Live from the Viking Hermod, Portraits of Southern France

[bcraw13]

Your postings have been so helpful. We pack tomorrow and leave Saturday for Lyon for Hermod"s next cruise. Can't wait!! Thanks for all you have done.

We may pass in the airport...who knows!

[rrgator]

Becki, may I ask a question? I am trying to understand the time spent in Lyon. If I understand the timing of the cruise, you will get to Vienne on Day 5 in the morning and cruise to Lyon during the day, with an overnight stay there. Is that true? If so, can you tell me if there is an excursion in Vienne in the morning and then back to the boat for the cruise to Lyon, or if you take the morning excursion, are you bussed to Lyon to meet the boat there? I am thinking of eating in one of the many great restaurants in Lyon, and depending on the timing, it might be lunch and/or dinner. I appreciate any info you can give me. Thanks.

[rjscott]

Becki, may I ask a question? I am trying to understand the time spent in Lyon. If I understand the timing of the cruise, you will get to Vienne on Day 5 in the morning and cruise to Lyon during the day, with an overnight stay there. Is that true? If so, can you tell me if there is an excursion in Vienne in the morning and then back to the boat for the cruise to Lyon, or if you take the morning excursion, are you bussed to Lyon to meet the boat there? I am thinking of eating in one of the many great restaurants in Lyon, and depending on the timing, it might be lunch and/or dinner. I appreciate any info you can give me. Thanks.

Here is our schedule from the daily:

Walking tour of Vienne 9-12:00 pm

12:30pm ship sails for Lyon

3:30 pm ship arrves in Lyon

3:45 shuttles to Lyon city center for shopping

 

 

So, as you can see, the morning excursion to Vienne is open to all, as is afternoon time in Lyon. You can arrange with the ship's concierge for a dining reservation and transportation there and back to the ship. We were bussed to Lyon city center for our tour.

 

Becki

[rjscott]

Day 5

Today we are in Vienne in the A.M. We have a walking tour in the morning. We start right off by seeing the facade of an old cathedral just a short walk from the ship and see a Roman forum, as well as some other Roman building remains. We also have a mini-train ride up to the top of Mt Kips. This affords wonderful views of the city. We have a bit of free time after the tour b/f returning to the ship and saiing for Lyon. Vienne is quite a nice city with some cute shops.

To be continued...

 

Becki

[rjscott]

Day 5 continued;

We return to the ship for lunch and our journey to Lyon. We have signed up for the Market Visit tour with the Chef. This is an optional tour with a cost of 10 euros. We are bussed to Les Halles de Bocuse, which is an extraordinary market. This is like Les Halles in Avignon, but on a more upscale, gourmet level. The chef walks our group around the market, explaining how many of the sales here are prepared foods for working families. There are also many gourmet foods, such as truffles, pates and caviar, as well as fine chocolate shops, patissieries and wine shops. It was such fun and the chef had a few tastings in store for us too. We also had a bit of free time to wander on our own.

Upon our return to the ship, there was a silk presentation which was very interesting and scarves and ties were available for sale afterwards. I was glad to see this, since we didn't have the opportunity to shop earlier in the day, having done the Market Visit.

 

Becki

[Riversanddale]

Terrific, Becki. Can't wait for this day (or any of the others for that matter)! The timing details really do help to get a feel for what can be done in a day.

[rrgator]

Thanks for the response. One more question, can you tell me where the boat docked relative to the town.

 

Here is a map of Lyon with the arrondissements listed:

 

 

For reference, the Rhone is the river on the right and the Saone is the river on the left.

 

If you could indicate approximately which arrondissement you were docked close to, it would be very helpful. Thanks.

Edited April 4, 2014 by rrgator

[rjscott]

Thanks for the response. One more question, can you tell me where the boat docked relative to the town.

 

Here is a map of Lyon with the arrondissements listed:

 

 

For reference, the Rhone is the river on the right and the Saone is the river on the left.

 

If you could indicate approximately which arrondissement you were docked close to, it would be very helpful. Thanks.

