Showing posts with label Barging Burgundy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barging Burgundy. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Château de Bazoches - Canal du Nivernais, France

Visit the Château de Bazoches
 
The Château de Bazoches at first glance would not necessarily get a military buff's pulse racing... but read on! This grand Burgundian château dates back to the 12th century, when it was first built on the site of an old Roman outpost looking over the Morvan hills.
 
Château de Bazoches
 
Largely preserved from the 17th century, its elegant interiors reflect the tastes of King Louis XIV's refined courtiers. However, its most famous owner was far from an aestheticist.
 

The Seat of Vauban

This owner was Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, a Marshal of France in the late 17th century. Vauban was an unparalleled military engineer and strategist of his time. He was a pioneer in the mortar's development, the bayonet rifle and the iron-barreled cannon. Following his success in the siege of Maastricht in 1675, King Louis XIV awarded him a considerable amount of money, with which he purchased the château and its estates near his childhood home, St-Léger-Vauban.
 
 
A Genius at Work

The gallery of the Château de Bazoches became the nerve center of Vauban's military plans. It was here that he planned his strategies and fortification designs, using intricate models featuring bastions, moats, and ravelins. Vauban knew the revolutionary changes to weaponry made the traditional, feudal fortifications of many French cities and castles vulnerable to attack. There are about 300 French cities that owe their design to Vauban, including Bayonne, Lille, and Dunkirk. His methods of siege craft and fortification were revered and emulated for almost 100 years.

When he wasn't plotting military strategies, Vauban liked to write his "Idlenesses"; books on subjects as diverse as agriculture, science, and currencies. It was at Bazoches that he penned his famous "Royal Tithe", a protest against the privileges of the upper classes and the unfairness of the taxation system. He published the book without royal permission, resulting in his subsequent fall from grace in the last few weeks of his remarkable life.
 

Visit the Château de Bazoches

A tour to the Château de Bazoches will fascinate military enthusiasts. Walk through the grand gallery where Vauban made plans that were put into effect all over France. Also visit the library of this beautiful stately home, containing over 5,000 books.

An excursion to explore the château and its spectacular views is a fitting end, or beginning, to the Classic Cruise aboard French Hotel Barge L'Art de Vivre. Whether it is your first taste of Burgundy or a repeat visit to this beautiful region, we're sure that a trip to Bazoches will not disappoint.

 
 
French Hotel Barges Cruising the Canal du Nivernais
 

 

Northern Burgundy: Canal du Nivernais
Up to 8 guests
Charters and Cabin cruises
Themed Cruises:
Bike, Family, Golf, Tennis, Walking, Wine
Ready to Explore Burgundy?
 
 
Inquire




Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book L'ART DE VIVRE
View L'Art de Vivre's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com
  #BargingInFrance #BurgundyBargeCruises #L'ArtDeVivre #BargeCharters #CanalDuNivernais


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Monday, April 11, 2022

Visit Burgundy’s Oldest Winemakers with French Hotel Barge Finesse

Visit Burgundy’s Oldest Winemakers
 
Maison Champy Wine Tasting Experience
 

French Hotel Barge Finesse - Burgundy Barge Cruises

Does it get any more indulgent than sampling exceptional wines at the vineyards of Burgundy’s oldest wine company? Since its founding in 1720, Maison Champy has been producing award-winning wines, and it’s the newest stop on Finesse’s itinerary.


What is so special about Maison Champy?

Maison Champy owns around twenty-one hectares of vines, with most on the Côte de Beaune. This region of France is famous for producing some of the world’s most expensive white wines and for fermenting a tiny proportion of Burgundy’s best reds.

Maison Champy makes both white and red wines, of which the most prestigious is Grand Cru. Another speciality of this experienced wine-maker is Pernand-Vergelesses premier crus, known for its intense ruby color. Planted in 1158 by the monks of the Abbey of Maizières, Le Clos de Bully in this region is one of the oldest in Burgundy. Harvesting is organic to preserve and highlight the true character of the unique terrain where the grapes are grown.


History of Maison Champy

The Champy family established themselves in the early eighteenth century and the French Revolution aided their ambitions to buy more land in Beaune. In 1779, the civil war enabled Maison Champy to expand its influence in the region and the family acquired additional land to plant more vineyards.

