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Essence of Burgundy &
Provence - Taste of Christmas
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Essence of Burgundy & Provence – Taste of Christmas
Burgundy and Provence don’t often get bundled into the same week, but this AmaWaterways cruise makes a strong case for it. Sailing down the Saône and onto the Rhône, you’ll go from Dijon’s wine country to Lyon’s food scene, then further south into Provence for Avignon’s Papal Palace and Arles’ Roman ruins. It’s a week that moves through a lot of history without ever feeling rushed: abbeys and châteaux in the first half, Roman remains and papal grandeur in the second, with wine tastings threaded through most of it.
4.68
from
204 reviews
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Cruise Line: AmaWaterways -
Ship: AmaCello -
Duration: 6 Nights
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Departure: Nov - Dec
Essence of Burgundy & Provence – Taste of Christmas Prices
Essence of Burgundy & Provence – Taste of Christmas Gallery
Essence of Burgundy & Provence – Taste of Christmas Itinerary
Seven nights from Dijon to Arles, or the reverse, heading south through Burgundy wine country and into Provence.
Day 1
Dijon, France
Settle aboard your ship in Dijon, a city that blends historic grace with modern French life, and get ready to toast the season as the week ahead comes into view.
Day 2
Chalon-sur-Saône, France
Wander the cobblestone streets of Chalon-sur-Saône on a historic city tour, or head instead to the festive walled town of Beaune for a walking tour, where markets are brimming with seasonal treats. There’s also the choice of scenic cruising, a Chalonnaise wine tasting, or a bike ride from Chalon to Tournus if you’d rather stay active.
Day 3
Tournus, France
Tournus offers a choice of three: a city tour taking in the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Philibert, a visit to the elegant Château de Cormatin, or a wander through the medieval village of Brancion. There’s also scenic cruising, a Mâconnais wine tasting, or a bike ride on to Mâcon if you’d rather cover the ground a different way.
Day 4
Mâcon, France
Mâcon brings four main options: a city tour of the South Burgundy capital covering its vineyards, museums and landmarks, a visit to the Romanesque Cluny Abbey, a trip to the Gothic Royal Monastery of Brou, or a bike tour. There’s also a Beaujolais wine tasting and some scenic cruising if you’d rather stay aboard and watch the winter landscapes go by.
Day 5
Lyon, France
Explore Lyon on the France’s Culinary Capital city tour, taking in the UNESCO-listed old town, Fourvière Hill and the traboules, or swap it for the Vieux Lyon walk and tasting tour if food’s more your focus. A Lyon bike tour is also on offer. The day continues to Vienne, where you can choose a walking tour past Roman ruins and Gothic cathedrals, a hike up Mount Pipet, or the ViaRhôna bike tour.
Day 6
Vienne, France
Cruise on to Viviers, where you can stroll or cycle through streets lined with historic monuments with a Viviers walking tour, an active walk, or a bike tour all on offer, plus scenic cruising if you’d rather stay on the water. Inland, the hilltop village of Grignan hosts a holiday truffle hunt on the truffle farm visit, and after dark, the evening ghost walk of Viviers brings guides in Renaissance costume to tell the town’s seasonal stories.
Day 7
Avignon, France
In Avignon, choose the walking tour taking in the Papal Palace and medieval walls, or the Tastes of Avignon tour for macarons, cheese and regional wines. There’s also a private tasting on offer at a Châteauneuf-du-Pape winery. The day continues to Arles, where an Arles walking tour, a Van Gogh walking tour, or an Arles bike tour are available for you to pursue.
Day 8
Arles, France
Disembark in Arles.
Day 1
Arles, France
Board your ship in Arles to begin your Essence of Burgundy & Provence cruise.
Day 2
Avignon, France
In Avignon, choose the walking tour taking in the Papal Palace and medieval walls, or the Tastes of Avignon tour for macarons, cheese and regional wines. There’s also a private tasting on offer at a Châteauneuf-du-Pape winery. The day continues to Arles, where an Arles walking tour, a Van Gogh walking tour, or an Arles bike tour are available for you to pursue.
Day 3
Vienne, France
Cruise on to Viviers, where you can stroll or cycle through streets lined with historic monuments with a Viviers walking tour, an active walk, or a bike tour all on offer, plus scenic cruising if you’d rather stay on the water. Inland, the hilltop village of Grignan hosts a holiday truffle hunt on the truffle farm visit, and after dark, the evening ghost walk of Viviers brings guides in Renaissance costume to tell the town’s seasonal stories.
