When someone asks me, “Why river cruises?” lately I show them pictures of rolling vineyards, ancient stone villages, lavender fields at dusk, and city lights reflecting off calm rivers. A floating boutique hotel that moves throughout Europe taking you close to nature, history and culture without the need to pack and unpack. I have done two river cruises in 2025 an I am now hooked! And after my August 2025 trip, Spectacular South of France by Scenic, I feel I’ve seen a side of southern France that stays with you long after you return home. More than a month later I am still talking about it with friends!
Below I am going to share why I love Scenic river cruises and will choose them going forward and invite my friends, family, readers and more to choose Scenic. As in the crowded river market, Scenic delivers unique experiences and a 5 star truly all inclusive trip
What Makes Scenic River Cruises So Special
Before getting into the itinerary and this trip I should share a few notes on why the river cruise format is extraordinary. It’s similar to ocean cruising but it’s VERY different at the same time. Below i’ll share some of my favorite aspects of cruising with Scenic.
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Effortless transitions: You wake up in one place, disembark for the day, and at night you sail to a new town. Sometimes you even stay overnight in the port or wait until 4am to leave! This means you go on vacation an explore the interior of the city and only unpack once. Yet during this time, you get to see many landscapes, cultures, and flavors. I loved that I didn’t have to drag bags through multiple hotels, check in & out constantly, or figure out transfers myself. It was effortless!
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Luxury + comfort on the water: Scenic Sapphire’s interior (the ship I was on) had everyone! From private butler service to a nicely equipped suites, and the meals — amazing! I spent mornings on the sun deck with coffee, day time exploring cities, and late evenings relaxing as I watch the Rhône and Saône river banks drift by. The trip was really all inclusive. They didn’t even ask me to register a credit card!
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Curated experiences (Freechoice and Scenic Enrich): Rather than being led everywhere, you get options—walks, wine tastings, kayaking, markets, concerts and most importantly FREE TIME! I could tailor each day to how I felt (active, relaxed, foodie). And some of the special events (private concerts, gala dinners in palaces) made the trip feel once‑in‑a‑lifetime. I am talking about dinner and a concert in the Pope’s Palace of Avignon. Only our ship, less than 150 people in place that you can nearly never move about it. No up charges. Just amazing food, a show, in a historical place! There were days I opted to go kayaking over 13km and hiking, while others did ebike tours or bus tours. This is your vacation, you can make it what you want and Scenic offers options I’ve never seen before. They even broke up the groups so those who don’t move as quickly could join the gentle walker group. Moving at a more leisure pace.
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Local culture, food & scenery: It’s not just seeing places; it’s tasting cheeses from a village, walking vineyard paths and sipping wine, meeting artisans, soaking in sunsets over ancient architecture. The cruise gives both sweep and detail: broad strokes (river landscapes, history) and intimate moments (local markets, truffle tastings). On my Trip I was able to visit the the Georges Blanc restaurant, France’s older Micheln Starr restaurant. Here I took a cooking class to learn how to make their most famous chicken dish. I’ll talk more about what I did below, but WOW. I am so impress and to think all of this comes at NO extra price
The Spectacular South of France Itinerary — What We Did
Here are key days, excursions, and moments from Spectacular South of France, with a few from my experience, to show how it all came together.
Day 1 – Lyon (Embarkation)Arrival in Lyon, get on board Scenic Sapphire, settle in. The evening on my own, dinner on the ship. I was Jet‑lagged but thrilled. We made it!
Day 2 – Chalon‑sur‑Saône. Many options here, but I was here for the wine!.I opted into Wine tasting in Burgundy. What a treat! That first sip of regional wine overlooking vineyards — pure joy. Also we visited a newer vineyard with a woman winemaker who is making strides in the industry and changing the old guard.
Our tour wasn’t until the afternoon so I had the morning to explore the city and the farmers market. A perfect way to start the trip!
