Cruising the Heart of Southern France with Riverside Cruises

Ship layout

The ship has four decks. The top deck features the retractable Vista Bar and plenty of lounge seating—perfect for relaxing while we sail on the river. Although it might be closed if we anticipate passing under low bridges.

Retractable Vista Bar on the sun deck

Deck three houses half the suites as well as the indoor swimming pool at the aft. There is also the Wheelhouse, where you can find the captain manning the ship. The Palm Court is home to evening entertainment, the Vintage Room, which offers Michelin star-inspired dining, and the Bistro.

Deck two has the remaining suites as well as the Waterside restaurant, the main dining venue, and the reception.

Finally, deck one includes a small gym, the spa, and the self-service laundry.

Accommodations

Seahorse / Riverside Suite

We stayed in a Riverside Suite, which is identical to the Seahorse Suite except for its location on deck three rather than deck two. The bed faces the panoramic balcony window and offers a stunning view of the river.

Seahorse / Riverside Suite

The bedroom itself is slightly larger than the Melody or Symphony suites, but the real difference lies in the bathroom and closet. The Riverside Suite has a spacious walk-in closet and a significantly larger bathroom with dual vanities and ample storage space.

Seahorse / Riverside Suite bathroom

On-board experience

Food was excellent on board. They incorporate local ingredients and cuisine along with international staples with lots of choice at each meal.

Unfortunately, the day they had the top deck barbecue was super windy and both the quality of the grilled items as well as the experience was dampened.

We are not wine connoisseurs, but everything we have tried was great. Cocktails made by our favorite mixologist, Cristian, were unique and delicious.

Waterside Bar and lounge

Entertainment

On some nights, they had local artists on board for entertainment, and those were excellent. Unfortunately, there was room for improvement for the onboard pianist.

Staff

You can definitely tell some of the service staff are newer, but everyone is incredibly friendly and eager to help however they can. The more experienced staff are super attentive and great at anticipating your needs.

Excursions

There are plenty of variety of excursions to choose from, ranging from active adventures like kayaking, e-biking, and hiking to more cultural experiences like wine tasting and museum visits and guided coach tours that provide an overview of the city. They really cater to all activity levels.

Each of the ones we joined had fewer than 10 participants. The experience was quite intimate, and we thoroughly enjoyed all of them.

Sun deck

I would highly recommend this river cruise line for anyone who enjoys a slower, relaxed pace of travel. That said, there are still plenty of opportunities for adventure-seeking travelers along the way. While you would not find large-scale entertainment or multiple dining venues like on large ocean cruises, the ship’s intimate atmosphere, exceptional food, and outstanding service more than make up for it.

Accessibility note

As with most river cruises, beware there are occasions that you will have to traverse another river cruise to reach the shore, so a basic level of mobility is required. There is an elevator on board, but it only connects decks two and three.

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Cruises page.