FEATURE F
rance's inland waterways weave through some of the country's finest landscapes - Burgundy's Côte d'Or, Franche-Comté, Languedoc-Roussillon, Rhône-Alpes and Provence Alpes-du-Sud - capturing its infinite variety.
Afloat in France is a family business, bought by Orient-Express in 2004 and offering five spacious luxury barges that more than comfortably host between four and twelve guests. The barges can be chartered independently or cabins reserved.
Renowned as among the finest craft plying the European waterways, these exceptional péniche-hôtels transport their passengers from great cities to remote landscapes of forests, fields and hidden villages. Gourmet dining on board and visits to local sights are all part of the experience.
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Afloat in France experience
Afloat in France also now offers thematic tours for its five French barges, including a Grand Cru Special Cruise, travelling 80 miles by canal and river between Dijon and St Léger. Its fortunate passengers are lucky enough to sample all 33 grand crus of the Burgundy region, travelling in superb comfort aboard The Amaryllis, which combines all the amenities of a luxury hotel with the ambience of a country inn.
The on board chef will have worked with the region’s winegrowers to design a week of menus as fine as the grands crus themselves, taking in escargots, scallops, lobster and filet de boeuf. He also gives cookery lessons to allow the holiday experience to last much longer than the Grand Cru cruise itself.
The essential magic of the barge is its ease: enforced relaxation that includes opportunities to visit winegrowers, a barrel-maker and places such as the 16th-century Château du Clos De Vougeot, where the Chevaliers du Tastevin, an exclusive club of burgundy wine enthusiasts, hold gastronomic festivities.
Wine experts also come aboard The Amaryllis each night to talk, drink and eat. The cruise is the ultimate epicurean river cruise – a blend of indulgence and the finest wines in Burgundy.
For further information, please see
www.afloatinfrance.com or visit stand N180 at ILTM 2011
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