Five years ago, we took our first Viking cruise on the Rhine River and really enjoyed that first experience. At that point Viking met us and we had another cruise scheduled for 2020 and we all know what happened that year to derail the trip. Fast forward to 2024 and Viking hosted us again on the Rhône River cruise in France, a spectacular trip that lived up to the first. Viking did not put any requirements on what I am writing to do this cruise and I hope to do them justice as they are a premier river cruise line and I would highly recommend the company for their attention to detail and organization of the cruises and excursions.
This year we decided to add a previous excursion to Nice, France, where we started our trip. We spent three nights in Nice and then took a bus to Avignon, where we boarded the Viking Buri for a 7-night cruise on the Rhône River, ending in Lyon, France. What a trip it was! I have so many beautiful photos to share with you, so I hope you’ll allow me to share them a little more in the coming weeks. There’s no way to fit it all into a couple of posts, so I’ll space them out.
Full disclosure: This trip was organized by Viking Cruise Lines and they compensated our cruise (for Mark and me). However, we paid for our pre-excursion to Nice and also paid for Mark’s airfare and incidentals. It was a fantastic experience and I can’t recommend Viking enough. This cruise was highly anticipated by us and did not disappoint us in any way. We were very fortunate to be offered this opportunity and we are grateful for it. One of the reasons we like Viking trips and other group trips is because, as older people, we don’t want to have to figure out all the logistics of a European adventure. It’s much more relaxing to have everything planned out for you and have everything you need to do appear.
Nice
I think there were about 40 of us who started in Nice as an excursion prior to the Viking cruise on the Rhône River in France. It was a wonderful place to start the adventure of a lifetime.
We flew overnight and arrived in Nice, France early the next morning. Flying like this will definitely make your body skip a beat and you will be completely exhausted by the time you arrive, but it is best to keep pushing and moving forward and you will eventually acclimate to the new time zone. When we got to our hotel room that day, it was mid-afternoon and we took a 2 hour nap before heading out to see more of Nice on foot and have dinner.
Viking had us all on the pre-tour staying at the Hyatt Regency on the Nice waterfront and it was a beautiful hotel. The amenities were exceptional, with breakfast included in a gorgeous atrium each morning.
This is the upper level of the atrium with sunlight streaming in and a beautiful view of the water. Can you imagine this view every day? It was awesome! Of course, this area was the coveted breakfast spot and we didn’t have it every day, but we did at least once.
Looking out the windows open to the water. I would never get tired of this view!
And here is a photo of the interior of the atrium with the pool area. I didn’t take photos of all the food, but it was amazing. Fresh bread, pastries, eggs, bacon, sausages, meats, cheeses, fresh fruit and an omelette station. I would definitely recommend the Hyatt while in Nice, it was magnificent.
Here is a photo of the Art Deco exterior at night. Of course, Mark loved this.
Our room was very luxurious and comfortable with a balcony with sun lounger and chair to sit on and this was our view. We were here a couple of times and it was very nice.
Walking along the boardwalk was a fun experience. You can tell that people in Nice enjoy the outdoors and walk, bike, etc. It was a busy avenue and right next to the water it was pedestrian only with the travel lanes facing inland.
We left our hotel to take a look and were directed a few blocks to a main avenue with shops and restaurants. We really enjoyed exploring that first day and getting a taste of the country.
There was a bakery just down the street and I had my eye on one of these sandwiches, a basic French bread sandwich with ham and cheese. This one also had lettuce and tomato and was delicious for lunch.
I am so fascinated by the charm of Europe and Nice reminded me a lot of Italy, with all the outdoor cafes with bistro chairs, lots of pizzerias and lots of ice cream. I wasn’t expecting all the ice cream, but it was there, so we ate it every day we were in Nice.
It’s so much fun to dine outdoors like this. We need more of this lifestyle in the United States. Of course, we don’t always have the charming, rustic buildings as a backdrop. It’s just amazing, I love the whole atmosphere.
We saw this cafe and came back for dinner that night. It was delicious for our first real meal in France.
I went in to use the women’s bathroom and this was the view of the stairs. Gorgeous!
Tired and weary from the trip, but we were still smiling.
We did a walking tour the next full day in Nice and also a bus tour that took us to the top of a hill for a panoramic view of Nice and wow, it was beautiful. It’s everything you think of when you hear French Riveria. We had beautiful weather while we were in Nice with temperatures in the mid 70’s. Perfect!
The views here were exceptional.
Looking towards Nice.
Of course, I had to take a lot of selfies. I never want to forget these moments in time.
Stunningly beautiful.
Us again!
It’s like a dream when you visit a place like France.
Along the pedestrian promenade.
Everywhere we looked there was beauty, so I took lots of pictures of windows and doors.
This is a Russian church in Nice.
The architecture in Europe is so impressive that I couldn’t get enough of it either.
Even the streets are charming and the colorful buildings add to that.
