Our AmaWaterways information, Andrea, is main us by way of the slender streets of Arles, France, to a wonderfully preserved Roman amphitheater — a relic of the traditional world as magnificent as something you will discover in Rome. However as we quickly study, the two,000-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Web site is not simply an icon of the Roman period.
Because the longtime native explains to our small group of passengers from the AmaWaterways ship AmaKristina, this is also the spot the place Arles’ most well-known resident, Vincent van Gogh, painted one among his most recognizable work: “Les Arenes d’Arles.”
As Andrea is displaying us on this specialised van Gogh-focused strolling tour, Arles is as well-known for the productive if troubled 12 months that the Dutch artist referred to as it dwelling as its legacy as Little Rome, because the Romans referred to it.
The various allures of the traditional metropolis alongside the Rhone and its environs are much more numerous than van Gogh websites and Roman monuments, furthermore. After a beautiful lunch made with regionally sourced substances again on board AmaKristina, which is docked alongside the river, we’re off on one other tour to the close by medieval village of Les Baux-de-Provence, adopted by a go to to one of many surrounding countryside’s many olive farms.
It is all a part of a rigorously choreographed day of exploring southeastern France designed by AmaWaterways, the well-known river cruise firm.
The California-based model is understood for completely crafted ship-based tours through France and past — and the one which we’ve got simply begun, a seven-night “Colours of Provence” journey from Arles to Lyon, France, is not any exception.
As we’ll expertise over the approaching days, the northbound crusing up the Rhone by way of France’s picturesque Provence area will carry a various array of experiences from excursions of historic websites to local wine and food tastings, all included within the fare.
For now, although, that each one is sooner or later. Again on the ship, because the solar begins to set, we have fun our first day on board with (included) Sip & Sail cocktails within the lounge adopted by a phenomenal dinner and dwell leisure — all of the whereas watching by way of floor-to-ceiling home windows as our vessel begins the voyage up the river to our subsequent magical cease, the medieval walled metropolis of Avignon, France.
A broad mixture of experiences
As dreamy and numerous as our preliminary day of touring in the course of the “Colours of Provence” itinerary was, it was nothing uncommon for an AmaWaterways river cruise.
Every day E-newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Every day e-newsletter
Be part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s specialists
As I might see in the course of the coming days crusing up the Rhone on AmaKristina, every single day of an AmaWaterways crusing brings engaging new adventures off the ship, in addition to an ever-changing array of actions on board.
On my crusing, this included visits to a broad vary of historic websites spanning 2,000 years of historical past from the Roman period to fashionable instances, in addition to cultural and culinary experiences.
Upon arriving in Avignon, about 30 miles upriver from Arles, as an illustration, native guides led us by way of town’s imposing medieval partitions to the practically 800-year-old Palais des Papes — the most important Gothic constructing of the Center Ages. It was right here — not Rome — the place greater than half a dozen Roman Catholic popes reigned within the 14th century, making town the middle of Western Christianity for a time.
Later the identical day, we time-shifted by greater than 1,000 years as we traveled practically 20 miles west by motorcoach to Pont du Gard — a shocking, three-tiered Roman aqueduct bridge that after carried 11 million gallons of water a day throughout France’s Gardon River to town of Nimes.
Again on board, we bought a unique type of style of southeastern France with an onboard sampling of pastis, an anise-flavored aperitif that could be a specialty of the area, and a French cuisine-focused dinner delivered to visitors in partnership with the Paris-founded gastronomic society Chaine des Rotisseurs.
Capping the evening was a efficiency by the flamenco guitarist group Guitares de Camargue, which relies within the close by Camargue area.
It was a lineup of actions designed to attraction to a broad vary of tourgoers, together with vacationers of all ages — partially as a result of every day of the journey introduced a number of choices for exploring.
For most of the excursions, as is typical for AmaWaterways sailings, visitors may select to undertake the outing at one among three totally different exercise ranges: mild, common or energetic. Separate guides had been readily available to guide the tour at every of the totally different paces, with roughly strolling and stopping relying on the exercise stage.
Moreover, visitors usually may select from as many as 4 utterly totally different excursions, with some extra energetic than others.
In the course of the cease in Avignon, as an illustration, the strolling tour by way of town’s partitions to the Palais des Papes was supplied at three speeds (mild, common and energetic). However visitors additionally had the choice to enroll in a separate “Tastes of Avignon” tour that centered on town’s culinary aspect as a substitute of its papal historical past. Yet one more extra energetic tour had visitors exploring town by bike.
The subsequent day, throughout a cease on the charming little cathedral city of Viviers, France, the choices included a strolling tour by way of its winding medieval streets, a hike to an overlook above it, a biking outing alongside the Rhone and a go to to a close-by truffle farm.
Briefly, there was one thing for everybody, together with me. In search of one thing energetic for our day in Viviers, I selected the hike to the overlook that additionally included a stroll by way of the historic city. It supplied simply the correct quantity of exertion to heat me up on a cold fall morning.
A few days later, throughout a cease on the Roman-founded river city of Vienne, France, I signed up for an much more energetic, 10-mile bike tour alongside the river that took me into the vineyards across the city. On different days, I opted for much less energetic outings centered extra on local foods and wine, comparable to a Beaujolais wine-tasting tour within the vineyards alongside the Saone River close to Lyon.
Briefly, the voyage supplied an opportunity for a various exploration of one among France’s most important areas, with stops in such iconic French locations as Arles, Avignon and Lyon that might be exhausting to expertise in a single journey another method — all whereas solely unpacking as soon as and with any individual else determining all of the logistics.
A extremely inclusive expertise
There’s one other main attract to visiting France on an AmaWaterways ship: You may barely spend something out of pocket in the course of the journey.
