Viking Cruise France 2025
Six of us went to France for Anna, Hope, Robin', and Gidget’s birthday.
We started in Paris for 3 days. Then boarded a Viking River Cruise.
I flew from Los Angeles everyone else came from Florida. I flew Premier Economy on Air France. It was better than being in the back, but I didn’t get a lot of sleep. zzz. If you have the miles I suggest Business for a flight this long, but, it was 975 euros for the upgrade… So, I stayed in Economy Plus.
MISC INFO BEFORE I CONTINUE:
Viking booked the stay in Paris. They offered daily tours, but we didn’t take them. The benefit of booking this thru Viking is they picked us up at the airport, got us to the train, and eventually to the ship. They also booked the hotel in Hotel Paris.
• I would book this myself in the future.
• Hotel rooms are much smaller in Europe. You won’t spend a ton of time in it- HOPEFULLY- so don’t over think it.
Restaurants in France:
We looked up Google reviews and it was great
“l’addition” is the term for the bill. They won’t bring it until you ask
90% of all businesses take tap cards or Apple Pay
Service is intentionally slow. Take your time. Enjoy.
No one tips. The bills have a service charge. If you get exemplary service leave a little bit. - That being said, some of the places in the more touristy areas expect tips.
Cash! when you land make sure you have cash. Smaller businesses prefer cash. I only took out 300.00$ for 2 weeks. That was perfect.
Credit Cards-
Most places take Visa not American Express.
Make sure you have a card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees!!
DAY 1- Paris Arrival- Thursday , Oct 16
View From our room - Hyatt Etoile
STAY: Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile
After really long flights, We all arrived at different times. Gidget and I were the last. I was starving. So Gidget, Ann and I ran next door to the hotel for French Onion soup. We found a great little place. There were a bunch of businessmen eating there and few tourists, so I think that is a good sign. :)
When everyone else got up from their naps we all headed out for a walk on the Champs-Élysées
It’s kinda a blur because of jet lag, but, we walked from the hotel past the Arche de Triumph and stopping in some of the high end designer shops. Eventually wound up at a cute bar for a cocktail.
Maison Francois 1er.
@64 RueFrancois #1
I highly recommend the Gin Basil. Ann ordered this and it was delicious
Then we walked more… OMG so tired… We went into a few more designer stores along the way. Eventually we were all tired and found a random restaurant on Yelp. It turned out to be great. I had the beef stew… (Beef stew “DAUBE” LE HIDE’s way, parmesan risotto) OMG delicious. We were to full for desert. BUT this is a must visit. The chef was trained in both France and Japan. The plating was fantastic but the flavor incredible.
Le Hide
10 Rue Du General-Lanrezac
THEN SLEEP yayayay
DAY 2: Fri, Oct 17: PARIS:
STAY: Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile
Today Ann, Hope and Robin went to Versailles I believe they had a wonderful time. Anna, Gidget and I split off took the metro to the Marais and popped into a bunch of vintage designer boutiques. Gidget is in search of a vintage bag…. Forgot which designer.
Then we met up with Hope and Ann and went to Museum D’Orsay it is a beautiful place in an old train station. Robin had to work for a bit. :(
Famous Clock at D’Orsay
🍷🍴7:45 PM: Dinner: Les Deux Magots
From there we walked the Latin Quarter a bit aimlessly but it is so pretty. We eventually had a great dinner at one of the most famous restaurants in Paris — since 1884!!! Les Deux Magots. I was worried it would be over hyped. But it was delicious.
Les Deux Magots
6 Pl. Saint-Germain des Prés, 75006 Paris, France
DAY 3: Sat, Oct 18: PARIS
STAY: Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile
10:00 AM: St Chapel/Norte Dame
Today Ann booked us tickets for St Chapel.
This chapel, built for King Louis IX to house the Crown of Thorns, is filled with stained-glass windows illustrating the Bible, creating the most dazzling Gothic interior anywhere.
We intended to go to Notre Dame after BUT it was PACKED so PACKED. we took a picture and then walked the Isle Sainte Louis. It is so charming.
From there we wandered back to the Latin Quarter and had lunch at an outdoor cafe. - Cant remember the name. But it was not as impressive as where we went to dinner.
After a bit of a rest back in the hotel a shower and nicer clothes, we popped into 2 taxis and headed to the Place du Trocadéro for its great views of the Eiffel Tower. We went to the Place du Trocadéro for its great views of the Eiffel Tower. We had a glass of wine along the seine then headed to our reservation.
🍷🍴7:00 PM: Jules Verne
Ann had made us reservations and treated us all to the Jules Verne on the Eiffel Tower 2nd level.
