Active & Discovery on the Rhône & Seine (Northbound) 2027
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With a delicious menu of culturally immersive experiences, an Avalon Active & Discovery cruise on the Rhone and Seine serves up joie de vivre at every port. History meets happiness as you decide how to savor the castles, croissants, châteaux, and chèvre of fabulous France from Arles to Paris.You’re in the driver’s seat, from bicycle seat to kayak seat to front row seat for culinary or cocktail workshops with hands-on experiences in gastronomy and beyond! This is your tour de France with sights and delights around every corner. Provence presents the ultimate field of dreams with row upon row of bursting purple haze. With its abundant menu of immersive experiences from Lyon to Arles, while the Seine serves up joie de vivre at every port. History meets happiness as you decide how to savor the castles, croissants, châteaux, and chèvre of fabulous France with Classic, Active, and Discovery experiences. Move.Enjoy a little get-up-and-go on your cruising vacation when you:•Say “oui” and “whee” on a bicycle tour through the heart of Paris. •Paddle a kayak past the timbered houses, 12th century castles and gothic church of charming Vernon. •Hop on an E-bike for a leisurely tour of the impressive Château de Maisons-Lafitte.•Join an urban hike through Lyon’s secret passageways for a glimpse into the city’s 19th-century silk trade. •Take in the panoramic views from the seat of a rail bike along the descent of the Gorges du Doux. •Cool off with a special underground wine tasting accompanied by a cave guide and winemaking expert.And be moved.Get off the beaten path and relish the world when you:•Whip up sweet Chantilly cream with the culinary experts on the even sweeter Chantilly Castle grounds.•Stop and smell the roses as you stroll through the home and gardens of master impressionist Claude Monet.•Shake it up at a Benedictine cocktail workshop at the palace where the world-famous liqueur is made. •Join a cooking class in the gastronomic capital of Lyon and make your own Lyonnaise specialty.•Discover how essential oils are created at an authentic Provencal farmhouse.•Mimic the brushstrokes of Van Gogh in a painting workshop in Arles where the artist created some of his most famous works. Plus, Classic sightseeing is always available in every port along the way.Activate your senses and discover a world of wonder in all-new, entirely “you” ways on your personal, passion-packed cruise along the Rhone and Seine Rivers.
- Day 1ARLES, FRANCE (EMBARKATION)Tue, Sep 21, 2027Welcome to France. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding. Fights into Marseille must arrive by 3 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.Evening sailing to Port St. LouisOVERNIGHT DOCKING IN PORT ST. LOUIS(D)
- Day 2PORT-SAINT-LOUISWed, Sep 22, 2027Oysters and Flamingos on the Rhône DeltaVisit the Adventure Center for today’s activities with your Adventure Host.ACTIVE Take a Guided Bike Ride through the Camargue Natural Park with an eye out for more than 400 bird species—including pink flamingos—along the trails of the Mediterranean’s Rhône delta, OR:DISCOVERY Enjoy a taste of local life with a visit to an oyster farm in the Camargue Natural Park on a Guided Tour, and enjoy an oyster tasting and learn how this delicacy is farmed, OR:DISCOVERY Visit one of France’s most popular and pristine nature reserves on this memorable visit to a traditional black bull ranch in Camargue Regional Nature Park! Cruise to Arles to prepare for tomorrow’s exciting activities. Later, enjoy onboard live entertainment.OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN ARLES(B,L,D)
- Day 3ARLESThu, Sep 23, 2027A Master Painter and a Matador in Provence ACTIVE Experience the legends of Val d’Enfer with a Guided Hike; an area taking its name from the unique white limestone rock formations, OR: DISCOVERY Attend a Painting Workshop to learn techniques of Vincent van Gogh. Create your own painting in the style of the legendary artist, OR: CLASSIC Join a Guided Sightseeing Tour of Arles to get to know this charming town, including a visit with a local bullfighter to learn about the secrets and traditions handed down through generations.This afternoon, enjoy free time to shop, stroll, or just relax in a lovely park along Arles’ Boulevard des Lices. EVENING CRUISE TO AVIGNON(B,L,D)
