Join us for an intimate and relaxing cruise through beautiful Southern Burgundy, France. You will enjoy visits to local wine cellars, a tasting lunch, lessons on wine making and how to read a French wine label. Your personalized tour can also include visits to some of the more fascinating cultural sights of this enchanting region.

Cruise Route: Canal du Centre and River Saone

Highlights: visits to Vosne Romanee, Clos Vougeot, Chateau de Meursault, Beaune - Marché aux vins, Puligny-Montrachet tasting lunch, Chalon, Tournus, drives through wine regions of Burgundy, Macon and chateau Fuisse

Sunday: After a late-afternoon rendez-vous in  Le Creusot, you will be transferred to your inviting barge home away from home moored in St. Leger sur Dheune. You will be welcomed aboard with a champagne toast, followed by the first of many gourmet meals.

Monday: Our morning cruise is to Dennevy, a quiet little village bordering the canal. After an early lunch, you will have your first introduction to the Burgundy wine area during a drive through the Côte de Beaune to 'Côte de Nuits with of course a stop in Vosne Romanee to walk around the world-famous Romanee-Conti vineyard. We wil also see and visit the Clos Vougeot and have our first wine tasting here. Return to the barge for your dinner.

Tuesday: This morning we start with a leisurely cruise through the vineyard region of Santenay to Remigny. After lunch, today's excursion to Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy will be a high point. The 15th century Hospice (hospital) is one of the most fascinating sites in Burgundy. Then it is wine tasting at the famous Marché aux Vins, whose experts will ship your purchases back home. Drive back through the Côte de Beaune whose vineyards are the source of the wine you just tasted! Dinner is on board.

Wednesday: Our morning excursion is to the medieval Château, La Rochepot - entered through a drawbridge! We will have lunch at la table de Olivier Leflaive for a tasting lunch. Your choice of tasting wines might include Pommard, Meursault, Volnay, and Saint Aubin and you will enjoy the services of a well-known cellar man/sommelier. Our afternoon cruise continues on the Canal du Centre to Fontaines. Now is a good time to take a walk on the towpath or explore the countryside by bicycle. Dinner will be served on the barge.

Thursday: This morning's cruise floats through several locks (one over 50 feet high!) as we leave the Canal and start cruising down the River Saone to Chalon. The beginning of the afternoon is free for browsing in the picturesque shopping area or for relaxing in a café on the town square. Later the afternoon a visit and wine tasting of some of 'les grands vins' in the Chateau of Meursault. The chateau has been tastefully restored and today is one of the biggest and most beautiful estates in Burgundy. Return to the barge for dinner.

Friday: Relax on deck this morning while we cruise to Tournus. We'll moor at the lovely tree-lined waterfront. After lunch there will be time to visit its famous romanesque abbey church of St. Philibert and quaint shops. Later this afternoon we go to the chateau Fuisse, for a visit and a tasting of the Pouilly Fuissé wines. Careful selection sets this wine apart from other Macon wines. Tonight we will share a festive, farewell dinner to end your cruise in style.

Saturday: After breakfast, we will return you to Le Creusot. High speed trains to the Paris/Gare de Lyon depart from this station. We will await your return visit!

Our sightseeing schedule is flexible and can be customized to reflect your interests. Occasionally an itinerary will be changed due to canal closures or inclement weather. The Captain will substitute an equally interesting route. Change in itinerary will not be accepted as a cause for cancelling your cruise.