River, Switzerland and France.
A historic southern gateway, as well as the only major European river flowing directly to the Mediterranean Sea, the Rhône is 505 mi (813 km) long and navigable for about 300 mi (485 km). It is Alpine in character, and its course has been shaped by neighbouring mountain systems. Rising in the Swiss Alps , it flows into Lake Geneva , then crosses into France through the Lyon , Avignon , and Tarascon to Arles and enters the Mediterranean west of Marseille .