Sorry, can't be that specific. I can tell you we were docked on the Saone, and we were very close to the Confluence shopping mall, if you can look that up to see which arrondissement that would be in. We were within walking distance of that center. Maybe a 2 min walk.

[rjscott]

Day 6

We have our morning tour of Lyon. We board our buses and drive into town. We make a couple of stops along the way to view some of the interesting architecture. We also drive up to the highest point to see a cathedral and some amazing views of Lyon. The cathedral is quite elaborate. We then drive to the old city for our walking tour. Neat architecture here, but need to also be careful of your footing, as the cobblestones are unevenly spaced here. We get to see some traboules, which are the secret passageways used in the past by silk merchants. Very interesting. At the end of our walking tour we have about 45 min free time to shop or have a coffee, whatever, b/f meeting the bus for the return to the ship.

After lunch, we have the disembarkation talk. So soon? Later there is a presentation on French cheeses, which is very good. Then it is time to get ready for the captain's farewell cocktail party and farewell dinner. I think about 75% of the people dressed up a bit tonight. At dinner, all the staff were introduced and presented and paraded thru the dining room. I thought that was nice to give recognition to those who do the day in- day out work in addition to those who do the up front work, like the program director.

 

Becki

[franski]

Becki - Thanks so much for posting in such detail...

 

We leave in less than 90 days (same itinerary, but with Avalon) - so your insights are very helpful.

 

Enjoy!!

 

Fran

Edited April 5, 2014 by franski

[rjscott]

Hi, Fran!

We have so enjoyed this trip! It is hard to believe it is so quickly coming to an end. The daytime cruising has been enjoyable; seeing the types of homes people live in, animals grazing, swans in the water along the banks.

I know you"ll love it! Looking forward to your report when you get back.

 

Becki

[rrgator]

Thank you again. That answer is very helpful in determining where to look for restaurants near where the ship is docked. Now having gone to all of this trouble, we probably will just eat on the boat anyway. :D

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip.

[rjscott]

Day 7

Today is our last day. We are sailing into the early morning when we stop briefly to disembark the passengers going on the excursion to Cluny. They will rejoin the ship for lunch in Chalon sur Saone. Meanwhile, I spend a couple of hours packing, while watching the landscape go by out the window. It is a beautiful day, and once we dock, we are able to go up on the sun deck for a few minutes before lunch.

To be continued...

[rjscott]

Day 7 continued...

 

After lunch we board our bus for our last excursion, our trip to Beaune. This excursion turns out to be one of the best. We stop along the way at one of the vineyards for a closer look at how the vines produce grapes, and how they are tended. We pass thru several villages on our way, and it is quite a scenic drive. We arrive in Beaune and it is quite a bustling city, as it is Saturday. But, we are visiting a tasting room in a cave. This is very interesting, and we taste 4 wines and a dessert liqueor. The hosts/owners also serve a gouger and a bread along with the wines. It was a lovely experience. They also have a shop selking rheir wines as well as other locally made goods, so we have a few minutes to shop there before moving on to the hospital.

The hospital is now a museum, but is a beautiful building and has displays of how the rooms were used when it was a hospital. It is fascinating, and our guide is quite knowledgeable on the history.

After our tour of the hospital, we have about 45 min to shop, and Beaune has some lovely shops.

 

Day 8 for us began with a 1:30 am wake-up as our bags needed to outside our cabin by 2:15. We were departing the ship at 3am in order to make a flt from Lyon at 6:05am. There were about 12 of us poor souls that drew that short straw. But, we did have a very nice continental breakfast awaiting us in the lounge, with eggs, meat, fruit, yogurt, and pastries. So, we at least had a good start to our very early morning. And, there was a Viking rep at the Lyon airport to assist us in getting thru the check-in process there.

 

We really enjoyed our cruise, and are looking forward to our next Viking sailing. If I can answer any questions I haven't already, just ask.

 

Becki

[Riversanddale]

Becki. What a treat you have been and it means so much for you to share. We are so happy that you enjoyed your cruise.

