Provence Luxury Hotel Barge Cruises

Provence offers a rich variety of stunning scenery and sun-drenched landscapes, dotted with lavender fields, olive groves and hilltop villages. Its Roman ruins of fortifications, arenas and aqueducts continue to amaze.

The River Rhone is one of Europe's major rivers, flowing into the Mediterranean sea. On a hotel barge cruise you can experience the colour and light that inspired Impressionist painters such as Van Gogh and Cézanne, sample the wines of Chateauneuf du Pape and Cotes du Rhone, and visit cities such as Arles and Avignon with their Roman and medieval history.

The old town of Arles has a well-preserved Roman ampitheatre, the Museum of Provencal life and familiar scenes captured on canvas by Van Gogh during his stay here in 1888. Further north is the ancient walled city of Avignon, famous for its bridge and the magnificent Palace of the Popes, started by Pope Benedict XII in 1335, and one of the most visited sights in France.

The town of Orange has one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in Europe, whilst the pretty fortified village of Nyon is famed for its fine olives and lavender oil. Viviers is an ancient walled town with historic buildings including the Maison des Chevaliers. Tournon and Tain L’Hermitage face each other across the Rhone, connected by a footbridge and backed by steeply-sloping vines.

Our 12 passenger barge Napoleon spends most of the season cruising the southern section of the River Rhone in Provence.