Tour begins: 6:30 PM, Hotel Martinez. A transfer is included from Nice Cote d'Azur International Airport and Cannes Train Station to the Hotel Martinez. Join a cocktail reception and dinner in the Mediterranean playground of Cannes.
Explore the south of France on a choice of sightseeing excursions today. Your first choice is an excursion that includes walking tours of Nice and Monte-Carlo plus a famed drive... mega-yachts from around the world bobbing in the bay... the rich, the famous, the jet setters... a casino world-renowned for its glamour... a real-life royal fairy-tale romance... it's all part of Nice and Monte-Carlo's magic spell... Alternatively, journey to the hills above Cannes for a visit to Grasse, one of the world's premiere centers for the perfume industry, and a visit to the picturesque walled town of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, a Provencal hilltop town that was built in the 13th century, for a walking tour - you'll be taken with its medieval look and easily understand why it became an artists' enclave. Return to Cannes late afternoon for the evening. ... Read More
Travel to lovely Aix-en-Provence; it's not hard to imagine great artists like Vincent van Gogh or Paul Cezanne at work amidst the spectrum of colors found in Provence as you view Mont Ste-Victoire and join your local guide for a walking tour among the fountains, squares, and medieval center. Early afternoon, travel to Arles, where you'll board ms Emerald and begin one of Tauck's most popular river cruises in France along the Rhone and the Saone. The crew welcomes you aboard with a reception followed by dinner this evening. ... Read More
Sunday - Apr 20, 2025
Day 4
Arles, France
Bus Travel
Camargue, France
Bus Travel
Arles, France
It may seem strange to encounter Roman ruins in Provence but Arles was, after all, once a Roman city; while the gladiators are gone, the arena they left behind - just one of the town's many Roman remnants. You have a choice today of exploring the medieval streets and city walls on a walking tour, or embarking on a challenging, 2-hour bicycling excursion across the countryside surrounding Arles (which Van Gogh found so enchanting). Lunch today is a real treat, as you visit a private ranch in La Camargue for a private banquet of farm-grown Provencal specialties, a musical serenade, and a chance to see the region's iconic white horses, fleet-footed gardians (cowboys), and famous black bulls. ... Read More
Monday - Apr 21, 2025
Day 5
Avignon, France
Bus Travel
Zeilzicht Cheese Farm, Netherlands
Bus Travel
Avignon, France
The fortified city of Avignon was probably a much more peaceful place before Rome became "inconvenient" for the popes who moved the papacy here about 700 years ago. Although they stayed for less than a century, they kept busy during those years... as you'll see on your visit to the impressive Palais des Papes that they built for themselves during this morning's sightseeing in this key medieval city. After a free afternoon aboard ship, travel to the Duchy of Uzes - a medieval city dating back to the 11th century, often called the "First Duchy of France", that forms the heart of the town of Uzes - for a guided visit followed by a cocktail reception and a Tauck Exclusive gala dinner at the recently restored chateau. ... Read More
Tuesday - Apr 22, 2025
Day 6
Avignon, France
Bus Travel
St Remy, France
Bus Travel
Avignon, France
Bus Travel
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Landing, France
With your riverboat docked in Avignon for the morning, you can spend more time exploring the medieval city or take a morning excursion to Saint-Remy-de-Provence - home to the ruins of the Roman city of Glanum, as well as the Saint-Paul Asylum where Vincent van Gogh was a patient. After returning to the ship for lunch onboard, head out again for an afternoon wine tasting at one of the select vineyards permitted to produce Chateauneuf-du-Pape - literally "the New Castle of the Pope" - the most famous of the Cotes du Rhone wines; your host reveals secrets of the terroir as you sample estate-crafted red and white wines from a region that's been producing wine for more than 2,500 years! Catch up with the riverboat in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and spend the evening onboard. ... Read More
Wednesday - Apr 23, 2025
Day 7
Tain L'Hermitage, France
Arrive this morning in Tain-l'Hermitage, deep in the heart of the Cotes du Rhone wine country, where you'll have a choice of two sightseeing excursions this morning. Visit a local orchard (with tastings) and take a mini-train through the Tain-l'Hermitage heritage vineyards. Or, go on a fascinating 2.5-mile hike through the heritage vineyards of Tain-l'Hermitage, where you'll learn about the history of the region's wine. Reboard the riverboat midday and spend the remainder of the day cruising to Macon. ... Read More
Thursday - Apr 24, 2025
Day 8
Macon, France
Bus Travel
Cluny, France
Bus Travel
Macon, France
Your riverboat arrives in Macon on the Saone River this morning, for exploration in Cluny. During the reign of Charlemagne (768-814), monastic influences inspired a great revival in art, education, and culture; today you'll visit one of the great monasteries of the period when you tour the great Benedictine abbey of Cluny. Founded in 910, it was at the center of this major monastic reform movement and was also the largest Christian building in the world until the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. After some free time to explore Cluny on your own, reboard your riverboat and cruise to Chalon-sur-Saone. ... Read More
Friday - Apr 25, 2025
Day 9
