Burgundy down to Provence

Lyon to the Camargue The Rhône & Saône

Two rivers meet at Lyon, and almost every week here turns on that city. Above it lie Burgundy and Beaujolais; below it, terraced vineyards and then Provence, Roman and papal.

Plan my Rhône cruise See the six itineraries

14 lockslarge-gauge, over 330 km from Lyon to the sea
8–19 MarCNR's 2026 navigation stoppage for lock maintenance
23 mthe drop at Bollène lock, in Provence
from $2,899Viking Lyon & Provence 2027, cruise-only, Fall Sale to 31 Oct 2026

Independent · no paid placementFacts checked October 21, 2026Sources listed belowCLIA-affiliated advisors

The verdict

Sail the Rhône for wine and Provence

Wine week
Roman Provence
Lavender season
Burgundy to Avignon

Choose it if

Wine travellers following the vineyards from Beaujolais to Châteauneuf-du-Pape
History lovers drawn to Roman Vienne and the Popes' Palace in Avignon
Summer travellers who want lavender, autumn travellers who want the grapes

Look elsewhere if

Anyone wanting a Paris round trip: the Seine starts and ends there
March travellers whose dates fall inside the CNR lock closure
Anyone expecting to sail into the Camargue; it's mostly by coach

The Rhône is a wine week first — Burgundy above Lyon, terraced vineyards below, and Provence waiting at the end.

Seabound Journeys on the Rhône

Overview

What the Rhône does best

A Rhône week is a wine week before it's anything else. The lines sell it as Burgundy and Provence, and the excursions follow the vineyards from Beaujolais to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

History carries the rest. Vienne keeps a Roman amphitheatre, and Avignon the Palace of the Popes.

Lyon is the hinge. Most lines embark there or at the southern end — Avignon for Viking and Riverside, Arles for AmaWaterways and Uniworld.

Below Lyon the river is a staircase of big locks run by CNR, the Compagnie Nationale du Rhône. They shape the calendar more than the weather does.

The stretches run north to south, the way most brochures draw them. Itineraries, season and fares follow, with the berths on the Lyon and Avignon guides.

The river

Five stretches, north to south

01
The Saône and Burgundy: Chalon-sur-Saône, Tournus, Mâcon
Avalon says the Saône flows 300 miles from northeastern France to meet the Rhône at Lyon, through Burgundy and Beaujolais country. Uniworld lands at Mâcon for Beaune. Avalon takes guests from Tournus into the Mâconnais for Chardonnay and a tasting in a medieval castle's cellars, and Tauck's La Belle Vie lists Chalon-sur-Saône. Few lines go further north than Mâcon. Viking's 2027 US itinerary runs its Beaujolais excursion from Lyon and doesn't name Mâcon at all.
02
Lyon, at the confluence
The northern turnaround for most lines. Viking ends here with a walk up to the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière and St. Jean Cathedral. AmaWaterways gives Lyon three days on AmaKristina, one of them for the 'vineyards of gold'. Riverside starts and ends its 7-night Riverside Ravel sailings here, and Scenic runs an 11-day wine cruise round trip. Uniworld's Grand France guests arrive from Paris by TGV to join S.S. Catherine.
03
The northern Rhône: Vienne, Tournon and Tain-l'Hermitage
South of Lyon the valley narrows between terraced vineyards. Vienne has its Roman amphitheatre and the Temple of Augustus and Livia, both on Viking's and AmaWaterways' days. Tournon is Viking's landing for the Train de l'Ardèche through the Doux Valley; Scenic does a vineyard hike there and a private tasting in the castle cellar. Uniworld and Riverside dock across the river at Tain-l'Hermitage, where Riverside adds a wine tasting and the Valrhona chocolate factory.
04
Provence: Viviers, Avignon, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Arles
The Roman and papal half of the trip. Viking calls at Viviers, a quiet riverside village, then Avignon — the Palace of the Popes, the Pont d'Avignon, Place de l'Horloge — and Arles for its Roman and Romanesque monuments. Riverside adds Tarascon and a cellar tour at Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and Scenic stages a concert and dinner in the Popes' Palace. This is also where the locks get serious: Bollène has a 23 m drop.
05
The Camargue and the delta
Below Arles the Rhône splits into its delta. The Camargue has been a regional nature park since 1970 and is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, known for the Étang de Vaccarès lagoon and its semi-feral horses. Ships mostly reach it by coach. Tauck includes its own Camargue ranch visit, and Riverside's 'Rhône Delta' sailings serve dinner on the Vista Deck as the ship passes through.

