Cruising the Rhone River

Overview

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This Amadeus Waterways cruise was new in 2008. We were on the first sailing. The full tour(cruise plus land) started with three days in Paris, then we took the TGV high speed train to Lyon to board the Swiss Pearl for a seven day cruise on the Saone and Rhone Rivers to Arles where we went by bus to Barcelona for three nights via Carcassone(two hour stop for sightseeing and lunch). Ports and included tours were Lyon with a bus tour of the city; Trevoux and a bus trip through the Beaujolais region with a wine tasting; Vienne and a walking tour through the city; the stop at Tournon was supposed to include a trip on an old steam train, but the train went bankrupt and shut down. Instead, the ship co...Read More

This Amadeus Waterways cruise was new in 2008. We were on the first sailing. The full tour(cruise plus land) started with three days in Paris, then we took the TGV high speed train to Lyon to board the Swiss Pearl for a seven day cruise on the Saone and Rhone Rivers to Arles where we went by bus to Barcelona for three nights via Carcassone(two hour stop for sightseeing and lunch). Ports and included tours were Lyon with a bus tour of the city; Trevoux and a bus trip through the Beaujolais region with a wine tasting; Vienne and a walking tour through the city; the stop at Tournon was supposed to include a trip on an old steam train, but the train went bankrupt and shut down. Instead, the ship continued to Vievers for a bus trip to Grignon; next we docked pretty much in the countryside for a bus trip to the town of Chateauneuf du Pape and a wine tasting at a nearby vineyard. Arriving next morning in Avignon, we sailed past the famous partly collapsed bridge, docked, and took a walking tour of the town including a visit to the Palace of the Popes; early the next morning we sailed to Arles for a morning walking tour of the city and and afternoon bus trip to Les Baux, the nut house where van Gough was hospitalized, and the nearby town of St Remey. Early the next morning, we departed by bus for Barcelona with a two hour lunch stop in Carcassone. On the morning of our first full day in Barcelona, we had a bus tour of the city, then a free afternoon. Next morning, we took an optional bus tour of the works of Antonio Gaudi, one of the highlights of the trip. Other optional trips included a Flamenco show in Barcelona and, in Paris, a boat trip on the Seine and a Paris by night bus trip.

Prices: Amadeus conveniently offers three ways to take the trip: cruise only, Lyon to Arles for - per person; cruise plus land extensions to Paris and Barcelona for -3499; or cruise plus land plus air and transfers for -4549. Cabin upgrades extra. Cruise prices included three meals a day, snacks, unlimited wine with meals, white or red at lunch ad dinner, champaign at breakfast; coffee; tea; and 1-2 bus or guided walking tours a day. The land addition included hotels, transfers to/from the ship to hotel, one half day bus tour in Paris and Barcelona, but no meals in Carcassone, Paris, or Barcelona.

Quick Tips:

We opted to make our own air arraignments as we have found that we have always been able to find better fares on the internet than those offered by cruise packages. If you make your own air, you must also arrange transportation from the airport to where the tour starts. Amadeus offered transfers for per person at both ends of the trip. We arraigned our own Paris transfer on Expedia for for two and took a taxi in Barcelona for .

Lunch and breakfast were served buffet style on the Swiss Pearl. Dinners were sit down with waiters, and very slow. On our other cruses, we found dinners typically took 1½ -2 hours, but dinner on the Swiss Pearl ran 2-3 hours. This got irritating.

The best view of the passing scenery is from the sun deck. Bring Sunblock. Although there were shade tents on the sundeck, they were down more often than up so the boat would fit under the bridges(this is common on European river cruises). Att one particularly low bridge, everyone on the sun deck had to lie down on the deck to squeeze under the bridge. It is often breezy on the sun deck, but shorts are also often in order. We never sailed after dark, so there were opportunies to sightsee from the sun deck. The Soanne trip was especially scenic, as were some spots on the Rhone.

Always expect rain in Europe. Celebrate when it is sunny, which is why the natives sit in all those outdoor cafes.

