PROVENCE RIVER CRUISE

FROM AVIGNON TO AIGUES MORTES

Peaceful and picturesque, the inland waterways of Provence and the Camargue are the most enchanting way to savour the cultural inheritance and culinary traditions of southern France.

Our study cruise aboard the majestic Phénicien - renowned across the Rhône for its refined ambience and superior cuisine - will call at small Provençal villages and great centres of civilisation as we head towards Camargue, where land, lake and lagoon merge into the Mediterranean.

One of the highlights of the cruise is a visit to Avignon, the 14th century capital of Christendom, in the very shadow of the celebrated Pont d'Avignon. As well as visiting the lavishly-decorated Palais des Papes, an outstanding example of Gothic artistry, we will tour the 12th century Romanesque cathedral and the Petit Palais, host to an excellent collection of Italian painting.

The Roman antiquities in the former provincia of Gallia Narbonensis outdo even the "court of splendour and magnificence" of the Avignon popes. The triple-tiered Pont du Gard is a technological and aesthetic chef d'oeuvre, whilst Arles, with its vast Flavian amphitheatre and Augustan theatre, was grand enough to be considered a Gallic Rome.

The city walls of Arles - once home to van Gogh – also give shelter to the Cathédrale St Trophîme, where the 12th century portal is one of the crowning achievements of the Romanesque style.

Just beyond the ancient fortifications of Aigues Mortes, a 13th century Crusader stronghold, lies the Camargue, remarkable for the diversity of its flora and fauna, notably the pink flamingo. We will make a private visit to a traditional ranch, where the delta's gardians – local herdsmen - still ride the region's distinct Camargue horses and raise fighting bulls.

In keeping with the sumptuous surroundings of the Phénicien, we will spend one night in a luxurious hotel, and dine in the hotel's gastronomic restaurant, considered amongst the region's finest.