How a Rhone River Cruise Ignited My Love for the South of France
The sound of drums and trumpets thunder through the medieval, pastel-painted alleyways of Arles, situated on the Rhône River. Bands of revelers in traditional costumes from around the South of France—women in bonnets and petticoats beneath parasols, men in tricorn hats and brocade trousers hoisting banners with regional insignia—smile at me as they march over the cobblestone streets in what could be a historical-drag parade for the ages.
The Costume Festival, held every summer, is but one of the charms of Arles, a small city near the Mediterranean Sea with nearly 3,000 years of history and plenty of inspiration for legendary artist Vincent van Gogh, who sketched and painted over 300 works during a one-year-stand in town. And it is in this former Phoenician trading port, replete with Roman amphitheater and 19th-century sidewalk cafés, where I start my journey north to Lyon on the storied Rhône River aboard the deluxe Emerald Cruises “star-ship,” Liberté.
Intimate at a maximum of 132 guests and plush with its attentive crew, inviting lounges, and spacious suites, the sleek Liberté slips under bridges and through canals with grace and ease. I particularly enjoyed the wide floor-to-ceiling windows of my suite that lowered to create my own private balcony, ideal for taking in the summer breeze or the perfect time-lapse shots along the river in solitude or with your boo.
And while the Rhône may not be as storied as the Thames, the Danube, or the Seine, it certainly is beautiful, its waters turquoise and sweet-smelling as they flow south from the Swiss Alps to the Mediterranean. It’s also central to the history of Europe and the Western world, as the next port of call—Avignon, just 40 km (24 miles) upriver—was a seat of the Roman Catholic Church through seven successive popes in the 14th century.
Lorded over by the immense Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), which easily could have been Judge Frollo’s winter residence, Avignon’s old walled city provides a dramatic backdrop for intrigue and adventure. As I roam the streets of the city, the buildings on both sides tall and imposing, I feel the importance of Avignon as a major center for power and commerce in the medieval period.
But it is back on the river where I feel freest, and where I can get in a little outdoor action. Led by Liberté‘s activities director, Dražen, an affable, well-traveled Croatian with an easy smile, several fellow cruisers and I shuttle by van upriver a couple of kilometers, only to kayak with the current past verdant trees and the faded hulks of river cruise liners repurposed as houseboats along the banks of the Rhône. With the warm sun on our arms, we paddle underneath the Pont d’Avignon of story and song, the stately stone bridge that once spanned both strands of the river at Avignon, but which fell apart over the centuries and—too expensive to keep up or rebuild—stands as a stunning if an incomplete monument to Avignon’s former glory. We wave at a few Liberté shipmates we spot up on the bridge, and I silently shade them for being too lazy to kayak on a river in France as they’re probably shading me for tanning to a crisp in the middle of a river in France.
After a scrumptious dinner in the Reflections Restaurant on the Vista Deck of Liberté—the menu a rotation of locally sourced vegetables, grilled meats and fish that cut like buttah, and wine if you like—I join a delightful group from various Anglophone nationalities for evening drinks on the terrace at the bow of the ship. We laugh and share stories as the ruby sunset turns to deep sapphire over the jewel-toned river, the French tricolor flapping in the breeze while Liberté glides north against the current and into the night.
The next morning, we wake up docked at the little town of Viviers, a quiet village straight out of Beauty and the Beast. A tree-lined avenue leads from the river into the heart of Viviers, where brightly colored fruits and vegetables glow from hampers at the farmer’s market, and the merchants at the boutiques and cafés in the main square nod and smile as I walk by.
All charm and atmosphere, Viviers shines with pastel colors and friendly townspeople, including the welcoming barista who patiently endured my fractured French as I ordered a café au lait and an eclair with chocolate mousse – diet be damned. While some cruisers take a walking tour of the town, Dražen leads another group of us on a hike up La Joannade, a forest trail leading to a hilltop statue of the Virgin Mary with a stunning vista of Viviers and the surrounding countryside, group selfies required.
Further north, the Rhône River twists and turns along the vineyards of Ardèche and through the town of Tournon, with its 16th-century castle and watchtowers standing sentry. I’m not a wine drinker myself, but I can’t help but be impressed by the staying power of an industry in the region for at least 2,000 years and it attracts connoisseurs around the globe. Finally, after several days of the warm Mediterranean sun, the clouds roll in and refreshing rain descends as some of us hike with Dražen and a local guide through the vineyards that sprawl over the undulating hills around Tournon.
As day breaks, the summer sun begins to rise high over Lyon, the second-largest metro area in France and one of the world’s renowned foodie capitals. Bustling with 2.3 million people and straddling the confluence of the Rhône and its principal tributary, the Saône (rhymes with Rhône), Lyon sucks me into its heart; I venture into the city alone while my shipmates take the guided tour. I find myself on the subway heading to Place Bellecour for some bona fide French shopping and a light lunch. Lyon is alive in the full bloom of summer, with multicultural groups of friends laughing and people-watching, chic matrons strolling with shopping bags or grandchildren in tow, and one-off travelers like me trying to look as local as possible while luxuriating in the city’s understated sophistication.
And as I walk down the Cours Charlemagne toward Liberté for dinner and commiserate with my shipmates, brand new scarf and hooded blazer tucked into my shopping bag, I commit then and there to return to the South of France every summer for the rest of my life.