 

The timing details are really helpful - even the "short straw" last day. I'm afraid this may also be our scenario with an early morning departure.

 

Did you get any impressions on the trip to Cluny from any of those who went?

 

Please add any more tidbits that you think of when you return (to home and to your very own time zone!).

 

Enjoy your next cruise.

[ingo_e]

rjscott: could you contact me via email? ingo@rivercruiseinfo.com

[Scandihooviancanuck]

Day 7

 

Today is our last day. We are sailing into the early morning when we stop briefly to disembark the passengers going on the excursion to Cluny. They will rejoin the ship for lunch in Chalon sur Saone. Meanwhile, I spend a couple of hours packing, while watching the landscape go by out the window. It is a beautiful day, and once we dock, we are able to go up on the sun deck for a few minutes before lunch.

 

To be continued...

 

 

Thank you for all the information, Becki! My daughter and I are taking this trip (but North to South) in late June, after a week cruising Paris to Normandy. It is so nice to hear a little about the trip in advance! Inge

 

 

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[memaw123]

Thank you so much for writing about the cruise. We are taking this cruise in November on the Buri and we are very excited and your writing has caused us to wish the summer away.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[rjscott]

I'm glad my posts have been helpful to you. It was such an enjoyable trip for us. So glad we did this itinerary.

Riversandale, sorry, no info on Cluny. But, I can say this; both the included excusions and optional excursions we did take part in were well- done and we felt worthwhile. So, I guess I'm saying that if Viking is including the Cluny excursion in their optionals, I would consider it a worthwhile choice. And, if you are doing the Avignon to Lyon sailing, you don't have to choose b/t Cluny and Beune, as you visit Cluny in the A.M. and Beune in the afternoon.

 

Becki

[editor@cruisecritic]

Hi, and just back from a week's stay in Lyon. I adore this city (it wasn't my first time but it had been awhile) and the traditional Bouchon are definitely worth trying.

 

On this trip I fell quite under the spell of the city's amazing and lovely indoor food market (Les Halles de Paul Bocuse). It's not anywhere particularly picturesque (just aim for the hideously tall Radisson Blu round hotel via taxi, bus or 25 minute walk from the old town) but it's got quite a few small restaurants, in addition to all the great patisseries and other food stands. We had lunch on two different days there, both special and delicious experiences. If anyone's interested, drop me a note at editor@cruisecritic.com and I'll sort through my photos (and/or credit card bills) to find the names.

 

Speaking of Paul Bocuse, he's also got a handful of bistro-style restaurants that are a bit more casual than his namesake place. We had Sunday lunch at Nord (link: http://www.nordsudbrasseries.com/) and it was delicious, great ambience, right in the heart of the old city (and across the river from the cruise ship pier -- a nice walk).

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

 

PS Other nice ways to spend time in Lyon: Take the tourist boats sightseeing up the Saone or to the confluence; on weekends (at least on Sundays, not sure about Saturdays) the banks of the Saone are full of food and craft markets, totally fun. The funicular up to the cathedral is also terrific (we walked down the hill and our knees didn't stop vibrating for a day or two; very steep).

 

PPS One other tip: All shops are closed on Sundays (well, the supermarkets might be open in the a.m.) so be prepared to find other amusements if you're there that day.

 

Becki, may I ask a question? I am trying to understand the time spent in Lyon. If I understand the timing of the cruise, you will get to Vienne on Day 5 in the morning and cruise to Lyon during the day, with an overnight stay there. Is that true? If so, can you tell me if there is an excursion in Vienne in the morning and then back to the boat for the cruise to Lyon, or if you take the morning excursion, are you bussed to Lyon to meet the boat there? I am thinking of eating in one of the many great restaurants in Lyon, and depending on the timing, it might be lunch and/or dinner. I appreciate any info you can give me. Thanks.

Edited April 16, 2014 by editor@cruisecritic

[santafefran]

Thanks everyone for your comments. We are booked on the Buri, Avignon to Chalone May 18-25 and can't wait!

