Cruising on a boutique hotel barge is a truly luxurious and relaxing way to see France. Everything is taken care of from the moment of arrival, with the crew including a captain, tour guide, house keeper and chef. All France barges include three gourmet meals a day featuring fresh local produce.

Combine a stay in Paris and a week on a crewed canal barge. Treat your clients to an unforgettable experience exploring France at its best. Discover amazing deals and bonuses when you book an all-inclusive crewed canal barge stay combined with a stay in the city of Lights!

French Travel Connection suggestions: 

Your journey: You are collected at the designated meeting point by either your Captain or tour guide and taken by air-conditioned minibus to your barge. After a champagne welcome and the opportunity to meet your English-speaking crew and your fellow passengers, you will be shown to your comfortable stateroom or suite, with its full en suite facilities. Some barges will take you on a short cruise on your first evening and immediately the fascinating world of barge cruising begins to unfold before you. Then, perhaps after an aperitif, it’s time to indulge in your first on-board gourmet dining experience, complemented by fine wines.

Relax and Unwind: Each day, once underway, your barge moves so sedately from one peaceful mooring to the next, that you can just wander along the towpath if you wish, getting on and off at pretty locks. You may come across some local villagers playing a game of pétanque, or discover a vineyard. The barges all carry bicycles for tow path riding and other excursions ashore and the little villages and farms we discover as we cruise by become part of the adventure.

Alternatively, just observe the ever-changing scenery from a comfortable chair on the sun deck. Then, after a day of cruising and sightseeing, your barge moors for the night and there is plenty of time for a cocktail before dinner. In Burgundy and the Loire Valley, hot-air ballooning is an exciting option. Ballooning generally takes place in the early hours just after dawn or before sunset, when the air is still and the light is perfect for drifting gently along and gazing down at the beautiful countryside below.

Fine Cuisine: Each morning you will awaken to fresh bread, pastries and fruit, brought on board from local shops. Lunch is an arrangement of salads, pâtes, quiches and cheeses, accompanied with fine wines. Dinner is the culinary highlight of each day, prepared using fresh local ingredients and paired with fine wines. 

Wine & Cheese: Whichever region of France you are cruising through, you can be sure there is a wonderful selection of wines and cheeses to enjoy! After a thousand years of wine production and the creation of hundreds of cheeses, the French are convinced that quality and choice are fundamental to everyday life and after your time on board, you will be too.

Excursions: Every barge includes daily excursions to local places of interest – imposing citadels, elegant châteaux, colourful markets and renowned wine cellars. Many of the excursions are a short walk from the barge, if further, you will be taken by air-conditioned minibus. Each excursion is led by a knowledgeable English-speaking tour guide. Cycling:Each crewed canal barge carries bicycles for everyone on board to use. Some barges offer the option of taking a bike each day and riding along a route that has been researched by your crew. They will provide a backpack with everything you need and a map showing you the best way to explore the
surrounding countryside and villages.

(pics and text provided by French Travel Connection)

Special offers: For full details and bookings contact French Travel Connection on 1300 858 304  or visit the website....