A Belmond Boat · Provence
Pivoine
8 guests · 4 cabins · whole-boat charter
Pivoine — the peony — takes eight guests through Provence between Aigues-Mortes and Avignon. She is the smaller of the two Provence boats, and the one that spends more time at the Camargue end, where the water opens out and the landscape stops looking like a canal at all.
Belmond publishes the itineraries day by day for this boat, which it does not do for most of the fleet. The week takes in a lavender farm at Gallician, Arles and its Van Gogh sites, a swim beneath the Pont du Gard, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape before Avignon. The Pont du Gard swim is the thing guests talk about afterwards.
A note on booking, because Belmond's own pages disagree with each other here. The collection page tags Pivoine as available for open sailing; the FAQ states open sailing applies to Napoléon alone, and both Pivoine journeys are priced on a charter basis for up to eight guests. Treat her as whole-boat charter, and we will confirm at the time of enquiry.
The cruises
Aigues-Mortes to Avignon
6 nights
Aigues-Mortes and the lavender farm at Gallician, then Arles and Vallabrègues, the Pont du Gard, Roquemaure and Châteauneuf-du-Pape before Avignon.
Avignon to Aigues-Mortes
6 nights
The same week in reverse, opening in Avignon. These two are the only live Pivoine journeys — older Avignon–Tain and Avignon–Sète routes now 404 on Belmond's own site.
The cabins
Double cabin
Four of them for eight guests. Belmond's Pivoine card is the one in the fleet grid that omits the cabin count; four is derived from its own published spec block.
On board
The heated deck pool
On the open deck, and welcome in a Provençal summer in a way it would not be in Burgundy.
The open-plan living area
Glazed along the sides, with the chef cooking aboard and meals served table d'hôte.
Booking this boat
Eight guests on charter, six nights, between Aigues-Mortes and Avignon in either direction. Of the two Provence boats she is the more intimate; Napoléon takes twelve and is the sociable one. Belmond publishes a day-by-day itinerary for Pivoine, which makes her easier to plan around than most of the fleet — worth asking for it before you commit, since the excursions are fixed rather than invented on the day. No cruising season is published, so we confirm the calendar first.
Questions, answered
How many guests does Pivoine take?
Eight, in four cabins. She is the smaller of Belmond's two Provence boats — Napoléon, on the same river, takes twelve.
Can Pivoine be booked by the cabin?
Belmond's own pages conflict on this. The collection page tags her for open sailing, but the FAQ says open sailing is available on Napoléon only, and both Pivoine journeys are priced as charters for up to eight. We treat her as whole-boat charter and confirm with Belmond at enquiry.
What does the week actually include?
Belmond publishes this one day by day: a lavender farm at Gallician near Aigues-Mortes, Arles and its Van Gogh sites, a swim beneath the Pont du Gard, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and Avignon. Six nights, either direction.
Enquire
Hold a week aboard Pivoine
Tell us the party and roughly when, and we will confirm the current itinerary and hold the week with Belmond.
Start Planning