french river barging in burgundy

River Barging in Burgundy with European Waterways

I haven’t done a bucket list, but I think it might be time for that – and a themed cruise would definitely go on that list. in April I was able to join a river cruise on a luxury barge in Burgundy, France, and it was a certainly memorable and unique experience. The barge, called L’Impressioniste, belongs to the European Waterways and was nearly full at the time of the cruise with 11 passengers.

Boarding L'Impressioniste
Welcome drinks for boarding passengers

Compared to the regular agenda ours was a bit more compact than normally as the cruise duration had been shortened. We still managed to see and do a lot – as well as enjoy delicious breakfasts, lunches and multi-course dinners on board, and a few wine tastings, champagne and canapés out on excursions.

Bungundy cruise route

The map above displays the Canal of Burgundy where this particular cruise takes place, and Fleurey-sur-Ouche was in the heart of our tour plan. The barge travels at daytime only – mainly in the morning and again in late afternoon/evening once the guests have returned from their day trips.

European Waterways - Burgundy barging
Burgundy is beautiful even in early spring – views from the barge

All in all this river cruise was a unique and relaxing experience, and I will definitely want to try something similar in the future, but maybe in Asia instead… Now if you are wondering my why story on the cruise is so short, the reason is that I went on the cruise with Katja from Skimbaco Lifestyle and we already wrote several posts on Skimbaco’s site about this trip – I just wanted to add a little note and share some highlights here of this wonderful trip…

Biking on country lanes - Burgundy
Biking on romantic country lanes
Exploring Beaune
Enjoying the atmosphere of Beaune town
Going through a lock
Going through a lock- waiting the water to raise to a level
Learning about the soil and wine quality
Learning about the soil quality and its effect on the wine before going to taste different wines of this vineyard

If you are interested in more details, you can read Katja’s review of the whole river cruise and my story of the food and wine on the cruise. We also stayed in Paris before and after the cruise, and if you are looking for hotel tips read here my reviews of a boutique hotel in the heart of rive Gauche – Select Hôtel Rive Gauche, and of a more romantic, old-world style hotel Hotel Westminster next to famous and exclusive Place Vendôme.

[Disclosure: I was on a sponsored press trip in Burgundy, but as always, all the opinions are my own]

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