French river cruise: Paris - Monte Carlo
14-day French river cruise Paris to Monte Carlo
Join this 14-day French Escapade: Paris to Monte-Carlo along the rivers Rhone and Saone. Not only will you enjoy the delights of Paris and Monte-Carlo you will travel through the countryside past vineyards where tasting some of the finest wines. you will discover river towns and the cowboy traditions and cuisine of La Camargue, and taste your way through the famous Les Halles de Lyon food market as well as explore a palace fit for a pope and an abbey that was once one of the most powerful in Europe on this French river escapade.
Itinerary
Day 1: London - Paris
Take the Eurostar to Paris and transfer to the Hilton Arc de Triomphe Paris where later that evening you will join your fellow voyagers at a welcome cocktail reception and dinner to remember this evening at the exclusively chic Fouquet’s on the Champs-Élysées.
Staying at: Hilton Arc de Triomphe Paris. Meals: Dinner
Day 2: Paris
Your day begins with an orientation tour to help you get your bearings and consider all the ways that you can enjoy the "City of Light" at your leisure and as you please for the rest of the day. Choose from a selection of the city’s finest museums, including Musée du Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay (subject to availability), to visit with admission included... or set off to discover all the pleasures of Paris in whatever you way you choose.
Staying at: Hilton Arc de Triomphe Paris. Meals: Breakfast
Day 3: Beaune
This charming walled city in the Burgundy region calls itself the "Capital of Burgundy Wines," You’ll visit the Hospice de Beaune, the city’s best-known landmark, you’ll see that this place is about far more than just wine.
Staying: Aboard the Riverboat. Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
Day 4: Burgundy
Chalon-sur-Sâone on the River Saône lies in the heart of southern Burgundy where a walking tour will show you the best of this town. You will savor local culinary offerings during a guided tasting tour of some of Chalon-Sur-Saône’s noted food shops; then to sip some wonderful wines as you head off to Mercurey, the largest wine-growing area in the Côte Chalonnaise, to sample some of the notable reds produced here in a tasting at one of the 30 local premier cru vineyards.
Staying: Aboard the Riverboat. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5: Macon
A walking tour of Macon will show you what lies along the town’s Heritage Trail and you will also have some time to explore on your own - maybe visit the great Benedictine Abbey of Cluny
Staying: Aboard the Riverboat. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 6: Lyon
Regarded as the culinary capital of France, there are more restaurants per capita in Lyon than anywhere else in the country. Lunch today is a tasting tour at the historic Les Halles de Lyon indoor food market, where you’ll sample the freshest breads, cheeses, meats, produce and more paired with local winesYour day also includes the stunning Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière and a tour of medieval Vieux Lyon.
Staying: Aboard the Riverboat. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 7: Vienne & the Rhone
During your time here this morning, look for the theatre and temple the Romans left behind, as well as other sights straight out of history. Then it’s a languid, lazy and perfectly wonderful afternoon spent cruising on the river charting a course for Tournon-sur-Rhône.
Staying: Aboard the Riverboat. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 8: Tournon and Tain-l’Hermitage
Feudal rulers once looked down on the town of Tournon-sur-Rhône from the castle you’ll see perched on a rock high above the city; its pre-Renaissance roots are evident during a walking tour and time at leisure to do as you please. Following lunch aboard the riverboat, you’ll be off to Tain-l’Hermitage, known for its excellent Côtes du Rhône wines.
Staying: Aboard the Riverboat. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 9: Viviers
The walled city of Viviers, which retains much of its medieval character, is a delightful stop on this France river cruise. A walking tour reveals ancient homes and its unusual cathedral, which looks more like a castle than a church in the opinion of some, high up on the riverbank. After some free time to soak up the character of this lovely town on your own, reboard for lunch, followed by an afternoon and evening cruising along the Rhône to Avignon. As you glide past the scenic shoreline, enjoy a demonstration of the French game of pétanque on deck (weather permitting).
Staying: Aboard the Riverboat. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 10: Avignon
The fortified medieval city of Avignon where you’ll see at the impressive Palais des Papes and taste locally produced wine named for the "new castle of the popes," the world-renowned Châteauneuf-du-Pape, on a wine-tasting excursion this afternoon.
Staying: Aboard the Riverboat. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 11: Arles and Camargue
Arles was once a Roman city and while the gladiators are gone, the arenas they left behind are just one of the town’s many Roman remnants. Explore Arles’ medieval streets and city walls and be sure to look out across the surrounding countryside to what van Gogh found so enchanting. After lunch, it’s off to La Camargue, France’s "wild west," where cowboys tend to herds of bulls destined for bullfighting rings in Spain. Visit a working farm to see what these cowhands and their charges do during a demonstration - not something usually experienced on a France river cruise - followed by lunch and traditional Provençal entertainment. This evening is reserved for the Captain’s farewell dinner.
Staying: Aboard the Riverboat. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 12: Nice & Monte Carlo
The France river cruise portion of your journey ends as you disembark in Arles, and bid farewell to the Captain and crew. but you still have Nice and Monte-Carlo to look forward to. You’ll have a useful orientation walking tour of Nice with time to explore yourself after which you will travel on Monaco and the 5-star Fairmont Monte Carlo, your home for the next two nights.
Staying at: Fairmont Monte Carlo. Meals: Breakfast
Day 13: Monte Carlo
Get the lay of the land during an orientation tour this morning and then spend the rest of the day exploring as you please. What a wonderful place it is to conclude your France river cruise vacation with a farewell dinner tonight at your premium hotel in the heart of it all.
Staying at: Fairmont Monte Carlo. Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
Day 14: Home
Your France river cruise adventure ends in Monte-Carlo. A transfer from Fairmont Monte Carlo to the Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is included.
Meals: Breakfast
Please note that this trip can also be done in reverse
To book, call 0845 643 6563
To book this travel offer, call one of our tailor-made travel experts now, quoting reference WEX102576.
Back to the top
