dbncsuvet

Type of restaurant serving the local food of Lyon.

 

http://www.saveur.com/article/Travels/The-Bouchons-of-Lyon

 

(I've had this old article bookmarked for ages! Because I want to visit - though it's so old I have no idea if the actual places are still open:o)

You can get the full list of bouchons (which is a government-regulated designation in Lyon) on the Lyon tourism website here: http://www.en.lyon-france.com/Eat/The-Bouchon-Lyonnais-label

I would still eat in one, and I really liked the one we ate in. We don't know for sure if that was the place he got it, but we just thought it might have been since he tried the Andouillette there and they have some weird stuff in them (think pig intestines and the like). JP, I think you also tried those when you went to France, didn't you? Not the best tasting or smelling thing we had that was for sure...

We returned last week from our cruise on the SS Catherine through beautiful Burgundy and Provence. We started the trip with 3 days in Paris, and ended it with a night in Les Baux de Provence.

We lucked out with the weather, as we got out of Paris right before the floods started. Luckily, our ship was minimally impacted. We had to take a bus from Beaune back to Lyon (instead of back to Macon) so our ship could leave the Saone and get back to the Rhone to avoid getting stuck. Other than that, it was smooth sailing.

Uniworld was great. The room was beautiful and the bed was extremely comfortable. The service was amazingly attentive and all of the staff were very professional. If anything, they were too attentive! My husband would sometimes get wine and not even drink it, just so people would stop asking him if he wanted some!

Our cruise director was Thierry and our hotel manager was Yann. They are both French and were very visible during the entire trip, and made sure everything was running smoothly and that everyone was happy. The head chef and restaurant manager were also extremely visible and attentive. The food was really good, albeit heavy, and the wines were nice.

The only downside on our trip was that my husband ended up getting food poisoning, I think from a bouchon we ate at in Lyon before getting on the ship. Nobody else got sick (including me) so I doubt it was anything he ate on the ship. He was down and out for almost 3 days, which left me exploring a lot of the ports on my own. Luckily I made some friends with fellow passengers so I had some people to explore with and to sit with at meals. While he was sick, all of the staff on the boat was very attentive to his needs. They were always asking how he was doing, arranged for a doctor to come onto the ship to look at him, and picked up prescriptions for him. The restaurant manager made me plates of crackers, rice, and plain chicken to bring him. I wish he did not get sick but I was glad he was in good hands on the ship.

My favorite port was Avignon. I actually did not even do the included tour there because I opted for the optional included tour of Pont du Gard (it no longer costs extra!) which was also amazing. We had a whole afternoon free in Avignon though so I explored on my own. I thought they fortified city was beautiful and really enjoyed the Pope's Palace.

After the cruise we went to Les Baux on our own. The cruise ship arranged for a taxi for us to get there. I absolutely loved Les Baux and would recommend it as a must-see for anyone visiting Provence. The castle was very interesting and I am going to bring my kids back in a few years so they can see the old weapons. Also, Carrieres de Lumieres was breathtaking and not to be missed.

The most difficult thing during our trip was all of the strikes in France. Our TGV was canceled due to rail strikes and we had to book another one. Also, people could not get to the airport on the day we were flying out because striking airport employees were blocking the entrance road! Luckily for us, our hotel knew of this and told us to take the CDG tram, which deposited us right inside the airport, so we made it to our flight safely. My biggest advice when traveling to France is to be flexible on your travel plans and allow extra time to get anywhere and check up on flights and trains the day before!

I would be happy to answer any questions about the cruise or the region. I will try to figure out how to post some pictures!

Unfortunately, it seems like strikes in France are cyclical and always on-going. We were there from May 25 through June 7 and experienced strikes at gas stations, rail strikes, and airport employee strikes. We were most impacted by the rail strikes as our TGV was canceled and we had to re-book on another train. The train was packed with a lot of people standing for 3 hours straight due to train cancellations. On the day we flew home, the airport workers were striking and would not allow any cars into the airport to drop passengers off. Luckily, our hotel was on the CDG tram so we took that straight into the airport but I am sure people missed their flights that day. The good news for air traffic control and pilot strikes is that they usually shift personnel so that international flights are not affected.

After this visit, my best advice is to be flexible with all travel in France and to allow extra time. Also, always check train and flight status ahead of time.

Good luck!

We just got back from the Rhone/Saone cruise and the Rhone was absolutely fine, not affected by the flood affecting the northern part of France. We did have some trouble with the Saone. After docking in Macon and being bussed to Beaune, we were told the ship needed to immediately return to Lyon and we would be bussed to Lyon from Beaune (rather than going back to Macon) so that the ship did not get stuck on the Saone. It made for a longer bus ride (about 1.5 hours instead of 30 minutes) but it was not too bad. The rest of the trip was completely fine.

