Pricing
Departures: Apr-Oct 2010.
Prices (per week-long charter):
From $25,000 for a barge that sleeps four
From $34,400 for a barge that sleeps six
From $39,200 for a barge that sleeps eight
From $66,000 for a barge that sleeps 12
From $4,900 per person per individual cabin
Prices do not include air or
the
TGV train. TGV train per person (estimate): $300
2010 SPECIAL PRICING: Book a barge journey with
R. Crusoe by 30 September 2010 for travel in 2010 or 2011, and enjoy $250 per person off the regular cost. This offer is not combinable with any other offer. Offer applies to new bookings only.
2010 SPECIAL PRICING: Charter the Amaryllis or the Alouette by 30 September 2010 for travel through 2010, and get one complimentary night at Le Meurice hotel in Paris. Based on double occupancy. This offer is not combinable with other offers. Applies to new bookings only. Subject to availability.
2010 SPECIAL PRICING:Book a cabin on the Fleur de Lys, the Hirondelle, or the Napoleon by
30 September 2010 for travel through 2010, and your companion pays half price. Based on double occupancy. This
offer is not combinable with other offers. Applies to new bookings
only. Subject to availability.
For more information, to book, or to speak to an R. Crusoe
& Son tour specialist, please call us at 800-585-8555.
Local Flavor
Barges. Once they were the workhorses of Europe’s developing nations. Back then they carried everything from potatoes to lumber.
Today these boats have been reborn as slender, elegant masters of the French canal for a lucky few who wish to uncover the secrets of the countryside, village by village, in grand style.
Gently Barging Through France. 8 Days.
Forty-eight hundred miles of canals wind through France. Cruising along them are barges, which (despite that slightly clunky word) are frankly luxurious... exclusive floating country inns, really, catering to quite small groups.
The French have anticipated your need to get away from it all on the European excursion of a lifetime. The perfect package, in a sense.
Awaken each day in your lovely room with private bath. Drink in the morning air, then coffee (served by one of your discreet bilingual crewmembers).
Fresh-cut flowers. Well-stocked libraries (and wine cellars). Sun decks, perhaps a grand piano, maybe a swimming pool. Almost heartbreakingly good meals created by your personal onboard chef who peruses the local markets each day along the way.
There are several ways to go: charter one of the five barges hand-selected by R. Crusoe for your own bespoke group of four, six, eight, or 12 (depending on the boat). Or join a scheduled cruise if you (and yours) don’t need a whole barge to yourselves.
In 2010, the Fleur de Lys (6 passengers) and the Hirondelle (8) wind through the Cote d'Or, Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The Amaryllis (8) highlights Burgundy, then follows the Loire and Rhône rivers. The Alouette (4) explores the waterways of the sunny Midi and glorious Provence. Finally, the Napoléon (12) travels the Rhône and Saône rivers into Provence.
Traveling with a slightly larger group? If so, consider chartering the Amaryllis and the Fleur de Lys in tandem or the Hirondelle and Alouette in tandem. The barges can cruise in pairs, allowing passengers to enjoy the amenities of both boats.
Unless you barge on the Alouette, you begin your adventure in Paris; passengers on the Alouette take off from Béziers or Carcassonne, depending on the specific departure date you choose.
More? If you're never been to Normandy, you shouldn't miss it. Call us for more information.
To request a detailed itinerary for this journey (and others), click here.