River Cruising in France on AmaWaterways

Hello and welcome to my travel blog!

I have traveled to Europe many times but thought it would be fun to write about a few of my recent trips in our new blog space. This vacation started in March 2025 in Paris, with the Ama pre-cruise package.  We toured for a few days seeing the famous Parisian sights, eating delicous food and of course shopping! (Fun Fact: I was an exchange student  in France (after high school graduation) where I spent half my time in Paris and the rest in the countryside surrounded by smiling sunflowers.)  After touring in Paris, we  took the high speed train to Lyon, France where we attended a cooking demo to make a Lyonnaise dish. It was in Lyon where we boarded the AmaKristina by AmaWaterways on the Rhone river.

It is always a delight stepping on to a river ship for the first time where the crew treats you like family. With less than 160 guests onboard, it starts to feel like a second home. We sailed south stopping along each day in a new city, eventually ending in Arles, France. I really enjoyed this itinerary called Colors of Provence. Seeing the manicured vineyards along the way was delightful. We sailed with friends and it was wonderful as we would sit with others in the lounge and at dinner. One thing was clear was that everyone enjoyed sailing on Ama. The Loyalty meet- up event was packed in the lounge as so many keep cruising after the first time trying river cruising on AmaWaterways. We tried the Chef's Table with a six course dinner with local wine parings. Our favorite time of day is the Sip and Sail hour which is the hour right before dinner where you meet in the lounge and have  a glass of local wine or the cocktail of the day and reminisce with the new friends you have made and reflect on all that you did that day. It was a wonderful time and left me yearning for another river cruise. The hard part will be deciding which one to do next.