Thanks so much! I didn't realize you could just get it arranged by filling out the disembarkation paperwork. That is easy!

Yes we leave on Wednesday for Paris! We are doing a few days there before taking the TGV to Lyon on Sunday. I am super excited! I have looked back through your review from the Catherine to help me prepare!

JP, I am catching up on your last few posts and saw where you said you took a taxi on disembarkation day. We will need to do this also, as we need transportation from Avignon to Les Baux. Did you ask an employee of the cruise to make that reservation for you? If so, how many days in advance do you need to do that?

Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestion capriccio. I will wait to hear back from my TA and if she isn't sure of the whereabouts of the documents, I will see if uniworld can send us some directly.

Thanks so much for the replies! I called Uniworld and they said they were delivered to our travel agency. I emailed our TA to see when they would be sent to us. I think all is good!

Bonjour! We are getting super excited for our Burgundy and Provence cruise aboard Uniworld's SS Catherine in 3 weeks but alas, our cruise documents have not arrived yet! I am starting to get worried because the cruise companion from Uniworld says they are supposed to arrive 21-30 days ahead of the departure date. We reach 21 days tomorrow and still have not gotten them! We paid in full last year and I have completed both of our passenger information forms. I almost forgot to do my husband's because he didn't have his passport yet when we booked, but my travel agent reminded me in March so it has been completed for 2 months now.

Has anyone else received their documents from Uniworld less than 21 days out from the cruise or should I be worried?

Thanks for helping me get some peace of mind (I hope...)!

That picture of your kitty looked just like my old girl used to look. I miss her! Anyway, have a great trip! I am excited for your review, they are always fantastic. Nice choice on the Tokaj by the way!

I am more worried about the issues with Visas that the US is imposing on European travelers, and the threat that Europe may do the same to us if the US doesn't let up. We all may have to get a travel visa to go to Europe if this does not get retracted. Something to think about for those of us traveling to Europe this summer!

https://www.lawfareblog.com/thinking-travelling-europe-summer

C'est magnifique! I remember how excited you were about this cruise last year, and how long the wait seemed at that time...so glad it's almost here for you! You are going to love the SS Catherine. Wish we were there again...

 

The CD will certainly assist you with finding a taxi at the end of the cruise. Suggest you talk to them in the first few days for specific recommendations. They are a great source of information. No experience with cabbing it to Les Baux, but ask them whether it's the best way. Also, consider asking your hotel for transportation recommendations. They might set something up for you that would be reasonably priced.

 

Where are you staying in Paris? Your hotel concierge may be the best source for local recommendations, and you could even try to contact them in advance for suggestions. One place we really enjoyed near our hotel in Dec 2014 was Chez Andre. Traditional food, not too many tourists, lots of fun. But we also wandered the streets and just popped into places for lunch if things looked good, and that always worked too. Given the type of place you're looking for, there should be a ton of options within walking distance of wherever you're staying in Paris.

 

Have a great time!

Thanks JP! I had written down your suggestion about Chez Andre in the past :) We are staying at the Plaza Tour Eiffel in the Trocadero area (16 arrondissement). I have read that there is a delicious boulangerie/patisserie near the hotel and am sure we will frequent that (too bad for our waistlines ha!) and will ask the hotel for more recommendations when we are there. I am not limited to our hotel area though as we plan on doing a lot of walking and sightseeing, so who knows where we will be when we get hungry! Do a lot of places have menus outside so you can see what is available?

Hope you have a wonderful cruise. I leave for my first River cruise in just

over 2 weeks......actually I fly out 2 weeks from Tuesday:D

Have fun Lois!!

I can't believe I am less than 3 months away from my first river cruise aboard the SS Catherine in Provence! I am getting so excited and I am almost finished with the French course on Duolingo.

I have everything booked now including train tickets, except for one thing. I need transportation from the end of the cruise at Avignon to Les Baux, where we are staying for one night, then transportation back to Avignon TGV station the next day. Does anyone have experience with getting a taxi after a cruise? Is that something the cruise director should be able to help me set up during the cruise or do I need to look into something beforehand? I would prefer that to renting a car.

Also, I am looking for recommendations for good restaurants in Paris that are not too high-end, like great cafes or brasseries where we can get good traditional French cuisine. Previously we were going to try to do a Michelin star restaurant while there but we decided we will get so much gourmet food on the cruise and are spending so much money there that we would rather eat at less expensive more traditional places. Also, I don't want to have to make reservations because we will only be there for 3 days and I don't want our sighseeing to be restricted by reservation times. Any recommendations are welcomed!

Thank you!

