In this latest installment of our AMA Waterways guest blog, Natalie Ford visits the historic town of Vienne and takes a walking tour of the key sights.

We arrived in Vienne at around 22:00 last night. This morning, we are going out on a guided walking tour of Vienne. It’s situated between the wine regions of Burgundy and Beaujolais, 32km south of Lyon. Vienne was one of Gaul’s largest settlements, becoming a Roman colony in 47BC under Julius Caesar.

The ship docked in the centre of town so there is no need for a coach today. We left the ship at 09:00 and with our headsets tuned in, we set off and strolled into town. There are many groups you can chose for this excursion; a gentle walkers group which has less walking and involves the town’s mini train which takes you to and from the ship, the general walkers or even a late starters option.

I chose the general walking tour. We were enjoying learning about the local history and ways of life when we turned a corner and there before us was a huge temple – The Temple of Augustus and Livia. It’s a 1st century Roman temple, surrounded on three sides by columns. It was so impressive to see the ruins in the centre of town and at that, so well preserved. We made our way through the picturesque streets to the central square where we were met by a mini train. Hopping on-board we climbed the winding streets of Vienne to the view point. WOW … need I say anymore.

The mini train took us back to the river level of town, where we were able to visit the Roman museum, it was quite something to wander around a museum where all the artefacts are not in display cupboards and where the museum itself is still kept in its original state instead of being updated with modern technology. We had some free time to explore the streets of Vienne before taking the picturesque walk along the Rhone river banks as we embarked the ship ready for lunch.

Those of you who know me well know that I am a creature of habit, so I had lunch on-board the ship – a very light and delicious vegetable risotto! As I tucked into my lunch, we began to sail from Vienne, on our journey to Tournon in the Northern Ardeche.