Board the luxury hotel barge Renaissance and embark on a 7-day cruise through the rivers and canals of France. Cruise over Gustav Eiffel's famous aqueduct spanning the Loire River. Take some time to explore the beautiful village and canals of Montargis either on foot or bicycle. Take a leisurely breakfast of fresh croissants, baguettes, and assorted pastries as you visit Gien, home of the Faience pottery, renowned for its beautifully decorated and vibrant dinnerware. Visit the delightful, privately-owned Château de La Bussière, known as the ‘fishermen’s castle’, with its wonderful ornamental and vegetable gardens.
Highlights
Visit to the privately-owned Château de la Bussière
Cruise across the aqueduct built by Gustave Eiffel over the River Loire
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Guests are met at the meeting point in Paris and transferred by private chauffeured minibus to the spacious Renaissance where a Champagne welcome with canapés awaits you to meet the Captain and crew. You might have some time for a walking tour of the pretty village of Montargis before dinner on board.
This morning, you will embark on your first cruise through the Loire countryside, with great towpath walking and cycling opportunities, to moor at Montbouy. After lunch on board, you will visit Château de Fontainebleau, a national museum and UNESCO World Heritage Site. To walk through this magnificent palace is to walk through the history of France. It is the only royal and imperial château to have been continuously inhabited for seven centuries and every French royal family added its own architectural style and features when in residence. Dinner on board.
This morning you will visit Château de Sully-sur-Loire. The castle originally belonged to Georges de la Trémoïlle, who infuriated Joan of Arc by encouraging the Dauphin to devote himself to idle hunting in the forests around Sully. After Joan’s failure to liberate Paris in 1430, de la Trémoïlle imprisoned her in the castle. In the 18th century Voltaire, exiled from Paris, also spent time at the château. Following lunch back on board, you will enjoy an afternoon cruise to our mooring at the pretty village of Rogny-les-Sept-Ecluses, near its 350-year-old 7 lock-flight, which is well worth visiting on foot. Dinner on board.
After a leisurely breakfast of fresh croissants, baguettes, and assorted pastries you will visit Gien, home of the Faience pottery, renowned for its beautifully decorated and vibrant dinnerware, and also explore the town’s bustling market. After lunch, you will enjoy an afternoon cruise to La Gazonne, a beautiful mooring surrounded by lakes and ponds that provide water for the workings of the Canal de Briare. Dinner ashore at the Michelin-starred Auberge des Templiers in Les Bezards.
A morning cruise to the mooring at the little town of Briare, site of Gustave Eiffel’s magical aqueduct across the River Loire, again with excellent walking and bicycling opportunities. You will be able to preview Friday’s crossing of this amazing 10,000 ton, 662 meter Pont Canal which was completed in September 1896. Your afternoon visit is to a renowned winery in Sancerre, such as Domaine Henri Bourgeois in Chavignol, for a tour and private tasting. This medieval hilltop village overlooks a vibrant region which has known viticulture since Roman times. Dinner on board.
This morning you will be able to wander around fruit and vegetable, seafood, cheese and French fashion stalls in the market in Briare before returning to the hotel barge for a short cruise across the aqueduct and lunch on board. This afternoon, you can visit the delightful, privately-owned Château de La Bussière, known as the ‘fishermen’s castle’, with its wonderful ornamental and vegetable gardens. Captain’s Farewell Dinner on board.
Day 7: Châtillon-sur-Loire | Disembark
1 Breakfast
After breakfast, guests are transferred by private chauffeured minibus to Paris.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$8,5502-3 travelers
Rates are subject to change without notice. Book early to get the best rate.
Select a Date
Suite
250 sq ft featuring 4 Twin/Double Suites, ensuite bathrooms, central heat and air conditioning, including TV/DVD, CD Player/iPod Dock, and WiFi (Subject to local reception)
Notes
- All children under the age of 18 years accepted onboard qualify for a discount of $300 per child per week.
Initial deposit is 25%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure by Credit card, check, and bank transfer. All final payments by credit card subject to a surcharge of 2.5% and maximum of $20,000 charge
Everything was amazing! The planning with Adventure Life went smoothly. The actual trip was fantastic! One of the best trips I have experienced. The cruise staff members were knowledgeable and attentive. I will be writing more about this on the blog!
Justin Chappelle
TrustScore 4.8 | 186 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 186 reviews on
1 day ago
Amazing trip and the best customer service
Liz
2 days ago
Hannah and Nur got the gist of what we wanted our trip to be. They got us in hotels that were located centrally to historic tours. Tours and excursions that were significant, enriching and enjoyable. We had drivers that were on time/reliable. We got from location to location with ease. I would never have been able to plan this myself. I would not have known enough to ask for what we needed. This was above and beyond what I expected. Well done!
Kelly Mattingly
3 days ago
This is at least the fifth trip we have booked with AdventureLife. Jess has always had excellent ideas.
Thomas Brayshaw
4 days ago
Prompt, professional and friendly service!
Jimmie
5 days ago
Easiest trip to plan ever. We received quick answers and Mary was very knowledgeable about different areas of the world that we had questions about.
We have book 2 trips, FABULOUS trip to Antartica which we have already taken and just booked for a future trip to Africa.