OMG IT WAS AWESOME!!! It was a 7 course meal. WOW. The service was outstanding and not snobby like we have had at other Michelin Restaurants. Ann picked some great wines and we all had cocktails. Then we went out on for the view. What a special night.
DAY 4: Sun, Oct 19: LYON:
Transfer to Boat
Today we took a TGV to Lyon and moved into our rooms on the Viki Buri Viking River Cruise.
Viking picked us up in a a bus at the hotel, and took us to the TGV. This is a nice part of booking thru them if you are not comfortable with Taxis, and dealing with train stations etc.
On the way to the TGV (high speed train) we passed the Louvre exactly when it was being robbed… I swear it wasn’t us. But it did make a nice joke for the rest of the trip.
Louvre Heist
Fun with AI
OMG the rooms are SMALL and ours was the largest.
If you plan a river cruise, pack lightly. There is a nice sized closet and drawers. You have to unpack since there is no where to stash your luggage. The space is TIGHT, so plan to give your cabin mate some space and time in the room. Ann and I have never shared a room before, but we did great at making sure we both had drawers, closet space and some down time to shower etc.
The picture above is mine and Ann’s room. The others had a room with out the extra space near the doors and no balcony.
We barely used the balcony…
The 1st day/night in Lyon we did a short tour given by Viking to orient us to the city. Most things were closed on a Sunday. We had our 1st dinner on the ship. I found the food to me ok. I don’t take a lot of cruises so I can’t compare to others.
Breakfast was fine. We ate breakfast on the ship everyday.
DAY 5: Mon, Oct 20: LYON:
ALL DAY LYON
🥾👣🦶🏼8:45 AM- 1:15 PM: Beaujolais Wine Tour: INCLUDED IN THE PRICE OF SHIP
We got up and had breakfast before settling into our bus for a wine tour. There were a few busses headed out. All went to different little towns and wineries. This way the towns and vineyards weren’t full of tourists- like us.
Our Bus went to a really small cute town called Beaujeu. Anna Gidget and I ran to get a pastry and coffee in a local shop. We only had about 30 min here but it was raining too it was ok.
Then we drove to a cute winery.
Château de Nervers, Odenas, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
It’s a beautiful place. I discovered I am not a fan of Beaujolais. LOL. But the setting was pretty.
🍷🍴2:45 PM: Food tour: BOOKED SEPARATELY
Since Lyon is famous for their food. We booked a food tour in advance. We did not do this through Viking. It was cheaper and private this way. On the tour our guide showed us these cool “secret” passages that cut from one street to another.
Lyon's "secret passages" are called traboules, a network of hidden passageways and courtyards that function as shortcuts through buildings and between streets. They originated centuries ago, with some dating to the 4th century, and were crucial for silk workers and later used by the French resistance during WWII. They are primarily in the Old Town. Once you know what to look for you can spot them.
On the tour we stopped at 4 places.
We started in
salon_o_passage -a small pretty Tea shop-They have a room downstairs where they serve lunch and the local Lyon pasture. I called it captain crunch. But its real name is La Praluline de Pralus. It’s pink with Crunch Berries in it.
Next we went to a CUTE wine bar- R'Wine & Food- and drank the local Syrah.. The owner is so nice and also super cute. LOL - I really like Syrah-… MUCH BETTER… we also had cheese and wine… apparently in France it is illegal to cut cheese for someone and baguette can only be called baguette if it comes from one specific recipe.
The 3rd stop was a charcuterie. Le Petit Groin- In France the charcuterie is just meat. It was yummy but lots of meat. They have great gifts to bring home and the cutest little scotty
Lastly we went to a chocolate place. OMG it was so yummy. I brought 3 bars home for Stephane. Weiss Chocolate
After the tour we headed back to the ship for a chilled out evening.
DAY 6: Tues, Oct 21: LYON:
🚢2:30 PM: LEAVE: LYON: 6:00 PM -ARRIVES: VIENNE
🥾👣🦶🏼8:00 AM- 12:30 PM: Old Lyon Trek
We all met up and headed out on the paid Viking operated Old Lyon Trek.
Viking has instituted the “active” group. This way, the people who like to walk more are grouped together. Our group walked through Old Town to catch the funicular to the top of Lyon for a great view. It was pretty rainy but still nice. There is a church at the top with beautiful mosaics on the walls. It is definitely worth the stop. Also, from the top of town, you can check out the ancient Roman amphitheater. I was amazed at how much roman influence was though-out this area. And already tired of churches. :)
Anna, Gidget and I had really wanted to check out the market hall in Lyon. So we let the tour early and walked over to check out the many stalls. Paul Bocuse Market Hall https://www.halles-de-lyon-paulbocuse.com
That day at 2:30 the boat left for Vienne. We wanted to eat in as many of the towns we visited as we could. SO, we got off the ship on arrival and wandered to town.
