Eleanor
1000+ Posts
I had done my first river cruise last summer on the River Rhine and had enjoyed it so much that I decided to repeat the experience on the River Rhône this summer. Checking out dates to coincide when the family were away and I had no grandparenting responsibilities, Riviera Travel were the best match. A bonus was that I could fly from Manchester, as Riviera make a point of using local airports. It was another good trip starting from Lyons at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône. We began by and sailing north on the River Saône as far as Chalon-sur-Saône before retracing our steps back to Lyons and then south along the Rhone to Arles ending up in Avignon.
Both are large rivers flowing through some lovely scenery with vineyards, small villages, châteaux and distant views across to the Alpes Maritimes. There was less traffic with fewer cruise ships or barges than on the Rhine. The Rhône is larger and more fast flowing than the Saône and had some very deep locks to negotiate.
We were on MS Lord Byron which is jointly owned by Scylla, a shipping company based in Basel and Riviera Travel. Only a few years old, it is a very stylish and comfortable ship setting extremely high standards. I had a very comfortable standard cabin on the Emerald deck, the lowest deck. The only difference between more expensive cabins on the upper decks was a long narrow window just above the water level rather than panoramic windows that opened. As I was intending to spend all my time on the sun deck this didn’t worry me.
The information pack provided in the cabin contained a map of the Rhône and Saône marking all the bridges and locks so we could follow our progress. There were also detailed maps for all the port of call which meant I could wander by myself without fear of getting lost. There were guided tours with a local guide but unless we were using a coach, I tended to give these a miss and explore by myself. The Riviera tour manager gave a short briefing each night about the following days itinerary and was a wealth of information and ideas if you did want to explore independently.
The ship can carry up to 140 passengers but there were just over one hundred on our trip. All the staff were excellent, as was the food. Link this in with interesting stops and some very good scenery and this made a very relaxing and enjoyable holiday
DAY 1
There were twenty other passengers flying from Manchester. It was an early evening flight which got us to Lyon airport just before 10pm. We were met by a Riviera rep and taken by coach to the ship, a journey taking around 30 minutes. A cold supper had been left in our rooms for us.
DAY 2
We had a guided tour of Lyon in the morning. It was a dull and damp day and not conducive to photographs.
We were picked up by coach and taken to the C19th Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière, sitting on top of the hill above Lyons. The inside is jaw dropping with walls and ceiling covered with glowing mosaics.
From there the coach took us down to the old town where we had a guided tour through some of the network of passageways that provided quick access in Medieval times for goods and workers to the river. We had some free time to explore by ourselves and I headed to the Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist. This has a wonderful Gothic west front although the inside is Romanesque architecture and much plainer. It has an interesting small museum.
In the afternoon, the ship cruised north along the Saône past the vineyards of Beaujolais.
DAY 3
The ship had moored at Chalon-sur-Saône overnight.
I just had time for a quick scamper round the town before joining the guided tour of the Burgundy wine villages on the way to Beaune.
Here we had a wine tasting and free time to explore the Saturday market. This was extensive with a wonderful food market selling everything imaginable.
I also visited Notre Dame de Beaune, which is one of the largest Romanesque buildings in Burgundy.
We returned to the ship for a late lunch and then sailed back down the Saône to rejoin the Rhône.
DAY 4
The ship had moored at Vienne in the early hours and we had a free morning to explore Vienne with its superb Roman remains, especially the theatre and the Temple of Augustus and Livia.
The Church of St Peter is one of the oldest in France. Now deconsecrated it is an archaeology museum with a wonderful display of Roman masonry.
The Cathedral of St Maurice has a wonderful Gothic west front and the remains of wall paintings inside.
After Vienne, the ship continued to sail south along the Rhône with slopes cover4ed with vineyards.
We moored at Tournon in the early evening. The town is dominated by the C16th château which is now a museum.
There was just time for a quick walk around the town, into St Julien’s Collegial Church with its chapel with C14th frescoes.
Across the footbridge is the even smaller settlement of Tain l’Hermitage.
DAY 5
We spent the morning cruising south along the Rhône past wooded slope and vineyards with glimpses of the mountains of the Ardeche to the west.
We moored at the tiny settlement of Le Pouzin where coaches picked us up for a visit to a Lavender Farm before driving down the Ardèche Gorges.
