As seen on Rick Steves' Europe (PBS) and in The New York Times • Built in England in the First World War, still working the canals
On Sunday you are met at a set point in Paris and driven by private chauffeured minibus to Auxerre, where L’Art de Vivre is moored on the River Yonne. Champagne is waiting on deck. So are the five crew who will run your week: captain, chef, guide, and the hostesses who keep the whole thing moving without ever seeming to.
For six nights this barge is your hotel and your dining room. Eight guests at most, in compact cabins that each have modern en suite facilities. The saloon mixes contemporary leather with the traditional furniture the boat has always carried, and the original wood and brass are still in place. Up top there is a sun deck with a spa pool, and bicycles for the towpath.
The route runs south from Auxerre along the Canal du Nivernais and the River Yonne, into the edge of the Morvan hills. Chablis and a private tasting at Domaine Laroche. The sculpted quarry at Aubigny and the Crémant cellars of Bailly-Lapierre. The hilltop UNESCO town of Vézelay, and the 12th century Château de Bazoches. Book the whole boat for your group, or join a departure by the cabin.
L’Art de Vivre is the most historic barge in the European Waterways fleet. She was built in England during the First World War as a supply vessel for Allied troops in the Somme, and she has been on the water ever since. The style aboard is traditional: original wood and brass, a warm interior, and a saloon that mixes contemporary leather with the older furnishings the boat has always carried. The cabins are compact, and each one has modern en suite facilities. Up top, the sun deck carries a spa pool, and bicycles are stowed aboard for the towpath, which runs alongside the whole route. Eight guests at most, five crew, and the edge of the Morvan hills out the window.
The Auxerre to Chevroches week on this page leans toward towns and wine: Auxerre, Chablis, the Crémant cellars, Vézelay. The Chevroches to Baye week leans toward the canal itself and the country around it. Both run six nights, Sunday to Saturday, with the same boat and the same rates.
Ask Kim about the second route and she will send the day-by-day for it.
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.
Northern Burgundy. The barge runs the Canal du Nivernais and the River Yonne between Auxerre and Chevroches, six nights, on the edge of the Morvan hills. Alternate weeks run the route in reverse, so you may board at Chevroches instead. The country is quiet: vineyard slopes, pasture with Charolais cattle grazing, limestone cliffs at Le Saussois, and stone villages that have not changed much in a century.
Yes. L’Art de Vivre also runs a Chevroches to Baye cruise on the upper Nivernais, which climbs towards the summit level of the canal. Ask Kim which route is running the week you want, or tell us which one you would rather do and we will find dates for it.
Because she is. L’Art de Vivre was built in England during the First World War to carry supplies to Allied troops in the Somme, which makes her the oldest boat in the fleet. She was converted to a hotel barge decades later, and the conversion kept the original wood and brass rather than covering them. The saloon mixes contemporary leather seating with the traditional furniture the boat has always had.
On Wednesday you are driven to the wine village of Chablis for a morning in the vineyards, then a private visit to Domaine Laroche. There is a tasting, and a tour of the Obédiencerie, a 1000 year old building that was once part of the monastery of St Martin, where the monks developed winemaking in the Middle Ages and where the wines are still aged today. Lunch is cooked by a private chef and served in the monks’ former refectory.
The underground quarry at Aubigny, whose limestone went into buildings including the Paris Opera House, and the Bailly-Lapierre cellars cut from the same rock, where you taste Crémant de Bourgogne. A tour of Auxerre, once the capital of Lower Burgundy. The UNESCO hilltop town of Vézelay and its Romanesque basilica. And the Château de Bazoches, a 12th century castle visited by Richard the Lionheart and later remodelled by Vauban.
Yes, and on this route more easily than most. The towpath follows the canal for the whole course, so you can take a bicycle off at one lock, ride ahead through the Yonne valley, and rejoin the barge further on. Walkers do the same at their own pace. Bicycles are aboard and included.
You are met at a set point in 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 in the price. Kim will send the exact meeting point and time once your week is confirmed.
Paris, since the transfer starts and ends there. Most guests build a night or two in Paris around the cruise, either before boarding on Sunday or after disembarking on Saturday. Tell Kim your flights and she will make sure the transfer times line up.
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.
A crew of five: captain, chef, guide, and hostesses. Up to eight guests. That ratio is why the week feels the way it does; there is always someone to pour, drive, explain, or simply leave you alone when that is what you want.
Your chef cooks aboard, using regional produce, and the week is built around Burgundy: Chablis, Crémant de Bourgogne, and the reds of the Yonne. All meals aboard are included, along with an open bar and the wines chosen to go with each dinner. One lunch during the week is served ashore at Domaine Laroche.
A spa pool, seating, and shade, with a view over the canal and the hills beyond it. This is where most guests spend the cruising hours. Bicycles are stored aboard for the towpath.
Yes, wifi is aboard and included. Signal follows the mobile network, so it comes and goes in the deeper valleys and in the locks. Most guests find that a feature rather than a fault.
Comfortable, casual clothes. Nobody dresses formally on a barge, including at the Captain’s dinner. Bring layers for mornings on deck, walking shoes for the towpath and for Vézelay’s hill, a swimsuit for the spa pool, and a light rain jacket. Burgundy in summer is warm; in April and October it is cool in the mornings.
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.
Compact, which is the honest word and the one the barge herself uses. Each has modern en suite facilities and is kept spotless, but these are cabins on a boat over a hundred years old, not hotel suites. You spend your waking hours in the saloon, at the table, on the sun deck, or ashore. Ask Kim for the current cabin photos and dimensions before you book.
Almost certainly not. A canal and a quiet river are flat water, the barge moves at walking pace, and it moors every night. Guests who cannot manage a cruise ship are usually fine on a barge.
Partly. Boarding is by ramp or gangway and there is at least one set of stairs between decks. There is no elevator. Tell us about any mobility concerns before you book and we will give you a straight answer about whether this boat works for you rather than a hopeful one.
Ask Kim before booking a July or August week. Northern Burgundy summers reach 26 to 29 C, which is 79 to 84 F, and the day is planned around the heat with shaded deck mornings and excursions timed away from the hottest hours. Spring and early autumn weeks are the gentler ones.
On a whole-boat charter, children of all ages are welcome, and the boat becomes yours to run at your family’s pace. On shared cabin departures there is a minimum age, since you are sharing the table and the saloon with other guests. Tell Kim who is travelling and she will tell you which weeks suit.
Charter it. The whole barge takes up to eight guests, so a family or a group of friends can have the week entirely to themselves, with the itinerary adjusted around what you actually want to do. Charter rates for 2027 are quoted on request.
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.
By the cabin, from $7,250 per person, double occupancy, for the 2027 standard season. A whole cabin is $14,500. Travelling alone, the single supplement is $2,600. Whole-boat charter is quoted on request; call or email Kim and she will price your week.
Six nights aboard, all meals, an open bar with wines chosen for each dinner, all guided excursions and entrance fees, bicycles, wifi, and the return transfer between Paris and the barge. What is not included: flights, travel insurance, and anything you buy ashore on your own.
A deposit of $1,800 per person, which is 25 percent of the cabin price, confirms your booking. The balance is due 90 days before departure. Your deposit places a hold while we confirm availability with the barge owner.
Tipping is at your discretion and never expected. Guests who want to say thank you usually leave something for the crew at the end of the week, given to the captain to share. There is no set amount.
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.
