As seen on Rick Steves' Europe (PBS) and in The New York Times
The roomiest boat we sell: four 200 square foot suites, seven crew, a lift between decks
On Sunday you are met in Amsterdam and driven to Haarlem, where La Nouvelle Etoile is moored in the middle of town. Haarlem is a handsome, unhurried city, and St. Bavo’s Cathedral on the main square holds the Muller organ that both Mozart and Handel played. Champagne is poured on deck, and the barge slips down to Zaandam before your first dinner aboard.
La Nouvelle Etoile is an ultra deluxe barge for eight guests, looked after by a crew of seven. Her four suites run about 200 square feet each, with en-suite bathrooms that have double hand basins and oversized showers. The saloon is air conditioned, with a cocktail bar, a piano, and proper furniture. There is an exercise room, and there is a lift between decks, which almost no hotel barge has. Up top: a large sun deck with loungers, a spa pool, and bicycles for the towpath.
The week runs through the heart of the Netherlands: Zaanse Schans and its working windmills, an afternoon cruising straight through central Amsterdam, cheese and stained glass at Gouda, the Royal Delft pottery works, the Keukenhof gardens in bloom, and the flower auction at Aalsmeer. Take the whole barge for your group, or book by the cabin with a two-cabin minimum.
La Nouvelle Etoile was designed for comfort rather than converted into it, and the difference shows in the numbers. Four cabin suites of about 200 square feet each, en-suite bathrooms with double hand basins and oversized showers, an air-conditioned saloon with a cocktail bar and a piano, an exercise room, and a lift between decks. Eight guests at most, with a crew of seven looking after them. On deck there is a large sun area with comfortable loungers, a spa pool, and bicycles waiting for the towpath. If the thing that has kept you off a hotel barge is the size of the cabins, this is the boat that removes the objection.
These comments are from FCBC guests and are not attributed to a particular barge. Source: French Canal Boat Company.
The questions guests actually ask before their first barge trip. If yours is not here, call Kim at 888-229-2315.
This is the roomiest barge in the fleet. La Nouvelle Etoile has four cabin suites of about 200 square feet each, which is closer to a good hotel room than to a typical boat cabin. Each has its own en-suite bathroom with double hand basins and an oversized shower. You never share a bathroom with other guests, and housekeeping refreshes the suites daily. If cabin size has been the thing holding you back from barging, this is the boat that answers it.
A private charter is the whole barge for your group alone, up to eight guests; whole-boat charter rates for La Nouvelle Etoile are quoted on request. A cabin booking on this barge carries a two-cabin minimum: you buy at least two of the four suites, from $10,980 per person at 2027 season rates, or $21,960 per cabin, and share the barge with the other guests aboard. A single traveler can take a suite with a supplement of $5,490, still subject to the two-cabin minimum. Tell us how many are in your party and we will tell you which way works out better.
This is the question almost every first-time guest is too polite to ask. The honest answer: it feels like being looked after, not watched. La Nouvelle Etoile carries a crew of seven for a maximum of eight guests, which is close to one crew member per guest. They have their own quarters and their own rhythm, they read when you want to chat and when you want space, and by day two most guests stop thinking about it.
The rhythm on most days: a gentle cruise, a guided excursion to a place like Zaanse Schans, Gouda, Delft, or the Keukenhof gardens, lunch aboard, then a free stretch to walk or cycle the towpath, use the exercise room, sit in the spa pool, or do nothing at all. If you need a packed schedule to feel like you are on holiday, a barge can feel slow. If your idea of a good week is watching the Dutch countryside go by at walking pace with a drink in hand, boredom is not the problem. Leaving is.
Yes, and the operator says so plainly: this is a sample itinerary and it is subject to change. Dutch waterways are busy working waterways, so a lock closure, a bridge lift, or weather can shift the order of the week. When that happens the crew rebuild the days around the same towns, tastings, and meals by road. We would rather you hear this from us now than be surprised by it. Travel insurance is a sensible backstop for the things none of us control.