- Day 4AVIGNONFri, Sep 24, 2027Pedals, Palaces, and Perfumes in ProvenceACTIVE Join a Guided Kayak Excursion through the waters of Pont du Gard—the highest of all elevated Roman aqueducts, OR:DISCOVERY Visit an authentic Provencal farmhouse for a delightful experience to fill your senses as you see how essential oils are created, OR:CLASSIC Take a Guided Sightseeing Tour of Avignon, including a visit to the world’s largest gothic fortress—the 14th-century Palace Of the Popes. Also, enjoy a tasting of local products while exploring Les Halles’ covered market.This afternoon, you may choose to join a Guided Optional Tour of the famed wine cellars of Châteauneuf-du-Pape for a wine tasting, or you may opt for a Guided Optional E-Bike Ride through Gard region.You may choose to spend free time exploring Avignon—known as the heart of Provence. Take a leisurely stroll or a bike ride through the tree-lined streets and leafy squares within Avignon’s medieval walls.OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AVIGNON(B,L,D)
- Day 5VIVIERSSat, Sep 25, 2027River Gorge Kayaks and Underground Wines Sail through the soaring walls of Lock Bollène on your way to Viviers. ACTIVE Immerse yourself in the scenery with a Guided Kayak Trip in the Gorges de l’Ardèche in the spectacular canyons of this Rhône tributary, OR: ACTIVE Join a Guided Excursion for a surprising underground wine tasting—under the direction of an expert Speleologist (cave guide) and an oenologist (wine-making expert), OR:DISCOVERY Visit a traditional truffle farm to see a harvesting demonstration by the farmer’s dog; meet a truffle-producer to hear about the process of cultivating these culinary delicacies and taste delicious truffle carpaccio and truffled toast, OR:CLASSIC Explore the pale-stone buildings of Viviers on a late afternoon Guided Walking Tour of this charming village. You’ll see its Romanesque cathedral and Old Town with a mix of historical Christian, Roman, and medieval influences.OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO TOURNON/TAIN L’HERMITAGE(B,L,D)
- Day 6TOURNON/TAIN L’HERMITAGESun, Sep 26, 2027Chocolatiers and Railway Engineers Join your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.ACTIVE For a unique experience and panoramic views, join a Guided Excursion this morning on a rail-bike along the descent of the Gorges du Doux, OR: DISCOVERY Have a true “chocolate experience” with a tour of the Valrhona Chocolate Factory and Museum, OR:CLASSIC Take a Guided Sightseeing Tour of Tournon—twin city to Tain-l’Hermitage and one of France’s oldest medieval cities. You’ll see its imposing 16th-century castle.DISCOVERY Join a Cooking Demonstration and learn how to prepare a Lyonnaise treat while sailing to Lyon.OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN LYON(B,L,D)
- Day 7LYONMon, Sep 27, 2027A Festival of Colors, Aromas, and Taste ACTIVE Take a Guided Urban Hiking through Lyon’s secret passageways (Traboules) for a glimpse into the city’s 19th-century silk trade, OR:DISCOVERY Take a Guided Culinary Walk through Lyon to discover architecture and local specialties in a festival of colors, aromas and taste—exclusive for Avalon guests, OR: DISCOVERY Join our Cooking Class to learn to make your own Lyonnaise specialty.This evening, enjoy Lyon’s vibrant nightlife on your own after dinner. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN LYON(B,L,D)
- Day 8LYON (DISEMBARKATION)–PARIS (EMBARKATION)Tue, Sep 28, 2027On to ParisThis afternoon, take a high-speed train from Dijon to Paris to board your Suite Ship®.EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO VERNON(B,D)
- Day 9LA ROCHE GUYONWed, Sep 29, 2027Monet’s Muses, Castle Courtyards, and Crêpes du JourACTIVE Spend a fun and active day kayaking. Join an expert guide and paddle your way through areas accessible only by water, OR:DISCOVERY Delight in Guided Tour of Giverny, home and inspiration of the master impressionist painter Claude Monet. Walk the grounds and see Monet’s charming residence, and the flower and water gardens captured in his masterpieces, OR:DISCOVERY Take a Guided Tour to one of France’s most remarkable castles—Château de La Roche-Guyon, perched on the picturesque chalk cliffs overlooking the village of La Roche-Guyon; during the visit, enjoy a tasting of local products.DISCOVERY While sailing, enjoy a traditional French luncheon of authentic French crêpes.This afternoon, enjoy a beautiful cruise to the picturesque town of Les Andelys. LES ANDELYSSerenity on the Seine’s Most Beautiful RiverbendsACTIVE Join a Guided Hike up to the castle ruins of Château Gaillard—historic home of King Richard the Lionheart and a masterpiece of medieval military architecture, OR:CLASSIC Take a Guided Walking Tour of Les Andelys—one of France’s most picturesque spots on the Seine. Visit Saint Sauveur’s Church of Le Petit Andely.DISCOVERY Enjoy an Onboard Lecture about the days before and after the Normandy landing of D-Day.EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO CAUDEBEC(B,L,D)