All 8 Rhône places on our atlas, embarkation cities named. Open the Rhône on the river map.

Itineraries

How the lines package it

Six shapes, and the first is the one most people book. The rest add hotel nights, extra wine or a holiday.

Lyon to Provence, 7 nights, either direction

The core product. Viking's 8-day Lyon & Provence runs Avignon–Lyon with Arles, Viviers, Tournon, Vienne and a Beaujolais day. AmaWaterways' 7-night Colors of Provence sails Lyon–Arles on AmaKristina, and Uniworld's 8-day Burgundy & Provence runs Arles–Lyon on S.S. Catherine with Mâcon for Beaune. Avalon sells Burgundy & Provence Southbound, Lyon–Arles. Riverside's Rhône Rhapsody, Avignon–Lyon, adds Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Viking AmaWaterways Uniworld Avalon Riverside

With Paris, the Riviera or the Seine

The river week with hotel nights attached. Avalon sells Burgundy & Provence with two nights in Paris, in Nice, or both, plus a Wine Lovers version. Scenic lists Idyllic Rhône with Highlights of Paris. Uniworld's 15-day Grand France and Viking's 15-day France's Finest go further, joining the Rhône to a full Seine cruise.

Avalon Scenic Uniworld Viking

Geneva to Marseille, 14 days

Tauck's La Belle Vie: Geneva, Provence & Marseille. Two hotel nights in Geneva, nine nights aboard from Lyon through Chalon-sur-Saône, Avignon and Arles, then two nights in Marseille. Along the way: a Camargue ranch, Aix-en-Provence and a private gala at the Duchy d'Uzès. It sails April–October in 2026, 2027 and 2028.

Tauck

Wine round trips from Lyon, 10 nights

Scenic's 11-day Tastes of the South of France – A Wine Cruise loops from Lyon through Burgundy, the Rhône Valley and Provence, with the Tournon cellar tasting and the Popes' Palace dinner. Avalon offers fall wine-harvest experiences on its Burgundy & Provence sailings.

Scenic Avalon

A short Provence sailing, 3 nights

Riverside Ravel's 3-night Scenes of Southern France With Rhône Delta round trip from Avignon was published only for 21–24 October 2026, so ask whether it returns in 2027. It sits alongside the line's week-long Avignon–Lyon routes. It's the only short Rhône sailing among the lines we track.

Riverside

Christmas and New Year

AmaWaterways sells 'Taste of Christmas' Colors of Provence sailings from 19 November to 17 December 2026, and a 24 December 2026 Arles–Lyon 'Christmas + New Year's Celebrations' departure. Uniworld lists an 8-day Arles–Lyon winter holiday sailing for 2028. Riverside's published Rhône season ends on 14 November 2026.

AmaWaterways Uniworld

Which line?

7 lines sail this river. Find your two.

Four quick questions, answered as fully as you like. The shortlist only includes lines with published sailings here, and it updates as you tap.

01What matters most on this trip?

02Who is coming?

03How do you like to spend a port day?

04Have you been on a river cruise before?

Scores come from the same checked facts as our line reviews. It shortlists; an advisor confirms the fit for your dates.

Season

The calendar, and the March gap

Where else sails in January →

Prime monthsSailingFew or no sailings

March–December · Tauck sails Apr–May & Jul–Oct. Tap a month for what a sailing then is like.

Ships run from March into late December, with one fixed interruption. CNR halts all navigation between Lyon and the Mediterranean for lock maintenance, 'generally for 7 to 10 days in March'.

In 2026 that was 8 to 19 March. Avoid a March departure unless the line confirms it sails after the reopening.

Otherwise the calendars differ. AmaWaterways sails Colors of Provence weekly from 29 October to 24 December 2026, then 18 March to 10 June 2027; Tauck sails April–October, and Emerald says February–December.

No line publishes a peak. Avalon's harvest experiences come without dates, and Uniworld's lavender workshop runs 'typically June through September' — plan summer around the lavender, autumn around the grapes.

Floods, closures and the fine print

UniworldIts Burgundy & Provence page warns that itineraries may change because of water levels or closures; its 2026 low-water notice names the Rhine, Main and Danube, not the Rhône or Saône.Source

Ship size on the Rhône

Rhône ships run up to the 135 m class. Tauck's ms Lumière, new in 2026, is 135 m with at most 130 guests in 68 cabins, 22 of them 300 sq ft suites; AmaKristina carries 156 guests in 78 staterooms, and Scenic's Space-Ships up to 147. CNR's standard chambers are 190 m by 12 m. Neither bank is billed as the better view.

