tour guide
Audio commentary
Want to know more about the monuments and landscapes you pass during your cruise? Find all our audio commentaries here. Listen and enjoy the view, or read at your own pace: choose the way you prefer and don’t miss a thing.
Welcome
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Compagnie des Grands Bateaux de Provence is delighted to welcome you on board. Our cruise will take us along the banks of Avignon to discover its iconic monuments, which we will describe in a few moments. For enthusiasts: you are aboard a passenger boat with a capacity of 250 people. She is 50 metres long and weighs 230 tonnes. She was built in 1986 at the Barriol shipyard in Arles. The Mireio is named after the singer Mireille Mathieu, who was her godmother at her launch.
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Duration: 7 min 06
AVIGNON
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995, Avignon draws visitors from all over the world to admire a heritage preserved over many centuries. As you can see, ramparts just over 4 km long encircle the old town. Building began in 1355 and was completed 15 years later, to repel potential attackers and to protect the town from the floods of the Rhône
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Duration: 01 min 14
THE JACQUEMART TOWER
To the right of the Palace of the Popes, you can see the Jacquemart bell tower, home to two automata that strike every hour. Since 1472, the couple has taken on various appearances, acquiring its current look in 1838: a soldier and his wife, reaching her arm towards him with a rose in her hand. Two metres tall, they overlook the Place de l’Horloge.
The Avignon theatre festival
A city of culture, Avignon is also famous for its theatre festival, founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar. Every July, the Festival d’Avignon presents the best of contemporary live performance. Alongside it, the “Off” festival, with more than 1,500 shows, turns the whole city into a huge, joyful stage taken over by hundreds of theatre companies from around the world.
THE ÎLE DE LA BARTHELASSE
On your right is the Île de la Barthelasse, the largest river island in Europe. You can reach it on foot or, if you prefer, by boat, thanks to the free river shuttle that crosses the Rhône in just a few minutes. Lying between the two arms of the Rhône, it offers 700 hectares of peace and greenery, just minutes from the historic centre. The island has around a thousand inhabitants and was protected from urban development because it is prone to flooding. It remains largely agricultural, with more than half its surface devoted to farming.
The Île de la Barthelasse is also a nesting site for many birds: sparrowhawks, black kites, cormorants, grey and purple herons, ducks. The island is also home to large populations of beavers and other mammals (foxes, wild boar).
Many areas of the island are given over to leisure and relaxation. The very peaceful towpath offers exceptional views of the Pont d’Avignon, the Rocher des Doms and the Palace of the Popes: ideal for a jog, a stroll or a daydream in the grass in the shade of its trees.
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Duration: 02 min 13
THE EIFFEL BRIDGE
We are now passing under the Eiffel Viaduct. It was inspired by the techniques of Gustave Eiffel, famous worldwide for his masterpieces in metal. Eiffel’s methods inspired the design of railway structures such as this viaduct, opened in 1905 to carry coal from the mines of the Gard to the Alps.
The structure, which collapsed entirely into the Rhône after bombing in the Second World War, was rebuilt identically in October 1944. Had we continued in this direction, we could have sailed all the way to the Camargue… but we will now turn around and head back up the Rhône towards Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.
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Duration: 01 min 04
The Rhône
The Rhône, on which we are now sailing, is one of Europe’s major rivers; it flows through Avignon with strength and majesty. 812 kilometres long, it rises in the Swiss Alps and flows into the Mediterranean through the Camargue delta. Although it is not the continent’s longest river (that title goes to the Danube), it has one of the most powerful flows in Western Europe.
In Avignon, the Rhône has shaped the landscape, the economy and history. Since Antiquity it has been a route for navigation and trade, linking northern Europe to the Mediterranean south. For several centuries it also marked a political border between the Kingdom of France and the Papal States. In Avignon, floods are almost part of the scenery. Used to the river’s whims, the people of Avignon know how to live with its seasonal tempers. When the waters threaten to burst their banks, the city follows a well-practised ritual: the great gates in the ramparts are closed to protect the old town. Behind the walls, residents take shelter and wait for the Rhône to calm down.
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Duration: 02 min 05
The Avignon lock
Ahead of us is the Avignon lock and dam, 195 metres long and 12 metres wide. As we pass through, we enter the lock chamber in front of us and moor to floating bollards that rise and fall with the water level. For the boat to continue on its way, we are lifted twelve metres, which is quite impressive.
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Duration: 00 min 40
Avignon is also the capital of the Côtes du Rhône
Wine has been grown in the Rhône valley since Antiquity, and vine-growing flourished with the arrival of the Popes in the 14th century. The “Côtes-du-Rhône” appellation was created in 1937, setting the rules of production and the crus. Avignon became the Capital of the Côtes-du-Rhône in 1996. The city even has its own AOC vineyard inside the ramparts: the Clos de la Vigne du Palais des Papes overlooks the historic centre and the Rhône from the top of the Rocher des Doms. You can taste these characterful wines in many restaurants and wine bars in the City of the Popes! Please drink responsibly, of course!
Goodbye
Our trip is coming to an end. If you enjoyed it, we also offer lunch and dinner cruises, as well as cruise excursions with a stop in Arles.
