Tarascon-sur-Rhone France
42
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
AmaWaterways (4 Cruises)
CroisiEurope (10 Cruises)
MS Anne-Marie
10 Cruises
Scenic Cruises (28 Cruises)
Scenic Sapphire
28 Cruises
| 9 July | 7 days | One-way from Lyon to Marseille |
| 9 July | 8 days | One-way from Lyon to Marseille |
| 16 July | 8 days | One-way from Marseille to Lyon |
| 16 July | 7 days | One-way from Marseille to Lyon |
Frequently Asked Questions
Right in the heart of the small Provençal town, a few minutes' walk from the ramparts. Few river calls offer such a shortcut between gangway and Middle Ages: from the deck, the pale mass of the chateau seems to rise straight out of the Rhône.
One of the best preserved fortresses in France, built between 1400 and 1435 by the dukes of Anjou, counts of Provence. Its walls plunge into the river, with no moat and no hill. King René, the last count of Provence, made it a court residence for feasts and tournaments.
More than thirty rooms, from the kitchens to the apartments, including the apothecary of the former Saint-Nicolas hospital with its rows of faience jars. The reward waits at the top: from the panoramic terrace the view runs over the river, the roofs and, across the water, the rival castle of Beaucaire.
A legendary amphibious creature that devoured boatmen and livestock until Saint Martha tamed it with the sign of the cross. Every late June, the Tarasque festival, established by King René in 1474, parades its effigy through the streets. These processional giants are on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list.
The castle and the old town, without an excursion. The Sainte-Marthe collegiate church, steps from the fortress, keeps the saint's tomb in its crypt, a pilgrimage site since the 12th century. Narrow lanes and shaded squares round out the wander.
Tuesday morning, along the avenues: olives, goat cheeses and coloured fabrics. On other days, the shops of the neighbouring streets and the artisans' workshops are plenty to fill a stroll.
The cradle of traditional Provençal printing. Housed in a townhouse, the museum displays thousands of carved wooden blocks once used to print the famous patterns. It is the essential visit for anyone interested in textiles.
Yes: Avignon and its Popes' Palace are about 23 kilometres upstream, Arles and its Roman arena about twenty kilometres downstream, and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence a quarter of an hour by road. Choose only one: each takes the half day.
A glass of rosé from the nearby slopes, some cracked olives from the Baux valley, tapenade on grilled bread. The bakeries also sell the navette, an elongated biscuit scented with orange flower, the ideal companion to a coffee before heading back aboard.
Evening, when floodlights catch the walls and the current makes their reflection tremble. That is why captains like to spend the night here. Those staying aboard can walk the Rhône banks at the foot of the ramparts at sunset.