What it costs

Published fares on the Rhône

What the lines themselves quoted on 21 October 2026, per person and as published. AmaWaterways showed no fare for Colors of Provence that day, Emerald had none to confirm, and Riverside's figures don't state a per-person basis, so all three are left out. Check your own date before treating any number as fixed.

Sort

VikingLyon & Provence 2027, 8 days Avignon–Lyon
$2,899≈ $414 a night
$2,899 pp cruise-only, US residents, Fall Sale for bookings 1–31 Oct 2026, as published 21 Oct 2026
UniworldBurgundy & Provence, 8 days Arles–Lyon
$3,499≈ $500 a night
$3,499 pp, based on the 25 Oct 2026 itinerary (the season's last days — re-price for 2027 before relying on it), as published 21 Oct 2026
Avalon WaterwaysBurgundy & Provence Southbound, 8 days Lyon–Arles
$3,976≈ $568 a night
$3,976 pp for the 26 Oct 2027 departure, as published 21 Oct 2026
VikingFrance's Finest, 15 days Paris–Avignon
$5,599≈ $400 a night
$5,599 pp, as published 21 Oct 2026
ScenicTastes of the South of France – A Wine Cruise 2027, 11 days Lyon round trip
$7,796≈ $780 a night
$7,796 pp Select Fare (Full Fare $8,595), the lowest of three fare groups shown, as published 21 Oct 2026
UniworldGrand France, 15 days Paris–Arles (two ships)
$8,399≈ $600 a night
$8,399 pp offer price (regular $9,399), based on the 27 June 2026 itinerary, which has sailed — ask us for 2027 Grand France pricing, as published 21 Oct 2026
TauckLa Belle Vie: Geneva, Provence & Marseille, 14 days (9-night cruise)
$9,990≈ $768 a night
$9,990 pp, as published 21 Oct 2026

Lead fares per person as each line published them; the line under each bar keeps the line’s own wording. “A night” is our arithmetic: the lead fare divided by the trip’s nights (days minus one, hotel nights included where the package has them), before taxes and port charges. Your dates will price differently. That’s the job we do for free.

Seven rivers, side by side

Is this the right river? Compare before you choose.

The seven rivers we cover in full, five in Europe and two in Africa and Asia. Each name opens its guide; the fare row is the lowest lead fare in each guide’s fare table, as the lines published them in October 2026.

	Danube	Rhine	Seine	You are hereRhône & Saône	Douro	Nile	Mekong
Best for	First-timers and capital-city travellers	Scenery, castles and wine towns	Paris lovers and D-Day history	Wine lovers and Roman history	Port wine and small-ship intimacy	Temple lovers and ancient history	Angkor, delta villages and tiny ships
The feel	Big cities, music, one vineyard valley in daylight	One dramatic gorge morning, then vineyards and cathedrals	Gentle river, Impressionist villages, Gothic Rouen	Vineyard valleys, big locks, papal and Roman towns	Terraced vineyards, deep dam locks, quiet quintas	Early temple mornings, Cairo hotels, few nights aboard	Sampan landings, markets, temples, a border crossed by river
Season	Mar–Dec	Mar–Dec	Mar–Dec	Mar–Dec	Mar–Nov	Jan–Dec	Jan–Dec
Start cities we cover	Budapest, Vienna, Passau, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Bucharest	Amsterdam, Basel, Frankfurt am Main, Trier & Remich	Paris	Lyon, Avignon	Porto	Cairo, Luxor	Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap
Lowest published lead fare	$1,999	$2,599	$2,899	$2,899	$4,426	$5,099	$3,279
The catch	Late-summer low water and overnight lock bumps	August shallows at Kaub; Moselle single-chamber locks	Giverny's season and high water at Paris	The March lock closure below Lyon	Summer heat and a shorter season	Summer heat above 40 °C; flights inside Egypt	Two visas, year-round heat, the lake's low water

Start cities

Lyon or Avignon to board

Lyon turns ships around in the north, Avignon in the south. Each city guide covers the berth, the airport run and the day before, with a hotel hub alongside; Marseille's airport serves the Provence end.

