Viking Lyon & Provence river cruise + 3 nights in Paris
October 18–28, 2026 · Two couples · Sightseeing, food & wine
Marseille ✈ Avignon · Arles · Viviers · Tournon · Vienne · Lyon 🚄 Paris ✈
Ray & Robin's (and friends') 8-day Viking cruise up the Rhône from Avignon to Lyon, then the TGV to Paris for three nights. Each port page lists the Viking included tour, the optional paid tours, and a do-it-yourself alternative side by side, so the four of you can decide together. Meals on the ship are included, so ashore picks focus on markets, tastings, wine bars and a few great dinners in Lyon and Paris.
| Date | Where | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Sat Oct 17 | ✈️ Overnight flight | Depart the US (assumed) |
| Sun Oct 18 | Avignon | Land Marseille, transfer ~1h15, board the ship, sunset at Rocher des Doms |
| Mon Oct 19 | Arles | Roman arena, Van Gogh's café · optional Les Baux light show |
| Tue Oct 20 | Avignon | Palace of the Popes · optional Châteauneuf-du-Pape or Pont du Gard |
| Wed Oct 21 | Viviers | Medieval town walk · optional Ardèche gorges · scenic afternoon sailing |
| Thu Oct 22 | Tournon & Vienne | Steam train or Valrhona chocolate + Hermitage wine · Roman Vienne by night |
| Fri Oct 23 | Lyon | Panoramic tour, Fourvière, traboules · bouchon dinner ashore |
| Sat Oct 24 | Lyon | Beaujolais wine country · Les Halles Paul Bocuse · last night aboard |
| Sun Oct 25 | Paris | Disembark, TGV ~2h, Tuileries, sunset Seine cruise |
| Mon Oct 26 | Paris | Louvre 9am · Opéra Garnier · Galeries Lafayette · Eiffel Tower summit at sunset |
| Tue Oct 27 | Paris | Sainte-Chapelle, Notre-Dame · Montmartre · Moulin Rouge 9pm |
| Wed Oct 28 | ✈️ CDG | Fly home |
Oct 18 & 20 · City of Popes, Rhône wine
Oct 19 · Romans and Van Gogh
Oct 21 · Medieval hill town, Ardèche gorges
Oct 22 · Hermitage, chocolate, Roman temple
Oct 23–25 · Food capital, Beaujolais
Oct 25–28 · Louvre, Eiffel, Montmartre, cabaret
| Place | High | Low | Rain (month) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avignon / Arles | 68°F (20°C) | 50°F (10°C) | ~3.5in | Often sunny; the cold Mistral wind can blow |
| Viviers / Tournon | 66°F (19°C) | 48°F (9°C) | ~4in | Crisp mornings; autumn vineyard colour |
| Lyon | 63°F (17°C) | 46°F (8°C) | ~4.5in | One of the wetter months; bring an umbrella |
| Paris | 60°F (16°C) | 47°F (8°C) | ~2.4in | Cool; sunset ~5:25pm after the clocks change |
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Now (3 weeks out) | ⚠️ Louvre timed entry, Mon Oct 26 9am (louvre.fr) · ⚠️ Eiffel summit, Mon Oct 26 ~5:30pm (toureiffel.paris) · ⚠️ Moulin Rouge 9pm, Tue Oct 27 (moulinrouge.fr) · TGV Lyon → Paris, Sun Oct 25 (SNCF Connect) · Marseille → Avignon transfer · Viking optional tours in MyViking Journey |
| 1–2 weeks out | Lyon dinner (Daniel et Denise, Fri Oct 23) · Paris dinners (Le Grand Colbert, Café Constant, La Bonne Franquette) · Sainte-Chapelle timed ticket · Café Marly lunch |
| A few days before | Notre-Dame free reservation · Valrhona Cité du Chocolat · Palais Garnier (or walk up) |
| On arrival | Seine cruise · Le Criquet lunch in Arles (ask the ship's concierge to phone) · G7 van to CDG (book the day before) |
The cruise, Paris hotel and flights are already booked and aren't included here. Figures are approximate.
| Item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Marseille → Avignon transfer (share of a van for 4; €0 if Viking Air) | €0 | €130 |
| Viking optional tours (2–3 tours × ~$100–200pp) | €350 | €1,100 |
| Viking crew & guide gratuities (check Viking's guideline, often ~$15–20pp/day) | €190 | €260 |
| Ashore lunches, tastings & wine bars during the cruise | €150 | €350 |
| Dinner ashore in Lyon (1–2 nights) | €110 | €270 |
| TGV Lyon → Paris (2 people) | €80 | €220 |
| Paris taxis, metro & share of CDG van | €90 | €160 |
| Paris attractions: Louvre €64, Eiffel summit €73, Garnier €30, Sainte-Chapelle ~€40, Seine cruise ~€36 | €240 | €260 |
| Moulin Rouge 9pm show with champagne (2 people) | €300 | €380 |
| Paris food & drink (3 days) | €550 | €900 |
| Misc: eSIM, souvenirs, tips, coffees | €150 | €300 |
| Total per couple | ~€2,200 | ~€4,300 |
| Per person | ~€1,100 | ~€2,150 |
Courtney and Jimmy sailed this exact Viking itinerary in summer 2025. They cover the ship and sailing experience, what each port is like, and practical tips.
A trip report that closely follows this route: Lyon plus Provence, with food finds and practical tips.
A fun, chatty episode covering the Seine, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Latin Quarter.
Each port page lists extra episodes for that stop in its Further Reading section.
Forward every confirmation email (cruise, hotel, flights, TGV, Louvre, Eiffel, Moulin Rouge, restaurants) to plans@tripit.com. TripIt is free, builds a live itinerary from confirmations, flags schedule clashes and gate changes, and can be shared with the other couple.
⭐ Keep this site current: once TripIt has your bookings, ask Kiro to "update the plan with my actual bookings". It will read TripIt and fill in the real Paris hotel (recalculating walk times), actual train times and seats, and mark paid tickets as confirmed.
Flights are already booked, but these are handy if anything changes. Shifting by a day can save a lot.
Google Flights: to Marseille, Oct 2026 · Google Flights: from Paris CDG, Oct 2026 · Skyscanner: US → MRS month view
See Booking & Tips for points, cashback portals and flight-planning tools.
Got a tip from a friend? Add it to my-recommendations.json or the linked Google Sheet and it appears on the right page with a yellow background. Ask Kiro "how do I add my own recommendations?" for a walkthrough.