Most barge weeks give you one river or one canal. This one gives you a country. In six nights you cruise through the middle of Amsterdam, along the Amstel River, across the Brasemmer Lakes, and past the windmills of Zaanse Schans, with the Keukenhof gardens, the Royal Delft pottery works, the Ketel One distillery, and the Aalsmeer flower auction along the way. La Nouvelle Etoile is also the most spacious barge on our list: four suites of about 200 square feet, an air-conditioned saloon with a piano, an exercise room, and a lift between decks.
You are met in Amsterdam on Sunday and driven to the barge at her mooring in the centre of Haarlem; at the end of the week you are returned to Amsterdam on Saturday morning. Amsterdam Schiphol is one of the easiest airports in Europe to reach from North America, and the transfer in both directions is included. Private charters can arrange other pickup points; ask Kim when you book.
This is the gentlest travel day of any week we sell. You fly into Amsterdam, and the chauffeured transfer included in your fare takes you straight to the barge in Haarlem, about twenty minutes away. No trains, no connections, one suitcase, one meeting point. Kim sends exact meeting details well before departure, and she will help you plan Amsterdam nights on either side if you want them.
Yes, it is possible to drive and park at the boarding ports. Get in touch and we will give you the specifics for your departure point.
Your chef cooks lunch and dinner each day, and the wines are chosen to match each meal. The bar in the saloon stays stocked and open at any reasonable hour. The week also eats its way through the country: a cheese farm at Zaanse Schans, the cheese and stained glass of Gouda, and a stop at Ketel One, the oldest distillery in Holland still owned by the same family.
Yes. The Netherlands has some of the best mobile coverage in Europe and the route never strays far from a town, so email, photos, and a call with the grandkids are all straightforward.
Bicycles are carried aboard for the towpath, and Holland is the best cycling country in the world for it: flat, paved, and signposted. The sun deck has comfortable loungers and a spa pool. Inside there is an air-conditioned saloon with a cocktail bar and a piano, an exercise room, and a lift between decks. Excursions run by chauffeured vehicle with entry costs included.
Dutch waterways run through locks, lifting bridges, and the occasional busy commercial junction, and the crew handles all of it. Locks are easy places to step off and walk, and on many stretches you can stroll or cycle ahead and rejoin the barge further on. The most memorable stretch of this route is not a lock at all: it is the afternoon the barge cruises straight through the heart of Amsterdam.
Not in the slightest. The Netherlands is close to universally English-speaking, your crew speaks English, and every excursion is guided in English. A cheerful dank u wel at a market stall will still earn you a smile, but nobody needs it.
Yes. Tell us at the time of booking. With four guests at most and the chef herself taking the request, dietary requirements and preferences are handled personally rather than passed down a kitchen line.
No. Dinner is a gourmet event, but the dress code is relaxed: think smart casual, the way you would dress for a nice dinner at a friend\’s home. No jackets required, no gowns, no fuss. Comfortable shoes matter more than anything formal.
This is the question people whisper, and the answer is the best news on this page. Canals are not the ocean. The water is flat, sheltered, and often narrower than a country road. There are no waves, no swell, and no rocking at night because the barge always moors for the evening. If you have avoided cruising because of motion sickness, a canal barge is the boat that was built for you.
This is the most accommodating barge we sell on that question. Unusually for a hotel barge, La Nouvelle Etoile has a lift between decks, so the flight of stairs that every other boat asks you to climb is optional here. You should still expect a boarding ramp or gangway to get aboard, and a doorway sill or two. If mobility is a real concern, call Kim before booking. She knows every boat she sells, and she will tell you plainly whether this barge is the right fit.
You are never far from help. This route runs through one of the most densely served parts of Europe, moors in or near towns every night, and a crew member with local knowledge is always aboard. Pharmacies are everywhere in the Netherlands, and your captain can reach emergency services from anywhere on the route. Bring your medications in your carry-on, plus a copy of your prescriptions. Tell Kim about any condition when you book so the crew is prepared, quietly and without fuss.
On a private charter the boat is your group’s alone, and the guide can shape each day to suit different ages. For shared cabin bookings, ask Kim about the minimum age on this barge before you book.
