As river cruising continues to grow in Europe and elsewhere, for those looking for an even more unique opportunity to see the smaller villages and towns of Europe in small or private groups, barge cruising has become more and more mainstream.
The segment is stepping up its presence to offer customizable, relaxing options for luxury guests looking for something off of Europe’s main rivers. So much so that it’s found its way into travel’s luxury offerings for higher net-worth travelers.
In 2019, Conde Nast, which described the offering as perfect for large family groups, wrote of barge cruising: “The longstanding image of barge cruises—of dark cabins below water level, sedentary guests, and little activity—just isn’t accurate when you’re talking river cruising today.”
“The newest barges on Europe’s canals mimic modern boutique hotels, featuring contemporary designs, sunlit rooms, hot tubs—even firepits. You’ve got plenty of opportunity to relax, but you’ll also have access to bicycles, yoga, spa treatments, grand cru wine-driven sails; even opportunities to charter the entire boat and make the trip as customized as you like,” it wrote.
One company doing barge cruises is Abercrombie & Kent (A&K), the famed luxury tour operator that also hosts private jet tours and now owns and operates Crystal Cruises.
For those not familiar with barge cruises, most have all meals and beverages (alcoholic & non-alcoholic) included. Guests can travel individually or on a private charter, though some of A&K’s ships are exclusively available only via charter. The minimum age for individual travel is 12 years old. A&K does sometimes offer reduced pricing available for charters of six to seven guests on an eight-guest charter.
The barges also tend to have the same onboard offerings, which include king or twin rooms with private bathrooms, an outdoor deck with a hot tub, bicycles onboard, and a partially covered space for al fresco dining. There’s also internet access. Full charters can be customized working with the A&K team.
Here’s what A&K is offering for 2023 and where:
1. L’Impressionniste (Burgundy & the Upper Loire)
2. La Belle Époque (Burgundy & the Upper Loire)
3. L’Art de Vivre (Burgundy & the Upper Loire)
4. Renaissance (Burgundy & the Upper Loire)
5. Finesse (Burgundy & the Upper Loire)
6. Rendez Vous (Burgundy & the Upper Loire)
7. Prospérité (Burgundy & the Upper Loire)
8. Grand Cru (Burgundy & the Upper Loire)
9. Le Phénicien (Provence & the South)
10. Anjodi (Provence & the South)
11. Athos (Provence & the South)
12. Enchante (Provence & the South)
13. Roi Soleil (Provence & the South)
14. Saroche (Champagne, Alsace, & the Moselle)
15. Panache (Champagne, Alsace, & the Moselle)
16. La Nouvelle Etoile (Champagne, Alsace, & the Moselle)
France
Burgundy & the Upper Loire
L’Impressionniste
L’Impressionniste sails on the Canal de Bourgogne between Fleurey-sur- Ouche and Escommes. It includes room for 12 guests in two queen/twin junior suites and four queen/twin cabins, each outward facing with an en suite facing.
A&K includes a crew of six for L’Impressionniste, which comes in at 126 feet long and 16.5 feet wide. All meals and drinks onboard are included, as are all sightseeing excursions. Bicycles are also onboard as is a split sun deck that is partially shaded for al-fresco dining.
A 7-day sailing starts from $6,450 per person.
La Belle Époque
La Belle Époque cruises the Burgundy Canal between Venarey-les-Laumes and Tanlay. The ship is the same size as L’Impressioniste, with the same guest capacity, and also includes a crew of six from A&K. It also has the same pricing. A 7-day sailing on La Belle Époque starts at $6,450 per person.
L’Art de Vivre
L’Art de Vivre sleeps eight in four queen/twin cabins and features a crew of four. The ship sails 7-day itineraries starting in Auxerre near Paris and sails south to Chevroches, before transferring guests back to Paris.
The itinerary includes a visit to Domaine Laroche for a private wine tasting and lunch and a chance to explore the 12th-century Château de Bazoches where guests can walk in the steps of Maréchal de Vauban, the famous French military engineer and Marshal of France who worked under Louis XIV.
Pricing starts at $5,690 per person and private charters start at $42,500, but goes up depending on the season.
Renaissance
Renaissance sails 7-day itineraries on the Upper Loire from Montargis, near Paris, down to Châtillon-sur-Loire. The itinerary includes a stop at Rogny-les-Sept-Écluses to see the 350-year-old staircase of seven locks and a private tour of a family-run vineyard at Sancerre.
Renaissance sails with a capacity for eight guests and five crew. Onboard is a partially covered sundeck for al fresco dining, and an indoor lounge.
Pricing for Renaissance starts at $8,550 per person or $63,500 for a full charter.
Finesse
Finesse sails the Canal du Centre & Saône River starting in St-Julien-sur-Dheune near Dijon and heading west toward Chalon-sur-Saône. The ship has a capacity for for eight in four king/twin cabins, and a crew of five.
The itinerary is highlighted by an excursion to the 14th-century Château de Germolles, the best-preserved residence of the Dukes of Burgundy, along with a stop in Beaune to see Hôtel-Dieu and a visit to Maison Champy for a wine tasting and gourmet lunch in the cellars.