As I noticed throughout my crusing, practically every part is included within the fare on an AmaWaterways cruise, from excursions throughout port stops to most drinks on board. This is not all the time the case with different river strains or when cruising on ocean ships.
The record of issues for which you will not pay further when touring with AmaWaterways contains:
- All excursions, together with guided strolling excursions, guided hikes and bike journeys, and wine and culinary tastings
- All onboard eating, together with a signature Chef’s Desk nice eating expertise
- Most drinks, together with limitless wine, beer and delicate drinks throughout lunch and dinner, plus wine, beer, mocktails and spirits throughout a day by day Sip & Sail cocktail hour; glowing wine and fresh-squeezed juices can be found throughout breakfast
- Leisure-on-demand in rooms
- Excessive-quality Wi-Fi
- Every day train courses, together with morning stretching and afternoon circuit coaching led by a educated Wellness Host
- Entry to a well-equipped health facility, in addition to bicycles with helmets and Nordic strolling sticks
The latter choices are a part of AmaWaterways’ signature Wellness Program, a differentiator from different river cruise manufacturers.
A sublime onboard expertise
A few of your most memorable moments on an AmaWaterways cruise in France will happen off the ship whereas touring the nation’s history-rich cities, visiting its vineyards and experiencing its world-famous delicacies. However the onboard expertise on AmaWaterways’ ships is equally alluring.
With simply 76 cabins, AmaKristina and its sister vessels in France are like floating boutique accommodations — small and intimate lodgings on the transfer the place you by no means really feel such as you’re a part of a crowd.
Even with each room full, the ships sail with a median of simply 156 passengers, fewer than many river ships in Europe, and that permits for an unusually private and stylish sort of service.
As I noticed when crusing on AmaKristina, the waitstaff within the ship’s restaurant is all the time readily available to refill your wine glass or carry you a second appetizer. On my crusing, a regionally sourced plate of snails cooked of their shells with a wealthy French herb sauce was so delicious that I requested for one more, and — poof! — it appeared.
AmaWaterways visitors additionally profit from the presence of a seasoned Cruise Supervisor on board to maintain your each want, whether or not or not it’s arranging a last-minute tour in one of many ship’s port stops or reserving a non-public automobile to take you to the airport on the finish of the crusing.
Furthermore, the Cruise Supervisor will keep along with your group in case you join the non-obligatory pre- and post-cruise land packages.
As I noticed throughout my crusing, the onboard expertise on AmaWaterways ships is elegant and refined. Whereas river cruise ships in Europe are small by nature in order to suit into the various locks on the continent’s rivers, AmaWaterways vessels supply a spacious, glass-lined lounge and bar on each ship, plus an inviting major eating room.
There’s additionally a secondary, smaller eating area behind AmaWaterways vessels that’s dwelling to The Chef’s Desk, a multicourse nice eating expertise that each visitor will get to get pleasure from not less than as soon as per cruise.
At each the Essential Restaurant and The Chef’s Desk, the delicacies revolves round contemporary, regionally sourced substances from the area the place the ships are touring. Wines from the areas the place AmaWaterways ships sail are also de rigueur.
As for the ship’s lodging, they’re heat and alluring, with snug beds, desk areas and fashionable loos. Most of the rooms characteristic AmaWaterways’ signature twin balcony idea, which affords each a standard out of doors balcony with a seating space and a French balcony.
Distinctive French itineraries
The “Colours of Provence” itinerary is only one of half a dozen seven-night river cruise routings that AmaWaterways affords in France. The vary of choices spans three main river areas: the Rhone and the Saone, the Seine, and the waterways of the Bordeaux area.
Longer journeys that mix sailings on two of those river areas can be found, too.
The choices embrace:
- Grand Seine & Rhone: Beginning in Paris and ending in Provence in southern France, this 14-night itinerary spans the nation from prime to backside with stops as far north because the D-Day touchdown seashores in Normandy and as far south as Roman-founded Arles, close to the Mediterranean coast. Specializing in French historical past, artwork, meals and wine, it contains journey on three iconic French rivers — the Seine, the Saone and the Rhone — with highlights together with stops at medieval Rouen (dwelling to one among France’s most spectacular cathedrals) and the vineyards of the Cotes du Rhone wine area.
- Grand Seine & Bordeaux: Just like the “Grand Seine & Rhone” itinerary, this 14-night route begins in Paris, adopted by a crusing up the Seine to the coast. However as a substitute of following that with a visit to the Rhone area, it provides every week within the famed wine area of Bordeaux by way of an AmaWaterways ship touring the interconnected Garonne and Dordogne rivers and the Gironde Estuary. Along with touring Paris, highlights embrace a go to to the D-Day seashores of Normandy, Claude Monet’s gardens in Giverny, wine tastings in Bordeaux and a go to to such iconic Bordeaux area websites because the UNESCO-listed Blaye Citadel and Roquetaillade Citadel.
- Essence of Burgundy & Provence: Beginning in Dijon, on the Saone, this seven-night itinerary combines a number of days of exploring the Burgundy wine area above Lyon with a number of days farther south on the Rhone in Provence. Crusing alongside the 2 rivers, that are related, brings the possibility to take pleasure in Roman and medieval historical past (in locations comparable to Chalon-sur-Saone and Tournus — the latter recognized for its towering Romanesque abbey). You can also go to vineyards for wine tastings and observe within the footsteps of van Gogh throughout a strolling tour of Arles.
- Taste of Bordeaux: This seven-night cruise to one of many world’s most famed wine areas will carry you to such legendary wine estates as Chateau Latour, Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Leoville Poyferre for indulgent wine and gastronomic experiences, together with grand cru wine tastings. And that is simply part of the attract. Mountaineering and biking by way of Bordeaux’s picturesque countryside (suppose vineyards and historic cities) and visits to historic websites are also on the schedule.