We’ve always wanted to experience the culture and cuisine of Southern France and friends recommended a river cruise with Tauck, a touring company that’s been in business since 1925. The “French Waterways and Vineyards” itinerary along the Rhone sounded ideal.
Tauck is unique in providing a Cruise Director and three full-time Tour Directors on each of its four European ships along with an all-inclusive river cruise experience. All excursions, tipping, wine with meals, plus transportation to and from airports or railway stations are included. The Rhone cruise actually begins in Paris with a two-night preliminary stay in the City of Lights. We enjoy several orientation tours but a reception and dinner at the iconic Fouquet’s restaurant on the Champs Elysees gets the cruise adventure off to a delicious start.
On day three we board the high-speed TGV train and head south towards the Rhone River and the city of Lyon, known as the gastronomic capital of France. Excellent local guides take us through the original medieval city (Vieux Lyon) with its narrow streets and secret passageways. We enjoy shopping and lunch samples at the famous Les Halles market, then board buses for wine tastings at a nearby Beaujolais vineyard.
Our home for the next week is the 361 foot long Swiss Emerald. The luxurious ship is branded “Tauck” and was built to Tauck specifications in 2006 but is actually owned and operated by Scylla, a giant Swiss shipping firm. The partnership works well, with Scylla providing the captain, the hotel manager and all the crew except the Tauck Cruise Director and the three Tour Directors.
River cruise ships are, by necessity, limited in their length and height (to navigate locks and low bridges) and most carry 150 or more passengers. But Tauck limits its guests to 118, providing larger staterooms, most with French balconies (including fourteen, 300-square-foot suites) and more generous public spaces.
The layout of the Swiss Emerald is impressive. The reception area, with dark woods, shiny brass and several sparkling chandeliers leads to the comfortable, glass-enclosed Panorama Lounge where lectures are given and receptions are held. Downstairs, the large dining room can handle all guests at one sitting but, at the rear of the third deck, there’s a small, intimate dining area in the Lido where a special regional menu is available each evening. The ship has a library, computer terminals and a compact fitness and massage room.
Each of the 59 rooms is as well equipped as the rooms on the big cruise ships. Comfortable beds, goose-down pillows and fluffy duvets combine with terry robes, slippers and L’Occitane toiletries for a luxury experience. A large LCD TV, dual 110 and 220 volt power outlets and free Wi-Fi are greatly appreciated by the guests, most of whom are from the United States, Canada and Australia.
On the long top deck, guests can enjoy comfortable seating and umbrella shading as the magnificent scenery changes around every turn of the river. There’s also a whirlpool tub and putting green.
Throughout our week-long cruise on the Rhone (traveling from Lyon, south through the Provence region to Arles and then back to Lyon), we were very impressed with the food and service on the Swiss Emerald. Hotel Manager Mark Brunger told us that he or one of his team visits local markets every morning to pick up fresh vegetables, bread and pastries. So the menu can change for each meal, depending on what’s fresh and local. Wine, too, is an important part of this cruise and the ship’s culinary department buys wines that come from the area in which we’re sailing. Beaujolais, Cote du Rhone, Hermitage and Chateauneuf du Pape – all the complimentary wines we enjoyed with lunch and dinner were excellent.
Breakfast on the Swiss Emerald was buffet style with a good selection, including an omelet station and excellent coffee. Lunch also offered a generous buffet with an additional a la carte choice, usually from the local region (boeuf bourgignon or coq au vin, for example).
Like many on the ship, John and Debbie Joslin of Toledo, Ohio were veteran cruisers and have toured with Tauck before. They commented that ocean cruises were more about the ship itself but here on the Rhone, the emphasis is on location and sense of place. “Tauck takes the excursions very seriously and really tries to immerse you in the area,” they said. The ship provides maps of each town but more printed information about the history and attractions would have been helpful.
At all of our town and village stops along the vineyard-laden route, guests were divided into three, four or five groups, each with an experienced local guide. The scenery, culinary excursions and historic sights during all seven days were memorable. Here are a few of our highlights:
- In well-preserved Avignon, we toured the fortress-like Palais des Papes, the huge walled enclosure that served as opulent headquarters for several Popes in the 1300s during the Catholic schism. Then it was back to the boat as the captain took us close to the remains of the famous 12th-century Avignon Bridge, best known from the children’s song, “Sur le pont d’Avignon.”
- As evening approached, we boarded buses in Avignon for the 16-mile trip to a rural area and a most extraordinary example of Roman engineering. The Pont de Gard, a massive three-tiered aqueduct, was built 2,000 years ago and, at 160 feet, is the highest bridge the Romans ever constructed. Precision-built without mortar, it was part of a 30-mile canal supplying water to the city of Nimes. Cars and buses are kept out of sight so visitors can view the mighty marvel in its natural environment.
- The Roman influence on Provence is also powerful in Arles, our most southerly destination. The most dominant architecture in Old Arles is the Roman Arena, built in the 1st century and just slightly smaller than its famous cousin, the Coliseum in Rome. Now used for shows and bloodless French bullfights, it still holds more than 20,000 spectators.
- In medieval Viviers, a walled city dating back to the 5th century, Swiss Emerald guests were encouraged to join locals for a game of pétanque, a traditional southern France pastime involving tossing metal balls towards a small target, much like bocce or bolles. It was a great way to meet local residents.
- Our last stop along the Rhone was a gastronomic delight. After visiting a chocolate factory in Tournon (samples were especially generous) we took a bus to Valence, where Anne-Sophie Pic, the only Michelin three-star female chef in France, runs a splendid restaurant and cooking school. At the school, every Tauck guest had a chance to put on an apron, watch a chef instructor prepare poached egg with chutney, black olives and tomato foam and then make his or her own version of the dish.
As we returned to the Swiss Emerald for our final evening with the Captain’s reception and gala dinner, Karl Snepp of Seattle told us why he and his family enjoy river cruising. “This is my 12th Tauck tour,” he said. “The size of the ship is ideal and everyone shares the same curiosity about the regions we visit. We love the amenities, the way they cover the details and the food is delicious. It all comes together for us.”
Scott Peters, the Cruise Director for this trip, is a 17-year veteran with Tauck. The California native says he just loves being in France. “If you like good food, good wine and beautiful scenery, you’re in heaven here.”
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Image Credits
All photos by John and Sandra Nowlan. All rights reserved.
French Champagne and the famous Avignon Bridge
Swiss Emerald on the Rhone
Inside a Rhone lock
2000-year-old Roman aqueduct
A great story of drifting through the French countryside! Having pedaled and hiked in this region, any journey is full of exceptional wine, delicious foods, amazing sights and wonderful people. It is a treat to read about the travels of John and Sandra bringing back some fun memories and planting the seed for a future trip. Thanks!