Burgundy & Provence
Eight days, Arles to Lyon · 29 June – 6 July 2027
The short version
Eight days, one boat, four wine regions, and none of the driving
We start in Arles, where Van Gogh painted the yellow house, and finish in Lyon, which is the best eating city in France and I will argue with anyone about that. In between we go up the Rhône and onto the Saône, stopping at Avignon, Viviers, Tain l’Hermitage and Mâcon.
River cruising has a reputation as a thing your parents do. I understand why. But the logistics are the whole point here: you unpack once, the boat moves overnight, and you wake up somewhere new. For a wine trip that matters, because it means we cover four regions without anyone spending a week in a van.
Four regions, one river road
The wine, since you’ll ask
Provence
Rosé that’s actually built to be drunk rather than photographed.
The northern Rhône
Syrah on granite, on slopes steep enough that they’re still worked by hand. The part I’m most excited about.
Beaujolais
Gamay deserves better than its reputation and I’ll happily spend an afternoon making that case.
Burgundy
Chardonnay tasted in the cellars of an actual medieval castle, which reads like a marketing line and is simply what happens.
The people
You’ll like them. And you can ignore them.
The people who sign up for a wine trip led by a sommelier tend to be the ones you want at dinner. Curious, up for things, not precious about any of it. That’s the part I can’t put in a brochure and the part everyone mentions afterwards.
What makes it work, though, is that you’re never stuck with us. Every day offers a choice, and nobody counts heads onto a coach.
- Two or three options in every port — active, gentler, or stay aboard and do nothing
- Open seating at dinner, so you sit with people when you feel like it and by the window when you don’t
- Come to every tasting, or skip the ones that don’t interest you
Group travel usually means being herded. This is the version where you get the company without giving up your day.
Coming on your own?I play matchmaker. I introduce solo travellers to each other before we sail — some have become lifelong friends, and if two of you want to share a cabin, the single supplement disappears entirely.
Day by day
Arles to Lyon, slowly
Day 1 · Arles
Tuesday 29 JuneBoard in the afternoon. Flights into Marseille by 3pm, everyone aboard by 5. First dinner on the water while Arles turns gold.
Day 2 · Arles
Wednesday 30 JuneChoose your morning: a power walk through town, a painting workshop in Van Gogh’s technique, or a guided walk to the 1st-century Roman amphitheatre. A glass at Le Café Van Gogh before we sail.
Day 3 · Avignon
Thursday 1 JulyThe Palace of the Popes, the largest gothic fortress in the world, or the city by bike. Optional afternoon: the Pont du Gard aqueduct, or the cellars of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Take the cellars.
Day 4 · Viviers
Friday 2 JulyA slow morning sail, then a small pale-stone village with a Romanesque cathedral at the top of the hill. Tasting of local specialties aboard.
Day 5 · Tain l’Hermitage
Saturday 3 July — the wine dayHike along the Rhône, ride the Ardèche steam train through the Doux Valley, or walk medieval Tournon and its 16th-century castle. Optional ZenWine winery trip up the Hill of Hermitage — this is the one I’d take.
Day 6 · Mâcon
Sunday 4 JulyInto the Mâconnais for the Chardonnay vineyards and a tasting in a medieval castle cellar. Cheese tasting aboard as we sail toward Lyon.
Day 7 · Lyon
Monday 5 JulyFrance’s gastronomic capital. Fourvière Hill and the medieval old town on foot, or the architectural district by bike. Free time in the afternoon — use it to eat.
Day 8 · Lyon — home
Tuesday 6 JulyBreakfast, then away.
Your ship, your cabin
Seven nights on an Avalon Suite Ship
Sixteen staterooms, sixty-seven suites, forty-seven crew, 443 feet of it. Panoramic windows, a sky deck with a whirlpool, and a club lounge that never closes.
- Wine and beer with lunch and dinner, included
- Four-course dinners, flexible times
- Starlink wi-fi throughout
- Bikes, kayaks, a fitness centre, an Adventure Host
Indigo deck
Deluxe Stateroom
172 sq ft
$3,701
per person
Sapphire, aft
Panorama Suite
200 sq ft · open-air balcony
$5,800
per person
Sapphire, forward
Panorama Suite
200 sq ft · open-air balcony
$5,900
per person
Royal deck
Panorama Suite
200 sq ft · open-air balcony
$6,100
per person
Per person, double occupancy, US dollars. A Panorama Suite’s window opens into an open-air balcony. If you’re weighing the jump — take it. You’ll spend more time in that window than you expect.
Travelling solo?Cabins are priced for two, so a single traveller pays a supplement — and it isn’t small. But I play matchmaker: tell me you’re open to sharing and I’ll look for someone compatible, which removes the supplement altogether. Either way, email me and I’ll get you the figure for the cabin you want.
Included
- Seven nights aboard and all meals
- Wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner
- One excursion in every port
- All gratuities, taxes and port charges
Not included
- Airfare and airport transfers
- Travel insurance
- Extra nights either end
- Optional excursions, including the Hermitage winery trip
I can arrange all of it — just ask.
A $250 per-person deposit reserves your cabin and is non-refundable. Final payment is due 31 March 2027. Cabins are assigned in the order people book.
Who you’re travelling with
I’ll be pouring
Twenty years in restaurants, sales and on the floor. I hold the WSET Diploma, one step below Master of Wine, and I teach Level 2 here in Tacoma. Champagne is my favourite thing to pour and the thing I’m asked for most.
On this trip I’m not a tour guide with a clipboard. I’m the person explaining why the Hermitage hill matters while we’re standing on it, and deciding what the table should be drinking at dinner.
- DipWSET
- Champagne Master
- 20 years
Before you ask
The questions everyone has
I’m travelling on my own. What does that cost?
More than I’d like, and I’d rather be straight with you about it. Cruise lines price cabins for two, so travelling solo means paying a supplement on top of the fare, and on this ship it’s substantial. Tell me which cabin you’re considering and I’ll get you the exact figure.
Here’s the part worth knowing, though: I play matchmaker. I keep track of who’s travelling alone and I introduce people to each other well before we sail. Some of them have become lifelong friends. And if two of you get on and decide to share a cabin, the supplement disappears altogether — which is the cheapest way to do this trip by some distance.
I can’t promise a match, because it depends who else books. But tell me you’re open to it and I’ll go looking. And if you’d rather have the cabin to yourself, that’s a perfectly good answer too — plenty of people come alone and eat with the group every night.
How much walking is involved?
Most days offer an active option, a gentler guided walk, or staying aboard. Tournon and Viviers both involve hills and cobbles.
Do I need travel insurance?
Your deposit is non-refundable and the balance lands in March, so I’d treat it as part of the cost rather than an optional extra.
Can I add nights in Lyon?
Yes, and I’d encourage it — Lyon deserves more than an afternoon. I can arrange extra nights and transfers alongside the booking.
When do I actually pay?
$250 per person to hold your cabin, then nothing until 31 March 2027 when the balance is due. Cabins are assigned in the order people book.
Sail with me
Tell me which cabin you’re thinking about
Email me and I’ll walk you through the rest. If you’re still deciding, say so — I’ll answer questions without putting you on a list.