RIVER RHONE DMC SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR GROUPS

As the river Rhône gets busier with more river cruise ships , there is a greater need for help in managing shore excursions from either specific ports or all ports of call. This is why our agency was established to begin with and our main office is based by the Rhone river.

Whether you are looking for help in finding unique excursions, for cost savings on a specific element or to outsource all local land operations and delivery to us, we can discuss various options and ways to work together. We also offer consultancy services whereby we can help on itinerary planning or contracting needs. Some operators want to run all themselves but need a little help to improve or with the initial start-up.

Covid-19 considerations

With regards to organizational matters, all the uncertainty around Covid-19 may tip the balance in favor of you outsourcing more elements of your local ground operations rather than having more resources taken up all year at a head office level. We are flexible and can look at ways to work together so we take on those elements that are best to arrange and manage locally.

Sanitary certification for river ships

We can arrange an audit for river ships on their sanitary protocols in respect of Covid-19 risk. Upon completion if any recommended changes are made, an industry recognized certification will be given to help reassure both crew and travelers.

LOGISTICAL COORDINATION (GUIDES, COACHES, TICKETS, SPEAKERS)

Thanks to our local presence and our established network of certified English and German speaking local guides all throughout the Rhone valley area, we can centralize and coordinate your Rhone itinerary needs. If you need help sourcing local cruise/program directors then this can also be arranged.

We only use the coaches and drivers that have received the best feedback from past tours and we can also arrange minivans for any private transfer needs. Airport reps for a welcome presence is also possible also but only if you are taking other land operation elements with us as well.

We can arrange for entrance tickets to classic sights and arrange for timings to match what you need most. As with all our services, our help can also extend onto your pre or post extension tours.

Another service we can offer is to help source local speakers to come on board to give talks on a particular subject. These speakers can help bring depth to very niche subjects. Whether they are just on board for an hour when docked, or if due to itinerary constraints they need to travel to the next port, we can arrange all the planning needed. This service is only offered if you also use us for other elements.

DEVIATIONS & EMERGENCY OPERATIONAL SUPPORT

High water levels, lock workers on strike, ship malfunctions… we’re used to all types of surprises that lead to urgent operational deviations. With just a phone call to our team we can help re-arrange existing plans and offer alternatives for you.

Headset rental: We rent out headset equipment and can manage all the logistics around these rotations if needed.

Recruitment: We can also help recruit cruise/program directors for you or advise on matters to crew employment in France through our tourism consultancy service.

RIVER RHONE SHORE EXCURSIONS (north to south)

If your ship itinerary starts on the Saône river (Chalons sur Saone or Maçon for example) before joining the Rhône further south at Lyon, then check out our Saone river excursions. Not all the smaller docking places are mentioned here but there are more options. Here we just list the popular choices due to timing and/or access to local sights. We understand if you are looking for experiences that your competition do not offer. There are always opportunities and thanks to our presence in the area we can always offer alternatives based on docking location and the type of excursion. If your product team already have ideas, we can easily cooperate with you and visit places to double check quality or access for example.

As a river DMC specialist we’ve kept the descriptions of tours on this page deliberately practical and simple to help with itinerary planning, rather than marketing-friendly for end clients.

TOURS WHEN DOCKED IN LYON

Classic city tours include a visit around both the modern and old towns and can feature a visit up to Fourvievre for the roman ampitheatre, basilica and best views over the city. Depending on budgets, tours can be arranged with or without motor coaches. Our guides can still show the group around well using a little public transport and incorporating the metro and funicular train as part of the overall discovery experience.

Food tours with cooking demonstrations, local food market visits, tastings… there are lots of opportunities for discovering why Lyon is known as the gastronomic capital of France.

Wine tours from Lyon can be done easily to the north in the Beaujolais region or to the south in the northern part of the Côte du Rhône. It’s often the case that other stops further south can offer more Côte du Rhône opportunities so Beaujolais is often favored from Lyon, but there are logistical and quality impact advantages to each so is worth discussing.

Brewery tours from Lyon is something often not considered but there is a perfectly located brewery that can be combined with a Beaujolais tour for example. They even now also distill their own whisky and gin also.

