Marseille which was very crowded, otherwise the trains were comfortable and we had allocated seating. The Aston Scala hotel in Nice was disappointing, room was average, food just adequate and it is the first hotel I have ever stayed in where we were refused a drink with our meal even when we went to the bar to request one! Not sure what was going on at the hotel but the manager needs to get his act together. Despite that we had a great holiday and will definitely travel with GRJ again.

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David Pink

3 stars

Submitted 10 Jul 2022

Spoiled by Camargue trip. No chance to see wildlife and taken to a poor seaside resort that was not mentioned in the itinerary

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Ian Friend

5 stars

Submitted 08 Jul 2022

A varied and enjoyable experience. Wonderful sights, a very comfortable boat. Not too crowded so didn't feel threatened by Covid. Organisation was good and staff very friendly.

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Susan Simpson

4 stars

Submitted 05 Jul 2022

French Riviera was excellent. Hotel, first class, and the excursions also. Meals on the river cruise boat on the Rhone could have been better but the excursions were very good.

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Ian McGill

4 stars

Submitted 01 Jul 2022

FIRST DAY FAR TO LONG/ TIREING. NICE GOOD ,BUT M=NOT WOTH THE EFFORT. TOO MANY TRAINS AND BAGGAGE LUGGING. GOT LEFT BEHIND ON A TRAIN EXCURSION IN MIDDLE OF NOWWHERE. BOAT EXCELLENT. WOULD WE DO IT AGAIN , NO I AM AFRAID NOT.

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Lesley Colledge

5 stars

Submitted 30 Jun 2022

We had booked this cruise in 2019 and because of COVID it was postponed twice so we finally got our holiday a few weeks ago. It was wonderful, busy as usual with great food lovely company and a guide who had stepped in at the last minute. She was as expected professional and went above and beyond because of the train strikes here. The holiday was wonderful.

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