Sapphire73

While I would always choose to take a dslr myself (because I am really into photography), I think a small point and shoot camera might be ideal for you. One of my sons travels each summer with a small, good Canon point and shoot (purposely leaving his dslr at home) and he comes home with great photos. If you do get a new camera, I would suggest googling ideal camera settings for that model before you go. And taking some photos before the trip so you are familiar with the camera. Hope you have a wonderful trip!

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Looking forward to hearing about your trip!

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We just returned from the GCT Burgundy to Provence trip in September. Wonderful trip! Will write more later but happy to answer any specific questions you may have.

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While we are relatively new to river cruising, we have just returned from a river cruise on the Rhone (September). And we took a river cruise on the Rhine and Moselle in November 2015. We enjoyed both trips and can see why people often revisit these places.

Friends of ours have taken almost every GCT and OAT trip available and are repeating the Rhine and Moselle trip now. (They were with us in 2015 but wanted to go again.)

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We took a GCT river cruise on the Rhine in 2015. I found the beds comfortable. And I was pleased to learn that one can adjust the head of the bed to be more upright.

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We loved our Rhine river cruise (Romance of the Rhine & Mosel with Grand Circle Travel). We traveled from Basel north to Antwerp. I didn't notice any downside with going from south to north, and I loved how much time we had in the ports. While cruising along the Rhine is lovely, we were very happy that our itinerary included some time on the Mosel. (We had the option of going to Lucerne before cruise or to Bruges, Belgium afterwards. We chose to go to Bruges since we were traveling in November.)

It looks like Viking offers two cruises that include some time cruising along the Mosel but perhaps you wish to concentrate on an itinerary that focuses on the Rhine for your first cruise.

Before booking our first cruise, we looked at the various ports to figure out which itinerary (and cruise line) we wanted to take. It helped to read trip reports posted on Cruise Critic - especially when they included photos.

I'm on that same GCT trip a few weeks after the OP, so I too thank everyone for their suggestions! Sapphire, please come back and tell us how it all went. Bon voyage!

Barrheadlass, we are just back from our trip and it was wonderful! Since we just got home last night, it will take me a while to post a full trip report with photos.

But here are a few notes that you may find helpful:

Friday, Sept 8 - Arrival, walking tour near hotel, lunch & dinner on our own

Lovely hotel. We had a room on one of the upper floors and while we looked out on several rooftops, we could also see Sacre Couer!

Tip: We had a wonderful dinner at Au Petit Riche! http://www.restaurant-aupetitriche.com/en/

(We were traveling with 3 other couples and sampled several different dishes, including the French onion soup, escargot, frog legs, beef tartare, Baba au Rhum, etc. We found the food and the service to be excellent! It was one of our favorite restaurants on the trip.)

Saturday - Bus tour of Paris, free time in the afternoon, dinner together

Tip: We chose to visit Musee de l'Orangerie to see Monet's paintings of the water lilies. It is within walking distance from the hotel but it was a little rainy so we took 2 taxis (because we had 8 people). If you take a taxi, write out the name and address of the destination! One taxi dropped off his passengers at Musee d'Orsay....

Sunday - Bus trip to Macon with light lunch at a lovely winery in Burgundy

Our program director added an informal walking tour of Macon after dinner. I went on the walk and was glad I did.

Monday - Sailing to Lyon, Afternoon Tour of Lyon

After the tour, we took the funicular up to the cathedral (Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere) and then walked down to see the Roman theaters.

Tip: We were also offered the chance to visit a silk store (Soierie Saint-Georges) in Vieux Lyon where father and son have several looms where they still weave silk. This was a highlight for us as the son explained the process and demonstrated weaving on the jacquard loom.

Tuesday - Visit a French market in Lyon, Evening Cruise of Illuminated Lyon

After visiting the market, we went back to the silk store to buy some scarves when it was less crowded. Some of us stopped in the puppet store nearby. (My little grandchildren love the pop up puppets - made in Germany - that I bought there!).

There was a lecture in the late afternoon about the French Resistance. We were fortunate to have a former member of the Resistance come on board and share some of his experiences, assisted by a younger man who gave us a power point presentation.

Tip: Highly recommend going up to the sun deck for the evening cruise of Lyon all lit up at night! You can hear the music by Alix (singing) and Jo (playing the accordion) while on the top deck.

Wednesday - Tour of Vienne, Home hosted visits

We enjoyed seeing the Roman ruins in Vienne (baths, forum, part of a road) and stopping by a store where we bought some coffee grounds and the soft nougat recommended by Notamermaid. And as usual with GCT, the home hosted visit was a highlight of the trip!

Thursday - Walking tour of Viviers, sail to Avignon

We enjoyed seeing Viviers and love the pottery bowl that we bought here. Spent a lot of time on the sun deck as we sailed to Avignon. This was also the day we went through the deepest lock in France (75 ft). The plan was to have us experience going through the lock before lunch was served but there was a delay to allow another boat to go through with us.