There is much hand wringing about the decline in the value of the dollar Bush's economic blunders caused, but compared to major US cites, it may not be so bad. A carnet, 10 rides on metro, cost about , and get you all over the city. We spent -80 for dinner for two with wine. We did blow on lunch at the restaurant in the Musee d'Orsay-- two pastries and two ice teas-- for the delightful Baroque setting. Bush's “Cowboy Diplomacy” has also made it increasing difficult to exchange currency, even travelers checks in Europe. Everybody used to want dollars, but no more. Use credit cards as much as possible.

Best Way To Get Around:

Metro is the way to travel in Paris. There are single ride tickets for 1.5 Euros, a 10 ticket package for 11 Euros, and 1-3 day unlimited travel tourist passes which also includes discounts at many attractions, restaurants, and shops. It takes some planning to figure out what is best for your plans. We got through three days in Paris on two carnets (20 tickets). Remember that a ticket, once validated is good for 1½ hours. Google “Metro Paris” for full details.

Metro tickets are also good fro buses and the RER, the suburban railroad. Avoid the RER if you can reach you destination Metro. RER trains trains are infrequent compared to Metro. On Metro, we never had to wait more than four minutes for a train. We had a 20 minute wait for RER, and the station operations are incomprehensible.

When you exit the Metro, look around the street for a brown sign pointing to your destination. How to get to sights is well marked by these signs. Look around at every intersection you come to. If there is no sign directing a turn, keep going straight. Once we figured that out, we stopped using our map.

On the cruise, travel was by boat, bus, and foot. The bigger towns had taxis, which were generally banned form the touristic center. Some tours and sights required considerable climbing up cobblestone streets.

The included hotel in Barcelona was inconveniently located if you wanted to visit the Mediaeval City or Las Rambles, the main street. The closest Metro stop was at least a 20 minute walk, not the 10 minutes the tour staff claimed. Taxis were abundant and supposedly relatively inexpensive for European cities, but we never got to traveling downtown so we had no personal experience with either Metro or taxis. Instead, we spent our free time after two half day bus tours, walking around the Modernista Quarter which started only 3-4 blocks from the hotel. We had a look at the Mediaeval City when the bust tour stopped there for an hour and at Las Rambles when the bus drove past. The Art Nouveau buildings of the Modernista Quarter were much more interesting. Read Less

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Pullman Paris Bercy Hotel

Hotel | "Pullman Bercy"

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No doubt tour companies flock to the the Pullman because it's location near the edge of the city makes it less expensive comparable than central lodgings. Our room was very nice, with all the conveniences, including two decent chairs to sit in and a desk.The Pullman flaws were minor. A car alarm that went off one night at 4:00 am in the parking lot outside the front door, four floors below our room, was easily heard in our room, but aside from that, all was quiet, not even plumbing noises. Our room had floor to ceiling windows on 2½ sides with curtains that almost kept out the light. Our request to replace the comforter on our bed with a sheet and blankets worked for one of three night...Read More

No doubt tour companies flock to the the Pullman because it's location near the edge of the city makes it less expensive comparable than central lodgings. Our room was very nice, with all the conveniences, including two decent chairs to sit in and a desk.

The Pullman flaws were minor. A car alarm that went off one night at 4:00 am in the parking lot outside the front door, four floors below our room, was easily heard in our room, but aside from that, all was quiet, not even plumbing noises. Our room had floor to ceiling windows on 2½ sides with curtains that almost kept out the light. Our request to replace the comforter on our bed with a sheet and blankets worked for one of three nights.

The Pullman's rooms are on both sides of long hall, forming a rectangle. If the two long walls of the rectangle are lines A-B and C-D, short side A-C faces a busy street. C-D faces an unbusy street. B-D faces the driveway into the hotel. A-B has another building between it and the parallel street. We were in a most quiet location, the B corner.

Some reviews of the Pullman (Sofitel) complain about its remote location, far from the center of town. These comments must have been written before the Meteor Metro line opened (Metro line 14). The Meteor is a fast express with the Chatelet metro station, the key tourist area station, only three stops away. Madeline metro station, one block off the Champs Elyesee is four stops. We found it very fast and convenient.

