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Cruising in Provence, on the Rhone River and Canal du Rhone a Sète, between Avignon and Aigues-Mortes
(or reverse)
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Sunday, Day 1
Transfer from a defined picking point to Le Phénicien which is moored close to the Avignon ramparts. Time for a little nap
or a free visit of the town. Our first dinner on board gives an indication of the high standard of cuisine that will be served
during the cruise and the accompanying wines have been specially chosen from top-notch local vineyards.
Monday, Day 2
History and wines are our centers of interest today. We start with a visit of one of the best cellars of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
After the vineyards and the cellar visits, a wine tasting is organized. Then we take a guided tour to learn about the religious
and artistic importance of the city’s prestigious past with the palace of the Popes visit. This afternoon, we sail down
to Vallabrègues, a quiet and charming little port where it is good to rest and play the pétanque. The wines tasted in the
morning are back on the table at dinner.
Tuesday, Day 3
Spots of legend are many in the surroundings and we have the choice between the monumental Pont du Gard and the
charming mediaeval village of Les Baux de Provence for example. After lunch we cruise down to Arles. Thanks to its
wealth of Roman and mediaeval monuments, many of which are classified world heritage sites by UNESCO, the city could
be called an open-air museum.
Wednesday, Day 4
Our guided visit in Arles will delve deep into antiquity and, at the same time, unravel the joys and despair of Van Gogh
who painted 300 canvases during his year here in 1888. And so to the Camargue as we head west on the Canal du Rhône
à Sète that links the Petit Rhône with the étangs, those inland seas that nudge the Mediterranean to the south of Montpellier.
We moor in Bellegarde, a typical village proud of its bull fighting tradition.
Thursday, Day 5
After a guided tour to Beaucaire or Tarascon, the twin towns separated by the Rhône river, and their famous castles from
the middle age, we set off for a heady visit of a famous Costières de Nîmes cellar. There we shall learn about how the ancient
Romans made the wine, 20 centuries ago. The tasting session promises to remain in our memories for a long time!
We navigate on the canal down to Saint Gilles, a city famous in the middle age for its Christian pilgrimages.
Friday, Day 6
For our last day of excursion, what would you say about a nice trip to visit the wild Camargue? There we reach a manade,
a typical ranch, where the gardians à cheval, the local authentic cowboys, show us how they tend the herds of bulls on
their superb white horses. Our final destination is Aigues-Mortes, a 14th century walled city rising from a flat landscape.
This was the port from which St Louis set sail on his Crusades and it now provides us with a paradox - a perfectly preserved
mediaeval fortress yet with a rectangular grid structure reminiscent of a new world town - the Camargue never fails
to surprise...
Saturday, Day 7
After breakfast, morning departure to the defined transfer point.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A SAMPLE ITINERARY AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. ON ALTERNATE WEEKS CRUISES
WILL BE IN REVERSE DIRECTION.
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