Tip: Try to go up on the sun deck for a few minutes while sailing through the lock, even if you are in the middle of eating lunch. (I didn't but heard from another photographer that it was well worth while.)

Friday - Walking Tour of Avignon, Optional Tour in Afternoon, Farewell Dinner

We enjoyed the guided tour of Avignon which included the papal palace. We enjoyed seeing the frescoes there. I heard good things about the optional tour to Carrieres de Lunieres and Les Beaux but didn't end up going. We considered visiting Pont du Gard as an alternative but ended up spending a little more time exploring Avignon instead.

Saturday - Arles and Visit to the Bull Farm in the Camargue

We started with a great tour of Arles, followed by free time to shop. Entrance to the museums and Roman ruins were free this weekend (patrimony days) so our program director added the Roman colliseum to our tour. (Usually you see the walls of the colliseum from the outside during the walking tour.)

I had asked JP, our program director, to recommend a place where I could purchase santons and he recommended a store in Arles that had an extensive selection.

The afternoon visit to the Camargue region was great! (see tip below)

That evening, our program director offered another optional walking tour at night because Arles was having a parade to celebrate the beginning of the rice harvest. Five of us went with JP to view the parade which included lots of people dressed in traditional clothing.

(Note: During our walking tour, we passed restaurant where they were cooking paella outside in a huge skillet. Some fellow passengers had lunch there and said the paella was wonderful!)

Tip: During the GCT visit to the bull farm, you will board a wagon to go see the bulls and watch the gardian (French cowboys) drive them toward the wagon. The people seated on the bench to the left side (as you get on the wagon) get a good view of the bulls being driven to the wagon. And a wonderful view of the gardians all riding up to the wagon at the end. We were seated on the bench to the right and had a good view of the bulls as many of them ended up on this side of the wagon. (There was also a bench in the middle.) If you are traveling with friends, you may want to try to split up so that you can share photos and video later?

Sunday - Disembark in Arles, Visit Rhone American Cemetery, arrive in Nice

While this cemetery is relatively small, we found it a moving experience to visit this cemetery. (There was a group of French children visiting the cemetery and a French family bringing their children to visit as well.) In Nice we had a quick orientation to show us a variety of places where we could eat lunch before a lovely walking tour of the Old Town.

Tip: We enjoyed having lunch at Le Safari (traditional Nicoise dishes) and our dinners at two small family run restaurants where the locals eat: La Femme du Boulanger and Restaurant Davia (cash preferred at the latter). But there are many good options!

Monday - Free day to explore Nice

Some of us took the hop and hop off bus in the morning, then went back to Old Town in the afternoon to do some shopping before the group met for a farewell drink.

P.S. Barrheadlass, our program director (Jean Philippe Ruzé) offered several extras that you may or may not experience if you have a different program director, are taking the trip in the reverse direction, etc. I mentioned two evening walks that he offered, but I think he offered one or two other evening walks as well. Our group of 4 couples felt that JP was an excellent program director!

I'm on that same GCT trip a few weeks after the OP, so I too thank everyone for their suggestions! Sapphire, please come back and tell us how it all went. Bon voyage!

I will try to write a trip report after our trip. May do a brief one while traveling and then one with photos later.

It would have been fun to have you on the same trip we are on!

Notamermaid, thank you for your input. I will look for the soft nougat.

CPT, yes, we did skip lunch on the ship a few times on our last cruise to eat in town with GCT, and thought we might be able to do that in Lyon. Our program director, Jean Philippe, has already shared maps and suggestions for Paris, Lyon, Avignon, and Nice.

The two restaurants listed for Lyon are:

- Bouchon Chabert et Fils (traditional Lyon restaurant): rue des marroniers - 30EUR

- Tête d’Oie 1 michelin star restaurant : 4 Rue du Professeur Pierre Marion, 69005, Lyonsplendid view from 65€ to 130€

I would welcome input on these restaurants or other recommendations in Lyon. Thanks!

The restaurants that our Program Director mentioned being near our hotel in Paris are:

Corner Haussmann - 28, boulevard Haussmann – 75009 Paris

Le Manoir - 34, boulevard Haussmann - 75009 Paris

Le Triadou Haussmann - 80 Boulevard Haussmann, 75008 Paris

Bouillon Chartier - 7 rue du Faubourg Montmartre | 75009 Paris

Cojean Haussmann (soups and sandwiches) - 64 boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris, France

Any input on these or another restaurant somewhat near our hotel? Mixed reviews on Trip Advisor for some of these. (I am used to reading and writing reviews for TA so I know these can be a mixed bag.)

Looks like there are lots of great options for restaurants in Nice!

