Cruises + Boating European Barge Trips

There are a number of fine organizations that can arrange luxury barge trips for you. Among them are European Waterways ( http://www.gobarging.com/ ), Abercrombie & Kent ( http://www.akbarging.com/travel/Abercrombie-Kent/barging/europe/56 ), Orient-Express ( http://www.orient-express.com/web/taif/taif_c0c2_links.jsp ) and French Country Waterways ( http://www.fcwl.com/ ). Of these four companies, based on our own personal experience, the one that my wife and I would most highly recommend would be the latter, French Country Waterways. (We have also taken a barge trip with European Waterways and were quite pleased with them too.)

We spent most of last month in Europe and, in particular, in France. In addition to two separate stays in Paris, we had the pleasure of taking a trip down the French canal system in the Burgundy region in a luxury barge that was operated by French Country Waterways. (It was our second barge trip with the company, having previously taken a delightful trip through the Champagne region with them a few years ago.)

In this most recent barge trip, we were met by French Country Waterways' representative in Paris on a Sunday afternoon. She arranged for us to be transported by bus to take the TGV from Paris to Le Creusot. From there, it was a short minivan ride to the barge's mooring in St. Leger-sur-Dheune. After a champagne reception and a delicious dinner on board, we retired for the night, followed by a morning cruise on the Canal du Centre. During the week that followed, we cruised through some of the most beautiful countryside areas that we had ever seen, passing through the towns and villages of Chagny, Chalon-sur-Saone, Seurre, Aiserey (on the Burgundy Canal) and, ultimately, reaching our end destination of Dijon. (The following day, we returned to Paris by TGV.) While cruising on the barge, we visited two charming Chateaus, toured the historic hospice in Beaune, had a number of excellent wine tastings at local vineyards, had a fantastic dinner at a 3-Michelin-star restaurant and had plenty of time to walk (and, if we chose to do so, ride the bicycles that were on the barge) through the places we visited. The tranquility of the experience was delightful and the wonderful scenery along the banks of the canals was beyond description. Needless to say, we had a wonderful time.

It was a truly memorable experience and, looking back, the only complaint that we had was that the food, wine and cheese on the barge were so good that we gained a few pounds. Every day, the chef on the barge would get fresh vegetables, meat, fish and other ingredients from the markets in the towns along the canals. Each morning, all the passengers on board would eagerly await the croissants and breads that he would buy at his favorite bakery in the town we were in. The food was, truly, the equal of any of the two-star restaurants that we have dined in in France and, every lunch and dinner, we were treated to both a red and white wine, which was either a Grand Cru or a Premier Cru, and the most wonderful cheeses. The barge's crew, who were French and British and outnumbered the passengers, were efficient, interesting, charming and a pleasure to be with, and our French captain, Anne-Laurence, was absolutely terrific.

In summary, our experience on the barge was the ultimate in luxury and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd highly recommend taking such a trip. Those of you who already have done so know what I mean.