Day 3 – Tournus -Although truffle tasting and the truffle farm sounded fun, I opted for the cooking class cooking class with Georges Blanc. I can still taste this, being in the main kitchen, where they make world renown meals every day! Cooking and eating at France’s oldest Michlen star restaurant! Afterwards, there was still time to explore the local town, miles from the river. Seeing more deeper in France!
Day 4 – Tournon – Another amazing stop. Especially in my books because it was all about Chocolate and wine! We did a great hike up the hill which turned a few people around. Not meant for the gentle walkers. It was an earlier morning before it was too hot. We hiked up to an amazing lookout over the river; sipping local wines. Then we stopped at a local famous chocolate shop and indulged some more!
Days 5 & 6 – Avignon where we had multiple choices: walking tour, Pont du Gard (Roman aqueduct), kayaking under the Pont Du Gard, Lavender & Luberon excursions, wine tasting in Châteauneuf‑du‑Pape and more. There even was the “shop with a chef” options available. No wonder why we spent two days here!
Avignon was among my favorite places to stop. We had so much fun kayaking under the Pont Du Gard. The river moved us along making this an active sport but even achievable to many. We even went out that night as a group and rode the city Farris wheel!
One evening, we had a private classical concert at the Palais des Papes. WOW! The food, delicious. The performance even more so! I still cannot believe Scenic includes this on every trip. The stone courts glowed under evening lights; voices echoing — goosebumps. Also the shop‑with‑a‑chef tour, market smells, fresh produce, and cooking in a kitchen overlooking old walls.
Photos from the farrish wheel:
Day 7 – Arles – Many options in this cute town, but I decided to do my own thing in the afternoon. I took an ebike out and explored. Not sure why, but that is what I was in the mood for. It was a great way to explore!
Yet before doing that, in the morning I went to an award winning olive farm. Had amazing food made from olives and olive oils enjoyed myself more! The olive tapenade was delicious
but the fresh squid salad in aioli made from her oil leaves my mouth watering for more. Made fresh, in front of us. SOOOO good!
Day 8 – Viviers – The French Resistance tour, my hair stands up thinking about it. We visited the home of a little lady nearly 80 years old. She showed us around town and shared stories of WWII. The most amazing part was the house had a secrete tunnel and store room. Her family stored food and jews keeping the safe during the Nazi occupation. Afterwards we had dinner in the courtyard learning about the war. No other company offers anything like this. I am so fortunate I took this tour.
Then that night, we did more! Leaving around midday we headed off to Ardeche National Park and Madeleine Cave. What a treat. It was a long bus ride but the views made it worth it. Tours like this allowed us to get close to nature and away from the River. Again 2 tours in 1 day, no added cost!
Day 9 – Cruising toward Lyon. I spent the day relaxing on board, and taking a cooking class. Then that evening once again there was a spectacular Enrichment activity in Lyon. This time we went to the Trinity chapel after dinner for wine and a private musical performance.
Day 10 – The party doesn’t stop yet. It’s time to visit the city of Lyon. We did a hybrid bus and walking tour through traboules (hidden passageways), had a visit to Notre Dame de Fourvière, and explore more of Lyon on my own after lunch. Then sadly it was our final dinner and farewell. Having free time in Lyon was amazing. Walking in old Lyon at night, seeing the lights, reflecting on the trip, I was sad it was over. The Food was incredible — I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so well in 10 days.
My Scenic Cruise Specials
Scenic River cruises are amazing. They offer all inclusive cruises with excursions that make Viking seem really like the Walmart of the rivers. Scenic is an upgraded experience that is all inclusive from start to finish. Airport pickups, butlers, room service, open bar, no added gratuities, a Salt Therapy room, an awesome gym, and multiple dining options are ALL included. There’s so many good things I can list, it’s just shocking to me how different and elevated Scenic is over Viking, Avalon, or other cruise lines. Scenic has won my heart.
With all of this, I get to bring you some amazing specials. My prices are so low, I cannot actually post them in a public locations. So I suggest you email me for more details, or consider joining my private Facebook group, where I can share more deals, more frequently.
