Viking Rhone River Cruise Lyon to Avignon

Aren't excursions included with your cruise?

We took a Viking river cruise in September (not this one). I got a lot of good information from a Viking river cruisers facebook group and from Cruise Critic. Most people on this forum won’t be familiar with your ports of call, what excursions are included, and what your options are. The participants in the Facebook group and Cruise Critic will.

Do you have a question, or just a command ?

I have friends who just finished a different Viking River Cruise. Their main complaints centered around the "free" excursions - they started paying extra for the cruise line's "private" excursions and found that they were well worth the extra expense.

Hi trochte, for this itinerary you have included walking tours in Arles, Avignon, and Vivers. Lyon looks like a bus tour to some vineyards with the option of exploring the city on your own. Viking offers shuttle service at various times to return to the ship. You may want to look at an optional excursion to Pont du Gard or, based on your interests, a culinary or wine tour. Depending on the time of year and weather, maybe a trip to the lavender fields or canoeing. We love Viking and hope you will too!

We did this cruise 11 years ago, so I rechecked the current itinerary. I’ve always had trouble finding excursion reviews on Cruise Critic, but maybe you’ll have better luck. When I searched, most reviews centered on cabins and food. The Facebook group could be promising.

We did all the included walking tours. In Lyon, the bus tour takes you up to an overlook of the city (there was a church as well, but memory fails as to which one) and there is time to take pictures and walk around. The bus drives you through the city. The walking tour of Vieux Lyon used to be included. Because Lyon has such a reputation as a gastronomic hub, many people had dinner plans off the ship. We paid for the Chateauneuf du Pape Wine Tasting and really enjoyed that. However, we had extra days in Tavel , so we went to Pont du Gard on our own. It really depends on your interest. They no longer do a market tour with the chef in Arles, which was very popular. Depending on your level and interest in fitness, there seem to be several opportunities there. Otherwise, it really comes down to interest and cost. When we took this tour, none of the excursions sold out ahead, but this last summer we did another Viking cruise and the excursions booked out more quickly.

We took this cruise April 2022 and loved it even with the joys of COVID (testing and masking). We only paid for 2 extra excursions- one in Arles that took us to the Carrieres de Lumieres and the nearby town of Les Baux (up on a cliff). In Avignon took us to Pont du Gard . Both were very good and I would recommend if they interest you. I know my brother went in June and focused more on any wine and food tours and enjoyed them all. Really depends on what your interests are but Viking does a great job.