To get to the metro station: turn left on leaving the hotel. Cross the street. Go through the arch, turn right on the cobblestone pedestrian street, Cour St Emillion, that runs through the middle of the mall. There are two passageways through the long row of buildings on the left. Go left at the second one. The metro stop is right across the street.

If you go through the first passageway on the left, you are right across the street from a nice park.

Rates start at $265 (May, 2008). The Pullman has a good location, but it is not cheap. Check out the nearby Ibis, the lowest priced chain of the Accor family (Pullman is their luxury brand).

There is a good selection restaurants on the nearby Cour St Emillion.

Rue de Libourne is a very obscure street (I found it on my 82 page Paris street map). It is easy to locate by looking for Bercy Village, a shopping mall, or the Cour St Emillion, which is both a street and a nearby metro stop.

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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 26, 2008

Pullman Paris Bercy Hotel
1, rue de Libourne
Paris, France 75012
+33 (1) 44673400

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L'Europeen

Restaurant

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L'Europeen is a rather large place for a brasserie. We saw four dinning rooms. It was obvious from the seafood stand L'Europeen operated out front that seafood was the speciality, but we had chicken and Choucroute Garni. The dinning room we were in was richly decorated with dark red wallpaper, dark wood, red leather chairs, and bright chandeliers. The Maitre de wore the traditional black tuxedo. In keeping with tradition, there was a separate Maitre de for each dinning room. A proper French Maitre de has a different job than one in America. In addition to taking us to our table and handing us a menu in English after asking, in English, “Would you like the English menu?”, he dished up our foo...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 21, 2008

L'Europeen
21 Boulevard Diderot
Paris, France 75012
+33 1 4343 9970

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Chicago Pizza Pie Factory

Restaurant | "Chicago Pizza"

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We had been walking around the Modernista Quarter for a couple hours and weer starting to think about taking a break for lunch when, just as we were passing, the Chicago Pizza through open its doors. As that must have been a Sign from Above, in we went. The décor was reminiscent of Fuddruker's but limited to a Chicago theme-- Division St. street signs, poster for the Cubs, photos of downtown Chicago. No doubt this was exotic to Europeans, but we found it wildly out place and hilariously tacky. This is what Globalization does for you.Otherwise, the restaurant was large, with four interconnected dining rooms staggering around the ground floor of a century old building. Most walls were e...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on June 8, 2008

Chicago Pizza Pie Factory
Provença, 300
Barcelona, Spain 08008
+34 93 2159415

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Campagne

Restaurant

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Bercy Village, a mall in the revitalized old wine warehouses of Paris strolling the pedestrian street Cour St Emillion, was a half block from our hotel (Pullman Bercy) has a good selection restaurants including Zagat Guide recommended Chai 33, where we never ate because the menu did not appeal-- too much like typical California Yuppie food. Our first night in Paris, we set out to find some traditional French food, which wasn't easy. Only one of the restaurants in Bercy Village offered a menu of mainly French classics. We had Beef Burgundy and Veal Blanquette, both were good examples of the genre, European style. There are two differences between what you get in the USA or in Europ...Read More

Bercy Village, a mall in the revitalized old wine warehouses of Paris strolling the pedestrian street Cour St Emillion, was a half block from our hotel (Pullman Bercy) has a good selection restaurants including Zagat Guide recommended Chai 33, where we never ate because the menu did not appeal-- too much like typical California Yuppie food. Our first night in Paris, we set out to find some traditional French food, which wasn't easy. Only one of the restaurants in Bercy Village offered a menu of mainly French classics.

We had Beef Burgundy and Veal Blanquette, both were good examples of the genre, European style. There are two differences between what you get in the USA or in Europe when you order this dish. First, European beef is very different it texture-- more stringy and chewy-- and a somewhat different in taste. Second, getting high quality veal is close to impossible in the USA. The beef was classic European beef, and well cooked, accompanied by pearl onions and mushrooms. Nicely flavored in a red wine sauce.