Chalon-sur-Saone, France
Bus Travel
Beaune, France
Bus Travel
Chalon-sur-Saone, France
Chalon-sur-Saone on the River Saone lies in the heart of southern Burgundy. Although its history dates back to the time of Charlemagne, it has another significant claim to fame - this is considered the birthplace of photography. So you have local inventor Nicephore Niepce, who started it all with several photographic firsts right here in the 1820s, to thank for the great photos of the town's Romanesque churches and other monuments. Visit the walled city of Beaune - the "wine capital" of the famous Burgundy wine-producing region, and one of France's most important wine centers. A walking tour includes a visit to Hospices de Beaune or Hotel-Dieu de Beaune, considered one of the best-preserved examples of 15th-century French architecture; you may also see the old market (Les Halles), the Beffroi (clock tower), parts of the medieval walls and ramparts, and more. This afternoon, you have a choice of wine tasting in Burgundy or a walking tour (and tasting tour) of Chalon-sur-Saone, including a stop at the bakery, the chocolate shop, and a mustard shop. ... Read More
Saturday - Apr 26, 2025
Day 10
Tournus, France
Bus Travel
Cormatin, France
Bus Travel
Tournus, France
After cruising the Saone overnight, ms Emerald calls on Tournus this morning, from which you'll head out to explore the beautiful wine producing region of southern Burgundy, where history lies around every corner (this was a major crossroads during Roman times), and vineyards are everywhere. Picture in your mind what a typical French vineyard looks like... and then view the most amazing landscape that surrounds you for miles and miles. Vineyards, gently rolling hills, orchards, red-tiled farmhouses, medieval cathedrals, the occasional village to stop in... and historic country estates like the 17th-century Chateau de Cormatin, which you'll explore on a visit today. With its moat, drawbridge, turrets, gilded rooms, and parklike grounds - including the mazes and fountains of its completely restored "pleasure garden" that's now among the finest in France - this classic Burgundy chateau takes you back through the centuries. Return to the riverboat in Tournus for lunch, and continue your cruise this afternoon and evening to France's culinary capital, Lyon. ... Read More
Sunday - Apr 27, 2025
Day 11
Lyon, France
Ahh, Lyon. If you're a serious foodie, Lyon is the place for you! But of course there is more to this 2,000-year-old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, than food. Your day includes getting a panoramic view of Lyon from the hilltop district of Fourviere; a visit to the stunning Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-Fourviere - built in the 1870s on "the hill that prays", it features exquisite marble work, stained-glass windows, colorful mosaics, and gilt galore; a tour of medieval Vieux Lyon; and a free afternoon to explore more of the city as you please. As your riverboat spends the night docked in Lyon, join a farewell reception followed by dinner and onboard entertainment. ... Read More
Monday - Apr 28, 2025
Day 12
Lyon, France
Cruise Ends
Land Segment of Itinerary
Day 12 - Monday - Apr 28, 2025
Day 12
Bus Travel
Annecy, France
Bus Travel
Geneva, Switzerland
Bid your riverboat au revoirs this morning as your travels to Geneva begin. Arrive in the alpine town of Annecy, known for its lake and its mountains - its setting is where Lake Annecy feeds into the Thiou River. The town itself is amazing, like something out of a storybook; the word "picturesque" doesn't do it justice. Join a local guide for a walking tour along its cobblestone streets, viewing the Old Town set beside flower-bordered canals and boasting colorful houses; 2,000 years of history unfold. Mid-afternoon, following some free time to explore, travel to Geneva for a two-night stay. ... Read More
Land Segment of Itinerary
Tuesday - Apr 29, 2025
Day 13
Geneva, Switzerland
Land Travel
Chamonix, France
Land Travel
Geneva, Switzerland
Today is a day of choice as to how you'll explore. You can join a walking tour of Geneva that includes a visit to the Old Town, followed by travels outside the city to the lovely medieval village of Yvoire. Alternatively, travel to the world-renowned resort town of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc; travel by cable car from Chamonix town (3,396 feet / 1,035 meters) to the top of Aiguille du Midi at 12,605 feet for breath-taking views of the Alps and Chamonix below, followed by time at leisure in Chamonix. Your third option is to travel to Chamonix and enjoy a scenic 3.2-mile-long (5 kilometers) cog train ride up the forested slopes of the Mont Blanc massif to the viewing point of the famous glacier called Mer de Glace ("Sea of Ice"). Featuring a beautiful refuge hotel built in 1880 to welcome the first mountaineers and travelers who came to visit the Mer de Glace (and renovated in 2017), Mer de Glace offers stunning views of a glacier, the dramatic valley that it carved out, and the jagged snow-covered mountain tops that feed the glaciers - the Mer de Glace valley is regarded as the longest and largest glacier in France, and the second-longest in the Alps. Everyone returns to Geneva late afternoon; enjoy a farewell reception and dinner at your hotel. ... Read More
Land Segment of Itinerary
Wednesday - Apr 30, 2025
Day 14
Geneva, Switzerland
Tour ends: 8 AM, Geneva. Fly home anytime. A transfer from the InterContinental Geneve to Geneva Airport or Gare de Geneve is included. Please allow a minimum of three hours for flight check-in.
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