Merganser in Paris

The principal waterway in Paris is the River Seine, but there are also canals which thread their way through some entrancing and little known parts of the city. One of these is the Canal de St.-Martin, which is entered by passing through a lock on the Seine giving access to the Port of the Arsenal, close to the Place de la Bastille. Our cruising progamme in Paris takes us under the spectacular bridges on the Seine, through this lock and onto the canal, famed for its atmospheric quaysides and tranquil setting. The Seine itself also provides us with a first class opportunity to visit Rueil-Malmaison, which lies downstream, past the astonishing collection of houseboats moored beside the Bois de Boulogne. Rueil-Malmaison 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 we visit the charming small château where Napoleon spent his last days in France before exile to St.Helena, and lived in thereafter by Josephine. Our mooring close to the Eiffel Tower is convenient for time to be spent in Paris itself during the course of the week.

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Cruise barge Merganser in France: features, cabin plan

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