Day 4
Lyon, France
Explore Lyon on the France’s Culinary Capital city tour, taking in the UNESCO-listed old town, Fourvière Hill and the traboules, or swap it for the Vieux Lyon walk and tasting tour if food’s more your focus. A Lyon bike tour is also on offer. The day continues to Vienne, where you can choose a walking tour past Roman ruins and Gothic cathedrals, a hike up Mount Pipet, or the ViaRhôna bike tour.
Day 5
Mâcon, France
Mâcon brings four main options: a city tour of the South Burgundy capital covering its vineyards, museums and landmarks, a visit to the Romanesque Cluny Abbey, a trip to the Gothic Royal Monastery of Brou, or a bike tour. There’s also a Beaujolais wine tasting and some scenic cruising if you’d rather stay aboard and watch the winter landscapes go by.
Day 6
Tournus, France
Tournus offers a choice of three: a city tour taking in the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Philibert, a visit to the elegant Château de Cormatin, or a wander through the medieval village of Brancion. There’s also scenic cruising, a Mâconnais wine tasting, or a bike ride on to Mâcon if you’d rather cover the ground a different way.
Day 7
Chalon-sur-Saône, France
Wander the cobblestone streets of Chalon-sur-Saône on a historic city tour, or head instead to the festive walled town of Beaune for a walking tour, where markets are brimming with seasonal treats. There’s also the choice of scenic cruising, a Chalonnaise wine tasting, or a bike ride from Chalon to Tournus if you’d rather stay active.
Day 8
Dijon, France
Disembark in Dijon.
ESSENCE OF BURGUNDY & PROVENCE – TASTE OF CHRISTMAS SHIPS
ESSENCE OF BURGUNDY & PROVENCE – TASTE OF CHRISTMAS HIGHLIGHTS
Rhône & Saône River Cruise Deals
Burgundy and Provence in one trip, with wine tastings most days, tends not to sit around for long in December. See which dates you prefer, or choose another cruise entirely.
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2,893 pp
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2,893 pp
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3,741 pp
Essence of Burgundy & Provence – Taste of Christmas Review
Essence of Burgundy & Provence – Taste of Christmas FAQs
What makes Cluny Abbey historically significant?
Founded in 910, Cluny grew to become the largest and most influential monastery in medieval Europe, at its peak overseeing well over a thousand affiliated priories stretching from Scotland to Italy. Its third church, completed in the early 12th century, was the largest in Christendom for around 400 years, until St Peter’s Basilica in Rome was rebuilt. Most of it was dismantled for stone after the French Revolution, so what remains today is only a fraction of the original, but even the surviving transept gives a sense of just how vast it once was.
Do I need a visa for France?
No, UK travellers don’t need a visa. France is part of the Schengen area, so your standard 90-day visa-free allowance covers this trip. The EU is introducing a new online travel authorisation called ETIAS later in 2026, but it’s not a visa, and it hasn’t launched yet, so there’s nothing extra to apply for at the moment. Worth a quick check closer to your travel date in case that timeline shifts.
What is the Royal Monastery of Brou, and why is it worth the stop in Mâcon?
It’s a Gothic church and monastery in nearby Bourg-en-Bresse, built in the early 16th century as a mausoleum by Margaret of Austria for her husband, Philibert II of Savoy. It took over two decades to complete and is regarded as one of the finest examples of Flamboyant Gothic architecture in France, particularly for its intricately carved stone screen and stained glass.
When is truffle season in Provence, and what does the truffle hunt near Grignan involve?
The truffle farm visit takes place near Grignan, a hilltop village known for its production of black Périgord truffles. The season runs roughly from November to March, so it lines up neatly with this cruise’s Christmas sailings, meaning you’re visiting at exactly the right time of year to see the hunt in action.
What is Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and what makes the winery tasting worth doing?
It’s a wine appellation in the southern Rhône Valley, about 20 kilometres north of Avignon, named after the 14th-century popes who used the village as a summer residence. It was one of France’s first AOC-designated wine regions, and it’s known mostly for bold, full-bodied reds, making the private tasting a natural pairing with a day spent exploring papal history.
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