Maison Champy prospered again in the nineteenth century after supporting the scientific discoveries of Louis Pasteur. The forward-thinking attitude of Maison Champy meant that their wine cellars were the origin of the invention of pasteurization in the 1860s. Although the pasteurization process is now associated with the dairy industry, wine was responsible for its invention.

However, Maison Champy didn’t limit itself to just winemaking and science. At the turn of the nineteenth century, the company invested in engineering after being inspired by the unveiling of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In 1890, a winery, fermentation cellar, and wine cellar were all built in the innovative ‘Eiffel’ style.
 

Within a decade, Maison Champy was exhibiting its wines at fairs and international exhibitions, gaining a formidable reputation as one of the best winemakers in Burgundy. Maison Champy was recognized with gold medals for two successive years in 1889 and 1900 at the Universal Exhibitions in Paris.

Today, Maison Champy is still a major player in the Côte de Beaune, exporting its prestigious wines all over the world.

 
New addition to Finesse's itinerary
 
 
The new Maison Champy wine-tasting experience, lunch and vineyard tour can be enjoyed on the Finesse classic cruise itinerary, as well as their golf and wine themed cruises. Families can also choose to visit the vineyard, where younger guests are offered a juice tasting.

The visit to Maison Champy starts after breakfast on the Wednesday of every cruise. After a drive through the UNESCO-listed Côte de Beaune vineyards, guests arrive in the capital of Burgundy’s wine country, the town of Beaune. When guests arrive at Maison Champey, Finesse’s captain will escort them through the vineyards, telling them about the surrounding landscape and the vineyard itself. On arrival at the wine house, a wine expert will take over to give a private tour of the wine cellars and a wine tasting experience. Guests will learn about the production of the region’s finest Premier and Grand Cru wines, trying two Premier Crus and three Grand Crus – one of which is from one of their best plots.

A private lunch will follow at CUVE 17. This unmissable and unique dining venue has been created from one of the winery’s historic wooden wine vats, known as “cuves”. An exceptional four-course seasonal lunch (including cheese) is served with wine pairings of Premier and Grand Crus. Guests will choose in advance from a range of dishes on a set menu which changes throughout the year.

Following the Maison Champy experience, guests visit the stunning 15th century Hôtel-Dieu Hospice and return to the barge for an afternoon cruise past the charming little town of Chagny.
 
 
Inquire

If you would like more information about a barge cruise aboard Finesse, visit our online brochure. Feel free to send an email... we are here to help :)


About The French Hotel Barge Finesse

 
 
Finesse is a double-decker hotel barge that has been built to exacting standards with luxury in mind, enhanced by her modern public areas and very spacious cabin suite accommodation. 

Finesse is the perfect vessel on which to cruise the meandering waterways of Southern Burgundy past vineyards and charming canalside villages, and to discover fascinating places along the way such as Autun, Beaune and Dijon.
 
Cruise Details:

Cruise Highlights:
  • Visit Clos de Vougeot, home of the Chevaliers du Tastevin
  • Tour and private wine tasting at Maison Champy, the oldest winemakers in Burgundy
  • Visit to Beaune, including Hôtel-Dieu Hospice
  • Visit to the ancient roman city of Autun
  • Lunch with wine pairings, served in a unique dining venue, created from a historic wooden wine vat
  • Excellent opportunities for walking and biking
  • "Biking Plus" option available

Learn More: 


Ready To Go Barging With Finesse?
 
Inquire
 


Contact Paradise Connections to book FINESSE
View Finesse's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com
  #barginginfrance #burgundycruises #bargefinesse #bargecharters
 
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Tuesday, April 05, 2022

The Canal de Briare - Part 3

 
 Part 3: Places of Interest

on the Briare Canal

The picturesque Canal de Briare, one of the oldest canals in France, connects the valleys of the Seine and the Loire. The Canal de Briare begins just north of Montargis at Buges. The section of the canal between Montargis and Rogny follows the valley of the River Loing. Many of the villages and hamlets date earlier than the origin of the canal. 
 
 
The Château de Saint-Fargeau is a 17th-century, Renaissance château, originally built as a hunting residence in the 10th century. Destroyed in the 15th century, a castle replaced it. This castle was itself destroyed by fire but promptly rebuilt in the 17th century, with additions and major improvements made in the 19th and 20th centuries.
 
