Cruising Pont d’Ouche to St Jean de Losne

The day to day itinerary described below is a typical cruise. However, on any one cruise the moorings may change and the places visited may vary depending on the season and guest preferences.

Sunday – Pont d’ouche. Arrival

Depart from Paris in our luxury private transfer service direct to the barge moored in the port at Pont d’ouche, where you board the Apres Tout for your canal cruise through Burgundy on the Canal du Bourgogne. A champagne reception gives you a chance to meet the crew. A delicious four course dinner will be served with wonderful wines to match, followed by after dinner drinks – weather permitting all served on the magnificent teak deck.

Monday – Cruise to Gissey. Lunch at Abbaye de la Bussiere & Châteauneuf-en-Auxois

This morning you will start to discover the delights of this beautiful canal cruise, there are ample opportunities to disembark the barge at the many locks and walk or cycle the sections between each ‘ecluse’. Lunch is taken on shore at the stunning Abbaye de la Bussiere set in magical grounds. Afterwards, we then drive up to Châteauneuf-en-Auxois, a medieval hill-top village steeped in history. This is a charming place with stunning views at every corner, and you can really appreciate from this height, all of the amazing surrounding countryside. We return to the Apres Tout for cocktails and dinner, the boat is now moored in the picturesque village of Gissey.

Tuesday – Cruise to Fleurey. Visit Beaune

The barge continues to cruise through the peaceful Ouche Valley, where time seems to have stood still over the centuries. A relaxing morning will be spent cruising on the canal, as the barge slowly cruises towards Fleurey. After a delicious buffet lunch, we visit the delightful town of Beaune, the capital of the wine region of Burgundy. Enjoy a visit to the famous Hôtel-Dieu, Hospice de Beaune with its interesting history and magnificent tiled roof. After some free time for shopping or strolling in the pedestrian streets we have an appointment for a private wine tasting at the famous cellars of Joseph Drouhin. Tonight we are moored in Fleurey.

Wednesday – Cruise to Dijon. Lunch at Gevrey Chambertin. Visit Dijon.

The Apres Tout continues cruising on the canal towards the city of Dijon. Late morning you transfer to the charming village of Gevrey Chambertin, in the heart of vineyards. Here you are welcomed by Madam Drouhin Laroze, the owner of this prestigious ‘Grand Crus’ property. We have a splendid lunch on the terrace over looking the family’s vines while enjoying her choice of wines. This is truly a very unique experience. This afternoon we visit Dijon, a wonderful town with a long and interesting history. There is free time to shop in the city’s many chic boutiques or sit in a pavement café and watch the world go by. Later, we will visit the mustard shop for a tasting of this famous product and then take a walk through the historic area of the town which will captivate you with its historical past, including the Ducal Palace. Once back to the barge, perhaps try a ‘Kir Royale’ made with local Cassis, a liqueur invented here in Dijon made from blackcurrants and mixed with the Burgundy Champagne equivalent named Cremant.

Thursday – 2CV Classic car ride through the vines. Cruise to Aiserey

After a lovely breakfast of pastries, yogurts, fruit etc. or for anyone prefers something hot a cooked breakfast, it is time to set off towards Beaune. This morning we are driving classic 2 CV’s cars through the vineyards. We have developed a perfect circuit for our round trip through many wine villages such as Pommard, Saint Romain, & Auxrey Duresse. We return to the barge for a delicious lunch and continue our leisurely cruise towards a beautiful country mooring in the trees at Aiserey.

Friday – Cruise to St Jean. Visit to a truffle producer. Cocktail cruise on the Saone river.

Enjoy a relaxing morning on board, as we cruise on the canal towards St Jean de Losne, the largest inland port in France. After lunch we continue with the gourmet theme and visit a local truffle producer at his Chateau, near Nuits St George. Here, we learn all about this most valued mushroom and of course, purchase some of these delights as tonight, they will feature in the gala dinner! We return to the barge now moored on the beautiful River Saone – where we slip away from the mooring for a gentle cocktail cruise on this lovely river.

Saturday – Depart the barge

After breakfast disembark and transfer to Paris with our private luxury transfer service.