The 13 passenger La Belle Epoque is a state-of-the art luxury hotel barge and sistership to L'impressionniste in our European fleet. La Belle Epoque has been designed with both elegance and passenger comfort in mind, and offers a sun-deck spa pool, chartroom, wood paneled saloon and dining room, together with other luxury facilities, all fully air-conditioned. The spacious cabins offer a choice of twin or double beds, with marble en-suite facilities as does the new single cabin. The Captain leads a crew of six, comprising Master Chef, Tour guide, House keeper and two Stewardesses.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1, Sunday: Guests are met at Hotel Ampere in Paris at 1:30 pm and transferred to the elegant La Belle Époque in Auxerre, Burgundy. Following a Champagne Welcome, you are free to explore the medieval town of Auxerre by bicycle or foot or take a stroll along the banks of the River Yonne before returning for dinner aboard.
Day 2, Monday: There is a choice this morning or either ice-skating, swimming and perhaps if there is time a game of 10 pin bowling as well. An alternative tour is St. Bris with its extraordinary network of medieval passages beneath the town. A wine tasting introduces you to the outstanding Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines produced in Monsieur Bersan’s 12th century cellars. Dinner aboard
Day 3, Tuesday: This mornings choice of excursions depends on the children ages but you can choose quad biking (12+) Paint Balling (16+), potholing (10+) or pony riding (3+). Alternatively visit Auxerre and discover the medieval town centre. Originally the capital of Lower Burgundy, Auxerre prides itself on its fine churches. We cruise through rich pasture lands and past grazing Charolais cattle to Accolay. Dinner ashore in a local Auberge
Day 4, Wednesday: Visit the caves this morning of Arcy sur Cure. The site of Arcy sur Cure, a major one for the medium and late palaeolithic age in northern France, is located between Auxerre and Avallon. It includes a set of caves dug out by the Cure River into a coral massif that emerged at the end of the secondary era. Alternatively this morning, we visit the charming medieval village of Noyers, one of the most beautiful villages in France, on an excursion through delightful countryside. We then return to the barge for a cruise southwards through the Yonne valley past dramatic steep cliffs to the market town of Mailly. Dinner aboard
Day 5, Thursday: In the morning we cruise past the Saussois cliffs where an international climbing centre creates a spectacular setting, mooring at Lucy sur Yonne. All ages will love a canoeing trip or rafting on the River Cure near Vezelay. The canoeing really is a fantastic excursion, which we feel, should not be missed. For those a little less adventurous we can visit the Chateau of Bazoches, whose illustrious visitors included Richard the Lionheart and which was later remodeled by Maréchal Vauban. Dinner aboard
Day 6, Friday: This morning we visit Cardoland, which is a vast wooded park about 7km from Vezelay. The sculptor, Cardo, created this wonderful prehistoric world of life size dinosaurs. It has a museum, caves, exhibition and prehistoric play area. Cardoland is a wonderful visit for families with younger children. An alternative to Cardoland is an excursion to the town of Vézelay, one of Burgundy’s most famous treasures with the Romanesque Basilica of St Mary Magdalene, craft shops and fine views of the surrounding countryside. A cruise this afternoon takes us through beautiful countryside then takes us to Clamecy. Take a short walk into Clamecy to visit the town, the Cathedral and also the Logging and Barging Museum. The narrow streets lined with ancient buildings also present an opportunity for shopping. Captain’s farewell dinner aboard
Day 7, Saturday: Disembark after breakfast and arrive at Hotel Ampere in Paris by about 1 pm.
In addition we will be running a treasure hunt and scavenger hunt, plus various other fun competition and games throughout the week.
Groups or Individual Cabin Bookings: Most of our family cruises are for whole boat charter groups but occasionally we are able to offer special Family Cruises for individuals to book on a cabin basis. Please contact our reservations department for further information.
Bicycles: There are adult bikes on board. Children's bikes for all ages and/or child seats for adult bikes can be supplied usually at no charge if requested to our Reservation Department at least 6 weeks prior to departure.
Optional Activities: Optional activities, for example hot air ballooning, pony trekking, quad biking, bowling, fishing etc may be available on your cruise and can be arranged at an additional supplement. Optional activities usually require advanced booking so please advise our Reservation Department at least 6 weeks prior to departure.
Baby/Child Equipment: We are pleased to supply travel cots, high chairs, car seat, bottle warmer, toys, stroller etc at no charge but we must be notified at least 6 weeks prior to departure as to your requirements.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- Open bar
- Free wines
- Gourmet cuisine
- Entry fees to excursions
Junior Suite per person $3,990
Suite per person $4,250
Single supplement $1,550
Single cabin $4,350
Charter 10 passengers whole boat $43,200
Charter 11 passengers whole boat $44,500
Charter 12 passengers whole boat $45,800
Charter 13 passengers whole boat $47,100
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
France
Boating and Sailing
Cultural Journey
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