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Itinerary
1st Day: LYON – MARTIGUES – THE MEDITERRANEAN
Rendez vous at 13h30 in Lyon in front of the "Brasserie Georges” (Cours de Verdun, next to the Gare Perrache). Transfer by coach to Martigues. Boarding around 18h, presentation of the crew and welcome cocktail. Dinner, then thematic guided tour on "art and cinema”, discover the sites that inspired Dufy, Picabia, Derain and Ziem, visit Prosper Gnidzaz who possesses the largest collection of film projectors: a veritable storehouse of the cinema from its origins to the present day, he will bring the times of the great cinema of Visconti, Renoir and Pagnol to life. Overnight stopover by the coast.
2nd Day: PORT SAINT LOUIS – ARLES – AVIGNON (the City of the Popes) – THE CAMARGUE
Breakfast on board. Morning departure for Port Saint-Louis taking the Fos canal which runs alongside the Mediterranean. Arrival around 9h. Departure for the excursion to the Camargue. An immense exceptional plain where sea, wetlands and pools are inhabited by an extraordinary variety of water fowl. Here, bulls and horses live in the world who, along with the horsemen of the Camargue, are the soul of the country. Free time in the delightful village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Back to the boat in Arles for lunch. Continuation in the direction of Avignon. As we sail along, discover the castles of Beaucaire and Tarascon. Arrival in Avignon around 16h. Thematic "wine and divine” tour: using paintings selected from the Petit Palais museum (closed on 1 May, 14 July and Tuesdays) a lecturer will discuss symbols of the divine. Art and wine, the art of wine… After also visiting the Palais des Papes, you will have the pleasure of tasting wines from the Côtes du Rhône and cheeses with the help of an expert. Back on board for dinner. After dinner, free evening in Avignon
3rd Day: AVIGNON – VIVIERS – THE ARDECHE GORGE
Breakfast on board and departure of the boat early in the morning. During the morning's sailing, we will pass through the lock in Bollène which, with a variation in height of 20 metres, was one of the major civil engineering projects of the 1950s. Lunch on board. Arrival in Viviers around 14h. Departure for the excursion in the Ardèche Gorge, heading for Vallon Pont d’Arc. Here, the Ardèche has hewn through the cliff to form an immense natural arch, "The Pont d’Arc”, 34 metres high. From here, the itinerary follows the famous Route des Gorges where you can explore the harmonious meanderings of the river. We will also stop off in St Remèze to visit the lavender museum: surrounded by fields of lavender, set off to explore the universe of smells and colours. You will witness the extraction of the essential oil, discovering the magical transformation of a flower by traditional distillation. Back to the boat at the end of the afternoon in Viviers. Dinner on board. Followed by a guided tour on foot: explore this medieval town, which is within a conservation area and has been a bishopric since the 5th century. Overnight stopover.
4th Day: VIVIERS – TAIN L’HERMITAGE – THE CÔTES DU RHÔNE
Breakfast on board. Continuation of the cruise up the Rhone. Montélimar, famous for its nougat, La Voulte, overlooked by its castle, Valence, dominated by the Saint-Apollinaire Cathedral, the mouth of tributaries of the Rhone, the Isère and the Drôme. Opposite, the hanging fortress of Crussol in one of the most spectacular sites in the Rhone valley. Lunch on board. Arrival in Tain-l’Hermitage around 15h. Visit to a wine cellar with wine tasting (optional)*. Back to the boat for dinner. Overnight stopover.
5th Day: TAIN L'HERMITAGE – VIENNE – LYON
Very early departure, breakfast on board as we pass Saint-Vallier, adorned by the castle of Diane de Poitiers, and a lovely vista of the gorge of the same name, Serrières at the gateway to the Vivarais, Condrieu in the heart of the "Côte Rôtie” vineyards. Arrival in Vienne around 10h where we will stop off to allow you to take the thematic guided tour of Vienne on foot, "Vienne the beautiful, the times of the Romans”. Departure around 12h30 for Lyons. Lunch on board. Lyons is admirably situated at the confluence of the Rhone and the Saône. Arrival around 15h, thematic guided tour, "Lyons in the steps of the Canutes”. In the Croix-Rousse neighbourhood, explore the silk workers' quarter and the traboules and visit the silk printing studio. Back to the boat for dinner. Departure of the boat at nightfall up the Saône, sailing past the illuminated old neighbourhoods of Lyon, a unique spectacle.
6th Day: MACON – CHALON SUR SAONE – BURGUNDY AND THE BEAUJOLAIS
Departure early in the morning for Mâcon. Cruise on the Saône during which you will see the Beaujolais and then the Mâconnais vineyards. Lunch and stop in Mâcon. Departure for the guide tour on foot in the footsteps of Lamartine: "Oh time, suspend your flight! And you, fortunate hours, suspend your journey! Let us savour the fleeting delights of the finest of our days!” (The Lake, 1817). The author of these famous lines is none other than Lamartine and it is with a guided tour of the town of his birth, Mâcon, that the afternoon will begin. We will then travel on to Tournus by coach. Visit to Saint Philibert Abbey, a masterpiece of Romanesque art, and the Hôtel Dieu from the 17th century which possesses one of the richest and most ancient hospital pharmacies conserved in situ in France. Back on board in Chalon-sur-Saône at the end of the afternoon. Dinner and gala evening. Overnight stopover.
7th Day: CHALON-SUR-SAONE – BURGUNDY – LYON
Disembarkation after breakfast in Chalon-sur-Saône. Coach transfer to Lyon, in front of the "Brasserie Georges”. Arrival at the end of the morning. End of our journey.
Departures:
Ship
Departs
Disembarks
Van Gogh
June 22, 2010
June 28, 2010
Van Gogh
July 17, 2010
July 23, 2010
Lower Deck
Upper Deck
Lower Deck Single
Upper Deck Single
$1,813
$1,953
$2,167
$2,307
Prices Do Not Include: Drinks or insurance
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For reasons of navigation and passenger safety, CroisiEurope cruise line and the Captain of the ship reserve the right to modify the itinerary of the cruise.
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