[pinotlover]

Thanks to everyone! My wife and I read every post. We are booked on this trip Sept 13th , North to South. Flying in a week early to do the Provence and Chat. du Pape wine area, and then doing the three day extension in Nice.

 

Can't Wait!!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info ....

[id4elizabeth]

We just returned from the April 21st sailing on the Hermod. The ship is wonderful, and the crew was great. Lizette is the conceirge and was very helpful. Here are my thoughts to add to what's already been said, based on our North to South itinerary.

 

1. Do NOT miss the nighttime walk of Viviers if at all possible. I know it's about 9:00 and you're beat from the day, but this was an unforgettable experience and the guide is fabulous. I would love to see this town by day.

 

2. In Vienne, right across the car traffic bridge (not the foot bridge) from where the boat docks is the Gallo-Roman Museum and an huge excavation site that you can walk around, that for some reason Viking doesn't tell you about. It is well worth a visit. The Viking included tour consists of 3 parts, one is a walking tour of the town, two is a disney-type little train ride up the hill for a view (beautiful), and the third is "free time". If you ask to be on the tour where the free time is at the end, then you probably have enough time to pop over the river and take this in if you're a fan of Roman ruins. We did this and are so glad we did. (The traffic birdge does have pedestrain walkways.)

 

3. We did not get the walking tour of Tournon - just the chocolate factory (ValRhona chocolate you can get all over France and even in the States, and to me was a waste IMO), a "tour" of a "museum" of a no-name painter run by his daughter which was completely and utterly a waste of time, and a bus ride to a third rate winery for a tasting which was the only OK part of the morning IMHO. Tournon itself looked much more appealing to explore with castle ruins and interesting looking ramparts. We spent zero time here. I would advise skipping the included tour altogether and explore Tournon, but that's my opionion, not necessarily shared by all, although most eveyone I talked with on the cruise had the same opinion - that Tain l"Hermitage was the least favorite part of the cruise.

 

4. I did do the Cluny optional tour and thought it was very impressive. Only parts of this old Abbey are still intact, but what is intact makes you realize the enormous scale of what once was. We were also lucky and saw some equestrian riders putting horses through their hoops. (Cluny has a famous stud farm.) I also understand that depending on the dates, you may luck out and be in Cluny on a Market Day - we were not, but I liked this excursion a lot.

 

5. If you do the North to South itinerary, you have the option of going to Pont du Gard - this was fantastic and my second favorite part of the trip! It's my understanding that if you're going South to North, this optional tour may not be available.

 

6. My husband did the Chateauneuf de Pape tour and he enjoyed it - but then he's a wine lover.

 

7. We stayed in Arles for the entire day, and did not do the Les Baux tour. We really liked Arles. However, we stayed on several days in Provence after the cruise and went to Les Baux on our own. We adored Les Baux. So it would be a tough choice whether to spend the whole day in Arles, or to do the optional tour to Les Baux. We were fortuate and didn't have to choose.

 

8. In Avignon, you'll have some free time - one thing you can think about doing is going to the Papal Park (Jardin du Rochers des Domes) that's up a steep ramp to the left of the Papal Palace, passing in front of the church with the golden Mary on top. It's not so much for the park itself but the wonderful views across the river overlooking the Avignon Bridge. It's free. Another thing you can do is pay to walk out onto the Avignon Bridge.

 

Overall, we really enjoyed the trip, except for the one bad morning in Tain l'Hermitage. The ship is brand new, the food was good, the crew was terriffic. Hated to get off the ship - would love this to have been a 10 day itinerary!

[id4elizabeth]

If you're getting to Provence early, might I suggest renting a car and touring the Luberon area for a day. The hilltowns are fabulous. Although there are some vineyards around, it's more olive fields and mainly lavender fields (this is BIG lavender country), but there's certainly plenty of wine to drink in these villages. Some of our favorites villages were Gordes, Lacoste (home of Peirre Cardin, and former home of the Marquis de Sade), Rousillion, and Bonnieux. We fell in love with Provence and the Luberon!