- Day 10CAUDEBEC. EXCURSION TO NORMANDYThu, Sep 30, 2027Bravery on Normandy Beaches DISCOVERY Travel to Fecamp to visit the Palais Bénédictine where the world-famous Bénédictine liquor is made. Enjoy a short Self-Guided Tour followed by a cocktail workshop focused on the famous liquor. Enjoy a photo stop in Étretat to capture breathtaking views over the cliffs of the Alabaster Coast en route back to Caudebec, OR:CLASSIC Join a Guided Visit to the WWII landing beaches of Normandy. Take a full-day tour of significant U.S. sites, including Omaha Beach, the Pointe du Hoc monument, and the American Cemetery, OR: CLASSIC Take a full-day Guided Tour of the British and Canadian commemorative sites, including the British cemetery, Pegasus Memorial, the seaside town of Arromanches, the Juno Beach Center, and the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery.Enjoy onboard live entertainment after dinner, while sailing to RouenEVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ROUEN(B,L,D)
- Day 11ROUENFri, Oct 01, 2027The Cathedral of Notre-Dame and a Heroine for France ACTIVE Pedal your way through hundreds of years of history on this Guided Bike Tour around Rouen, OR: CLASSIC Join a Guided Visit to the magnificent Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen to marvel at masterpieces in fine art. Be awed by one of the most outstanding collections of art in France—from the works of Rubens, Monet, Degas, and countless other masters, OR:CLASSIC Take a Guided Walking Tour of Rouen—home of the martyred Saint Joan of Arc—and see the medieval quarter with its 16th-century Astronomical Clock, and Notre-Dame Cathedral. In the afternoon, you're free to explore the city on your own.DISCOVERY Enjoy a fascinating presentation on art and impressionism with an onboard lecture.OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN ROUEN(B,L,D)
- Day 12ROUENSat, Oct 02, 2027Heritage and Nature Visit the Adventure Center for today’s activities with your Adventure Host.CLASSIC Join a Guided Visit to the magnificent Château de Bonnemare, a Renaissance castle amid serene natural beauty in the heart of Normandy.EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO CONFLANS(B,L,D)
- Day 13CONFLANSSun, Oct 03, 2027The Footsteps of Van Gogh and Bonaparte Join your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.ACTIVE This Guided E-bike Tour will take you to the Château de Maisons-Lafitte where you will enjoy a special snack, OR:DISCOVERY Prepare your own Chantilly cream on the grounds of Chantilly Castle, OR:CLASSIC Join a Guided Tour of Auvers-sur-Oise, and walk in the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh, who lived, worked, and is buried here. See the landscapes and village scenes captured in his paintings, OR: CLASSIC Take a Guided tour of the opulent Château de Malmaison—home of Napoléon Bonaparte and his wife Josephine.Enjoy an afternoon sailing to Paris. This evening, enjoy dinner and live entertainment on board your ship after dinner. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN PARIS(B,L,D)
- Day 14PARISMon, Oct 04, 2027Cafés, Cathedrals, and Canvases—The City of Lights Truly ShinesACTIVE Hop on a bike to explore Paris like a local on this enjoyable guided tour through its sights, mesmerizing history, and incredible ambiance, OR:DISCOVERY Immerse yourself on our Food and Cultural Tour of Paris where you will find out why the French food and culinary tradition has been even added to the UNESCO heritage list, OR: CLASSIC Join a Guided Sightseeing, which will show you magnificent must-see sights.This afternoon, you may stroll through Paris on your own or linger over wine in a literary café on the Left Bank. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN PARIS(B,L,D)
- Day 15PARIS (DISEMBARKATION)Tue, Oct 05, 2027Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
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Inclusions
•In the event of technical or water level issues, it may be necessary to operate the itinerary by motorcoach or alter the program, including hotel overnight when necessary.