EXCURSIONS WHEN DOCKED IN VIENNE

Walking tours of this ancient Roman town doo not take too long and free time can be given afterwards for pax to enjoy the roman museum, the cathedral or for the good walkers, a trip up to the Pipet vantage point.

Cycle tours along the Rhône (nearly all along cycle paths) can be arranged also with the use of e-bikes or normal bike rental. Crossing to the other side of the Rhone, you’ll be riding below the famous Côte Rôtie vineyards.

Local winery tours of the Côte Rôtie or Condrieu estates can be arranged, as can visits to goat cheese producers or other local farms and workshops. We can also bring local wine estate owners or experts to the ship for presentations and discussions.

TOURNON-SUR-RHÔNE & TAIN l’HERMITAGE TOURS

Tournon is separated from the renowned wine town of Tain l’Hermitage by only a short stroll over the Rhône on a pedestrian walkway. Tournon itself has the castle and some great boutiques for shopping and discovery whilst Tain should be visited for views back over the Rhône and for wine cellar visits.

Walking & cycling tours can be included to include winery stops or beautiful views across the countryside.

Wine tours from Tournon are multiple. The area sits at the heart of several famous appellations such as St Joseph, Hermitage, Cornas & Crozes Hermitage. The vines that can be seen from dock are mostly on the Hermitage hill opposite. We can arrange visits to several local wineries and can discuss the best, depending on size of groups and timing. It’s often necessary to split groups either by departure time or by going to different wine estates. Winery visits can be done by coach or little train with some options also possibly by foot from the ship. Onboard tastings and pairing sessions can also be arranged on the ship with local experts coming on board to help manage and educate.

Chocolate workshop & museum tours can be organized at one of France's most famous chocolatiers. Travelers can learn how different chocolates are made, take part in lab workshops and of course enjoy the tastings. Different options are possible here. A visit can be easily combined with a wine tour or trip to Valence.

Steam train excursions run from Tournon up into the hills nearby. There are breathtaking views and a real fun journey into the Ardèche countryside. The train chuggs along above deep ravines and into areas that couldn’t otherwise be accessed.

Valence discovery tours can be a good option for passengers who like a shopping fix and to learn more about this often bypassed beautiful town on the banks of the Rhône. Whether guided or not, the trip can make a great half day tour or could be combined with a wine visit before returning to the ship.

VIVIERS, LE POUZIN & LA VOULTE-SUR-RHONE

Most river cruises need to include a stop at some point between Tournon and Avignon. As a stop itself, Viviers is the most attractive to visit with its 12th century cathedral and quaint little streets. The others don’t offer much with regards to sights. Otherwise any of these stops are can be used logistically as a stop from which to take an excursion further inland for a short half day tour. Local half day visits possible include:

Montélimar: City tour with visit to Nougat factory & workshop

Farms & special crafts: Authentic local visits to nearby farms (truffle, fruit etc) or craft educationals can be sourced.

Longer visits from Viviers (where lunch would need to be taken):

Orange: The ancient and beautiful town of Orange is a gem that is not often included in itineraries. Another Roman town with a spectacular amphitheater, a guided visit brings the history of the town to life and the shopping, cafés and boutiques always are well enjoyed by travelers.

Vaison-la-Romaine: The romans have left their mark here also and this remarkable Provençal town has a very distinct old and new town. Better as an optional tour as rather a lot of walking is involved that may not suit everyone in the group. Can be combined with visits to vineyard or other villages also. Great view from here of the famous Mont Ventoux.

DOCKING IN CHATEAUNEUF DE PAPE

A lonely & rather remote docking location (nothing within walking distance of interest) but one that is sometimes logistically useful. Located a little north of Avignon, it can be good to efficiently run departures for tours to either Orange or local vineyards. It can also be useful to save time: Heading south, passengers can leave on an excursion from here and be dropped back off in Avignon. Or vice versa going northbound. Only a short amount of sailing time is lost for the travelers but efficiency is gained due to lack of traffic here and being able to pick up/drop off right by the dock.

AVIGNON EXCURSIONS

Other than classic guided tours of the Pope's Palace & of Avignon itself, other high quality excursions possible from here include:

Les Baux de Provence: Often a highlight especially when combined with the impressive and unique Carrierès de Lumière light show from within the rock face of the mountain. This picturesque and quintessentially Provençal village is about a one hour drive from the port in Avignon.