The road down the Ardèche Gorges is stunning with the road running along the side of the mountain with a steep drop down to the river. In August it was very busy with traffic and all the parking places were full.
In the meantime, the ship had sailed south to Vivier where we rejoined it.
Both are large rivers flowing through some lovely scenery with vineyards, small villages, châteaux and distant views across to the Alpes Maritimes. There was less traffic with fewer cruise ships or barges than on the Rhine. The Rhône is larger and more fast flowing than the Saône and had some very deep locks to negotiate.
We were on MS Lord Byron which is jointly owned by Scylla, a shipping company based in Basel and Riviera Travel. Only a few years old, it is a very stylish and comfortable ship setting extremely high standards. I had a very comfortable standard cabin on the Emerald deck, the lowest deck. The only difference between more expensive cabins on the upper decks was a long narrow window just above the water level rather than panoramic windows that opened. As I was intending to spend all my time on the sun deck this didn’t worry me.
The information pack provided in the cabin contained a map of the Rhône and Saône marking all the bridges and locks so we could follow our progress. There were also detailed maps for all the port of call which meant I could wander by myself without fear of getting lost. There were guided tours with a local guide but unless we were using a coach, I tended to give these a miss and explore by myself. The Riviera tour manager gave a short briefing each night about the following days itinerary and was a wealth of information and ideas if you did want to explore independently.
The ship can carry up to 140 passengers but there were just over one hundred on our trip. All the staff were excellent, as was the food. Link this in with interesting stops and some very good scenery and this made a very relaxing and enjoyable holiday
DAY 1
There were twenty other passengers flying from Manchester. It was an early evening flight which got us to Lyon airport just before 10pm. We were met by a Riviera rep and taken by coach to the ship, a journey taking around 30 minutes. A cold supper had been left in our rooms for us.
DAY 2
We had a guided tour of Lyon in the morning. It was a dull and damp day and not conducive to photographs.
We were picked up by coach and taken to the C19th Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière, sitting on top of the hill above Lyons. The inside is jaw dropping with walls and ceiling covered with glowing mosaics.
From there the coach took us down to the old town where we had a guided tour through some of the network of passageways that provided quick access in Medieval times for goods and workers to the river. We had some free time to explore by ourselves and I headed to the Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist. This has a wonderful Gothic west front although the inside is Romanesque architecture and much plainer. It has an interesting small museum.
In the afternoon, the ship cruised north along the Saône past the vineyards of Beaujolais.
DAY 3
The ship had moored at Chalon-sur-Saône overnight.
I just had time for a quick scamper round the town before joining the guided tour of the Burgundy wine villages on the way to Beaune.
Here we had a wine tasting and free time to explore the Saturday market. This was extensive with a wonderful food market selling everything imaginable.
I also visited Notre Dame de Beaune, which is one of the largest Romanesque buildings in Burgundy.
We returned to the ship for a late lunch and then sailed back down the Saône to rejoin the Rhône.
DAY 4
The ship had moored at Vienne in the early hours and we had a free morning to explore Vienne with its superb Roman remains, especially the theatre and the Temple of Augustus and Livia.
The Church of St Peter is one of the oldest in France. Now deconsecrated it is an archaeology museum with a wonderful display of Roman masonry.
The Cathedral of St Maurice has a wonderful Gothic west front and the remains of wall paintings inside.
After Vienne, the ship continued to sail south along the Rhône with slopes cover4ed with vineyards.
We moored at Tournon in the early evening. The town is dominated by the C16th château which is now a museum.
There was just time for a quick walk around the town, into St Julien’s Collegial Church with its chapel with C14th frescoes.
Across the footbridge is the even smaller settlement of Tain l’Hermitage.
DAY 5
We spent the morning cruising south along the Rhône past wooded slope and vineyards with glimpses of the mountains of the Ardeche to the west.
We moored at the tiny settlement of Le Pouzin where coaches picked us up for a visit to a Lavender Farm before driving down the Ardèche Gorges.
The road down the Ardèche Gorges is stunning with the road running along the side of the mountain with a steep drop down to the river. In August it was very busy with traffic and all the parking places were full.
In the meantime, the ship had sailed south to Vivier where we rejoined it.
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