Pricing starts at $8,550 per person or $63,500 for a full ship charter.
Rendez-Vous
Rendez-Vous is limited to just four guests, and so can only be booked as a full charter, starting at $32,400. The ship is outfitted with two King/Twin bedrooms, a partially covered top deck for al fresco dining, and a spa tub, along with an inside salon on the bottom with a dining table.
The seven-day itinerary starts in the village of Fleurey-sur-Ouche near Paris and goes west to Escommes near Dijon. It includes a private wine tasting at the Château de Chassagne Montrachet and a visit to Châteauneuf-en-Auxois, known as one of the most beautiful villages in France.
Prospérité
Prospérité sails eight guests, and a crew of six, from Dijon west to Château de Chassagne-Montrachet on seven-day itineraries. The itinerary includes a wine cellar tour and dinner ashore at a Michelin-starred restaurant, along with a chance to see Hôtel-Dieu, a preserved medieval hospital dating from the 15th century.
The ship, which also boasts an on-deck spa and a partially covered outside deck for al fresco dining, is available only for private charters and starts at $71,200.
Grand Cru
The Grand Cru sails with a capacity for eight in four king/twin cabins and a crew of six. The ship offers seven-day itineraries starting in Dijon, near Paris, and sailing to Vandenesse-en-Auxois before a transfer back to Paris.
Onboard, the ship offers those four cabins on the bottom deck and a salon and sundeck with a spa on the top deck.
The ship is available for private charters starting at $71,200.
Provence & the South
Le Phénicien
Le Phénicien sails the waterways of the Camargue through France’s Languedoc wine region starting in Avignon and ending with a docking in in Aigues-Mortes and transfer to Nîmes. The ship has a capacity for 18 guests in 9 cabins (6 queens and 3 twins), each outward facing with an en suite bathroom, along with a crew of 5 or 6.
Private charters for the ship start at $77,985 and go up from there depending on the date. Individual travel starts at $4,750 per person.
Anjodi
Anjodi sails on the Canal du Midi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, starting and ending in Narbonne. The ship offers 7-night itineraries and has a capacity of eight in four double/twin cabins, each outward facing with an en suite bathroom, along with four crew members.
Just like A&K’s other barges, Anjodi onboard offers a partially covered sundeck for al fresco dining, bicycles, internet access, and more.
Individual travel starts at $5,690 per person. Full ship charters start at $42,500.
Athos
Athos was converted from an old wine barge and now sails for A&K on the Canal du Midi through the “Petit Camargue” wetlands. The ship has a capacity for 10 in 5 queen/twin cabins along with 5 crew members.
Athos offers seven-night itineraries starting in Béziers and going to Marseillan. Pricing starts at $5,690 per person or $52,500 for a full ship charter.
Enchante
Guests sailing on Enchante meet in Narbonne and transfer Sallèles d’Aude. The ship sails seven-day itineraries with an itinerary highlighted by a truffle hunt in Argeliers, an exploration of Lagrasse, which is known as the “most beautiful village in France,” and a stop at Carcassonne, the most complete medieval fortified city in existence.
The ship has a capacity for eight guests and five crew. Pricing starts at $7,550 per person or $56,500 for a private charter.
Roi Soleil
Roil Soleil sails seven-day itineraries starting in Béziers and going west toward Carcassonne, Europe’s largest medieval fortress. It has a capacity for six guests in three queen/twin cabins and a crew of four.
The itinerary includes a visit to the hilltop village of Minerve, the former Roman capital Narbonne, and Fonserannes.
Private charters start at $37,200 per charter.
France and Germany
Champagne, Alsace, & the Moselle
Saroche
Saroche sails six guests in three queen/twin cabins and a crew of four on seven-day itineraries through France’s Champagne region. The itinerary starts in Vandières, near Paris, and goes east to Cumières, Tours-sur-Marne, Mont de Billy, and then Beaumont-sur-Vesle, where guests can visit the World War I trenches of Le Mains de Messiges.
Pricing starts at $43,500 per charter.
Panache
Panache cruises the canalside towns of Alsace during seven-day itineraries starting in Krafft near Strasbourg. The itinerary includes a walking tour of Saverne, a visit to Lutzelbourg, and a traverse of a boat elevator at Arzviller.
The ship is one of the bigger ones in the A&K barge fleet, with a capacity for 12 in 6 queen/twin cabins, each outward facing with an en suite bathroom, along with a crew of 6.
Pricing starts at $6,950 per person
La Nouvelle Etoile
La Nouvelle Etoile sails seven-day itineraries starting in Remich, near Frankfurt, and going to Koblenz, the 2,000-year-old city located where the Moselle and Rhine rivers meet. Highlights of the sailing include Luxembourg, Trier, one of the oldest towns in Germany, Zell, and Cochem.
The ship has a capacity for eight in four twin/King cabins, along with a crew of five. Onboard, there’s a small exercise room along with a partially covered sundeck with a spa tub.
Pricing starts at $9,544 per person.
VIP Contact
Most of the 2024 offerings are live and available to book and 2025 can be requested through A&K’s team.