The Château de Saint-Fargeau has a distinctive design. From above, the château’s curtained walls and towers form an irregular pentagon, the corners of which are formed by six towers of pink brick. Lanterns top five of the towers. Designated as a historic monument in 1945, the château has been open to the public ever since. The château has organized a sound and light show each year to raise funds for additional restorations. The spectacle lasts two hours and spans ten centuries of history, from the end of the 10th century through the Liberation in 1944 by the American army. This production has taken place for more than 35 years and involves over 700 actors and 50 horse riders from the surrounding community.
 
 
The Château of Sully-sur-Loire was first built as a defensive fort to protect one of the few places to ford the Loire. Today it is one of the most impressive and picturesque châteaux in the region. 

 
With its origins in the 11th century, the Château de Ratilly was built on existing foundations in the 13th century. Today, Ratilly is a creative Center for the Arts and a pottery workshop, continuing a local tradition which has existed since the Roman occupation of France. The château transformed into a fine residence during the Renaissance when many of its defenses were no longer needed. Arrow slits changed into large windows and some towers were modified for other purposes. Visit the magnificent Château de Ratilly on your cruise with the barge Renaissance on the Canal de Briare.


What may seem like a rather small and uninteresting little church is, in fact, one of the most important in Burgundy. The church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the village of Moutiers-en-Puisaye started life as a priory, built by monks in the 10th century in the Romanesque style. An 8th century hospice on the site took care of pilgrims, especially those from Brittany and England, who were traveling to Rome to visit the tomb of Saint Peter. The derivation of Moutiers is from the French word for monk, moine.
 
During the Hundred Years War, a band of marauding Bretons traveling south destroyed the priory and the hospice but left the church standing. In the 19th century, it was one of many studied by the French architect Eugène Viollet-Le-Duc and, in 1862, became classified as a historic monument. What Viollet-le-Duc didn’t know, however, was that under the whitewashed plaster walls, the church was hiding an incredible secret.
 
In the spring of 1982, after an especially dry warm spell, cracks appeared in the plaster and parts crumbled and fell off, revealing color and images. Over 10 years, an expert restorer of medieval iconography, Isao Takahashi, worked, in part, in the restoration of the 12th century murals and frescoes.
 
The 200m² of painted murals are some of the most important in Burgundy today. They describe in great detail scenes from the Bible, including Genesis, the Great Flood, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, as well as the life of Christ from the Nativity, the Baptism in the river Jordan, and His subsequent crucifixion.
 
 
La Bussière takes its name from the wood it once grew, with Buxeria being Latin for a plantation of trees. The village lies on the edge of the old Roman road, the Via Agrippa. Several Roman artefacts were found in its locale. The château was built in the 12th century by the local Lord, Stephen de Feins. Well situated on the road running from the Loire Valley and Paris, the village soon became a postal stop and a commercial hub, with much of its income going to the estate of the château.
 
During the French Wars of Religion of the 16th century, La Bussière was a Catholic stronghold, whereas the neighboring town of Gien was largely Protestant. In 1567, a group of Huguenots attacked the village and killed 17 Catholic priests, damaging the château in the process. Rebuilt in the 17th century, the château was enclosed by the pond and gardens, designed by Louis XIV’s chief gardener André Le Nôtre. After the French Revolution, the castle changed hands several times until eventually sold to the current owners, who have lived on and maintained the property for over 200 years.
 

 Lavishly decorated by the finest craftsmen and architects in Europe, the Château de Fontainebleau was truly the greatest residence of the Kings of France. Francis I brought the Italianate style, known as the Renaissance, to France while overseeing the construction of the palace, whereas Henri IV created magnificent gardens in and around the forest which surround it. Every monarch from Louis VII to Napoleon III has put their mark on the palace and today it radiates with the Kings’ ideals of wealth, luxury and elegance.
 

 Moret-sur-Loing is a fortified town on the banks of the River Loing. Once part of the Royal Domaine, it found its fame while the Impressionist painter Alfred Sisley lived within its ancient walls in the 19th century. Sisley painted many rural and industrial scenes around Moret-sur-Loing and today is recognized as one of the most important English Impressionist artists.
 

Once the capital of the Province of Berry, the city of Bourges has an intriguing architectural history. While the Cathedral, considered as one of the earliest examples of the high Gothic style in the 13th century, the palace built for Jacques Coeur, is still one of the finest examples of medieval architecture in France. The city has remained well preserved, with many half-timbered buildings and fine townhouses. 


