The Hotel Barging Experience

The Experience

Each hotel barge cruise is for 6 nights and includes:

• Comfortable accommodation in air-conditioned, en suite staterooms or suites

• Gourmet meals prepared by the on-board chef, fine wines and an open bar

• Daily escorted excursions in an air-conditioned minibus to places of interest and private wine tastings

• Local transfers e.g. to and from Paris

• Bicycles and, on most hotel barges, an on-deck spa pool

• Attentive service from an experienced crew – Captain, chef, tour-guide, and hosts/hostesses

What We Offer

There is so much to choose from:

• Cruises in 9 countries on a wide selection of hotel-barges that accommodate up to 20 passengers

• A wide selection of ‘themed’ cruises, for example – golf-tours, walking-tours, cycling-tours, wine appreciation and opera cruises

• Cruises for like-minded travellers on an individual cabin basis, or whole barge charters for families, friends & special interest groups

Relax and Unwind

Each day, as your hotel barge moves sedately from one peaceful mooring to the next, you can just wander along the towpath, or get on or off at one of the pretty locks. You may stumble across some local villagers playing a game of boules, or discover a vineyard, its vines laden with grapes.

The hotel barges all carry bicycles for towpath riding and other excursions ashore, and the little villages and farms we discover as we cruise by become part of the adventure. Alternatively, just absorb the ever-changing scenery from a comfortable lounger or deck-chair on the sun deck.

Then, after a day of cruising and sightseeing, your hotel barge moors up for the night and there is plenty of time for a cocktail before dinner, or perhaps to enjoy a relaxing soak in the spa pool.

In Burgundy, the Loire Valley and England, 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.

Hotel Barging Compared to Other Forms of Cruising

• Intimate ‘house party’ atmosphere with small passenger numbers and an unparalleled level of personal service

• Cruises are generally less than 70 miles in a week, at only 3mph

• Cruises are on smaller waterways and canals inaccessible to larger vessels

• Unique cruising experiences such as Eiffel’s Aqueduct at Briare, the Arzviller Boat Elevator and the Malpas Tunnel

• Gentle pace and immersion in the local culture and history

• Cruising just a few feet from the towpath, it’s easy to moor up and explore on foot or bicycle

• We usually cruise for only a few hours each day and never at night

• Excursions in small groups to “off the beaten track” places

• Whole barge charters possible for a group of friends or family