Rhone River Cruises

Explore the sun-drenched south of France on one of our specially selected Rhone river cruises through Burgundy and Provence. Enjoy sailing through this picturesque region, renowned for its fine wines, gastronomic delights and historic towns.

Moor in medieval Avignon near its famous bridge and visit neighbouring Arles, famous for its well-preserved amphitheatre and Van Gogh connection. Visit the prestigious vineyards of Tournon and Tain l’Hermitage on the banks of the Rhone and voyage to Lyon, gastronomic capital of France.


Cruise Collection

Burgundy and Provence on Avalon Poetry II
7 Night Cruise Only from £2228 pp On board Avalon Poetry II
Avignon

Special OfferExclusive special early booking discounts on 2025 cruises - call us for details!

Port St. Louis (France), Arles - Avignon, Viviers, Tournon - Vienne, Lyon, Tournus - St. Jean de Losne

Colours of Provence
7 Night Fly Cruise from £4766 pp On board AmaKristina
Lyon

Special OfferExclusive special early booking discounts on 2025 cruises - call us for details!

Lyon, Vienne, Tournon-sur-Rhône - Viviers, Avignon, Arles

Essence of Burgundy & Provence
7 Night Fly Cruise from £4565 pp On board AmaCello
Chalon-Sur-Saône

Special OfferExclusive special early booking discounts on 2025 cruises - call us for details!

Chalon-sur-Saône (France) , Chalon-sur-Saône - Tournus , Tournus - Macon , Mâcon - Villefranche-sur-Saône - Lyon , Lyon - Vienne , Vienne - Valence , Avignon - Arles

Highlights of Burgundy and Provence
7 Night Rail Cruise from £1599 pp On board a choice of ships
Vienne

Special OfferExclusive special early booking discounts on 2025 cruises - call us for details!

UK - Lyon (France), Chalon - Beaune, Vienne - Tournon, Ardeche Gorges, Arles, Avignon, Avignon - UK

Sensations of Southern France
7 Night Cruise Only from £1897 pp On board Emerald Liberte
Lyon

Special OfferExclusive special early booking discounts on 2025 cruises - call us for details!

Lyon, Chalon-sur-Saône – Beaune, Lyon, Tournon, Viviers , Avignon, Arles, Arles - Marseille

Discover the Rhine & Rhone Rivers
15 Night Cruise Only from £5890 pp On board a choice of ships
Mannheim

Special OfferExclusive special early booking discounts on 2025 cruises - call us for details!

Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Cologne , Koblenz, Mannheim – Heidelberg, Kehl – Strasbourg, Breisach, Basel - Lyon , Chalon-sur-Saône – Beaune, Lyon, Tournon, Viviers , Avignon, Arles, Arles - Marseille

Flavors of Burgundy
7 Night Fly Cruise from £4981 pp On board AmaCello
Macon Vineyard

Special OfferExclusive special early booking discounts on 2025 cruises - call us for details!

Dijon, Seurre, Chalon-sur-Saône, Tournus, Mâcon, Lyon

South of France with Highlights of Paris
13 Night Cruise Only from £5231 pp On board Scenic Sapphire
Chalon Sur Saone Swans

Special OfferExclusive special early booking discounts on 2025 cruises - call us for details!

Paris, Paris > Lyon, Lyon > Tournus, Chalon-sur-Saône, Tain l’Hermitage, Avignon, Tarascon, Viviers, Lyon

Burgundy and Provence
7 Night Fly Cruise from £3149 pp On board SS Catherine
Lyon

UK - Arles (France) , Avignon , Viviers , Tournon (Tain-l’Hermitage) , Lyon , Mâcon (Beaune) , Lyon - UK

Highlights of the Rhone Valley
5 Night Cruise Only from £968 pp On board a choice of ships
Lyon

Lyon (France), Arles, Arles - Port Saint Louis - Martigues, Avignon - Viviers, Viviers - Tain L'Hermitage, Lyon


About River Rhone Cruises

On the Saone, visit Beaune, centre of the Burgundy wine growing region, noted for the medieval Hospice de Dieu with its extraordinary tiled roof. Travelling south reach the city of Lyon, France’s second largest city, famed for its cuisine, roman remains and fascinating medieval quarters.

Further south are Tain l’Hermitage and Tournon in the wine growing areas around the Rhone, and the medieval village of Viviers overlooking the gorge of Donzere. Avignon was home to seven medieval Popes - the Palace of the Popes and the famous Pont d’Avignon are voyage highlights.

Arles is famous for its superbly preserved Roman ampitheatre, and as the inspiration for the paintings of Vincent van Gogh. Other possible excursions may include the Camargue, the marshland haunt of flamingoes, white horses and black bulls, or perhaps the Mediterranean coast.

Hospice de Dieu, Beaune

Rhone RiverHighlights

Here are a few highlights of a cruise along the Rhone river:

  • Arles and its incredible Roman amphitheatre
  • Spectacular 14th-century Palace of the Popes in Avignon
  • Pretty town of Chalon-sur-Saone in the Cote Chalonnaise wine region
  • Gastronomic city of Lyon, home to the Basilica of Notre Dame
  • Macon, gateway to the renowned Beaujolais and Maconnais wine regions
  • Alluring riverside village of Viviers
  • Lyon, France’s grand culinary capital
  • The beautiful Old Town in the walled city of Viviers
  • Picturesque Tournon, overlooked by an impressive 16th-century castle
  • The ancient fortified town of Tarascon

Rhone Cruise Reviews

Leisurely France
★★★★★ by Stuart

Courtesy of Avalon Waterways my wife and I have just returned from a superb cruise along the Rhone and Saone rivers from Port St Lois in the South to Chalon and then Paris in the North.

The trip started with their super efficient home pick-up service and a short flight to Nice. From there we went to Monacco and a night in the well positioned Fairmont Hotel. The following day, after a morning sight seeing we were transferred to Avalon Scenery moored in Port St Louis.

Anyone who has travelled with Avalon will know that their attention to detail and five star facilities are a hard act to follow. Suffice to say that from our accommodation on the Royal Deck to the quality of food and the friendly staff we felt like royalty. A special mention must go to Jean Loup, the cruise director, who was excellent.

The programme of trips was very good with as much or as little as you wished.

My only complaint was that all too soon it was time to go home - but not without one last unmissable memory, a trip to the Moulin Rouge - fantastic.

Thanks Avalon, we will be travelling with you again.

Avalon Scenery Provence
★★★★★ by Joyfletch

We have just returned from a wonderful holiday on board the Avalon Scenery.

The ship, the food and the service was excellent. What we were disappointed with were the distances travelled from our overnight stay in Monaco to the ship, and then from Chalon to Paris for our return. Possibly in the future we would travel directly to the ship instead of having the overnight stay that is included in the holiday.

On the whole we would recommend Avalon as an excellent company with which to travel.

What A Wonderful Life! - The Rhone In August!
★★★★★ by Tedfoster

We have just returned from an excellent cruise on the Camargue.  Everything about the holiday was wonderful.  The food was delicious, the cabins well equipped, and the staff, especially Caroline the Purser and Radia the Hostess, did everything to make you feel welcome.  There were only seven english on board, and we were treated very specially.  The ports of call were excellent, our only complaint is that we did not have enough time in each! Still, that will probably make us go back! The excursions were very interesting, and good value for money.  All in all, a wonderful cruise, would recommend it to anyone, and we will certainly go on another one in the near future.