Scenic river cruise Deals in France
| Itinerary Name | Nights | From | To | Departure Date | Fare | Savings % |
| Beautiful Bordeaux | 10 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 4/13/2026 | $4,xx | 64% |
| Beautiful Bordeaux | 10 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 4/23/2026 | $4,xx | 64% |
| Beautiful Bordeaux | 10 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 5/10/2026 | $5,xxx | 65% |
| Beautiful Bordeaux | 10 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 5/20/2026 | $5,xxx | 65% |
| Beautiful Bordeaux | 10 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 5/30/2026 | $5,xxx | 65% |
| Beautiful Bordeaux | 10 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 6/9/2026 | $5,xxx | 65% |
| Beautiful Bordeaux | 10 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 6/19/2026 | $5,xxx | 65% |
| Beautiful Bordeaux | 10 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 7/13/2026 | $4,xxx | 65% |
| Beautiful Bordeaux | 10 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 7/23/2026 | $4,xxx | 65% |
| Beautiful Bordeaux | 10 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 10/5/2025 | $4,xxx | 66% |
| Beautiful Bordeaux | 10 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 10/15/2025 | $3,xxx | 75% |
| Bordeaux Affair | 7 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 3/30/2026 | $3,xxx | 65% |
| Bordeaux Affair | 7 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 4/6/2026 | $3,xxx | 65% |
| Bordeaux Affair | 7 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 5/3/2026 | $4,xxx | 65% |
| Bordeaux Affair | 7 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 6/29/2026 | $4,xxx | 65% |
| Bordeaux Affair | 7 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 7/6/2026 | $3,xxx | 65% |
| Bordeaux Affair | 7 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 8/2/2026 | $3,xxx | 65% |
| Bordeaux Affair | 7 | Bordeaux | Bordeaux | 8/19/2026 | $3,xxx | 65% |
| Spectacular South of France | 10 | Lyon | Lyon | 3/27/2026 | $4,xxx | 65% |
| Spectacular South of France | 10 | Lyon | Lyon | 4/6/2026 | $4,xxx | 65% |
| Spectacular South of France | 10 | Lyon | Lyon | 4/16/2026 | $4,xxx | 65% |
| Spectacular South of France | 10 | Lyon | Lyon | 6/9/2026 | $5,xxx | 65% |
| Spectacular South of France | 10 | Lyon | Lyon | 6/19/2026 | $5,xxx | 65% |
| Spectacular South of France | 10 | Lyon | Lyon | 6/29/2026 | $5,xxx | 65% |
| Gems of the Seine | 10 | Paris | Paris | 10/5/2025 | $4,xxx | 64% |
| Gems of the Seine | 10 | Paris | Paris | 10/29/2025 | $3,xxx | 71% |
Other Deals on Scenic:
I have over 350 river cruises on sale in 2025 and 2026 on Scenic River cruises. Choose between Doro in November or 2025 or trips on the Danube from throughout the rest of 2025 or nearly year round in 2026. There’s no reason you should be paying full price when you can enjoy below market pricing and still enjoy all the perks that come with a Scenic River cruise! From castles along the Rhine or Tulip picking in Amsterdam, even the lower Danube is on sale. If you are considering a river cruise, do not book until you’ve spoken with me. Email me today.
Final Thoughts
If you ask me today, what makes Spectacular South of France by Scenic so compelling, it’s this: it doesn’t just show you beautiful places, it lets you feel beautiful places. The gentle glide from vineyard to village, the aromas and flavors of Provencal food, the history whispering in ancient walls, the river lullaby at night — it all comes together. And for those 10 days in August, I felt alive, soothed, enriched, and inspired. If you are looking to explore Europe. It’s time you consider a river cruise. It’s a new way to travel for me and it’s all the luxury I love, without the crowds.
Whether you love food, history, nature, art. Scenic Cruise lines delivers all of them, in a way that stays with you. Contact me to book and save on your next vacation!