Orléans on the River Loire, is most famous for being the home of Joan of Arc and as the site of the Siege of Orléans which began the end of the Hundred Years’ War. Today it is a shining example of French medieval architecture and the 13th century cathedral is one of the most beautiful in France.
 

Perched high on a hill overlooking its famous, eponymous, wine-growing region, Sancerre was first founded by the Romans. Its name is thought to come from the phrase “San Caesar”, meaning Caesar’s Temple. During the Religious Wars of the 16th century, Sancerre was a Protestant stronghold and fought off many Catholic attempts to besiege it. During the French Revolution, the town was a Royalist stronghold. Sancerre was the local command center for the French Resistance throughout the Second World War and, although the Germans occupied the area, the resistance still continued their work.
 

Built in the 19th century by Compte Lafond in a variety of architectural styles, including Renaissance, Bavarian and Gothic, the Château du Nozet is one of the most romantic châteaux of the Loire. It has been the seat of the Ladoucette family for over 200 years and over 160 hectares of some of the most prestigious vineyards in the Loire surround it.
 
 
Situated on the ancient pilgrimage route to Saint James of Compostella in western Spain, La Charité-sur-Loire is a beautifully preserved medieval town and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 

About The French Hotel Barge Renaissance




Renaissance has been designed to carry her guests in ultimate luxury along the Canal de Briare, France’s oldest canal and steeped in history on a cruise route that features elegant chateaux, small countryside villages, and the famed wine-growing region of Sancerre.


Cruise Details:


Cruise Highlights:
  • Visit the “time capsule” studio home of 19th century artist Rosa Bonheur and a private lunch in her salon
  • Private “behind-the-scenes” tour of the magnificent Château de Fontainebleau
  • 7-lock flight at Rogny-Les-Sept-Ecluses, a national historic monument
  • Cruise across the aqueduct at Briare, built by Gustave Eiffel over the River Loire
  • Private wine tasting at the renowned Sancerre winery of Henri Bourgeois
  • Excellent opportunities for walking and biking
  • "Biking Plus" option available

Learn More: 


Ready to Explore the Canal de Briare?





Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book RENAISSANCE
View Renaissance's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com
  #barginginfrance #loire-burgundycruises #bargerenaissance #bargecharters

 
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Monday, April 04, 2022

The Canal de Briare - Part 2

 Part 2: Towns & Villages

Along the Briare Canal

The picturesque Canal de Briare, one of the oldest canals in France, connects the valleys of the Seine and the Loire. The Canal de Briare begins just north of Montargis at Buges. The section of the canal between Montargis and Rogny follows the valley of the River Loing. Many of the villages and hamlets date earlier than the origin of the canal.
 
 
Montargis is one of the “villes fleuries”, a designation awarded to towns and villages with fabulous floral displays. Also known as the “Little Venice of France”, many small canals dissect this lively and attractive town. The Canal de Briare wends its way right through the center of Montargis, with its banks behind the 17th century houses. The town’s museums provide a wealth of information on local arts and traditions. During the reign of Louis XIII, a local chef invented a confection made from roasted almonds covered with sugar, which became known as pralines.

The origins of Montcresson are uncertain, though two relics of an ancient settlement, a pierced stone and a tumulus (a burial mound), were found in the vicinity. Within the town itself, there are several 13th century buildings, including the church, castle, and a former convent.
 
During the construction of the canal in Montbouy, engineers uncovered the remains of a 2nd century Gallo-Roman bathhouse and an amphitheater which had a capacity of 4000. The 11th century church has seen many alterations since its construction, the last being in the 17th century. The church was added to the list of Historic Monuments in 1967. Originally, there were two locks separated by a little lake, which were replaced by one lock in 1892. Today, we can still see one of the old locks without its gates.
 
Châtillon-Coligny, once known as the town of Châtillon, entered the ownership of the Coligny family in 1437. Because the four Coligny sons were Protestant, the town suffered during the Wars of Religion, which began with overt hostilities in 1562 and lasted until the Edict of Nantes in 1598. Admiral de Coligny, the chief of the Huguenots, was murdered in Paris as part of targeted assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence directed against Protestants by order of the Queen, Catherine de’ Medici, during the Religious Wars, in what was later called the St-Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. “Une foi, une loi, un Roi” (one faith, one law, one King) left little room for religious tolerance.
 