Heat is not the worry on this route. Dutch summers are mild: July and August average highs of about 72 F, and a genuinely hot day is a short-lived event rather than a season. The saloon is air conditioned, so the warmest afternoons are comfortable. The honest counterpoint is the other direction: pack a warm layer, because evenings on deck cool off quickly even in midsummer.
No, and you would be in good company. Most barge guests are in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. The pace is unhurried by design: the barge moves at about four miles per hour, and there is no packing and unpacking between hotels. You settle in once and France comes to you. Guests who want more activity can walk or cycle the towpath beside the boat; guests who want none can watch it all from a deck chair.
Very unlikely. Canals are flat, placid water, and the barge moves at a slow, steady pace. If you are prone to motion sickness on boats, the canal is about as gentle as it gets. There are no waves and no swell, and there is no rocking at night because the barge moors every evening. If motion sickness has kept you off cruise ships, this is the boat that was built for you.
Yes. You are on flat, calm water in settled countryside, never far from a village. Your hosts handle every lock and mooring. On deck, the usual boat rules apply: mind the rails, wear sensible shoes, and take the towpath at your own pace. Children need supervision on deck, the same as at any waterfront.
Simple and done once: the custom is a tip of about 5 to 10 percent of the cruise fare, given in cash to the captain at the end of the week, and the crew shares it. No nightly envelopes, no guessing at the bar. Bring euros for it, since cards do not work for crew tips.
Yes, we recommend it plainly, and so does every honest operator. A barge week is a significant purchase with a real cancellation schedule. Buy a policy soon after booking, and ask about Cancel For Any Reason coverage, which usually must be added within two to three weeks of your first payment.
Kim confirms availability directly with the barge owner. A 25% deposit is due when booking, with the balance due 90 days before departure. Bookings made within 90 days require full payment. Your checkout shows the exact amounts and due dates. You can cancel within 24 hours after your initial booking payment and receive a full refund. Contact us within that window. After 24 hours, payments are non-refundable if you cancel, including for illness or inability to travel. You may substitute passengers by contacting us. If the barge owner cancels your cruise for any reason, we will provide a full refund. This differs from a route change where the trip still operates. Read the full Booking Terms and Conditions.
We strongly recommend travel protection for non-refundable trip costs and medical evacuation. Cover and exclusions depend on the policy you buy. Read the policy and check with the insurer; accepting our booking terms does not buy or decline insurance. Read the full Booking Terms and Conditions.
You can cancel within 24 hours after your initial booking payment and receive a full refund. Contact us within that window. After 24 hours, payments are non-refundable if you cancel, including for illness or inability to travel. You may substitute passengers by contacting us. If the barge owner cancels your cruise for any reason, we will provide a full refund. This differs from a route change where the trip still operates. Lock repairs, drought, flooding or unsafe conditions may require an alternative route. A route change does not by itself give you a right to cancel for a refund. If the owner cancels the cruise itself, the full-refund policy applies. Read the full Booking Terms and Conditions.
If the barge owner cancels your cruise for any reason, we will provide a full refund. This differs from a route change where the trip still operates. Read the full Booking Terms and Conditions.
Lock repairs, drought, flooding or unsafe conditions may require an alternative route. A route change does not by itself give you a right to cancel for a refund. If the owner cancels the cruise itself, the full-refund policy applies. Read the full Booking Terms and Conditions.
You may substitute passengers by contacting us. The booking terms do not promise a refund or automatic credit for changing dates. Contact us about a requested change before making other travel arrangements. Read the full Booking Terms and Conditions.
You can cancel within 24 hours after your initial booking payment and receive a full refund. Contact us within that window. After 24 hours, payments are non-refundable if you cancel. Passenger substitutions are permitted. If the barge owner cancels your cruise for any reason, we will provide a full refund.
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Until it is live, call Kim at 888-229-2315, or request the full itinerary to start the conversation.
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Until it is live, call Kim at 888-229-2315, or request the full itinerary to start the conversation.