The veal was incredible, easily the best we ever encountered anywhere. It was as tender as mashed potatoes! The sauce was creamy smooth and rich.

Now for the bad news, and this was really bad compared to what French food used to be. Both dishes were accompanied by a salad of iceberg lettuce. We have been traveling in Europe for 35 years, and this is the first time we ever encountered that culinary abomination. Before, all our salads in Europe were of a superb butter lettuce. The already applied house dressing was, as in most American restaurants, loaded with an excessive amount of vinegar relative to the oil, and, making bad even worse, it was not well mixed into the salad and there wasn't enough room on the plate to try to stir it around with out salad falling on the table.

Also, the salad came with the main course, unlike a classic French meal where salad follows the entree, far an away the best sequence for salad. We started having salad last or just before desert after our first trip to France 30 some years ago, and we are still are doing it. It is the right way to eat. Give it a try.

A small basket of bread was decent, but no baguette (see review) and it was included, no extra charge.

Total cost (food, wine, tip, tax): $60

Like most restaurants in France, the menu was posted outside, along the street, so the diner can see what they are will be getting without going inside. There were more tables outside under a canvas than inside. In both places, tables were small and really jammed together. Had anyone been sitting when beside us when we finished diner, eight people would have had to get up and move so we could get out.

Service was efficient but more like a Denny's than a traditional French restaurant.

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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on June 11, 2008

Campagne
Bercy Village, 28, rue François Truffaut
Paris 75012
01 40 02 90 84

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The Swiss Pearl

Restaurant

Quote:

Breakfast and lunch were buffets. Dinners were sit down, multiple course meals that took a long time, 2-3 hours. Unlimited wine was included in the tour price-- champagne at breakfast, and a choice of red(or rose when we were in the rose region of southern France) or white at lunch and dinner. The wines changed daily, sometimes also changing between lunch and dinner. We particularly liked the rose served when we in that region. Rose was the one of the lunch and dinner offerings one day. The next day, it was not listed, but we asked the waiter if they still had any. He came up with a couple bottles. The breakfast buffet offered scrambled eggs, bacon, a rotating meat, a rotating ho...Read More

Breakfast and lunch were buffets. Dinners were sit down, multiple course meals that took a long time, 2-3 hours. Unlimited wine was included in the tour price-- champagne at breakfast, and a choice of red(or rose when we were in the rose region of southern France) or white at lunch and dinner. The wines changed daily, sometimes also changing between lunch and dinner. We particularly liked the rose served when we in that region. Rose was the one of the lunch and dinner offerings one day. The next day, it was not listed, but we asked the waiter if they still had any. He came up with a couple bottles.

The breakfast buffet offered scrambled eggs, bacon, a rotating meat, a rotating hot vegetable, a selection of cold cuts, cheeses, and fruits, and something for syrup, either waffles, pancakes, French toast, or polenta. Eggs fixed to order could be ordered from the waiter.

Lunch started with a choice of soups, then off to the buffet where there were the hot entrees included a meat dish, such as coq au vin and a vegetarian dish, often pasta. There was also a daily special ordered from the waiter. Soup of the day also was ordered from the waiter.

A typical dinner menu:
AMUSE: Ham mousse with red cabbage and apple salad
SOUP: potato with parsley or tomato consume with vegetables
SALAD: Nicsoise or salad melange(mixed greens)
MAIN COURSE: braised duck or grilled salmon with lemon dill butter and potato and broccoli or fennel filled rice croquette with lemon sauce
DESERT or CHEESE AND FRUIT: coffee Amaretto parfait or your choice of a selection of cheeses or of three kinds of ice cream at the buffet.

We thought the food, while good, was not quite up to the quality of what we encountered on other cruises. There are two possible explanations for this. First, it was not as good. Second, we spent three days in Paris before starting the cruise and eating in Paris raises your level of expectation for food.

Dinner was indeterminable. Dinner took 1½- 2 hours on other cruises, but the Swiss Pearl took 2-3 hours. For 20 minutes of eating you get a couple hours of chitchat with strangers, unless you take friends along. I would rather be on deck watching the scenery and se would rather be reading, so we did not like this dinner schedule.

