Rhône Valley by Rail & Bus: Lyon, Provence & the Camargue (Self-Launched)

Arrive at Lyon Part-Dieu or Perrache and check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Presqu'île or Vieux Lyon (e.g. a shared dorm at Alter'Hostel or Hôtel de la Croix-Rousse, £18–30/night). Walk the cobbled traboules of Vieux Lyon, then take the funicular (Funiculaire de Fourvière, ~£2.50 single) up to Fourvière Basilica for the free terrace view over the city. Dinner in a Vieux Lyon bouchon — a plat du jour with a glass of Côtes du Rhône runs £14–20. This replaces the cruise's welcome cocktail and onboard dinner.

🚌Walk + funicular (~£2.50). From the airport, Rhônexpress tram to Part-Dieu is ~£13.50, or the cheaper bus 46 to Vaulx-en-Velin then metro ~£3.

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Presqu'île / Vieux Lyon (£18–30)

• →Fourvière Basilica (free entry)
• →Vieux Lyon traboules walk
• →Bouchon dinner

Morning at Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse — graze the fromageries and charcuteries for a snack of local sausage, cheese and a glass of wine (£7–10). In the afternoon, cross the Saône on foot or by metro to the riverside and continue to Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or along the Saône banks (or bus TCL line 40, ~£2). The evening splurge: Paul Bocuse's Abbaye de Collonges — a la carte or the set gastronomic menu. Book directly on the restaurant's site several weeks ahead; the set menu starts around £85–110 without wine, so budget accordingly (this is the single biggest optional outlay and replaces the cruise's included gourmet dinner — treat it as your trip's treat, or swap for a £25 riverside bistro if the budget is tight).

🚌Metro D to Gare de Vaise then bus 40, or 25-min walk along the Saône (~£2–3)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Lyon (£18–30)

• →Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse market tasting
• →Saône riverside walk to Collonges
• →Dinner at Abbaye de Collonges (book direct)

TER train from Lyon Part-Dieu to Tain-l'Hermitage (~1h15, £8–12). Visit the Cité du Chocolat Valrhona discovery centre — self-bookable entry with tasting, ~£12. Climb the Hermitage hill on foot for the free view over the Rhône vineyards of Côtes du Rhône, or wander the wine shops in town. Then continue south: TER to Avignon (~1h, £12–16). Check into a hostel or budget hotel inside the walls or just outside (e.g. Avignon hostel dorms from £20, or a family-run hotel ~£45 single). Evening: free night walk to the Pont d'Avignon and Rocher des Doms viewpoints.

🚌TER Lyon–Tain-l'Hermitage ~£10, Tain–Avignon TER ~£14. Book on SNCF Connect; regional tickets are fixed-price and need no advance booking.

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Avignon (£20–45)

• →Cité du Chocolat Valrhona (self-booked entry + tasting, ~£12)
• →Hermitage vineyard viewpoint hike
• →Evening walk to Pont d'Avignon

Morning: self-guided audio tour of the Palais des Papes — book online, ~£13 (skip-the-line avoids the queue). Early afternoon: catch the local bus to Cavaillon (line 5/9, ~£2) then a Luberon bus or lift-share onward to Gordes (~£3–4); alternative is a shared day tour from Avignon booked via GetYourGuide (~£45–60) which is the practical option if you want Gordes and Sénanque in one day without a car. Walk to Sénanque Abbey for the lavender fields and the Romanesque facade (exterior free; interior guided visit ~£8 on set times). Return to Avignon by evening bus.

🚌Local buses Cavaillon–Gordes–Avignon ~£5–8 total, or GetYourGuide Luberon day tour ~£50

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Avignon (£20–45)

• →Palais des Papes (self-booked audio entry, ~£13)
• →Gordes old town
• →Sénanque Abbey exterior/lavender fields

TER train Avignon to Arles (~20 min, £6). Drop bags at a booking near the old town (Arles hostels/guesthouses £20–40). Explore the Roman amphitheatre and theatre (combined ticket ~£10) and the Van Gogh trail through the yellow-and-blue streets. Afternoon: bus or bike out to the Camargue — rent a bike in Arles (~£15/day) and ride to the Etang de Vaccarès area, or take a GetYourGuide Camargue safari/manade visit (~£40) to see the black bulls and white Camargue horses and hear about the bull-raising and gardian horse traditions. Sunset over the marshes is the highlight.

🚌TER Avignon–Arles ~£6; bike hire ~£15 or Camargue mini-van tour ~£40

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Arles old town (£20–40)

• →Roman amphitheatre & theatre (combined ticket)
• →Van Gogh trail
• →Camargue manade visit / bike ride to Étang de Vaccarès

Train Arles–Avignon then TER up the Rhône to Montélimar or Pierrelatte (~£14, 1h45) and local bus to Viviers. Wander the tiny medieval town: the smallest cathedral in France, the House of Knights, Saint-Michel Tower and the riverside overlook — all free to walk. Then take the bus to Vallon-Pont-d'Arc for the Gorges de l'Ardèche: free viewpoint over the Pont d'Arc natural arch, or hire a kayak down the gorge (~£25 half-day, book on arrival with one of the local bases). Late afternoon TER back to Lyon (~2h, £18–22). Dinner at a Croix-Rousse bistro (£15–18).

🚌Arles–Avignon TER £6, Avignon–Montélimar TER £10, local bus to Vallon ~£4, Vallon–Lyon TER £20

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Lyon (£18–30)

• →Viviers cathedral & old town walk (free)
• →Pont d'Arc viewpoint
• →Optional kayak in the Gorges de l'Ardèche (~£25)

Slow morning: coffee and pastries at a Croix-Rousse market stall or the Marché Saint-Antoine, pick up picnic supplies, and if time allows the free Mur des Canuts fresco and the traboules walk down to the Presqu'île. Head to Part-Dieu or the Rhônexpress for your onward flight or train. Keep an hour's buffer — regional trains are frequent but the airport tram takes ~30 min.

🚌Metro/tram to Part-Dieu ~£2, Rhônexpress to airport ~£13.50

🛏—

• →Croix-Rousse market
• →Mur des Canuts
• →Traboules walk