18 Days in France - Vienne

Our Viking Lofn "rafted" outside another Viking River Boat at our mooring in Vienne, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

WE WERE still getting used to the cruise stop/port schedule. We are accustomed to the ocean cruise ship schedules which mostly cruise at night and stop at ports during the day, staying put once in a given port. River cruises are less consistent. Part of the reason is schedules can change depending on conditions. Another is that many of the river ports are very small, making in and out scheduling challenging. We had heard about this already, but it is often necessary to "raft" fwo or more boats along the dockside, meaning you may be going through, or up and over, another ship sometimes. So river cruise stops are just less consistent by their nature. Our stop in Vienne appeared to me to be one of those instances. We arrived at our mooring in Vienne, sometime during the dinner hour. There was a scheduled evening walking tour, starting around 9:00 p.m. Sometime during the night, we would leave Vienne and sail onward to our final port of call on this leg of our journey: Lyon, where we would remain docked for the next 3 nights.

Vienne Suspension Bridge - Vienne, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

OUR MOORING was actually across the river from Vienne, at Sainte-Columbe, just at the foot of The Vienne Suspension Bridge (La Passerelle), a beautiful pedestrian bridge across the Rhone. Having already spent a rather long, hot day in Tournon, only 2 of our group opted to go out on the scheduled night walking tour of Vienne. I was one of the participants. I am glad I went.

Vienne Suspension Bridge - Vienne, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

KNOWING THERE would not be any opportunities in a group setting for a tripod, I opted to carry only my Samsung S24+ phone for this one. I don't usually do a lot of handheld shots at night, not having fully embraced the high ISO capabilities of my Sony a7cr. I probably should. But I got a few that I think are worthy of posting anyway.

Cathédrale Saint-Maurice de Vienne (Vienne Cathedral) - Vienne, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

VIKING PUTS their passengers out for excursions in semi-manageable "groups." On this night, not expecting a huge turnout (and they were right - there were only 2 groups in the end), they did not assign us a group. We just picked one. My newest acquaintance, Randy (brother in law to our other traveling companions Jim and Flo) and I picked a group and set up our "walkies" and off we went. After we exited the Vienne Suspension Bridge, we crossed perhaps Vienne's busiest street and almost immediately came upon the beautiful Romanesque and French Gothic Cathedrale Saint-Maurice de Vienne (Vienne Cathedral). Our walk had started right at 9:00 p.m. (Civil Twilight) and the light was warm and low contrast, flattering the stone work.

Jardin de Cybele (Vienne Archaelogical Garden) - Vienne, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

BEYOND THE Cathedral, we walked a couple city streets in the heart of the old Medieval City, and arrived at one of its most popular places, The Archaelogical Garden (Jardin de Cybèle). In this spot there are the remains of the ancient Gallow - Roman civilization which is now at the geographical heart of Vienne. The structure you see up on the hill behind the garden is Théâtre Antique de Vienne, and ancient Roman Theatre, which now serves as a venue for musical acts. We did not go up there as it was in use at the time, by none other than Sting, who has often performed there. We could hear the music and the cheering crowd way up in the distance. Built around 40 - 50 A.D., the theatre still bears its stone seating (maybe an uncomfortable concert attendance).

Roman Ruins - Jardin de Cybele - Vienne France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

JUST STEPS away from the garden, we came upon Place François Mitterrand the site of Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), former 18th Century town house of one of Vienne's noblemen (recall from the Avignon Blog that in French, "hôtel" can have a number of meanings, one of which is an important municipal building). The architecture and landscaping is grand; all the more so when lit at night.

Hôtel de Ville, Vienne - Vienne, France
Copright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

CONTINUING JUST around the corner, we came upon Vienne's historically most popular square, Place du Palais Charles de Gaulle, the site for the ancient Roman Temple of Augustus and Livia. Built some 100 years B.C., the temple is an important part of Roman history, and attests to the presence of Roman Civilization so many years ago.

Temple of Augustus and Livia - Vienne, France
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THERE IS often a special magic in night time lighting. At the same time often masking unwanted clutter around a photographic subject, the lighting creates contrast and shadows, enhancing the textures and colors of these subjects.

Temple of Augustus and Livia - Vienne, France
Copyrigtht Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

THIS BASICALLY ended our nightime Vienne excursion. But all around this area, there were shops, restaurants and bars, and evidence of a vibrant night life in Vienne's old downtown. I wished we could stop and visit one or two of the street bars for a drink and to take in the nightlife. I think that if some of the rest of our group had joined us, we might have. We were only about 10 minutes from our cruise ship. Our guide let us know that staying for a while was an option, but it seemed that most of our group opted to accompany her back to the ship.

Vienne, France
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I WAS able to make just a couple more images of this beautiful city on the way.

Vienne, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

OUR NEXT port of call, the next morning, was Viviers.

A last look across the Rhone to Vienne, as the moon rose over the city
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

We will be away for the next two weeks, traveling again in Spain and France. Of course, the plan is to bring back more photos. I think our itinerary will bear much fruit for that endeavor. In the meantime, stay tuned and I will see you in October!