Tour Details - 8 Day Cruising Provence Full Charter (Cruise Only) 2012

Day 1. Lyon
Arrive Lyon and board the luxurious MS AmaDagio, your home for the next seven nights. Tonight enjoy a Welcome Dinner and Drinks with your Tour Director and fellow travellers.

Day 2. Lyon - Trévoux, Freedom of Choice Touring
After breakfast today, choose your touring activity. Take a guided tour of Lyon or enjoy a fascinating cooking demonstration. Returning to your ship for lunch, relax on board as you cruise along the Saône River to the small historic town of Trévoux. Here, enjoy a walk that takes you to a selection of the pretty town’s most attractive landmarks.

Day 3. Trévoux - Vienne
Today, a morning tour takes you behind through beautiful Beaujolais. Visit a wine-maker in this celebrated region of France and sample the world-renowned Beaujolais wine. Then return to your ship and continue cruising south from the Saône to the Rhône River, towards Vienne. This evening perhaps take a stroll through this picturesque rural town.

Day 4. Vienne - Tournon
Located between the famed wine-producing regions of Burgundy and Beaujolais, Vienne has a strong Roman history, which is highlighted by its marvellously preserved ruins. This morning following breakfast, take a mini-train tour, during which you’ll see the Roman Temple of Augustus and the medieval churches of St Andre-Le-Bas and Abbey St Pierre.

Day 5. Tournon, Freedom of Choice Touring, Viviers
After breakfast today, disembark your ship and select your activity. You may enjoy the opportunity to sample and learn a bit more about the wines of the region with a wine tasting; alternatively, travel to Boucieu-le-Roi and enjoy a visit to a goat farm, followed by the chance to sample locally-produced goat’s cheese. Then return to your ship for lunch as you cruise to Viviers. After dinner, enjoy a ‘ghost walk’ through the largely abandoned medieval town that once had more than 30,000 inhabitants.

Day 6. Viviers, Grignan, Avignon, Freedom of Choice Touring
This morning, enjoy an excursion to Grignan, where you’ll see a magnificent Renaissance castle. Then, cruise to Avignon, the ‘City of Popes’. Here, choose from our two Freedom of Choice Touring options. Perhaps take a guided tour through the narrow streets and elegant squares to the Papal Palace, which served as a fortress, a church and a residence to the Popes that once governed the Christian world. Alternatively, visit Pont du Gard, an incredible Roman aqueduct. Built around 19 BC, this feat of engineering carried millions of gallons of water to the fountains, baths and homes of Nîmes. You’ll then visit the town of Uzès, which boasts a beautiful castle, medieval streets and a lovely town square.

Day 7. Les Baux, Arles
Take an excursion to the village of Les Baux this morning. Enjoy the rich floral colours and views from this hilltop village, and visit a working olive mill and farm for a tour and tasting revealing the history of this Provençal tradition. Return to your ship for lunch before a fascinating walking tour of historic Arles, famed for Roman ruins and an association with Vincent Van Gogh. Discover the locales and vistas that inspired the artist to create works such as ‘Starry Night’ or ‘Terrace de café le Soir’. See the ruins of the Roman Amphitheatre, the Baths of Constantine, the Romanesque Cathedral, Church of Saint-Trophime and more.

Day 8 Arles, Disembark Ship
Today disembark your ship and transfer to the airport.