Embarkation cityLyonLyon is where the Saône runs into the Rhône, and where most Provence weeks begin or end. Only one quay is published by name. It's on the Rhône, facing the Presqu'île — so plan the city first and the berth second.The embarkation guide Embarkation cityAvignonAvignon is Viking's and Riverside's southern start, and no one publishes the quay. That matters less than it sounds. The walled city is small, and the river runs along its edge.The embarkation guide

The night-before hotels, city by city: Lyon · Avignon

Ports of call

Arles, in detail

Arles is a start point for some lines and a call for the rest. Our stop page covers the Roman monuments, the pass that opens them and what happens on the days the quay is full.

Port of callArlesArles is more often a first or last day than a call. Either way, the ship ties up on the old-town bank, and the Roman arena is close enough to walk to before lunch.The port day

Before you book

Five questions worth asking about the Rhône

The answers separate two sailings that look the same in a brochure. Tick the ones you care about and we’ll answer them for your dates.

Does our March date sail after the locks reopen?CNR stops all navigation between Lyon and the Mediterranean for 7–10 days each March.
Do we board in Lyon, Avignon or Arles?Lines split between northern and southern turnarounds, and that sets your airport.
How far north up the Saône does this sail?Few lines pass Mâcon; Burgundy may be a coach day from Lyon.
Which wine visits are included, and which are extra?The excursions are the week here, from Tain-l'Hermitage to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Is the Camargue a coach visit or a sail-through?Ships mostly reach the delta by coach; one line serves dinner on deck passing through.

Why trust this page

The Seabound standard

Sources, read at the source

Every fare, berth and timetable here was checked on October 21, 2026, at the line, port or hotel wherever they publish it. Where they don’t, we name the source we used, or say nothing is published.

Paid placements

No line or hotel pays to appear here or to rank higher. Affiliate links are labelled, and they never decide what we recommend.

1:1

Advisors, not a booking engine

A Seabound Journeys advisor reads your brief, compares the lines for your dates and answers you personally. CLIA-affiliated, Florida Seller of Travel ST15578.

Have us plan it

Find the Rhône sailing built for you

Tell us the month, who is sailing and what you want from the week. We price the lines against each other, hotel nights and transfers included.

Usually the same fare as booking direct, and our advice costs you nothing.
We compare the lines on the Rhône for your dates, not one brochure.
Hotel nights, flights and transfers can go into the same plan.

Your river brief

Tell us the trip. We’ll find the sailing.

Prefer to browse fares yourself? Compare river cruise fares Via CruiseDirect · Affiliate link

Quick answers

Rhône river cruise questions

When should I book a Rhône cruise?

Any month from April to October suits the core week, and Tauck sails only in those months. Christmas weeks run into late December. Then choose by what you want in the glass: lavender is a summer workshop on Uniworld, the harvest an autumn experience on Avalon.

Is it better to start in Lyon or in Provence?

Neither, on the itineraries — pick by flights and add-ons. Viking, AmaWaterways, Uniworld and Riverside all sell both directions. Lyon–Saint Exupéry serves the northern end and Marseille the southern, and a Paris or Geneva pre-stay sits more naturally on the Lyon side.

How many locks will the ship pass?

Between Lyon and the Mediterranean, CNR counts 14 large-gauge locks over 330 km. A Lyon–Arles week passes most of them. There's no confirmed lock count for the Saône north of Lyon.

How much of Burgundy does a Rhône cruise see?

Usually a single day, by way of the Saône. Uniworld lands at Mâcon for Beaune, Avalon goes from Tournus into the Mâconnais, and Tauck lists Chalon-sur-Saône. For more time in the vineyards, Scenic's 11-day wine cruise loops from Lyon.

Does the ship sail into the Camargue?

Mostly no — it's coach country. Tauck runs a ranch visit there, and Riverside's delta sailings serve dinner on deck as the ship passes through the delta. Treat the Camargue as an excursion and book it with the line.

Who sails the Rhône at Christmas?

AmaWaterways, mainly, with its Taste of Christmas weeks and a Christmas-and-New-Year departure. Uniworld adds a winter holiday sailing in 2028. Ask for the departure list early; there are only a handful.

How we checked this page 17 sources

Every fact above comes from a source listed here, checked on October 21, 2026: port and city authorities, the lines’ own pages, the hotels and the rating guides. Where nothing official is published, the page says so rather than filling the gap.

Keep comparing

The lines and the map

River cruising, decodedEvery line and every river, compared in one place The Rhône on the river map8 places with seasons, lines and hotel picks