Our Rhone River Viking River Cruise Begins in Avignon

Welcome to the start of our Viking River cruise on the Rhone River in France. We begin in Avignon, where all board the longship Buri for our 7 night adventures in the French countryside. Our cruise starts in Avignon, but our first excursion was to Arles and then back to Avignon, where we did a walking tour of that walled city. We saw so much on our 7 days and I saved all the Viking Daily newsletters, so I could remember where we had been. I took so many pictures, so I will divide the cruise up into segments so it doesn’t get too long. We will travel to Arles, back to Avignon, on to Viviers, then Tournon, Vienne and finally Lyon, France, where our journey ends. Come along with me as we revisit the magic of France and see so much of the countryside in this area. It’s absolutely beautiful and we loved every minute of it. When you’re on a cruise like this, you have to be prepared to keep moving, because each day is busy. We got up every morning by 7 or 7:30, had breakfast on the ship and then headed out by 9 to a morning excursion, which was about 3 hours long, then back to the ship for lunch. Viking includes one free excursion every day, mostly walking tours. The afternoon excursions (which most were optional and cost extra) left around 2 and returned to the ship by 5:30 or so and dinner was at 7. So as you can see, it’s a busy day if you opt for most of the excursions as we did.

Full Disclosure: This trip was hosted by Viking Cruise lines and they comped our cruise (for Mark and me). We did, however, pay for our pre-excursion to Nice and also paid for Mark’s air fare, incidentals and the optional shore excursions. As a Media person, the excursions were offered at 1/2 price when we booked after we arrived on the ship. It was such a fantastic experience and I can’t recommend Viking enough. This cruise was highly anticipated by us and did not disappoint in any way. We were so fortunate to be offered this opportunity and we are grateful for it. One reason we like Viking and other group travel tours is because as seniors, we don’t want to have to figure out all the logistics of a European adventure. It’s much more calming to have it all planned for you and all you have to do it show up. They did not ask me to write a certain amount of posts or have any stipulations on how I covered the trip, but I’m sharing the whole experience with you all in several posts. 

We did our first Viking River cruise 5 years ago and it was such a great experience. We knew what to expect this time and it brought back so many wonderful memories. The Viking longship is a floating island of comfort with sleek designs inside and a wonderful home away from home. It was a pleasure to be back on board, this time the Viking Buri.

It was pretty much exactly the same as the last time we cruised, with comfortable cabins and a nice balcony to enjoy. This room was a wonderful place to come back to at the end of the day.

The bathroom is small, but functional, with heated floors. Mark is a big guy so he has a little hard time fitting into the small shower, but made it work. The cabin stewards do a wonderful job of keeping things tidy and clean.

We were welcomed on board with a beautiful plate of fruit and a bottle of wine, which was a wonderful gesture. Thank you, Viking for giving us another memorable trip that will last a lifetime.

The view of the walled city of Avignon from our balcony. Longships typically are parked side by side in port and it’s very common to go through another ship when you’re exiting the ship, which we experienced all along the way.

All in all, a very comfortable place to rest our head at the end of a long day of sight-seeing.

We were happy to be on the longship at last!

As we walked around, I took a few shots of the common areas, so you can get an idea of how they are laid out. It’s a very compact ship, very clean, modern and beautiful.

The common areas were there to enjoy for all the passengers.

We were on the top  level of cabins and the dining room was one level below. I didn’t get a good picture of the dining room, but it’s really pretty.

Upstairs was the top of the ship which had some seating for nicer weather and also a few activities.

We didn’t really spend any time up here, because we were so busy with excursions every day, but I’m sure it was relaxing if you had extra time to spend.

Putting green and shuffleboard games were on top as well.

Our welcome aboard selfie.

There’s a nice little library in case you want to borrow a book while on board.

Up front on the ship is the Acquivit area, a more casual restaurant with comfy seating and lots of light.