Thanks to Oliver our cruise director. We knew what area to look in. We just happened to stumble upon a yummy little restaurant. OMG so delicious. ObieVva
DAY 7: Wed, Oct 22: VIENNE:
🚢2:00 PM LEAVE: VIENNE- 8:00 PM: ARRIVE: TOURNON
🥾👣🦶🏼9:30 AM -11:30 AM: Vienne Walking tour: INCLUDED
Vienne is a super cute tiny town with lots of cute stores. We did the included walking tour then split up to pop into the boutiques. We had lunch in a local diner. It was good but not memorable. The food was huge. Then we popped back on the ship and headed to Tournon. Ann and I hung out on the deck to watch the ships move thru the locks.
When we arrived in Tournon it was dark and rainy. We went back to the ship to go dancing.
DAY 8: Thurs, Oct 23: TOURNON:
🥾👣🦶🏼8:15 AM - 12:15 PM: Rhone Valley Hike: PAID- CANCELED
I loved Tournon. It was one of my favorite stops. There was so much rain the night we arrived, they canceled out pre-paid hiking tour. So today we all split up. Ann and Robin walked thru town. Hope and Gidget took a train thru the vineyards and Anna and I walked thru the vineyards. We then walked to a wine tasting and bought a bottle of Syrah. It was so good. From there we walked to the famous chocolate place in town. Oliver - the tour director reached out and walked with us for a while so he was able to guide us to some cool places to get munchies. More food yup. On the way we stopped to buy some cheese and baguette for a nice happy hour on the boat. On the boat we snacked on high tea for lunch then later before dinner we had our happy hour. This was the longest day on the ship. But we had all been so busy it was nice to chill and eat.
🚢1:00 PM: LEAVE: TOURNON: 6:00 PM: ARRIVE: LE POUZIN
🚢6:30 PM LEAVE: LE POUZIN: 9:00 PM ARRIVES VIVIERS
🥾👣🦶🏼9:30 PM - 11:00 PM: Viviers Walking tour: INCLUDED
Viviers is incredible. We were barely there but need to go back. We were tipped off to ask for a certain tour guide. I dont remember her name but she was so funny and knowledgeable. We did a walking tour of this quaint town at 10 at night.
If you love photography and are going on this cruise, all of the stops are amazing, but Viviers will truly be a highlight. I think this was my favorite town on the trip.
🚢11:00 PM: LEAVE: VIVIERS: 9:00 AM: ARRIVE: ARLES
DAY 9: Fri, Oct 24: ARLES:
🚢 7:00 PM: LEAVE: ARLES: 10:00 PM: ARRIVE :AVIGINON
🥾👣🦶🏼9:15 AM - 12:00 PM: Arles Walking tour: INCLUDED
Arles is a great town it is known for its Roman and Romanesque heritage, including an impressive amphitheater and other ruins that make it a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also famously associated with Vincent van Gogh, who created over 300 works during his 15-month stay in the city.
This is a great city to just wander. We did go on part of the walking tour but again bailed. There are a lot of streets to just get lost in. We had another tasty meal.
DAY 10: Sat, Oct 25: AVIGNON
ALL DAY AVIGNON
🍷 2:00 PM - 6:30 PM: Chat. Neuf du Pape: PAID
Our final day on the Rhône Viking River Cruise was spent in Avignon, the “city of popes.”
We started with the included walking tour. They took us to the giant cathedral. Avignon is the City of Popes. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Avignon is known as the “City of Popes” because the papacy was relocated here from Rome, amid great controversy, from 1309 to 1377.
We ended the tour at the local market before we headed to our wine tasting at Chat. Neuf du Pape.
The wine tour included 2 wineries. We had a ton of fun. When we go back we headed out to another great dinner. This one recommended by our wine tour guide.
DAY 11: Sun, Oct 26: AVIGNON/PARIS
Aix- en- Provence
Our last day was a long one. We got off the boat at 8:30 am and jumped in a car for a private drive. We stopped in the beautiful little town of Château des Baux-de-Provence, Les Baux-de-Provence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
WOW All I could think of is Stephane would never have wanted to leave. We only had an hour and most things weren’t open, but just the streets made it worth it.
After our stop at Les Baux-de-Provence we headed to Aix en Provence where Ann was staying for 2 nights. We dumped out bags and wandered the streets. It’s a beautiful little city. I have to go back. We spent a few hours and jumped on the TGV back to Paris to spend the night and catch out flight home.
🚂 Train Paris