The major cruise companies generally organize European river cruises by language, so all the passengers spoke English, including the lady from Venezuela. We generally find that it the most fun to sit and chat with Canadians in the dinning room, mostly I think because Canadians can talk politics at an intellectual level and don't get as emotional about it as do Americans. At one meal, we joined four Canadians, and after introductions, one of them asked, “So what do Americans think of Canadians?” I answered, “They don't,” and we were off on a fun two hours of chatting about politics and hockey.

The dinning room seats everyone at one time, and it is crowded. Dinning rooms are typically either in the front or back of the ship, with three walls of windows so passengers can look at the view as they travel. This is nice. The best designed ships, like the Swiss Pearl, have few tables that are not window tables. Diner tends toward formal, jackets , evening dresses, and even ties are not out of place, but casual dressy is always in order..

Rivers are very smooth, hardly any waves. The boat will not bounce your wine into your lap.
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Member Rating 2 out of 5 on June 11, 2008

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La Marquière

Restaurant | "La Marquiere"

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In this part of France, cassoulet is the classic regional dish, so when we ate lunch (the main meal in France) at La Marquiere, we ordered the “cassoulet formula”-- main dish and desert: cassoulet and crème brulee. With taxes, tip, and a nice bottle of wine, it came to $61 for two. That was in May, 2008, the time of the worst exchange rate ever thanks to GW Bush's economic mistakes. La Marquiere gets two crossed knives and forks in the Michelin Red Guide. This is good news. Michelin says two knives and forks means “a comfortable restaurant”, supposedly an attractive place to eat (ambiance), but we have found it also means good food at reasonable prices. While not as good as a st...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on June 13, 2008

La Marquière
13 r St Jean
Carcassonne 11000
+33 (4) 6871-5200

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Paris

Attraction

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We spent a weeks in Paris 30-35 years ago, and counting two subsequent visits to Versailles and this trip, we have spent 13 days in Paris. Our original impression from 35 years ago remains unchanged-- skip it. There are so many better places to spend time in Europe that is a shame to waste time and money going to Paris. But you won't listen, will you? So here are some highlights of Paris, things you should see even if there are more famous sights.First, there is one very good reason to go to Paris-- it is the closest airport to Versailles. Plan 1-3 days. You can search Versailles from the city via the RER. There are some grand cityscapes for the quais opposite the Lou...Read More

We spent a weeks in Paris 30-35 years ago, and counting two subsequent visits to Versailles and this trip, we have spent 13 days in Paris. Our original impression from 35 years ago remains unchanged-- skip it. There are so many better places to spend time in Europe that is a shame to waste time and money going to Paris. But you won't listen, will you? So here are some highlights of Paris, things you should see even if there are more famous sights.

First, there is one very good reason to go to Paris-- it is the closest airport to Versailles. Plan 1-3 days. You can search Versailles from the city via the RER.

There are some grand cityscapes for the quais opposite the Louvre to the Ile de la Cite and the views of the Eiffel Tower from L'Ecocle Militaire and Trocadero.

Our favorite spots are the two great museums of Impressionist art, Muse Orsay and Marmottan (metro: La Muette), La Defense at the La Defense exit of Metro Line 1, and the ancient Place de Vosges, strangely out of place in Paris.

The Hotel de Ville (City Hall) is the most interesting of the old buildings. The only church worth a visit is the St Chappell on a sunny day to see the stained glass windows. Notre Dame is typical Gothic pile with a long line to enter. St Germain de Pres is notable for its unusal amount of original decorations (times change in church decoration. Originally, Romanesque and Gothic churches were brightly painted on every available space. Then they went austere, with few examples of the original paint jobs remaining.)

The Champs Elysees and Etoile (the Arc de Triumph) are a total waste of time, except for the view from the Pl. de Concorde.

Paris has a wealth of very expensive, very famous restaurants. So do all big cities. It is more interesting to eat in local joints (check the menu outside and pick places without an English version) which is where you best appreciate what all the fuss over food in France is about. I don't know how many days we have spent in France, but we have driven over 30,000 miles around the countryside and I'm convinced there are no bad, not even a mediocre restaurant in France expect McDonalds. These people know how to eat, rivaled only by Italy.

