Wonderful Experience on a Barge Cruise in France

Our Key Traveler clients just returned from a Barge Cruise in France, traveling along the Canal de Bourgogne in the Southern Burgundy region.

For those of you that have never experienced a barge cruise, it ranks right at the top of the cruise experience for an intimate, small group.

This particular barge holds a maximum of eight guests so this group of four couples had the barge — and its attentive crew — all to themselves.

Here are some comments we received from the travelers.

First of all, our pre-trip information was most complete with every detail explained in full and followed up upon to make sure all was understood and in order. Key Traveler painstakingly went through every aspect of the trip in wonderful detail which made the trip flow so well. All was understood and received in good order by all in our group. Emails were sent a every juncture.

The barge cruise surpassed our expectations in every way. The barge was most comfortable and spacious and the crew was magnificent throughout our six days on board. We had expected to be somewhat crowded but Richard (the barge captain) stored our bags after we had unpacked and there were more than enough drawers and closet space for [our belongings]. The barge had a wonderful cooling and heating system.

The cuisine was unmatched by any hotel we have visited. Jo would bring the abundant breakfast offerings each day and have a full service and coffee ready first thing in the morning. At lunch time Richard and Jo would set up our table with wonderful offerings prepared by Stephen in his restaurant in Chateauneuf.

The barge crew was EXCELLENT!!! Richard was a fabulous captain, bartender, snack preparer, organizer and dinner host. Jo was marvelous with setting up breakfasts and lunches in addition to making up each room and making sure we had everything we needed. Laura was so well informed regarding every aspect to the side trips we took and so knowledgeable of each area we visited … She had the answers to all questions asked and was full of little asides in every area we visited. She was a very positive addition to the crew.

We had a marvelous time 24 hours a day and would not trade the crew for any other with their organizational skills which made our time aboard so special.

Our clients also wanted two days of sightseeing before the barge cruise. We were able to create a private land package with local tour companies. Here are some of their comments

We were picked up at our Paris hotel and taken to Giverny to view Monet’s home and gardens, and then on to Honfleur for lunch. We were taken to Bayeaux where we checked into a beautiful hotel with large and comfortable bedrooms and run by a most attentive couple. The next day we took a guided trip to the beaches of Utah and Omaha and an overview of June 6, 1944. Our driver was exceptional in his delivery of the facts of D-Day, with great narrative outlining happenings from the point of view of the Allies and also the Nazis. We asked our tour guide if he could help us the next day, as we had to get from our hotel to the Bayeaux train station with our numerous bags. He told us he had another group lined up for the next day but assured us we would be taken care of. The next morning at the allotted time we were met by the owner of the tour company, who deposited us at the train station. When we asked the charge for our short trip he said we owed him nothing. Great service all around.

Finally, our happy client said, “We could not have been happier with the overall experience and each individual contributed so much to our enjoyment of our time in France. It was simply wonderful. Thank you and your company.”