Day 1

Meeting Place for North Bound cruises is  Lyon at 1: 30 p.m (13:30) at  Hotel Chateau Perache located next to the Gare Lyon Perache train station.  

Meeting Place for South Bound Cruises is Dijon Train Station by the Quick Restaruant at 2:30 p.m.  (14:30)  

Passengers who have taken our Optional Paris Transfer meet in the lobby of the Hotel Regina 192 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris (telephone 01 42 60 31 10)  at 11.30 a.m.  (1130) and transfer to the meeting places by 1st Class High Speed train seating.

The  motor coach of Libellule is waiting at the meeting place to transfer to the LIbellule, moored in nearby.  You will be welcomed aboard with champagne, presentation of the crew and time to settle into your cabins before dinner on board this evening.

Day 2

This morning, after breakfast, you are be treated to a guided walking tour of France’s second city, including the famous traboules (narrow indoor alleys) in the medieval area.  We return to the barge in time for lunch and begin cruising upstream, passing the chic northern suburbs, this affords us views that are not seen when traveling by car.  We arrive in the delightful riverside town of Trevoux in the late afternoon, giving you time for a stroll before

Day 3

A morning cruise brings us to Macon and from here we can visit the famous vineyards of Beaujolais, set in the hills and an area of outstanding beauty.  The best wines are located in the northern part of the hills where limestone deposits cover the granite bedrock.  We return to LIbellule and cruise to the small town of Tournus, arriving in the evening.

Day 4

After breakfast, a visit to Cluny to see the remains of the Benedictine monastery, founded here by William of Aquitaine in 910.  At its height in the 13thC, Cluny was the head of an order of no fewer than 1111 monasteries and over 10,000 monks stretching from Northern England to Germany and Spain.  The abbey church here was the largest in Christendom prior to the construction of St Peter’s in Rome.  We cruise in the afternoon to Chalon sur Saone, known as the birthplace of photography and the second city of Burgundy with a population of 80,000.  Our mooring is in the center of the town, within easy walking distance of the cathedral and the medieval quarter.

Day 5

This morning, after an early breakfast, a visit to Beaune, center of the Burgundy wine trade.  Our first stop is a guided visit of the Hospice de Beaune, a famous charity hospital, founded by the chancellor to the Duke of Burgundy in 1443 and a masterpiece of late-medieval architecture.  Afterwards, free time to explore this delightful town.  This afternoon a cruise to Seurre, a sleepy town with interesting buildings everywhere, mostly built of brick.

Day 6

We visit Dijon, the capital of Burgundy  this morning.  A guided walking tour of the city is offered taking in the Ducal Palace and the Fine Arts Museum amongst other monuments.  Afterwards, lots of free time to explore and shop, don’t forget the Grey Poupon store in the main street.  In the afternoon, a cruise to our final destination of St Jean de Losne, a waterways crossroad.  Farewell dinner on board this evening.

Day 7

After breakfast, transfer to Dijon and for those who have taken our  transfer option, TGV high speed train to Paris.

On alternate weeks the itinerary is reversed.
Note: This is a sample itinerary: it is subject to modification in the case of unforeseen circumstances such as canal closures. The boat cruises in the opposite direction on alternate weeks. 

We are constantly developing our programmes and we may modify our overnight stops and excursions without prior notice in order to assure a consistently high standard of moorings and visits.