Ahh, ice cream, there you are again. We ate our fill of Amereno cherry. Mark helped me get started with that. I love Stracciatella too. I ate it while in Italy many years ago when I visited and discovered ice cream for the first time.
Once again, the charming outdoor cafes are very attractive. No wonder I love bistro chairs!
Our walking tour took us to the old town of Nice and we wandered the streets while our guide told us the history and facts about the city. Viking does a great job with their tour guides. We all wear those listening devices around our necks with headphones so we can hear what the guides are saying. This also continues when you board the longship.
The squares of France were as beautiful as those of Italy. They really know how to slow down and savor the moments.
These streets simply invite exploration.
The colors are very vibrant on the Mediterranean coast.
And in France, macaroni is too. We had a few of these, but honestly, ice cream has my heart.
A shop along the road.
So many restaurants and shops to enjoy. We barely made a dent, but it sure was fun.
I was texting my sister and Lauren and Lauren urged me to try a crepe, so we stopped at a little crepe shop and I bought a salted caramel crepe. It was delicious! Mark overlooked this one.
I saw many carousels in France and they were very beautiful.
Lots of statues and memorials too, always beautiful.
We went back to one of the restaurants the guide recommended for an early dinner and it was delicious. I bought a Nicoise salad (while in Nice!) and it was very good. The restaurant was Le Safari in the heart of the old town. Just look for the blue awning.
Along with fresh pasta and mussels. Excellent!
Mark ordered a shrimp dish and we were both happy.
Our guide told us that these were works of art by a local artist (I think). It’s a blue chair that looks 3D from afar, but is actually flat.
Sunset in front of the Hyatt.
Ice cream after dinner.
I think it was the second night after a hike, we returned to the long strip of shops and restaurants and decided on pizza. I also didn’t know pizza was so common in France, but it was delicious.
You can tell them what you want and they will make it to order. We got the margherita pizza with olives and mushrooms and it was out of this world. Excellent!
Such a happy place when the sun goes down. Seeing all the people walking around, eating out and enjoying life was nice.
I would love to have dinner outdoors like this every night, wouldn’t you?
Yes, I loved Nice!
It was especially beautiful at night.
More selfies and then it was our turn to sleep!
Antibes
On one of our days in Nice, we took a bus tour to Antibes and then to Cannes for lunch. What a delight! About 20 minutes from Nice is the adorable, quaint and beautiful city of Antibes. I loved it so much. I had heard about Antibes in passing, but I was very excited when I saw that we were visiting because one of my blog friends, Brittany from Addison’s Wonderland I just bought a house here and he’s putting his stamp on it. If you don’t follow her, she has an amazing blog, with beautiful colorful layouts and travels a lot with her husband, John. They were working in the kitchen there over the summer and I saw it on Instagram with all the updates. After seeing that he had bought a house here, I became very interested in seeing this city. Doesn’t disappoint!
In Antibes there is a port full of beautiful boats.
Along with a ferris wheel.
Of course, we had to take more selfies in this beautiful place.
Fresh fish on the way.
It’s an old walled city, so it has a great Old World Europe vibe.
We didn’t spend much time in Antibes, but I loved what we saw.
I can understand why someone would want to live here and enjoy the climate and beauty of France.
How about that carved door?
Beautiful, right?
Mark in front of a knife shop. He can’t travel with his pocket knife, so I guess he was curious about this store.
They were melamine plates, but they were beautiful with an olive design. So Mediterranean!
There was a nice outdoor market while we were there, so I looked for something that could fit in my luggage to bring back. I found these vintage French prints (70 euros for both, not a bargain, but a fun time) and brought them home. I’ll be adding them to my gallery wall in the living room to remember our trip.
The city is large enough to be busy and attract tourists, but it is nothing like the larger cities.
I would love to stay here for a few days.
They also decorate for fall!
cannes
The next stop was Cannes. We went on a group tour bus and drove along the coast to Cannes, which was also very pretty. Of course, Cannes is known as the playground of the rich and famous and the film festival held there every year.
It was a wonderful drive along the coast, with picture perfect blue skies and water.
We were only there for a brief visit and lunch, but the guide pointed out this mural on the building depicting the film festival. Many old and famous movie stars are shown.
We had fun walking around and checking out some shops and really enjoyed lunch.
I should have taken note of this restaurant. It was lovely and they had everything ready for us to enjoy lunch.
It had a great vibe.
Caprese salad to start.
And for lunch a fish dish, very good and tasty.
I couldn’t get enough of the blue shutters that were all over France. All shades of blues and greens were prevalent and I took many photographs of them. We were fascinated by Nice and especially Antibes. I would definitely go back there if I had the chance. The French Riviera is so beautiful and I thought it would be!
I’ll be back with the start of the Viking cruise on the Rhône River next week. I couldn’t leave this part of the trip aside. The pre-trip to Nice was lovely and everything I hoped it would be!
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