Riverside: Luxury Cruises Along the Saône
Comfort, luxury, and extraordinary landscapes among moors, vineyards, and forests are what you can enjoy during a Riverside cruise along the Saône, a region rich in villages with charming churches and populated by Charolais cows.
Along the Saône, a slightly smaller river with little freight traffic, one of the strongholds was the picturesque village of Cluny with its abbey, from which a monastic reform emerged in the 10th century, making the village a spiritual center in Europe. Of what was once the largest church in the world, only the bell tower remains, now nestled among 200 medieval houses in the town. Along the Saône, which joins the Rhône in Lyon, you can visit various cities characterized by ancient villages and vineyards that offer magnificent views.
Lione
Macon
One such charming town is undoubtedly Mâcon, with its colorful houses and the ancient church of Saint Vincent, rich in vineyards and meadows. Walking through the city to Place aux Herbes, you can admire the wooden house Maison de Bois, with a facade full of mythical creatures. It is also the hometown of the international French footballer Antoine Griezmann. Beyond Mâcon, another city rich in beauty is undoubtedly Chalon-sur-Saône, where the ship docks at Quai Gambetta. From here, going up the river, you can discover this lovely town, full of charming half-timbered houses and Art Nouveau facades, but especially where Julius Caesar left his mark and where there is a museum dedicated to the invention of photography. In Chalon-sur-Saône, you can also admire the Théâtre Piccolo, which was modeled after the Royal Opera of Versailles.
Saone
Tournon
Along the Saône, you also come across Tournus, a beautiful, quiet, almost idyllic city. The historic center hosts the former abbey with the facade of the massive church of Saint Philibert, the oldest large Romanesque building preserved in France. Interesting attractions also include the Hôtel-Dieu, a former hospital with fully preserved historic furnishings and a 17th-century hospital pharmacy. In Trévoux, the capital of the independent principality of Dombes until the 18th century, you can admire the city walls, the grand houses of the historic center, and the ruins of a castle, from which the view over the Saône is incredibly impressive, still testifying to this glorious period. Additionally, you can observe arts and crafts in numerous ateliers.
Hosting the journeys along the Saône, to explore these landscapes in maximum comfort and luxury, is Riverside Ravel, which offers spacious suites equipped with all comforts, furnished with fine materials, and offers refined cuisine with typical French dishes prepared with local products and ingredients that reflect the itinerary, together with the service offered by the warm staff, providing unique experiences.
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