•Guided Tours, Optional Excursions, activities, sailing and docking schedules may be contingent on weather conditions or other issues outside of our control and could therefore be subject to change at any time.
•Please check visa requirements with your local consulate(s); responsibility for obtaining visas rests with the traveler.
Accommodation Information
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The accommodations were very spacious and appealing. The crew and staff excellent and attentive. The menu at at night was varied and the food was very good. Tours were well organized and the guides very knowledgeable.
Absolutely pleased with the Avalon experience.
As a past Viking traveler, with this being my first Avalon trip, I still favor Viking. Both river cruise experiences were comparable but there were some procedural differences that I feel were handled better with Viking. I would travel with either cruise line in the future based on price and/or itinerary.
This was my fifth river cruise with Avalon, and I’ve loved everyone of them. The ship is beautifully designed for travelers; the staff is efficient, enthusiastic, and accommodating; the local guides are knowledgeable; and the food is quite good. I definitely would embark on another cruise with Avalon.
This is our third river cruise with Avalon Waterways and they have done an outstanding job on every cruise. Will recommend them without hesitation.
The trip was absolutely perfect. I have a long experience with Globus (17 trips) and more recently with Avalon Waterways (4 cruises), and I have never considered using another company because of the outstanding quality of the staff, the professionalism and helpfulness of everyone involved and the outstanding nature of activities. They are simply the best.
While our cabin had a 4 pm check-in, we were given a room as soon as we arrived... a nice perk after an overnight flight! This was our second time on an Avalon cruise and we noticed improvements in on-board electronic communications, kiosks, and TV displays with daily information. This cruise also included a daily happy hour.
Great food, beautiful scenery, friendly staff and travelers with similar travel plans make for a amazing vacation. I highly recommend it.
The staff was welcoming and accommodating to all our needs. They made the trip extremely pleasureable.
Was a great trip
We've sailed with Avalon before and love their ships.
Dinner, as with all river cruises, was later than we like. It became a matter of either eating dinner or managing to sleep. The food was good but not good enough to pass on sleeping.
Love Avalon river cruises. This was our third and we love it!!
Our river cruise was excellent especially visiting Omaha Beach which was the highlight of the whole experience. We enjoy meeting people from all over the world. The food was superb and our room was very comfortable.
All good. Stop at a gift shop in Normandy would be nice.
Avalon tours run smoothly. The ships, food, excursions, etc. are all first class.
Great trip, great service, couldn't visit Rouen because of a chemical fire, which we really missed. Had to stay on the boat at another small town because of this issue. Would have rather sailed more. This trip was pricey but we enjoyed it. Trip was suppose to include WiFi on the coaches but we did not have access to WiFi at all.
