MERGANSER CRUISE ITINERARY FRANCE 2009

Compiėgne to Paris: June 20th 

Paris to Compiègne: July 25th

Reims to Château-Thierry: August 15th

Château-Thierry to Reims: August 23rd 

Transfers between Paris and the Barge.

This itinerary is reversed for the cruise Château-Thierry to Reims.bookstalls beside the Seine 

Bookstalls beside the River Seine in Paris

PARIS  to  COMPIEGNE

 
Arriving at the barge in Paris there is time to explore the area close to the Eiffel Tower which lies near our mooring. It is an area of great interest and character well deserving of a stroll before dinner aboard Merganser. Local boulangeries provide croissants for breakfast before we start our cruise downstream on the River Seine towards Rueil-Malmaison, which lies in the Bras de Marly, opposite the island of Chatou, and the maison Fournier, places much visited and painted by the impressionists. Whilst there there is time to visit the charming small château where Napoleon spent his last days in France before exile to St.Helena. Continuing downstream we reach Conflans St.Honorine, colourful with many barges, where we join the River Oise. Stopping to visit Pontoise, where there is an opportunity to stroll round the well preserved old town, we reach journey’s end at Compiègne, where we tour the pretty town to see its famous Second Empire Château, excellent formal  gardens and outstanding vistas. Cobbled central areas boast a large number of timbered buildings, rare in this part of France and the shopping is first class.

This itinerary is reversed for the cruise Compiėgne to Paris.

 

Dormans: Chateau

Dormans: The Château

 REIMS to CHATEAU-THIERRY

 This cruise takes us from the Cathedral city of Reims up the Canal de l'Aisne à la Marne, then down into the Marne valley where we join the Canal latéral à la Marne and then the River Marne itself for the cruise to Château-Thierry. Reims is the cultural and economic capital of Champagne and boasts a long and celebrated history. We arrive at the barge in time for a leisurely stroll before dinner on board. The following morning we set off towards the Marne.The Montagne de Reims with its small villages and champagne vineyards is seen towards the west. Passing through the 2.3km. Mont de Billy tunnel we descend towards the Marne valley through a flight of interlinked locks, reaching the junction of the Canal Lateral a la Marne at Condé-sur-Marne. Our cruise now takes us down the Canal Lateral à la Marne to its junction with the navigable river, passing the champagne villages of Mareuil-sur-Marne and Ay-sur-Marne where even in the smallest plots of land straight rows of vines reach down to the water's edge. At Dizy we join the River Marne, and passing Dormans, where the memorial to those who fell in the battles of the Marne during the first World War merits a visit, we come to Château-Thierry. There is time to visit this interesting town before our final dinner aboard Merganser.

This itinerary is reversed for the cruise Château-Thierry to Reims.


Click here to see the video !

Barge cruising France - home page

French barge cruise itineraries

Cruise barge Merganser: features, cabin plan

 Cruise barge booking - small print,      Cruise barge - booking details