As you can see, the views are amazing, with outdoor tables as well. We enjoyed our first evening in the lounge area, getting acquainted with some of our fellow passengers and then on to a delicious dinner. I’ll share some pics of the dinners on my posts as well. Viking has wonderful food and there was something different every day to choose from, so you never go hungry! We cast off from Avignon early the next morning and arrived in Arles. We will go back to Avignon next stop.

Our first excursion took us to Arles, a quaint and picturesque village in France not far from Avignon.  We learned about the history of Vincent van Gogh and how he lived in Arles, arriving there in 1888, to capture the light and vivid colors of southern France. During his 15 month stay in Arles, he created 300 paintings, some of his most inspired works and some of the most reproduced images in Western art.

This yellow house is known to be a house that Van Gogh rented while in Arles.

Walking around Arles was like stepping back in time. The villages in France reminded me so much of Italy as well, it has the same Old World feel and look. So beautiful!

These storied streets have so much history to tell.

I was walking around taking it all in and trying to capture what I saw.

Another interesting stop in Arles was Les Arenes: The Roman Amphitheater of Arles. Doesn’t this remind you of something else you’ve seen in Rome? Yes, it so resembles the Colosseum in Rome, but a smaller version. The amphitheater is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a well preserved Roman antiquity in France. The arena was built in the first century AD to seat 21,000 people, with gladiators fighting, wild beasts running, and chariot races. Today it’s used for bullfights which take place annually.

We really enjoyed seeing this structure up close and it’s amazing what the Roman Empire accomplished.

I’m so glad these sites have been restored and protected.

They are truly works of art to enjoy in person.

Looking down the steps from the arena to the town of Arles.

Mark really enjoys these type of tours with all the history involved.

I couldn’t get over all the stunning blue and shades of green shutters all over France. I took so many pictures, I’ll probably do a post just on those.

It’s no wonder that so many of us are fascinated by France and Italy, the scenery and history are amazing.

More blue shutters.

So many shades of blue shutters. I’m not sure why they choose blue so often, but I looked it up and got the answer that it’s to keep the spirits and haints away. Sort of like blue ceilings on a Southern porch are painted Haint Blue! I didn’t really know this, but now I do.

The blue shutters are certainly eye catching. You can see a few other colors, but blue is definitely predominant.

More Roman ruins in Arles.

This town was very enjoyable to walk around. Beauty and quaintness everywhere you look.

The town square was also stunning.

As always in these quaint towns, the outdoor cafes are abundant. I just love them! We need more of these in the US, don’t you think?

The French and Italians really celebrate eating outdoors and I’m all about that myself. No wonder I just bought some bistro chairs for our deck.

Lavender stems on a shutter.

From the Viking Daily: Arles is a delightful mix of the ancient, the traditional, and the modern and reveals beautifully preserved Roman sites and numerous Romanesque monuments. Excavation at the amphitheater uncovered many artifacts including the Venus d’Arles, now on display at the Louvre.

Arles’s economy remained strong until the advent of the railroad in the 19th century stripped it of its riverside clout. Today, the city has bounced back as a major river port. Though its economy stands largely on tourism and agriculture, it also boasts strong chemical, metal and paper manufacturing industries.

Our afternoon excursion that day took us to the countryside of Provence to a family owned olive farm. They make and sell their olive oils and tapenades.

It was very interesting to hear about this family business started by the parents, but now the daughter is a big part of the company and did the presentation.

They have their own chapel.

Inside where the olives are pressed.

The daughter (in green) and her mom shared the olive oil tasting with us as we sat beneath this huge old tree.

It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon and gave us a peek at the family owned businesses still thriving in Provence.

We stopped on the way back to the ship in Saint Remy de Provence, a lovely little village with shops and restaurants.

As the ship left that evening, this was one of the sights on the Rhone River.

I hope you enjoyed this first peek at our stops on the Viking River Rhone cruise. I have a lot more to share, so stay tuned for more!

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