I am so sorry about your train cancellation but happy you were able to find a flight at short notice. I hope the rest of your trip is nice and relaxing without any more surprises!

Thanks for this post, as we are scheduled to go on this cruise in May and I also wonder about the optional excursions. We will have some on-board credits through our TA so we will definitely do the Pont du Gard, also possibly the truffle farm. JP, do you think it is worth the cost even though Chateauneuf du Pape was only so-so? We will be spending an extra night in Les Baux on our own after the cruise so that we can see Carrieres des Lumieres so we won't do that excursion. I am not sure which one to do in Lyon, the bike tour or the walking tour. Anyone know which of those may be better? Jazz, I am happy we booked North to South after what you said!

Thank you for the beautiful pictures and interesting commentary! I look forward to your cruise review as we had a hard time choosing whether to do Bordeaux or Provence and we decided to do Provence. It will be nice to see what Bordeaux has to offer. Maybe we will do it next time! Bon voyage!

It is just the two of us but DH is a big guy and his clothes are big so packing minimalist is hard for us! We will be in France 2 weeks but Uniworld offers free laundry services for guests so I am hoping we can pack light and do laundry once while on the ship. I am still guessing we will each have a decent size suitcase plus a carry-on bag though.

I am going to look into the costs for getting a driver or a taxi. If the cost is similar or cheaper, we will go with that. It will be more convenient and we won't have to worry about money for tolls or getting gas. We just need a way to get us from the Avignon TGV station to Les Baux and back. We don't plan on driving once we are in Les Baux. I will talk to our travel agent and see what we can do.

Thanks so much for the advice!!

With all of these issues, it seems like taking a taxi from Avignon to Les Baux and then back again may be a better option! It looks like a one-way fare is about 60-80 Euros, so it may be cheaper than renting a car anyway (the cheapest automatic car big enough for our luggage seems to be almost 300 Euros for a one-night rental)!

And to run into lots of gas stations in France that are unmanned and do not take American mag stripe cards nor cash. I don't think there are any toll booths between Avignon and Les Baux, but if there are, make sure you have euros, as American mag stripe cards don't work there either.

Hmmm...didn't know there were so many things to think about. Thanks for the advice! Sorry for crashing your thread Jazzbeau!

Well, if I still lived in Chapel Hill, I would drive my MINI over and give your husband a lesson. Rental cars in Europe are like America. Except, they tend smaller, and they tend towards manual transmissions. I think learning to drive a manual transmission is something that everyone needs to learn how to do. It takes about an hour to get reasonably good at it. I remember driving my buddies 71 VW, the worst thing for me was the lack of power steering, fortunately that is pretty much no longer an option on modern cars.

 

That said, if you need a bigger car, they cost a lot more, same for auto transmission. All are usually available. Recommend a credit card that includes insurance and doesn't charge a foreign exchange fee. Such as Capital One or Amex Platinum.

 

Renting a car is a good option, but on our trip, we will rent a car, until we go to Paris, at which point I ditch the rental. Cars in big cities are a pain.

 

jc

Haha! I would have taken you up on the offer! My mom actually drives standard and I may ask her to give me some lessons while I am visiting her this weekend for Labor Day :-)

We will just need the car to drive from the train station in Avignon to Les Baux and back again. We won't be driving any city roads, and will likely park and not drive at all once we arrive in Les Baux (we are staying in a hotel right by the chateau). I think my husband can be cramped for that short ride, as long as the car has a trunk to put our luggage in!

Thanks JP!

How is the car rental process in Europe? We are going to travel to Les Baux on our own at the end of our Rhone cruise and I was thinking of renting a car at the Avignon train station. My travel agent said it can be hard to get a car with automatic transmission, and alas we do not know how to drive standard. Also, my husband is 6'5 and I worry about the small European cars.

Should I still look into car rental? There isn't an easy way to get to Les Baux using public transport. Thanks!

I found it odd that they didn't even mention Uniworld. I feel like they are more popular than some of the lines they did mention. It seems like a big oversight to me.

Thanks so much for your review JP! It will really help when we go on our trip (although it is still more than a year away, boo!). The maps of the towns were especially helpful, as we also like to travel out on our own a bit. I thought we were going the opposite direction but we are doing Lyon to Avignon as well, so your descriptions of the tours were very helpful. I think we will definitely do the optional Pont du Gard tour but that may be it for the extra ones. We are going to fly to Paris a few days early, then take the TGV to Lyon on embarkation day. After the cruise, I think we are going to stay a day extra to visit Les Baux since it is pretty close to Avignon.

I also enjoyed your comments about being able to read the French signs and speak French to some of the locals. It is good motivation to keep up my French studies! Je veux parler Francais!

I am glad to hear your trip was so wonderful! Merci beaucoup!