SEVEN DAYS / SIX NIGHTS
The 6-passenger Saint Louis welcomes you aboard for a cruise through the beautiful heartland of southwest France. It is a key part of our style on board to arrange the cruise and the excursions to suit your own personal preferences. We have the flexibility to make modifications, even at short notice, to fit in with your wishes and interests.
The facilities on board the Saint Louis are all designed to make your time with us as comfortable and interesting as possible. The three large cabins can be configured with twin beds or a queen bed and all have ensuite bathrooms. There is a comfortable salon and dining area with large picture windows for viewing the passing scenery and a small library, with a range of reference and fiction books, and a selection of indoor games for those rare rainy days.
We cruise on the canal and river system between Bordeaux and Toulouse. This is the first part of the route taken by Rick Stein on his barge trip joining the Canal du Midi at Toulouse, when he filmed the British TV series "French Odyssey." It is a region of rural calm, mediaeval villages, Roman art, some of the finest fruit in Europe, and of course in the Bordeaux area many of the finest vineyards in the world. We can guide you to these places and help you enjoy a wide range of activities on-board and on-shore; we can take you to wine tastings at some of the best vineyards in France, or you can simply sit back and relax on the terrace deck watching the world slip slowly by.
Let us take you to some of the more interesting places in this part of France. One of our favorites is Moissac, "City of Roman Art." The area abounds in other Roman works - bridges, washhouses, cloisters, etc. There are scores of Bastides (mediaeval fortified towns), many in a superb state of preservation as well as more recent chateaux and churches. There are also some impressive examples of canal engineering -- such as the water-slope at Montech, and the aqueducts at Moissac and Agen. Man's history in southwest France for the last 2,000 years, sometimes surprising and often turbulent, has left a rich legacy of architecture. If you find this particularly interesting, we can always arrange for a specialized history guide to join us for part of the cruise. We can also introduce you to a wide variety of cultural events, ranging from country markets to classical concerts as well as summer festivals. There is also a collection of Goya masterpieces on display in Agen. Perhaps you are interested in museums -- there is even a Cadillac museum, a Prune museum, and a Foie Gras museum!
For the more active, the Saint Louis offers a range of options. We carry six bicycles on board, for leisurely rides along the towpath or for exploring local villages. Tennis is a possibility - we have racquets on board, and we have made arrangements to play at various tennis clubs en-route. There are several golf courses in the area, and you can choose between taking the occasional game of golf or coming on one of our specialized Golf Cruises. If you want to do other things, let us know, it's your holiday! We carry equipment on board for the French game of Petanque. Or perhaps walking is your passion - this part of France is crossed by the main pilgrim's route of Santiago de Compostela, which since the 9th century has been one of the most important pilgrim routes in Christendom.
Many of our guests would consider a holiday in this area incomplete without savoring some of the really excellent wines produced here. We can take you to tastings in top-quality vineyards of world renown, or we can offer you a special Wine Cruise.
The superb food on board will very largely be based on traditional recipes from this region of France, with ingredients obtained fresh from local suppliers on a daily basis. Magret, foie gras and seafood will thus be among the basics of our cuisine. The food and the ambiance will be added to with a twist of our native Scotland. Dietary wishes, and special dietary needs, will always be well catered for. All meals will be served with quality wines. The bar will be stocked with a range of excellent aperitifs, as well as some superb malt whiskies from Scotland.
We had a wonderful time on the barge. The crew was fabulous. This is our fifth trip so we may not be the "average" barge tripper. Anyway we thoroughly enjoyed seeing a different part of France. We were on this barge in 2001. The new owners have done a wonderful job of decorating the boat. We enjoyed the informality of the Wylie crew. Barbara's son, Fraser, entertained us with an evening of guitar playing and put up with our attempt at singing some favorites. We were very happy with Alisdair's choice of wines. We supplemented it with some bottles we bought from a local winemaker which we happened upon on a bike ride. Barbara's cooking was great - simple yet very tasty.
--C.S.
Saturday
Meet around 3pm, normally in Toulouse. Travel by car to the Saint Louis. Champagne reception on board. Options for the evening include a visit to the local Artisan Distillerie, or a stroll around Montech town, or a game of petanque beside the boat.
Sunday
After breakfast, we disembark for a short excursion around Montauban, City of Art and Culture. We visit the central Italian square, and the Pont Vieux over the River Tarn. We return to the Saint Louis and pass through one lock before joining the main Canal Lateral a la Garonne. We pass down the extraordinary Montech Water Slope, an impressive experience for everyone. We cruise through the canal to Castelsarrasin where we moor for the night.
Monday
After exploring the town in the morning, we cruise to Moissac, City of Roman Art, crossing on the way the brick aqueduct over the River Tarn. In the afternoon, we visit a famous goat cheese farm at Gensac, and the lovely historic town of Auvillar.
Tuesday
We start the day with a visit to the Abbey and 11th century Cloisters at Moissac, reputed to be the finest cloisters in Europe. After lunch we cruise to Pommevic where we tie up at a small mooring under a deep canopy of trees. In Pommevic there is an 11th century church to visit, or we can take an excursion up to the lovely medieval town of Lauzerte. We are likely to see pilgrims walking the Santiago di Compostella, the ancient pilgrimage route which has been important since the 9th century.
Wednesday
After breakfast we cruise first to Valence where we stop for lunch. We visit the three Romanesque wash houses in the town, and admire the unusual pigeon houses and half-timbered buildings. We then cruise to Golfech where we stop at a quiet mooring.
Thursday
Today we make an early start to cruise to the city of Agen, (famous for fruit, especially melons and prunes) taking breakfast under way. On arrival we visit the amazing medieval city of Nerac where we see the Chateau of King Henry 4th and the Gothic Pont Vieux. Alternatively, we can take a picnic and travel deep into the wine region of Bordeaux where the finest wines of the world are produced - we visit and taste at some wonderful vineyards.
Friday
After a leisurely breakfast we leave the Saint Louis and travel by car back to Toulouse.
Note: This is only a sample itinerary and it is subject to change at the discretion of your hosts. On alternate weeks this itinerary may run in reverse. Saint Louis will make every effort to tailor a cruise to the interests and wishes of the guests on board. There will always be the opportunity to walk or cycle along the towpath, to stroll around local villages, to fish, to play petanque, or just to lie back and do nothing! Equally, we can always arrange wine tastings at some of the fine local vineyards, or excursions to other places of interest.
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*Note: Cruise directions and sample itineraries may be in reverse and are subject to change and may depend on bookings and local navigation conditions. Alternate excursions of equal appeal are substituted when needed. For charter cruises special itineraries can be arranged.
| SAINT LOUIS 2008 SEASON PRICES in US DOLLARS | |
|---|---|
| ACCOMMODATION | REGULAR Mar 29 thru Oct 24 |
| Cabin (per person, double occupancy) |
$4,620 |
| Single Occupancy Supplement |
$2,310 |
| Charter for 4 |
$23,000 |
| Charter for 6 |
$25,600 |
What's Included
- 7 days and 6 nights on the barge in cabins with private baths
- Transfers from Toulouse to the barge and return
- All meals beginning with dinner on Saturday through breakfast on Friday, including any meals on shore with wine as selected by the captain.
- Wines with lunches and dinners on board
- Open bar
- All escorted side-excursions
- Use of bicycles and other on-board equipment
What's Not Included
- Overseas air transportation to Paris and return or from Paris to the Toulouse area and return.
- Suggested minimum 5% gratuity for the crew, to be paid to the captain in equivalent Euros
- Travel or health insurance
- Personal items and purchases on shore
- Optional excursions such as golf, etc.
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