Lyon & Provence: Avignon to Lyon by Train — Self-Launched
8 days · Rhône Valley, France
Viking Cruises charges £3,770
No-markup version: ~£590 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Viking's 8-day Lyon & Provence river cruise, swapping the 930-passenger longship for regional TER trains, buses and a bicycle along the Rhône. You'll hit the same Roman ruins in Arles and Vienne, the Palace of the Popes in Avignon, the Ardèche steam train, Vieux Lyon and the Beaujolais vineyards — but at your own pace, sleeping in hostels and guesthouses and eating in markets rather than on a ship. Everything is bookable yourself: SNCF Connect for trains, GetYourGuide or the tourist office for walking tours, and direct cellar bookings in Beaujolais. Costs are rough backpacker estimates in GBP and exclude flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Marseille, transfer to Avignon
Marseille → Avignon
Fly or train into Marseille, then take a regional TER train from Marseille Saint-Charles to Avignon Centre (roughly 1h10–1h40, €20–28 / £17–24 if booked ahead on SNCF Connect; slower TER options are cheaper than TGV). Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse inside the old walls — Avignon's historic centre is compact and walkable. Do the ship's 'welcome walk' yourself: circle the ramparts, cross to the Rocher des Doms gardens for a sunset view over the Rhône, and grab a cheap dinner from a boulangerie or a plat du jour in a back-street bistro.
🚌TER train Marseille Saint-Charles → Avignon Centre (~£20). Local buses/walking in Avignon.
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Avignon intra-muros (£25–35 dorm/private budget room)
- →Self-guided ramparts and Rocher des Doms walk
- →Rue des Teinturiers evening stroll
Arles: Roman arena and Saint-Trophime
Arles
Take the TER train Avignon → Arles (about 20–25 minutes, €8–10 / £7–9). Buy the combined Roman-and-Romanesque monument pass at the Arles tourist office (around €13–16) covering Les Arènes, the Roman theatre and the cloisters of Saint-Trophime. Join a pay-what-you-want or low-cost guided walk via the tourist office or GetYourGuide (€10–15) if you want the commentary the cruise passengers get, or just use the free English signage. Lunch at the Saturday market if your dates line up. Return to Avignon in the evening, or stay overnight in Arles if you prefer a slower pace.
🚌Return TER train Avignon ↔ Arles (~£9 each way)
🛏Avignon hostel/guesthouse (or Arles hostel if staying over)
- →Les Arènes Roman amphitheatre
- →Church of Saint-Trophime and cloisters
- →Roman theatre
- →Optional guided old-town walk (GetYourGuide)
Avignon: Palace of the Popes and Pont d'Avignon
Avignon
Full day on foot in Avignon. Book the Palace of the Popes + Pont d'Avignon combined ticket online (around €17–20) and use the free HistoPad tablet for a self-guided tour of the papal palace — it's genuinely better than a rushed group walk. Wander Place de l'Horloge, the Halles covered market for lunch, and the Petit Palais. In the afternoon either take the local bus to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon or, if you want the wine excursion the cruise offers, book a Châteauneuf-du-Pape half-day tasting through GetYourGuide or a local cellar (€45–70) — the cheaper DIY version is bus line to Orange/Châteauneuf plus a walk-in tasting at a domaine (€10–15 per tasting).
🚌Walking; optional local bus to Villeneuve/Châteauneuf (~£3)
🛏Avignon hostel/guesthouse
- →Palace of the Popes with HistoPad
- →Pont d'Avignon (St-Bénézet bridge)
- →Place de l'Horloge and Halles market
- →Optional Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine tasting
Viviers old town and the Rhône
Viviers
The cruise docks at tiny Viviers; you can reach it by TER train Avignon → Viviers-sur-Rhône via a change (roughly 45–60 min, €10–13). Climb to the walled medieval old town, see St. Vincent Cathedral, and walk the riverside. Viviers is small — a couple of hours covers it. Use the rest of the day to move upriver: continue by train to Montélimar or spend the night in Viviers/Le Teil, then reposition toward Tournon the following morning. Budget hostels are scarce here, so a budget hotel or Airbnb room in Montélimar (€45–60) is the practical option and gives you the nougat shops too.
