What is included in an all-inclusive luxury barge cruise?

• Transportation between the barge and designated meeting point. For barges close to Paris, some barges pick up and return guests to Paris.
• Six nights accommodation with ensuite private bathroom
• All meals and wines
• Open bar with alcoholic and soft beverages
• Guided excursions and entrance fees
• All amenities of barge including bicycles, library, music, games, etc.

What is NOT included in an all-inclusive luxury barge cruise?

• Air transportation to and from France or Europe
• Travel insurance
• Items of a personal nature
• Optional crew gratuity of 5-10% 

Daily Excursions and Sights
Each barge strives to offer you a diversity of sights on the daily guided excursions. These may include chateaux, abbeys, bustling outdoor markets, wine tastings, medieval villages, local artisans, cheese farms, etc. Please see the individual barge itineraries for the highlights.
Click here for a description of A Typical Day.

Gourmet Food and Wine
This is France, the land of exquisite cuisine and fine wines. That means fresh food from local markets, innovative recipes and courses paired with handpicked French wines. Every day is another culinary delight with four or five course gourmet dinners capping your idyllic day of relaxed activity and fascinating sights.

General Barge Cruising Information

• LENGTH OF THE CRUISE Barge cruises are six nights, usually starting Saturday or Sunday with some exceptions.
• THE SEASON is generally from March to November. Weather is unpredictable in Europe with May, June, September and early October having the mildest weather. July and August can be quite hot. April and late October can be rainy and cold.
• SIZE OF BARGES are limited to the dimensions of the locks. The traditional barges we think of for a barge cruise carry 4-22 guests.
• CHARTER BARGES are for private parties who hire the entire barge with captain, chef and crew.
• HOTEL BARGES can be booked on an individual cabin basis for singles, couples or groups. The barge reserves the right to book the other cabins. The ratio of crew to passengers is high.
• FULL BOARD includes all meals, wines and open bar, unless otherwise stated.
  
• HALF BOARD includes all breakfasts, welcome dinner and one other meal each day. Usually dinner is on shore at the guests' expense.
• SPECIAL INTERESTS Many charter cruises can be customized to guests' interests such as wine, walking, biking, golf, antiquing, cooking, families, special occasions, etc.
• THEME CRUISES are offered regularly by many barges. See individual barges for scheduled cruises centered around wine, walking, biking, golf, antiquing, families, etc.
• CHILDREN Most charter barges are happy to take families with children and design the itinerary to include family activities. Hotel barges are generally adults only unless the entire barge is chartered.
• CABINS Each cabin has an ensuite private bathroom with a shower and occasionally a bathtub.
• NO SMOKING is permitted inside the barges.
• AIR CONDITIONING Most barges are air conditioned and have central heating with individual controls in each cabin.
• WHEN TO BOOK Barges book very early especially for the spring and fall. As soon as you know you want to go barging, let’s book to have the best selection.
• TERMS & CONDITIONS Each barge has its own Terms & Conditions which must be agreed to when booking. Cancellation policies should be carefully reviewed.
• TRAVEL INSURANCE We highly recommend travel insurance to cover trip cancellation, loss of personal property, medical emergencies, etc. Carefully review the coverage before purchasing.
• IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE that the above information is general and may vary with individual barges.

Barge Prices

• Barges are rated by amenities and price per person based on two people sharing a cabin.
• Most barges offer Value and Regular season prices. Value season prices can save considerably and apply in early spring, mid summer and late fall.
• Charter prices often depend on the number of guests and can make the price per person less than booking individual cabins.
• A single supplement applies to most single cabins. A few barges have single cabins with little or no supplement, Luciole (14) First Class (+$100), La Belle Epoque (13) Deluxe (+$160), L'Impressionniste (13) Deluxe (+$160) in Burgundy.
• For single occupancy of a double cabin, a single supplement applies.

Barge Cruise Categories (Prices below are approximate)
Click here to view the barges by price, category and region.

• FIRST CLASS - MOST AFFORDABLE ($2990-$3500 per person)
  There are two types of barges in this category:
  1. 20-22 passenger barges that are simply but nicely decorated with cabins on the small side from 80-100 sq. ft. There is less space per person on the barge. Food and wine are good quality. The same beautiful scenery and excursions to local sites are priceless.
  2. There are a few 4-8 passenger barges that are charter barges. These are often operated by a couple who are the owners. As they do not have a large crew, they can operate at a lesser cost. They are decorated with their personal taste and offer a very personalized cruise - like a home away from home. The cabins are usually on the smaller side at 100 sq. ft. but because there are fewer people on board, their is more space per person. 
• FIRST CLASS ($3500-$4800 per person)
  A very diverse category from owner/operated floating homes to classic hotel barges. Each barge has its own personality and style. There is more crew to take care of the cabins, guide tours and cook. Again, the styles are very individual based on the owners' taste with cabins a little larger at 100 sq. ft and up.
• DELUXE ($4500-$5500 per person)
  These barges typically have more space per person in the common areas and in the cabins. The cuisine is excellent cuisine with fine wines, elegant decor, large crew, more spacious cabins, many with a pool or hot tub.
• ULTRA DELUXE ($5500 and up per person)
  What can we say - the ultimate with all the bells and whistles! Large suites, spacious living areas, stylish decor, state of the art technology, demonstration kitchens, large experienced crew and luxurious amenities are some of the many features that set these barges apart from the rest.
  
  (All information in this website is based on our current knowledge and is subject to change at any time.)