Isle-sur-la-Sorgue: The town is famed for its waterwheels along the little canals that run through the town as well as its art galleries and antiques markets (nearly 300 antique dealers based here). This can be a good place to include a lunch on the way to a further stop such as one of the Luberon villages.

Luberon villages: Several beautiful and picturesque villages and lavender fields can be explored in this area such as Gordes, Goult & Rousillon. However, traffic in peak season means that these visits are only worth considering if lunch is included. A guided visit of the 12th century Cistercian monastery of Sénanque can also be arranged and has the added benefit in summer of being surrounded by gorgeous lavender fields.

A note about lavender fields: Some companies promote lavender fields in marketing but most of the season they simply are not in season and can’t be enjoyed. Furthermore, the best place for lavender fields is towards Valensole and so is too far to be reached from the Rhône. However, this can best be included as a visit on any extension that may be based in Marseilles or Aix en Provence for example. An alternative solution is to include a visit for example to the Coustellet lavender museum and workshop center, about an hour by coach from the dock in Avignon. A visit here can easily be combined with nearby Isle- sur-la-Sorgue.

TOURS FROM ARLES

City tours of Arles include the classic Roman sights such as the arena and explain the remarkable history of this pretty town. Plenty of shopping and opportunities to relax and take in the pace of this nice sized walking town. Other visits from Arles can include:

Aigues-Mortes: A visit here would mean a drive through the Camargue national park on the way and so can allow the travellers to see the flamingos from the coach even if occasionally a small detour may be needed for the best photos. Once at Aigues Mortes, we suggest a guided visit or free time to explore the ramparts and medieval streets, as it’s small so not too long is needed. Combined with the tour of Aigues-Mortes can be a visit of the salt marshes by little train. A local salt worker ‘saunier’ can explain how the salt is harvested and more about this unique ecosystem.

Ranch visit to a local family “manade”: These visits consistently received great feedback with the opportunity to enjoy a very unique experience. These ranches can welcome guests and show how the bulls are raised for the local férias in Arles. This is the closest France gets to having cowboys and the tour allows you to meet the family & workers and to also see the famous white horses of the Camargue. We can also organize for these visits to include either a simple or extravagant lunch buffet with local delicacies and music if desired.

Other considerations:

Les-baux-de-Provence (described above) can also be organized from Arles instead of Avignon.

Nimes is a town also full of Roman history but is much less touristy and so can offer an opportunity to visit a typical southern French city. It’s often avoided as there is already so much Roman featured visits elsewhere in the itinerary, but it’s worth considering.

Pont-du-Gard is a three-tiered aqueduct, built by the Romans over 2000 years ago, it’s architecture and nearby views are very impressive. As a visit on its own it’s maybe hard to justify as a tour (optional or otherwise). However, it could be combined with either a local farm/craft type visit or with a city visit of Nîmes.

PORT ST LOUIS & MARTIGUES

Not many cruise lines venture this far south to these Mediterranean ports. At the mouth of the Rhône the sea air and general different of feel of these ports can be a refreshing change for the travelers. Easy visits from here include Marseille or Aix-En-Provence for city tours and free time.

MOTOR COACHES & TRANSFER ONLY

If any tours are managed by us then the coordination and planning of coach drivers and vehicles will be done by us.

If at any point on your Rhone itinerary you only need transport services then we can also help with that, whether motor coaches or mini vans. This could be for a specific visit, airport & train station transfers, luggage-only transport or VIP options such as prestige cars or helicopter transfers.

TGV TRAIN BOOKINGS

Many Rhone itineraries involve some or all of the group starting in Paris or involve the need for travelers to get to or from other cities or airports such as Lyon or Marseille after or before any cruising.

We are able to fully manage your train seat allotments and ticketing. We are transparent with the pricing that reflects the local operator’s rates and charge a booking fee per person (based on overall quantity of allotments). The organization of these tickets can become very complicated due to the way the local operator works, especially when modifications are needed. It’s definitely worth considering the outsourcing of this service. We send e-tickets to the cruise directors/group leaders at the start of each tour.