🚌TER train Avignon → Viviers-sur-Rhône (~£11), then onward TER to Montélimar (~£6)
🛏Budget hotel or Airbnb room in Montélimar/Viviers area (£30–40 per person)
- →Viviers Old Town climb
- →St. Vincent Cathedral
- →Rhône riverside walk
- →Montélimar nougat shops
Ardèche steam train and Vienne's Roman sites
Tournon → Vienne
Base yourself in Tournon-sur-Rhône for the morning and ride the Train de l'Ardèche (the heritage locomotive through the Ardèche gorges) — book direct on the Train de l'Ardèche website, around €27–33 for the standard round trip, cheaper than any packaged excursion. Afterwards take the TER train down the Rhône to Vienne (about 1h, €12–16). In Vienne, see the Temple of Augustus and Livia, the Roman amphitheatre and Cathedral of St. Maurice on a self-guided circuit — the tourist office provides a free map, and the amphitheatre is free to enter. Overnight in Vienne.
🚌Train de l'Ardèche heritage railway (~£28); TER Tournon → Vienne (~£13)
🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Vienne (£28–38)
- →Train de l'Ardèche gorges ride
- →Temple of Augustus and Livia
- →Roman amphitheatre of Vienne
- →Cathedral of St. Maurice
Vienne to Lyon: Fourvière and Vieux Lyon
Vienne → Lyon
Short TER hop Vienne → Lyon Part-Dieu or Perrache (about 30 minutes, €8–11). Drop bags at a hostel in Presqu'île or Croix-Rousse (Lyon has good backpacker hostels from £25–35 a dorm). Ride the funicular from Vieux Lyon up to Fourvière (single ticket ~€2) for the basilica and the city view, then walk down through the Roman theatres (free) into Vieux Lyon's traboules — the hidden passageways are free to explore and there's a good self-guided route from the tourist office. Finish with a bouchon dinner if you want to splurge, or a cheaper plat du jour around St-Paul.
🚌TER train Vienne → Lyon (~£10); Lyon TCL metro/funicular day ticket (~£5)
🛏Hostel in Lyon Presqu'île/Croix-Rousse (£25–35 dorm)
- →Fourvière funicular and Basilica of Notre-Dame
- →Roman theatres of Fourvière
- →Vieux Lyon traboules self-guided walk
- →Optional bouchon dinner
Beaujolais vineyards by train and bike
Beaujolais
Take the TER train Lyon → Villefranche-sur-Saône (about 25 min, €6–8), then the local bus or a rented bike into the crus villages. For Moulin-à-Vent, the TER line serves Romanèche-Thorins, home of the Hameau Duboeuf wine park (museum plus tasting, around €18–25) — a direct DIY stand-in for the cruise's museum and cellar visit. Book a cellar tasting at a domaine in Fleurie or Moulin-à-Vent directly by email (€10–20, often waived against a purchase). Bikes can be hired in Villefranche or Belleville for around €15–20 a day. Return to Lyon in the evening.
🚌TER Lyon → Villefranche-sur-Saône / Romanèche-Thorins (~£8 each way); bike hire (~£15)
🛏Hostel in Lyon
- →Moulin-à-Vent windmill and cru villages
- →Hameau Duboeuf wine museum and tasting
- →Domaine cellar tasting in Fleurie or Moulin-à-Vent
- →Cycling the Beaujolais vineyard roads
Lyon to Marseille and home
Lyon → Marseille
Last morning in Lyon — the Croix-Rousse market and the Mur des Canutes if you have time. Then take a TGV or Ouigo from Lyon Part-Dieu to Marseille Saint-Charles (Ouigo from around €10–19 if booked early, regular TGV €25–45; roughly 1h45). If you want the cruise's optional Paris extension, add a TGV Lyon → Paris (about 2h, from €25 on Ouigo) and 3 nights in a Paris hostel. Fly or take onward transport home from Marseille.
🚌Ouigo/TGV Lyon Part-Dieu → Marseille Saint-Charles (~£15–35)
🛏None (departure day)
- →Croix-Rousse market
- →Mur des Canutes street art
- →Optional Paris extension by TGV
Self-launched vs. Viking Cruises
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Viking Cruises | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£590 | £3,770 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £3,180 per person (84%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Viking Cruises-style trips? Check them out here.~£590
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Lyon & Provence: Avignon to Lyon by Train — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £590 per person for 8 days in Rhône Valley, France. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Viking Cruises?+
Yes — Viking Cruises charges around £3,770 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £590 — a saving of roughly £3,180 (84%) per person.
How long is the Rhône Valley, France trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Rhône Valley, France.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, foodie, budget trip through Rhône Valley, France, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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