Thanks again. We leave on Thursday so trying to wrap up the final preparations!

Wow! Thank you all for your helpful input! I have just put all of your suggestions into a word document to print out and share with our fellow travelers.

Jazzbeau and Jpalpny, thank you for your suggestions and the links to your blogs. Hoping to have time to look at them before we leave.

Caviargal, I appreciated your ideas on what one might buy. (We will have two foodies - gourmet cooks - in our group.)

Truckmaker, thank you for cautioning us about the cafe!

Wendy, sounds like my camera (and I) will be very busy in Arles trying to take in all there is to see and then bring home a few digital souvenirs.

LFS517, I appreciate your input on the tour to Carrieres de Lumieres and Les Baux. GCT also makes this available as an optional tour.

Thanks again!

We are leaving soon on GCT's Cruising Burgundy & Provence to Cote d'Azur. We will have time explore Lyon, Avignon, and Arles as well as Paris and Nice on our trip. I would love to hear from people who have visited these places as to local crafts or other products and any specific shops you might recommend? Did you buy a scarf in Lyon? A tablecloth to remind you of Provence? Pottery? Lavender products? Santons? Is there something perfect for grandchildren (3, 5, and 15)?

Any recommendations for what to do in our free time in Lyon, Avignon, or Arles? We are traveling with 3 other couples, and we probably have varied interests. and if you had time to have lunch in one of these places, where would you go?

Our Program Director has already started sharing some city maps and recommendations for things we might like to do in our free time, as well as some restaurants near our hotels in Paris and Nice. (We will have 2 nights in Paris - Millennium Opera Hotel - at the beginning and 2 nights in Nice - B4 Plaza Nice - at the end.) It is great to have these maps ahead of time and be able to do a bit of research before we leave home. But I would welcome input from fellow travelers as well. You were very helpful when traveled along the Rhine and Mosel Rivers two years ago.

Many thanks!

I got plantar fasciitis last summer and got a couple pairs Vionic - one a ballet flat and the other an athletic shoe. The ballet flat is more comfortable ;-) Has a very molded insole and the negative heel - some people hate, some love, so try. Not all varieties work for me (is true of all brands, really ;-) Privo is another - regular Clark's are usually too narrow for me but I've had some wonderful Mary Jane and ballet flat from Privo that work great...

I am dealing with plantar fasciitis now, just weeks before going on our second river cruise and need to find another pair of shoes to take along that may help. Did the Vionic help you?

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Thank you both for your responses! CPT Trips, we are fine with getting our carry-on to the bus and to the hotel room.

Barrheadlass, thank you for the suggestion to post on the GCT website. And I will definitely bring layers!

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I had heard the same advice about taking prescription medications in their original bottles but found it works well to take a list of my prescriptions and carry the pills in a pill dispenser. (I have the plastic kind and the more compact little cloth carrier with pouches for each day, so I can use whichever seems best for the length of trip.

Great suggestion by impatientlywaiting to take photos of the original pill bottles to carry on your phone!

Hope you have a great trip!

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Curious as to what folks have packed (in terms of accommodating the weather that time of year in France)? And any specific recommendations people may have for this itinerary with GCT? A favorite optional tour, favorite shop, etc?

Also, my husband and I took two checked bags and one small wheeled carry-on (between us) for our Rhine and Mosel river cruise with GCT. The trip in France will have some nights in hotels and bus trips at the beginning and end of our trip. Will it still be OK to take a small roll aboard? (I use it for my camera, pills and a change of clothes.) The information from GCT seems to give conflicting advice so I am wondering what others have done.

Thank you!

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Hello! We leave in a little less than a month for our Rhine/Mosel river cruise & pre-trip Bruges & post-trip Paris vacation. Need to pack for 23 days of travel in September and are not sure how much or how little to bring.

 

 

 

Will the weather be mild or cool the entire month or will we have some warm days still? We usually take Caribbean cruises and I know what to pack for those trips :).

 

 

 

What would you/have you packed for this trip? For women and men. And do you hand wash on the cruise or send out for laundry service to cut down on packing?

 

 

 

Any other tips/suggestions for us as we prepare for this exciting trip?? We are on the Grand Circle Rhapsody for our trip, Belgium to Switzerland route.

 

 

 

Thanks in advance for your help!!

We took this trip (with GCT) in November 2015, and it was a great trip! We had relatively mild weather for November, and it really helped to bring layers.

We had one day in Trier that was very windy and rainy, and I felt that umbrellas were awkward in that situation. So I was happy to have other options for staying dry (including a Tilley hat that provided protection from the sun and rain).

We did not send out any laundry but hand washed some ex-officio under garments.

