Luxury Vacation Advisor, Barbi Partlow shares her recent experience on a luxurious Eurpoean River Cruise.

With the popularity of the European river cruise growing daily, I thought I’d better jump in to see what all of the excitement was about. Lucky for me, I was recently invited to sail the romantic Rhone River on a seven-night “French Waterways” voyage with Tauck River Cruises aboard the intimate MS Swiss Emerald, where I found out exactly what happens onboard and onshore during a luxurious European River Cruise.

The Tauck European River Cruise Experience

Tauck has long been an extremely well-regarded tour operator of upscale land travel and my European river cruise certainly lived up to the Tauck reputation. They’ve built the river cruise experience around four cornerstones:

• Uncommon Access – Shore excursions include exclusive experiences blended with in-depth sightseeing.
• All-Inclusive Value – Virtually everything is included in one price: transfers, shore excursions, meals and alcohol, gratuities.
• Club-like Atmosphere – An intimate ambiance includes fine European-style shipboard dining.
• Personalized Cruising – The industry’s highest staff-to-guest ratio ensures great service.

Romancing the Rhone

Boarding was a breeze and my comfortable cabin was available immediately after I enjoyed a beverage and snack in the Panorama Lounge. Since our first overnight onboard was spent in port, the magnificent city of Lyon was ours to explore the next morning. Included excursions and multiple surprises are a trademark of Tauck’s aim to please, and please they did!

Our private old city tour took us through the ancient “traboules” (secret passageways) of Lyon that link one street with another, and then a visit to the medieval Vieux Lyon and the imposing Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere imparted fabulous views of the extensive city boundaries. Additional complimentary excursions offered a choice of a Beaujolais wine tasting experience or a visit to the Musee des beaux-arts de Lyon. I chose the wine tasting hosted at the lovely Chateau de la Chaize and a bonus tour of the rather quirky Priory of Salles on the drive back.

At Viviers, a scenic walking tour followed by a fun game of “Petanque” (similar to Bocce or Boules) with the locals afforded us cultural interaction. After setting sail late afternoon, we experienced our first lock passage at the Bollene Lock, the deepest on the Rhone.

The next day, everyone seemed to really enjoy the Roman city of Arles, with its incredible bulwarked stone walls. An evening private visit to the 11th century home of the Duchy D’Uzes and dinner there was entertaining, but the cool evening temperatures put a damper on our courtyard cocktail party.

We visited Avignon on a Monday, so city life was evident and bustling in the old city. An orientation walk was followed by a visit to the impressive Palais des Papes, home of the Papacy from 1309 to 1377 and the largest Gothic construction in the world. After some free time and lunch back on board, we departed for the 1st century AD and World Heritage site, the Pont du Gard aqueduct. The attraction was crowded with tourists, but that did not detract from the interesting and scenic visit.

Roussillon and Chateauneuf-du-Pape were next. Our congenial group was excited to explore the beautiful Luberon town of Roussillon, set in scenic hills covered with rust and golden ochre deposits. We enjoyed a lovely wine tasting at Les Vergers des Papes before return to the Swiss Emerald to set sail for the last port of call at the left bank town of Tain L’Hermitage, home of the famous Valrhona Chocolates. We sampled the delicious confections and made our purchases with delight!

We took a mid-day excursion to Valence, home of the cooking school “Skook,” owned by 3-star Michelin Chef Anne Sophie Pic. Our wine and cheese pairing class was an interesting lesson on enjoying the unique qualities of local French cheeses with the proper wine to divulge all of the flavors. Afterward, we enjoyed a cooking demonstration where we got to put together and consume our appetizing creation, “Soft Boiled Hen’s Egg with tomato chutney, black olives, and tomato foam.” A winner was chosen from the participants, based on the most professional application of the tomato foam… and no, I was not the winner!

On the morning of our departure, after arriving back to the port in Lyon I was sad to say goodbye to my travel companions. New friends promised further connections on Facebook, and we all agreed that our Tauck River Cruise in France was outstanding. With impeccable service, engaging excursions, fabulous meals and everything included, Tauck European River Cruise makes an ideal vacation – romancing the Rhone River, or wherever Tauck takes you. I’m sold.

Barbi Partlow is a luxury vacation advisor with specialties in Tahiti and Hawaii, among others. She tells her clients, “Making your travel dreams a reality is my business.” To consult with Barbi on European river cruising or other vacations, you can contact her directly by email.