AMA Tour of Avignon or Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct

[4774Papa]

We are going on two cruises in May-June. The first an AMA Rhone River cruise that ends in Barcelona, where we pickup the Epic for a Western Med cruise that also goes to France (one port Marseilles).

 

The AMA cruise offers a choice of an excursions to Avignon or another to Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct. (See excursion description below)

We will have a chance to visit Avignon on an excursion out of the Epic.

 

I really want to see Avignon, but if the Epic excursion does so, perhaps I should visit Pont du Gard.

Has anyone taken the AMA excursion to either Avignon or Pont du Gard, or an Epic excursion to Avignon. Were you impressed with the excursion, etc. Any suggestions?

 

DAY 10, VIVIERS – AVIGNON

After breakfast, enjoy an excursion to Grignan, a magnificent village perched upon a hill surrounded by lavender fields, topped by a Renaissance castle. From the castle, enjoy a commanding view of the surrounding countryside. Return to the ship and cruise to Avignon. As your ship docks, look for the Avignon Bridge, made famous by the French children’s song “Sur le pont d’Avignon” (“On the Bridge of Avignon”). Seven popes resided in the magnificent Gothic Papal Palace, which you will visit during your walking tour. You will also see the well-preserved medieval walls surrounding the historic center of town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the alternative, you can take an excursion to the Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct that is a masterpiece of engineering and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your tour will also visit Uzes, a lovely Provencal small town known for its Castle of the Duke of Uzes (still occupied by the Duke and his family), medieval streets and a picturesque town square framed by archways. Enjoy free time for shopping in Uzes before returning to your ship. (B,L,D)

[CathyCruises]

Avignon is a beautiful small town--well worth the visit. The papal palace and the area around it is charming and of course one has to walk the 'pont'. I can also recommend Arles, where van Gogh lived and painted many of his best known works. The colosseum there, which is as old as the one in Rome, is still standing and functional--when we were there, they had just had a concert!

[Hlitner]

We cannot speak to your tour company, but are very familiar with that region of France (we have been there on multiple trips and even rented an apartment in the area). Avignon is a city of around 100,000 that has a charming old town walled area (the center of the city) which is a terrific place for those that enjoy cities. The ancient walls are still pretty intact, the architecture throughout the city is very interesting (many old buildings) and of course there are the tourist attractions like the Papal Palace and the old bridge (not much left of this site). On the other hand, Pont du Gard is an amazing engineering feat and a fascinating tourist attraction. It is hard to imagine how the Romans built this amazing structure without the benefit of modern engineering. If we were designing the tour to Pont du Gard we would probably couple it with a visit to Arles although we guess somebody decided a visit to a tiny town (Uzes) might be viewed as more interesting (we do not agree). Your decison should be based on your personal interests.

 

Hank