Epernay to Paris: July 22^nd 

Paris to Montereau: July 29^th. Montereau to Paris: September 2 ^nd

Transfers between Paris and the Barge.

EPERNAY to PARIS

Epernay, where we start our cruise, is the home of many of the large champagne houses. Here we tour the caves of Castellane before setting off down the River Marne to Château-Thierry, where, on the narrow winding street up to the castle you may see the home of La Fontaine. This section of the cruise takes us through some of the finest landscapes of the Champagne region. The valley opens out to show us hills covered with vines as we head downstream past numerous small champagne villages nestling beside the river. As we continue downstream the vines give way to the pastoral landscape of the Brie region. The city of Meaux offers us a chance to taste and perhaps buy some of the famed Brie cheese. We also tour its famous cathedral and bishop's palace gardens The final day of our cruise takes us into the heart of Paris, past the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Ile de Paris and Nôtre Dame. There is time to savour the atmosphere of the city before your farewell dinner aboard Merganser.

Montereau 

Our cruise starts through the centre of Paris under the famous and spectacular bridges of the city, past the Eiffel Tower, the Hôtel des Invalides, the Tuileries and Nôtre Dame Cathedral. We moor for the night beyond the Paris suburbs in a woodland setting before setting off upstream to a rural mooring in a village near the city of Melun with its remarkable 11^th Century Nôtre Dame Church. From Melun we tour the Château of Vaux-le-Vicomte, a magnificent jewel of the Ancien Régime then moor at Samois sur Seine, a charming village set amidst woodland in one of the finest reaches of the river. For those wishing to climb beyond the village there are splendid panoramic views of the Seine valley and the forest of Fontainbleau. Our cruise continues up the Seine, past the famous barging town of St. Mammes and the River Loing, to finish at the lively town of Montereau, situated at the confluence of the rivers Seine and Yonne.

This itinerary is reversed for the cruise from Montereau to Paris 

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