Musée de Châtillon-Coligny
 
Châtillon-Coligny retains some of the medieval town atmosphere, including the original wash houses where inhabitants scrubbed their washing in the river. A superb 12th century château, built by the Count of Sancerre, was destroyed in 1799 during the French Revolution. All that remains are three monumental terraces, the orangerie, and an impressive sixteen-sided dungeon. 

In modern history, the settlement received some fame in 1903 when Henri Becquerel won the Nobel Prize for Physics for the discovery of natural radioactivity.
 
Rogny-les-Sept-Écluses is at the bief de partage, or watershed, of the Canal de Briare. Here the canal leaves the valley of the Loing, climbs towards its highest point, crosses a small marshy plain, and begins the descent to the Loire. Fifteen reservoirs were dug near Rogny to provide water for this section.
 
In order to extend the Canal de Briare out of the Loing Valley, it was necessary to build a linked series of locks. In 1642, the famous seven lock staircase opened and worked without interruption for two centuries. On average, the locks passed around 4,000 boats and 200,000 tons of cargo per year.
 
 
In 1880, they replaced the seven locks with the current six Freycinet gauge locks. Separated about 500 meters from each other, the new locks bypass the hill. They abandoned the old locks in 1887, as they were too small and consumed too much water. The seven locks became a historic monument in 1983. Rogny changed its name to Rogny-les-Sept-Écluses in 1978 to honor its famous monument.

Briare is one of the largest towns in the Loiret and is the town from which the Canal de Briare takes its name. The town was founded in the 17th century, relatively modern by French standards, with the building of the canal. Opposite the commercial port, a series of buildings and chimneys are all that remain of the tile and button factory that once occupied the site. The Émaux de Briare, founded in 1837 by the 19th century French business magnate Jean-Félix Bapterosses, exhibited its wares at the 1851Great Exhibition in London. Still in operation, though not from Briare, the company sells its mosaics around the world for large and small projects alike.
 
Jean-Félix Bapterosses built a château to the north of Briare. Today it serves as an exhibition center and an artists’ residence. In the center of the town is the interesting 19th century Romanesque-Byzantine church dedicated to Saint Stephen. This church is particularly remarkable due to its beautiful decorations both inside and outside the building, which were provided by the Émaux de Briare. It was added to the list of historic monuments in 1987.
 
Probably the most famous monument in Briare is the aqueduct, built to allow commercial boat traffic to cross the River Loire in the 1890s. Until that point, barges had to traverse the Loire River itself. This was always an issue. In the summer months, the river was too low, and during the winter, there was too much water. The Loire is one of the last “wild” rivers left in Europe, and there is almost no commercial traffic using the river. It is very hard to chart the Loire as sandbanks are constantly shifting with the current and change position every year. The only boats that frequently navigate the river are the traditional, flat-bottomed boats called gabards.
 

The French engineer Léonce-Abel Mazoyer is credited with the design of the bridge, while the architect Gustave Eiffel oversaw the design of the masonry and abutments which the iron work sits on. The bridge is 600 metres long and holds 13,000 tonnes of water.

Besides being functional, the Pont Canal de Briare is recognized as one of the most spectacular works of art on the French waterways.
 
Châtillon-sur-Loire was first mentioned as a 10th century fortification. In the 16th century, Châtillon was a Huguenot stronghold during the French Wars of Religion and a Protestant “temple” in the center of the village was built in 1596. By the 17th century, it was the most important Protestant community outside Gien. To control the movement in the village, Louis XIV sent a group of Catholic priests to oversee religious teachings and to reduce the influence the group was having over neighboring communities. By 1684, Châtillon outlawed Protestantism, and the temple was destroyed on orders by the King. In the 19th century, they imprisoned the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson in Châtillon for several days for being homeless. It is said he fell in love with a local girl and refused to leave her until she married him. She wouldn’t and he eventually left for California, whereupon he found the girl of his dreams.
 

About The French Hotel Barge Renaissance




Renaissance has been designed to carry her guests in ultimate luxury along the Canal de Briare, France’s oldest canal and steeped in history on a cruise route that features elegant chateaux, small countryside villages, and the famed wine-growing region of Sancerre.


