As seen on Rick Steves' Europe (PBS) and in The New York Times •
Twelve guests, six crew, on the canal she once worked
On Sunday afternoon you are met at a meeting point in central Paris and driven by private chauffeured minibus to Venarey-les-Laumes, where La Belle Epoque is moored. The crew are on deck with champagne and canapés. You have a cabin to settle into and a first dinner waiting, and nothing else to arrange for six nights.
In her working life this barge carried logs from Burgundy up to Paris. She runs the same canals now as a hotel barge, with a wood panelled saloon and dining room, hand built seating made for the room she sits in, and a sun deck with a spa pool. Twelve guests at most, in two junior suites and four staterooms, every one with a marble en suite.
The week collects what Northern Burgundy is known for: the Cistercian Abbaye de Fontenay, a private tasting at Domaine Laroche in Chablis, champagne at Les Riceys, lunch with the Baron and Baroness at the Château de Ricey-Bas, and a falconry display in a château garden. The towpath runs alongside the whole way for anyone who would rather walk or ride it.
La Belle Epoque spent her working life hauling logs from Burgundy to Paris, and she still runs the same canals, now with twelve guests aboard instead of a cargo hold. Inside there is a wood panelled saloon and dining room, with bespoke seating built by hand for the space it sits in. Above, a spacious sun deck carries a spa pool and enough chairs that nobody has to negotiate for one. Below, two junior suites and four staterooms take twin or double beds, each with marble en suite facilities. Six crew look after the twelve of you.
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.
La Belle Epoque has six cabins for twelve guests: two junior suites and four staterooms, each taking a twin or a double bed, and each with its own marble en suite facilities. You never share a bathroom with other guests, and housekeeping refreshes the cabins daily. They are comfortable and well finished, but they are boat cabins: efficient rather than large. Picture a well-appointed small hotel room that happens to move through Burgundy. If a big hotel bathroom matters a lot to you, that is the one thing worth picturing honestly before you book. The published cabin names are Meursault and Nuit St-Georges for the junior suites, and Santenay and Vougeot among the staterooms.
A private charter is the whole boat for your group alone, up to twelve guests, priced by the week. Whole-boat charter rates for 2027 are quoted on request. A cabin booking means you join a set departure by the cabin, from $8,290 per person at 2027 standard rates, and share the boat, the table and the excursions with other guests. Solo travellers can take a cabin with a single supplement of $3,000. Tell Kim which way you want to travel and she will point you to the right weeks.
Yes. La Belle Epoque takes cabin bookings as well as whole-boat charters, which is not true of every barge in the fleet. A cabin is $8,290 per person or $16,580 for the cabin, at 2027 standard rates, and you join a set departure with other guests aboard. If you would rather have the boat to yourselves, the same six cabins charter as a whole for up to twelve guests.
The crew of six live aboard, and by Tuesday they will feel like part of the trip. They have their own quarters and their own rhythm, so you will never trip over them and they will never hover. What you get is a captain who knows every lock on the Burgundy Canal, a chef cooking for twelve rather than six hundred, and a guide who already knows what you liked yesterday. Privacy when you want it, company when you want that.
A fair question for a boat that moves at walking speed. The slowness is the product. Every day has a guided excursion, a tasting or a village worth wandering, and the hours in between belong to you: read on the sun deck, sit in the spa pool, walk or cycle the towpath that runs alongside the whole route, or do nothing at all, on purpose. Nobody comes home saying the week felt long.
It is uncommon, but canal levels can occasionally limit how far the barge travels in a given week, usually after a dry spell. The route is also subject to change based on local conditions, and on alternate weeks it runs in the reverse direction. When cruising is limited, the crew rebuild the week around the same abbeys, cellars 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.
This is Northern Burgundy at its quietest, and the week is built around doors that are usually closed to visitors. A private tasting at Domaine Laroche in Chablis includes the thousand-year-old Obédiencerie cellars. At Les Riceys the Baron shows you his own vineyards and lunch is served with the Baron and Baroness in the family salon at the Château de Ricey-Bas. Add the Abbaye de Fontenay, the Château d’Ancy-le-Franc and a private falconry display, and the week does not look much like a coach tour.
You are met at a meeting point in central Paris on Sunday and driven to the barge by private chauffeured minibus. On Saturday, after breakfast, the same transfer takes you back to Paris. Both directions are included. Kim sends the exact meeting details well before departure.
Easier than most trips you have taken. You fly into Paris, and the barge meets you at a designated point in the city with a chauffeured transfer included. One suitcase, one meeting point, and the crew takes it from there. Kim sends exact meeting details well before departure, and she will help you plan Paris 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 aboard through the week, starting with dinner on your first night and an introduction to Burgundy cooking. Burgundian wines are poured at lunch and dinner and the bar is open through the week. Ashore there are tastings arranged privately: Chablis at Domaine Laroche, champagne at Maison Taisne Riocour in Les Riceys, and a gourmet lunch at the Château de Ricey-Bas.
There is Wi-Fi aboard and cell coverage along nearly all of the route, enough for email, photos and a call with the grandkids. It is countryside internet rather than city internet, so expect the occasional slow patch and treat it as part of the cure.
Bicycles are aboard, and the towpath runs alongside the canal for the whole route, so walking and biking are easy on any day you want them. There is also a Biking Plus option if your group wants to ride more seriously; ask Kim what it adds. On deck there is a spa pool and space to spread out. Below, the saloon and dining room are wood panelled, with seating built by hand for the room.
Locks are part of the fun, and the Burgundy Canal has plenty of them, including the descending flight on the run down to Ancy-le-Franc. They are easy places to step off and walk, and on many stretches you can stroll or cycle from one to the next and rejoin the barge on the other side.
Not at all. Your crew speaks English, every excursion is guided in English, and the chef translates the cheese board. If you want to try your bonjour at a market stall, the vendors are patient and it usually earns you a smile.
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.
Barging is one of the most accessible ways to see rural Europe, with one honest caveat: barges are historic working boats, so expect a boarding ramp or gangway and at least one set of stairs between decks. There are no elevators. If stairs are a real concern, call Kim before booking. She knows the boats she sells, which ones have the gentlest layouts, and will tell you plainly whether this barge is the right fit.
You are never far from help. The barge travels through inhabited countryside, moors in or near villages every night, and a crew member with local knowledge is always aboard. Pharmacies are common in French towns, 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.
Twelve berths in six cabins is one of the few sizes on these canals that fits three generations on one boat, and the guide can shape each day to suit different ages and energy levels. On a private charter, children of all ages are welcome. On shared cabin departures the minimum age is twelve.
July and August in Burgundy can be hot, with July highs around 26 to 29 C. The cruising day is built around it: mornings on the shaded deck, excursions timed away from the worst heat, cold drinks always at hand, and the spa pool on the sun deck when you want it. Ask about cabin cooling on this barge before you book a peak-summer week.
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.
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.
Other voyages from the French Canal Boat Company fleet. A quick way to compare on the things that matter most: how many guests, which region, and what each week is really about.
Every voyage in the fleet is booked and looked after by Kim directly. See all departures.
Until it is live, call Kim at 888-229-2315, or request the full itinerary to start the conversation.
The WeTravel booking and deposit checkout embeds here at launch. Guests will choose their week and place the deposit without leaving the page.
Until it is live, call Kim at 888-229-2315, or request the full itinerary to start the conversation.
