Creating An Idyllic Vacation | Barge Travel in France on the “Renaissance”

A Personalized Experience

Creating an idyllic vacation through barge travel in France is a very personalized experience.  By choosing to float languidly down a variety of canals throughout the country, you will be able to learn in-depth about the local culture with a strong focus on tasting the area’s best wines and special cheeses.  Our experience on the Briare Canal in the Upper Loire Valley far exceeded our expectations.

Life on the “Renaissance” Barge ………..  A Look at Creating An Idyllic Vacation

Most barges accommodate between 8 to 12 passengers.  Our barge, the “Renaissance,” operated by European Waterways, catered to just 8 guests in 4 cabins.

Although the cabin sizes vary on the different barges, the “Renaissance” may have the largest cabins at 260 square feet with queen beds, along with a good sized bathroom.  The four cabins are comparable to comfortably sized hotel rooms.

Because they are located on the downstairs level of the barge, there are only portholes, which allow you to look out and see the ducks swimming by almost at eye level.  Balconies are not possible as the canals are shallow, and the boat must be raised and lowered to pass through a number of very narrow locks.

Gourmet Cuisine ………. Essential for Creating An Idyllic Vacation

The main level of the “Renaissance” has a dining room with a round table for eight, the inside lounge, and then both covered and uncovered seating areas on the deck outside.  Most days were nice enough for lunch outside on the covered deck.  Dinner and breakfast were always inside in the dining room.

Breakfast was a buffet of luscious fresh fruit from the local markets, fresh rolls and croissants daily from local bakeries, eggs to order or anything else you would like your personalized chef to prepare for you.  Lunch might feature quiche, a selection of 3 different cheeses daily, and the best local wines.  A presentation on the background of all the cheeses and wines was given daily at both lunch and dinner by our excellent servers.

Our chef consulted with us on the next day’s lunch and dinner menus to find out what we would most enjoy before going to the local market the following day.  All of the meals were superb with wonderful selections and exquisite presentations designed for creating an idyllic vacation.

To compensate for all of the wonderful dining opportunities, we had a chance to walk along the  tow paths or ride bicycles during the part of the day our barge was lazily making its way along the canal.

Local Sightseeing ………..  Creating An Idyllic Vacation Full of Special Memories

When we were anchored, our captain/guide would take us to interesting tourist sites in the area.  We visited 4 castles, a china factory for royal families, a winery, and a local market.  It was nice to be able to sightsee during the least crowded time of the day, so we never had to wait in line.

Our crew was amazing.  The captain/guide/deck hand was a young, bilingual Frenchman, our captain/guide/driver was a young, bilingual French woman, our young chef was from England, as were the two delightful young English women who served the meals, cleaned the cabins, and provided a high level of hospitality at all times.

On our one dinner off the barge, we were taken to a Michelin 1* restaurant in the countryside about an hour outside of Paris for excellent dining.  However, we all agreed afterwards that our chef, Daniel, was equally talented.

Will the Other Passengers Be Nice?

Probably one of the most common concerns when you are considering a barge trip is whether you will like the other people onboard.  After all, with only 8 people on a small boat sharing all of the meals family style, it could be awkward if people did not get along.  It is admittedly a leap of faith to meet your fellow guests and crew for the first time and know that you will be spending a lot of time together for the next 6 days.

Apparently, this is very rarely a problem.  Our experience was resoundingly positive.  We shared our voyage with six extremely interesting and congenial people with different backgrounds, who all happen to now be living in different parts of California.  The daily fun and conversation made our trip truly memorable and contributed immensely to creating an idyllic vacation.

After barging on one French canal, I am ready to travel on all of the others.  It would be hard to imagine a more relaxing way to spend 6 days.  If you are interested in creating an idyllic vacation for yourself, please schedule your free 20 minute phone consultation with our luxury travel consultants.