Cruise Details:


Cruise Highlights:
  • Visit the “time capsule” studio home of 19th century artist Rosa Bonheur and a private lunch in her salon
  • Private “behind-the-scenes” tour of the magnificent Château de Fontainebleau
  • 7-lock flight at Rogny-Les-Sept-Ecluses, a national historic monument
  • Cruise across the aqueduct at Briare, built by Gustave Eiffel over the River Loire
  • Private wine tasting at the renowned Sancerre winery of Henri Bourgeois
  • Excellent opportunities for walking and biking
  • "Biking Plus" option available

Learn More: 


Ready to Explore the Canal de Briare?





Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book RENAISSANCE
View Renaissance's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com
  #barginginfrance #loire-burgundycruises #bargerenaissance #bargecharters

 
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Sunday, April 03, 2022

The Canal de Briare - Part 1

Part 1: About the Canal de Briare
 
French Hotel Barge Renaissance traversing the aqueduct
 
The picturesque Canal de Briare, one of the oldest canals in France, connects the valleys of the Seine and the Loire. A popular route for both private and commercial cruising vessels, the canal is renowned as one of the loveliest places for a barge cruise, and being a highly impressive feat of engineering.
 
(click map to enlarge in a new window)

The Canal de Briare begins just north of Montargis at Buges. The section of the canal between Montargis and Rogny follows the valley of the River Loing. Many of the villages and hamlets date earlier than the origin of the canal.
 
 
History of the canal - An engineering triumph
 
The Canal de Briare, the first summit-level canal in Europe (35 miles & 35 locks), joins the Loire to the Seine via the Loing River. On the Seine side, 24 locks make up for a difference in height of 252 feet, and on the Loire side, 12 locks make up for a difference of 135 feet.
 
 
The Canal de Briare was first considered by Maximilien de Béthune, King Henry IV’s first minister and the Duke of Sully, as a way of getting produce from the Loire Valley and Gâtinais to Paris quickly and efficiently. In the 17th century, Paris was booming and its population was hungry. A canal linking the food bowl of France with the growing metropolis would cut the food shortages Paris was experiencing. It would also provide the local area with employment and the King with taxes.
 
Satisfied with the plans, Henry IV awarded the project to the engineer Hugues Cosnier in 1604. Work started on the building of the canal and 12,000 workers toiled to dig the canal by hand.
 
The Canal de Briare was the first canal to be constructed at summit level using pound locks, which feature a chamber with gates at either end to control the height of the water within. Before then, locks only had a single gate. A summit-level canal first rises and then falls along its course. The 57km Canal de Briare rises through 12 locks, then falls 85 meters with its 24 descending locks.
 
 
During construction, they created several artificial lakes to feed water into the locks. At the most precipitous location, Rogny, it was necessary to build a “staircase” of seven locks in order to navigate the fall of the canal. While it was an outstanding feat of engineering, the design caused huge hold-ups, as each vessel had to navigate all seven locks before the next could pass through. In the end, they abandoned the staircase of locks and re-routed the canal to bypass them. Later, they renamed the town Rogny-les-Sept-Ecluses in its honor.
 
The assassination of King Henry IV in 1610 halted construction for 10 years. Cosnier was invited to continue the ambitious project in 1620. Guillaume Boutheroue took charge in 1629 after Cosnier died. They completed the canal in 1648.
 
Unlike the Canal du Loing, which follows a river its entire length, the Canal de Briare is a watershed canal. The canal suffered from water shortages when it first opened, even though supplied by carefully designed reservoirs. In the late 19th century, they diverted the canal over the River Loire with the construction of the Briare Aqueduct.
 

About The French Hotel Barge Renaissance




Renaissance has been designed to carry her guests in ultimate luxury along the Canal de Briare, France’s oldest canal and steeped in history on a cruise route that features elegant chateaux, small countryside villages, and the famed wine-growing region of Sancerre.


Cruise Details:


Cruise Highlights:
  • Visit the “time capsule” studio home of 19th century artist Rosa Bonheur and a private lunch in her salon
  • Private “behind-the-scenes” tour of the magnificent Château de Fontainebleau
  • 7-lock flight at Rogny-Les-Sept-Ecluses, a national historic monument
  • Cruise across the aqueduct at Briare, built by Gustave Eiffel over the River Loire
  • Private wine tasting at the renowned Sancerre winery of Henri Bourgeois
  • Excellent opportunities for walking and biking
  • "Biking Plus" option available

Learn More: 


Ready to Explore the Canal de Briare?





Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book RENAISSANCE
View Renaissance's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com
  #barginginfrance #loire-burgundycruises #bargerenaissance #bargecharters


 
 
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