MS Van Gogh, 6 Night Lyon to the Tip of Provence on the Rhône and Saône Rivers ex Lyon, France to Martigues, France

Set off on an unforgettable cruise from Lyon to Martigues, with ports of call in Mâcon, Tain-l'Hermitage, Avignon, Arles, and the Camargue.Discover the 2,000-year history of Lyon as you stroll through its cobblestone streets. Ten percent of the city has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visit the Vercors Massif and its steep limestone cliffs and vineyards perched above the valleys.

Day 1
Passengers are welcome to board our ship at 6 p.m. After comfortably settling into your cabins, we’ll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail. We’ll enjoy dinner on board as our ship cruises to Mâcon. Don’t miss Lyon lit up at night as we depart!

Day 2
This morning, join us for an optional excursion for both packages: A guided tour of Mâcon. With its colored facades, Mâcon feels like it should be part of Provence. Learn more about this Burgundy city on a tour highlighting its major sites.This afternoon, join us for an optional excursion for both packages: The Beaujolais vineyards. The Beaujolais wine region is tucked in between Lyon and Burgundy. Wines range from the young Beaujolais Nouveau to high-quality crus. Red wines are made mostly from Gamay grapes that create a vibrant, fruity taste. Light and fresh white wines come predominantly from Chardonnay varieties.After our excursion, we’ll return on board the ship to cruise to Lyon in the evening.

Day 3
Optional excursions proposed:CLASSIC package: Join us for a panoramic tour of Lyon and learn about the discrete and strategic doorways leading to shortcuts, known as traboules, that go from street to street.DISCOVERY package: Food tour of Lyon.We’ll cruise to Tain-l’Hermitage in the afternoon and arrive in the evening.

Day 4
This morning, join us on an optional excursion for both packages: Discover the Vercors Massif and enjoy a tasting of local sparkling wine (Clairette de Die).*The Vercors Massif contains impressive sites and breathtaking views. We’ll discover many of these on a trip through its natural park. Peaks, trails, rushing streams, steep cliffs, and rolling mountain pastures await. The Vercors Massif was also a strategic location for the French Resistance during World War II. We’ll visit the quaint town of Die—known for its delicious sparkling wine—and enjoy a tasting.After our excursion, we’ll return on board the ship. We’ll spend the afternoon cruising to Avignon, arriving during the evening.

Day 5
Optional excursion for both packages: Join us this morning for a guided tour of Avignon and the Papal Palace. Avignon has had quite a past. The city’s historic center is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Included in this area is the Papal Palace, one of the largest and most important Gothic buildings in Europe and the city’s most famous attraction.Our ship will cruise to Arles.The afternoon will be dedicated to an optional guided tour of Arles.

Day 6
This morning, join us for an optional excursion:CLASSIC package: Tour the Camargue. We’ll visit a manade to enjoy a horse show.DISCOVERY package: Safari in the Camargue in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Set out on an exciting jaunt into the heart of the wild Camargue.Sit back and admire the rivers, marshes, ponds, pink flamencos, black bulls, and the famous, indigenous Camargue horses. Whether on the edge of the sea or inland, each spot is an immersion in the wonders nature has to offer in France.Our ship will cruise to Martigues.Tonight is our festive gala evening.

Day 7
Enjoy breakfast on board this morning before disembarking at 9:00 a.m.

Completely renovated in 2018, this ship has been redesigned and refitted according to the new standards of the company and offers larger, bright and comfortable spaces. In terms of decoration, the colour combination of gray blue and orange creates a lot of style and elegance. In a nod to the artist whose name it takes, the ship showcases some of his famous paintings, including those from the Sunflowers series. The patterns of the fabrics as well as the dressing of the bar follow the techniques developed by Van Gogh: impressionism and pointillism. The two main common areas are located on the upper deck. At the front, the lounge / bar and at the back, the restaurant where all meals will be served during the cruise. The 20 cabins on the upper deck have French balconies and the 34 cabins on the main deck have windows. On the sun deck, an ideal place to relax and admire the landscapes, passengers can enjoy comfortable sun loungers, as well as a large shaded area.

CroisiEurope has a fleet of Prestige category boats with cabins, which ply the most beautiful rivers in Europe. Spacious and light, they offer a welcoming and refined setting. Accommodation capacity varies from 100 to 180 passengers depending on the boat's design. At the cutting edge of technology, their facilities offer comfort and safety.

Carefully maintained and partially renovated each year, the CroisiEurope fleet is largely made up of recently built vessels, less than five years old, all with Veritas certification. The leading European river tour operator, our company owes its international reputation to its seriousness, its dynamism, its sense of innovation and its recognised value for money of long standing.

Vessels are rated four-star and food is superb – as you’d expect on a French-owned cruise line, staffed by French chefs and with top French and German wines aboard. One cruise of the Rhone and Saone Rivers in France concentrates on gastronomy and traditional French cusine, visiting Collonges Abbey, renowned for its great French chef, Paul Bocuse.

CroisiEurope is a family-owned and operated firm, with brothers and sisters running different aspects of the company and keeping a close eye on all operations to ensure excellence.

River cruising offers much free fun. Wake in the morning and observe the passing riverside scenery through your cabin window – perhaps from your bed. Gaze upon village churches or a patchwork of fields sparkling in the morning sun.

CroisiEurope’s network traverses a phenomenal number of European rivers and waterways. They range from the Guadalquivir and Guadiana (flowing through Spain and Portugal respectively); the Douro in Portugal, the Po and Venice Lagoon in Italy; the Rhone in Provence, plus the Seine from Paris to the Normandy Coast. And there’s more: the Moselle, the Neckar, the Saar, the Oder, the Havel, the Baltic Sea, the Camarge, the Rhine, the Main and the mighty Danube; the Tisza and the Black Sea; the Belgian and Dutch waterways. Everything from tulip time in Holland to Christmas Markets in Germany.

Drinks included with on board meals: mineral water, house wine, beer, fruit juice, and tea or coffee.