Tauck Bon Voyage! France Family River Cruise

TAUCK EXCLUSIVE – A special visit to a private ranch in French cowboy country – La Camargue – for a hayride and traditional Provençal lunch

• Tauck’s private shore excursions and distinctive inclusions valued at £2,331!
• Two-night stay in city-center Paris
• 5-night Rhône River cruise aboard ms Emerald
• An introduction to the game of pétanque, played with the locals
• A special visit to a private ranch in French cowboy country – La Camargue – including a daring bull show, Provençal lunch and gypsy music
• A walk in Arles that traces the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh
• Visit to a palace, Avignon’s Palais des Papes
• Chocolate-making demonstration and tastings
• A family cooking demonstration at the cooking school of a Michelin three-starred chef
• Unlimited complimentary beverages aboard ship include regional wine, beer and premium spirits in addition to specialty coffee, water and soft drinks
• Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as noted
• 18 meals (7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 6 dinners); gratuities to Tauck Cruise Director, Tauck Directors, drivers, local guides and ship staff; applicable fuel surcharges, porterage, taxes and service charges

Day 1: Arrive Paris 
Your France family river cruise begins: 5:00 PM, Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel. A transfer is included from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport or Gare de Lyon, Charles de Gaulle Station or Gare du Nord train stations to Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel. Your family’s France river cruise gets off to a fabulous start from the moment you check into your your luxury hotel, a historic treasure in the heart of the city that for centuries has been at the heart of Parisian society. Meet the families you’ll be traveling with at a welcome reception and dinner at the hotel, featuring entertainment by a mentalist that’s fun for the whole family.

Day 2: A day well spent in Paris… 
This morning your family can discover what makes Paris one of the world’s favorite cities on an orientation tour that gives you a firsthand look at must-see sights (no inside visits on this orientation tour) including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral and more. Or you may opt for a guided bicycle tour* along the banks of the River Seine, passing such sights as the Musée D’Orsay, Tuileries Gardens and one of Paris’ most beloved icons, the Eiffel Tower! Later, you’ll have lunch at a restaurant at the Eiffel Tower… then visit the second floor of this world-famous landmark. Your family’s last evening in Paris is free to spend as you please; this France family river cruise embarks tomorrow from Lyon.

Day 3: A scavenger hunt in the Louvre & embark ship 
Spend your morning in one of the most famous museums in the world, where you’re invited to take part in a treasure hunt like no other. Right under your nose – or maybe not – you’ll team up to follow clues that lead to works of art that are among the most prized art treasures of the world (like the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory or Liberty Leading the People). Then hop aboard a high-speed train called the TGV to travel south to Lyon, where you’ll board ms Emerald, your floating hotel for the rest of your trip. Our France family river cruise begins; the crew makes sure that you know your way around before our welcome reception, which is followed by dinner tonight aboard ship… with some rather magical entertainment.

Day 4: Tournon, cooking & chocolat 

This morning your riverboat takes you to the town of Tournon-sur-Rhône for fun family discoveries ashore including an orientation tour of this ancient town on the River Rhône; a cooking class at Scook, the cooking school of Anne Sophie Pic, located next door to the Michelin-awarded restaurant Maison Pic; and a demonstration in the art of making chocolat at Valrhona Cité du Chocolat. The rest of the afternoon and evening are spent cruising the Rhône, bound for Arles in Provence.

Day 5: Arles, Camargue cowboys, van Gogh & chocolate art 
After arriving in Arles this morning, get a change of scenery on a drive into the Camargue for a taste of France’s “wild west.” This vast marshy delta has been home to free-roaming black bulls since Roman times; today the bulls are looked after by French gardians (cowboys), saddled up on white Camargue horses. You’ll see them up close at a private ranch, called a manade, and a hayride into the fields to see bulls, mares and foals. Enjoy a Provençal lunch, gypsy music and a daring show in which players attempt to retrieve paper tokens from a bull’s horns. Later today you’ll return to medieval Arles for a walking tour that brings alive many of the places captured in brilliant strokes of color by one of its most famous residents, artist Vincent van Gogh – then create some tasty art of your own based on lovely French landscapes with a hands-on chocolate painting experience led by Mark Alsterlind.

Day 6: An Avignon palace & a 1st-century marvel 

Everyone dreams at one time or another of living in a palace… and today’s France family river cruise does just that when your family visits an extravagant grand palace with four mighty towers… On a guided tour of 12th-century Palais des Papes in Avignon, once a “renegade” papal palace (built in opposition to Rome), your imagination takes flight as you explore one of Europe’s largest medieval Gothic buildings. Or, if you wish, instead of visiting Palais des Papes you can join us for a bicycle ride in Avignon this morning. You’ll have some time this afternoon to discover Avignon as you please, and a chance to swim. Then everyone meets up to walk across the famed Pont du Gard, and enjoy some refreshments; this three-level, 164-ft.-high “bridge” was built by the Romans to carry fresh water over the Gardon River nearly 2,000 years ago!

Day 7: Medieval Viviers, pétanque and more 
This morning brings adventure to your France family river cruise with a walking tour of medieval Viviers, where you’ll wind your way up through narrow, cobbled streets, curious passageways and doorways in shades of blue and green… leading up to the petite 12th-century Cathédrale Saint-Vincent. Next, try your hand at a game of pétanque, played by tossing a small metal boule about the size of an orange. Return to the riverboat for lunch (a barbecue on the Sun Deck, weather permitting) and an afternoon and evening spent cruising. Join us this evening for a farewell reception and dinner.

Day 8: Journey Home 
This  family France river cruise concludes in Lyon today as your family disembarks ms Emerald; fly home anytime. A transfer is included from the riverboat to either the Lyon Airport or Lyon’s Perrache or Part Dieu train stations; you should allow a minimum of 3 hours for flight check-in at the airport.

Debuted in 2017, the newly redesigned ms Emerald is just one of four 361-foot (110-meter) riverboats in Tauck’s Destination Fleet. This newest iteration of ms Emerald sports a new deck plan optimized for the utmost in spaciousness – with 70% of her cabins measuring 225 square feet or larger – and accommodating no more than 98 guests, while similar-sized riverboats average about 160.

Guest amenities inside her include; 14 lush 300-square-foot Tauck Suites include brocade upholstery, roomy walk-in closets with built-in drawers, spacious bathrooms with separate showers, and two French balconies with floor-to-ceiling windows that open to idyllic riverscapes.

ms Emerald also sports twenty roomy 225-square-foot cabins, four 183-square-foot cabins and one 182 square-foot cabin, similarly furnished. Eight 150-square-foot cabins are cozy and comfortable, and are similar in décor and style to our larger suites.

85% have floor-to-ceiling windows with real French balconies that open on to a balcony in the fresh air; all have in-room movies, minibar, adjustable heating and cooling, private bathroom and shower with pampering toiletries. In addition to the main dining room, The Compass Rose, the ship also features Arthur’s, a second dining venue offering casual fare.

Please note, prices listed are guide prices only and are based on 2 people sharing and don’t include any additional supplements. Holiday prices are fluid and dynamic and may be changed at a moment’s notice, prior to booking, at which point they are confirmed. Please call the team free on 0800 707 6229 for more departure dates available and a quote.