I am curious as to whether you are traveling to Bruges on your own or doing that with GCT as well? We did it with GCT (at the end of our trip near Thanksgiving). The boat trip is normally included in the GCT package. Our boat trip was cancelled due to rainy weather but that gave us a little more time to explore on our own.

We are taking a GCT river cruise in France this September and wondering the same thing about what to pack for various kinds of weather situations. I will most likely take one or two garments made by Scottevest. They have a lightweight vest with several pockets for use on the the plane or while taking in the sights. And I also like their Chloe Hoodie which is like a hooded fleece jacket with multiple pockets. I wear it on flights that might be chilly and used it on our trip when temperatures were in the 50s to 60s.

Hope you have a great time!

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Thank you for posting. I love the photo of the dog. My chocolate lab would do that if she could everyday.:)

Great way for a dog to keep an eye on what is going on outside!

Just coming back to say that if anyone has questions about our trip or any of these ports, feel free to ask. I am relieved to have finished the review (that I started in January!) and won't be posting on this thread again unless someone else revives it to ask a question.

A recent post somewhere else on the board has inspired me to look something up. Cochem is a popular stop on almost all river cruises on the Moselle. I mean all, US-American, British, French, Dutch, German and whoever else comes to the river. In Cochem I have found out from you cruisers a trip to the mustard mill there is included or optional. Thank you Hydrokitty and Sapphire73. The owner has two mills that he operates with restored/original machines, there is another one in Cologne. I have not been there but would nevertheless liek to give it a mention here: http://www.koeln.de/tourismus/museen/koelner_senfmuseum_300032.html

 

There is no entry on the museum on the English Cologne page, I am afraid.

 

If you have been, I would like to know if you enjoyed it.

 

notamermaid

The mustard mill in Cochem wasn't really on our tour. We had finished the walking tour and many in our group chose to walk back to our ship with our PD. We all decided to go in (and I remembered reading about the mustard mill here on CC before our trip).

You can sample the various kinds of mustard and buy it in a crock to take home. We bought 2 kinds - one was a Riesling mustard - giving one to friends and keeping the other. It was very hard to choose. Unfortunately, one of our little grandchildren accidentally broke our crock of mustard but we certainly enjoyed using it for several months.

Sapphire73

Will definitely share. All photos will be posted in my SmugMug account and I'll link that here and on my blog. Blog addy is in my signature below.

Great that you will be sharing your photos. Thanks! Will take a look at your blog as you write about your upcoming adventures.

I had one on my phone at the time but haven't used it. I'll have to look at that. After finding some antique postcards on eBay I'm sort of fascinated with those. The history .. one day maybe my kids kids kids will look at them and remember me.

 

Plus, the way our world is going...who knows how much longer actual stamps will exist. Have to use them while I can.

True.There is something nice about receiving a physical postcard with an exotic stamp. You could also bring back coins and bills for your kids kids kids as well.

I have been practicing my Czech a bit but it's not an easy language for me. I am good enough with German to read and understand and be polite. I was stationed in Germany for 3 years so that will pay off a bit. Now that I'm done with school (at least until we come back) I do plan to work on the language a bit more.

Wow! That's great that you are practicing your Czech!

Jpalbny mentioned Duolingo, and I would also recommend it to folks who want to learn another language - even just a bit. I have traveled to a lot of different places for relatively short visits, learning a bit of the local language. (Think Zulu, Twi in Ghana, Swahili, Swedish, Korean, Japanese, etc.) I used go online to make a list of key words (greetings, please and thank you, yes and no, delicious, good, etc.)

Last year I used Duolingo to brush up on my meager French before a trip to Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire last summer, and it was very helpful. Duolingo also helped me learn a little Portuguese before traveling to Brazil.

I have a list/adress book of the people I want to send a picture postcard to from my travels. notamermaid

This reminded me about a photo card app that I had on my iPad once upon a time. I just checked and it is still available through iTunes. It is called "PhotoCard by Bill Atkinson." I used it to format digital postcards with one of my photos on the front and a message to the recipient. They also have an option (in the US, at least) to have the postcard printed and mailed for a fee. I sent these laminated postcards to my father as his memory faded so he could look at them whenever he wanted.

Just thought I would mention it in case anyone wants to give it a try. I am going to download it again and use it on our summer vacation.

GCT might offer "pre reservation" so a call wouldn't hurt.

We were able to pre reserve our GCT cruise Burgundy & Provence to Cote d"Azur for 2017 shortly before the dates and times (and prices) were posted online.

Wonder if they are holding off on posting all of the Christmas Market cruises for 2017 just now?

We were looking to take this trip in 2917 with friends. Looked like a great itinerary. It is no longer available in Dec., Jan or Feb. Guess not being able to cruise last year made them rethink the itinerary. This would be our fourth Christmas market cruise and thought this would be just perfect. Back to the drawing board. Pat

Sorry to hear that. Hope you find another great option!