The entire trip was incredible with the exception of one excursion. We not only took this trip for our 50th Anniversary but the experience of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day was of equal importance as my wife and I both had relatives involved in the campaign. The excursion for that purpose was a tremendous disappointment. The entire day was dedicated for that excursion, so we anticipated we would stop for lunch. During the morning leg of the tour we made a stop for more than an hour at the British landing area to basically go to a museum and as the tour guide suggested, to shop for souvenirs. Lunch wound up being another long drawn out affair as we had a three course meal with coffee which encompassed more than another hour. In my opinion a box lunch with a beverage would have been totally appropriate and saved a lot of time. As we started our afternoon travel, the tour guide started complaining that we were behind schedule and would have to make up time somewhere. When we finally arrived at Omaha Beach, which should have been the focal point of the day, we were told we had to be back on the bus in 15 minutes. Mostly everyone on the bus were irritated at this announcement. As we entered Omaha Beach we passed what looked to be large museum with lots of artifacts in front. We drove right past it on the way in and again on the way out. This entire day tour was entirely mismanaged and poorly timed out. We did not go on this particular excursion to go shopping or for a 3 course meal as our priority. Our priority was to spend the majority of our time experiencing the D-Day Anniversary, Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. Very sad to not get what we expected.
We had a wonderful time on this trip. I am an experienced traveler although this was my first River Cruise. Rest assured it won't be my last. Ed has traveled in this country, but this was his first overseas adventure. He can't wait to go back. My only criticism is I would have preferred the extra days at the end of the trip instead of the beginning. After being awake all night(I don't sleep on planes), we were in no shape to tour museums, and they are closed on Mondays. If our two days were at the end of the trip, we would not have been tired on arriving from the ship and in better shape to tour that day. Other than that, we couldn't have been happier. The crew, the accommodations, the food, and the tours were all excellent. We are planning on making our next trip on Avalon.
I did not like that the back of the boat had a private party sign posted at least twice and may more so I could not access the coffe station and pastries. This is why I gave Avalon a agree instead of a strongly agree. Maybe I would try another cruise line.
Absolutely wonderful cruise!!! Accommodations were lovely and service by all crew was beyond what one might ever expect. The food was incredible and the waiters were so much fun. The excursions were very good! This historian who was on the cruise was extremely knowledgeable and the evening lectures very good!
A very well tenet mean and courteous staff that is willing to see to tour every need.
Vivian was wonderful - top notch for her service. She answered emails on weekends and days off. Could not have asked for more.
Avalon Tapestry II is a beautiful ship w generous rooms and balcony windows. Staff is courteous and very helpful.
We were treated like royalty! Everything was wonderful from start to finish. Lots of time to just relax and enjoy the view as we floated by.
Transportation from Paris airport to boat was delayed by at least an hour and no one could tell us why Little disappointed with food on the ship
While the crew, ship and itinerary met and sometimes exceeded my expectations, booking another trip with Avalon would depend on price and itinerary offered.
Avalon rocks!! After the flooding in Paris made it impossible to proceed with the published itinerary, we were give the choice to leave & receive a full refund or embark on a modified itinerary at a large discount. We chose to remain and are very glad we did. The staff went out of their way to ensure we still had a wonderful time and did it in a very organized & efficient manner. We will definitely travel with them again.
This was our 3rd Avalon cruise and hopefully will not be our last. Great company!
Avalon's Tapestry II is a new ship that reflects improvementrs over their earlier ships. These improvements are quite positive, from the increase in size of the rooms to the increase in size of the Bathrooms, all very difficult to accomplish on a River Ship that is limited in it's overrall size due to the Locks it must negoptiate on the Rivers. The Staff was warm, friendly and helpful and the food was very good..
Everything went exactly as planned and we really enjoyed the experience. The tour director and all of the guides were exceedingly helpful and the towns and sites that we visited were just excellent. We will definitely recommend this trip and Affordable Tours. Thank you
We had a wonderful time and we look forward to our next trip overseas. Thank you for assisting us on our Danube River Cruise, we cannot wait until our next trip!
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Everything was fantastic!!