Featuring a 7-night Rhône River cruise aboard ms Swiss Emerald through the vineyard country that's home to some of the world’s most exceptional wines, Tauck's epicurean dream odyssey through France begins with dinner at Fouquet’s, the celebrity hotspot in Paris. From there, you'll enjoy a gourmet cooking class at École de Cuisine, the school founded by world-class chef Alain Ducasse... riding the high-speed TGV through the French countryside to Lyon... tasting your way through Les Halles, Lyon's famed covered food market with its eye-popping vertical garden... cruising in search of culinary adventures in medieval villages along the Rhône... sipping Beaujolais in Beaujolais... sampling Provençal specialties in picturesque Viviers... and dining al fresco at the Pont du Gard. Add the Provençal pleasures of Avignon, Arles and Roussillon, and you have the ultimate Rhône River cruise on which to discover the soul of French haute cuisine!
Departures
28 Jun; 17 Aug; 20 Oct 2012.
Inclusions
- Gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors and Tauck Cruise Director
- All private Tauck shore excursions – $985 Value
- Reception and dinner at Fouquet’s in Paris, followed by an Illuminations tour
- “Julia Child” walking tour of Paris
- Ride in first class from Paris to Lyon aboard the TGV
- Market visits accompanied by local chefs and experts plus tasting presentations featuring seasonal ingredients and local techniques in towns along the Rhône
- Regional culinary and wine tastings aboard your riverboat
- Provençal dinner overlooking the famous Pont du Gard; Rhône Valley wine tasting
- Private wine tasting at a Beaujolais vineyard
- Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as noted
- 23 meals (9 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 8 dinners); wine with dinner on the riverboat; service charges, taxes, porterage, and applicable fuel surcharge
- Voted by the readers of Travel + Leisure as 2011 "World's Best River Cruise Line"