7 to 14-night half or full board cruise and discovery of the historical Paris to Bruges route

Cruise 1:

• From Bruges to Peronne (Mid April to Beginning of May)
• From Peronne to Bruges (from the end of September to beginning of October)

 

Day 1 or 7: Bruges and welcome aboard our barge  

 

• Visit the historic city center of Brugge, UNESCO world heritage.

 

Day 2 or 6: Deinze, and cruising along the beautiful canal to Aalter

 

• Your guide awaits you for a trip to Ghent.
• Visit the Saint Bavo Cathedral with the Mystic Lamb of Van Eyck and other historic sites.
• Return to the ship in Deinze via picturesque Sint-Martens-Lathem on the meandering Lys.

Day 3 or 5: Menen and its surroundings

 

• On the river Lys we pass trough Kortrijk and moor in the border city of Menen for the night.
• Day excursion to Flanders Fields. Visit of Passendale, Tyne Cot Cemetary and Ypres with the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate.

Day 4: Visit Lille and soft cruise

 

• We enter France into the Lille Metropole area. 
• Sail with us on the rivers Lys and Deule and moor in the city center. The historic city of Lille is nowadays bustling with life and modern art.
• Morning excursion to Armentières and Fromelles (on request).

Day 5 or 3: Visit Douai and beautiful surroundings

 

• The river Deule brings us to the old university city of Douai with it’s famous belfry tower and carillon.
• Depending on your interests, we visit the WWI memorials of Vimy, or the city of Arras with the Wellington Quarry, Memorial of the Battle of Arras.
• Or why not visit the new Louvre museum in Lens? There are plenty of activities to be organized to fit your envies.

Day 6 or 2: Cruise and visit Ruyaulcourt

 

• Today, our barge cruises on the Canal du Nord to the tunnel entrance of Ruyaulcourt. Meanwhile, you visit the city of Cambrai and the Cistercian abbey of Vaucelles founded in 1132.
• Optional visit to the Matisse museum at Le Cateau Cambresis before returning to the ship for a hearty dinner in our quiet mooring place.

Day 7 or 1: Cruise and visit the historic town of Péronne

 

• After we have gone through the tunnel of Ruyaulcourt, we reach our next port of Péronne.
• Visit the memorial of the Great War, explore the beautiful meandering Somme river on the afternoon excursion to Pozières, Thiepval, Villers-Bretonneux, and Amiens for evening dinner.

 

 Cruise 2:

• From Peronne to Paris (Mid April to Beginning of May)
• From Paris to Peronne (from the end of September to beginning of October)

 

Day 1 or 7: Cruise and visit Péronne

• After we have gone through the tunnel of Ruyaulcourt, we reach our next port of Péronne.
• Visit the memorial of the Great War, explore the beautiful meandering Somme river on the afternoon excursion to Pozières, Thiepval, Villers-Bretonneux, and Amiens for evening dinner.

Day 2 or 6: Cruise and visit Noyon

 

• After a short morning cruise, the afternoon excursion brings you to the hilltop city of Laon and Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique before rejoining the ship in Noyon.
• Explore this circular town of Gallo-Roman ramparts and Medieval walls where Charlemagne was crowned, Hugo Capet was consecrated, where Louis XVI married Marie-Antoinette and where Calvin was born.

Day 3 or 5: Cruise and visit Compiègne and its castle

 

• This beautiful flowered city has a rich history. Here Joan of Arc was captured by the Bourguignons on May 23, the year 1430.
• The 1918 Armistice was signed in the woods nearby ending the first World War.
• The Palais of Compiègne is the 3rd most important royal and imperial residence in France after Versailles and Fontainebleau.

 

Day 4: Crusie and visit St-Leu d’Esserent

 

• From Compiegne passing trough Pont-Sainte-Maxence and Creil, your floating hotel brings you to the very quiet mooring place in St-Leu d’Esserent with its beautiful abbey and church.
• Guided excursion to nearby Chateau Chantilly with an equestrian demonstration.

Day 5 or 3: Cruise and visit the religious sites of Pontoise

 

• We sail to l’Isle-Adam where we start an excursion to the impressionist village of Auvers-sur-Oise where Vincent Van Gogh painted his last 70 works. At the local castle, we can experience the time of the impressionists.
• At our Pontoise mooring, you can look up at the old ramparts and the museum of the impressionist painter Pissarro. The North and South wings of the cathedral of St Maclou have been restored in 2014 and 2015 to their former beauty.

Day 6 or 2: Cruise and discover Bougival where Monte Cristo might have come

 

• Today your hotel barge cruises on the meandering river Oise from Pontoise to Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. Here we come on the river Seine which we sail upwards to Bougival on the outskirts of Paris.
• Visit the Castle of Monte Cristo, built by the famous French writer Alexandre Dumas.

Day 7 or 1: Entering Paris on the Seine river and first visits

 

• We pass the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame and the Canal St.-Martin to arrive at our mooring at the .
• Either we will drive you to the departure of your next adventure, or we will visit the city during the afternoon and show you around.