There is much hand wringing about the decline in the value of the dollar Bush's economic blunders caused, but compared to major US cites, it may not be so bad. A carnet, 10 rides on metro, cost about $17, and get you all over the city. We spent $40-80 for dinner for two with wine. We did blow $39 on lunch at the restaurant in the Musee d'Orsay-- two pastries and two ice teas-- for the delightful Baroque setting.

And lastly, forget Paris. Go to Prague.

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Member Rating 2 out of 5 on May 18, 2008

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Une Baguette

Story/Tip

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Une Baguette (one baguette) is not actually a restaurant, but it is the one absolutely essential eating experience in France. A baguette is one of the greatest creations of French cuisine, the perfect loaf of bread. The baguette's shape is geometrically correct for maximizing the surface area of a solid of a given volumes, and it is the surface the really sells this loaf of plain white bread. A proper baguette comes with a thin crust that is as crunchy as a fresh potato chip. There is nothing like it in the bread world. Here is the best way to experience a baguette We were walking down the street in Chateau Neuf de Pape one Sunday morning when we passed the open door of bakery (t...Read More

Une Baguette (one baguette) is not actually a restaurant, but it is the one absolutely essential eating experience in France. A baguette is one of the greatest creations of French cuisine, the perfect loaf of bread. The baguette's shape is geometrically correct for maximizing the surface area of a solid of a given volumes, and it is the surface the really sells this loaf of plain white bread. A proper baguette comes with a thin crust that is as crunchy as a fresh potato chip. There is nothing like it in the bread world.

Here is the best way to experience a baguette We were walking down the street in Chateau Neuf de Pape one Sunday morning when we passed the open door of bakery (the French would never consider going without a fresh baked baguette on any day of the week, so baguette bakers work everyday). Looking inside, the baker was just taking a tray of fresh baked baguettes out of the oven. I popped in, and ordered “une baguette”, a few bites of paradise for $1.20. As we strolled on through the village on our way to the castle of the Popes on top of the hill, we tore pieces of the hot fresh bread off the loaf and munched perfection. Had it been later than 9:30 am, I would have also bought a bottle of wine, but that was a little to early in the day, especially as our next stop was a wine tasting.

While the crust is the glory of the baguette, also pay attention to the bread inside, filled with holes like Swiss cheese, tender but chewy, it is plain white bread with character. Wonder Bread wouldn't be flirting with bankruptcy if they could prepare a baguette

For a great picnic lunch, build it around a baguette In town, you will have visit several shops to put it together, but that's fun. When we are are on a driving trip, we simplify shopping by stopping at a Geant or Super Marche, large supermarkets something like Wal-Mart except the food is top quality. Picnic lunch is a baguette, some smoked salmon or ham, a piece of cheese, and a bottle of wine or Evian water for the driver. Maybe an orange or apple too. Maybe a pastry for desert. Yum yum. Sometimes she gets a pate. I can't stand that stuff.

Wherever you are in France, there is a baguette not far away. Do not miss having one, or a dozen. Well, maybe three.
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Aboard the Swiss Pearl

Story/Tip

The Swiss Pearl on the Sonne Photo - France, Europe

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A typical day on the Swiss Pearl: 6:00-7:00 am Coffee and pastries in the lounge for early risers7:00-9:00 am Buffet breakfast in the dinning room.9:00-11:00 Guided tour of Vienne 11:00-12:00 free time in Vienne12:15pm Return to ship12:30 sail for Viviers1:00-2:30 lunch buffet in the main dining roomFree time on board. It was nice weather, so many passengers were sightseeing, sleeping, reading, or drinking and conversing on the Sun Deck4:00 tea (coffee or tea, pastries and cakes) in the lounge5:00 arrive5:45 wine tasting in the lounge (Cote de Rhone)6:45 briefing on next day's events in the lounge7:00-9:00 diner9...Read More

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Paris Journals

Cruising the Rhone River