'NAPOLÉON'

Sunday - Paris to Avignon.
You are met in Paris Gare de Lyon and issued with your 1st Class TGV train tickets from Paris to Avignon. You are then met at the station and transferred to the Napoleon moored in Vallabregues for your cruise along the River Rhône. A champagne reception gives you a chance to meet the crew. A late afternoon cruise from Vallabrègues to Arles is your first taste of Rhône River cruising. After dinner, take a walking tour of Arles, where Van Gogh spent much of 1888 and '89 painting.

Monday - Visit St. Rémy. Cruise to Avignon.
Today, visit a traditional 18th century “Provencal Bastide” in St. Rémy for an olive oil tasting. Lunch onboard. Relax during the afternoon cruise to Avignon and watch the scenery of the Rhône Valley drift by. Cruise past Le Pont St. Bénézet (the famous Pont d'Avignon) before mooring-up at the quay facing the gate to the walled city. Visit the Pont du Gard, part of the Roman aqueduct that transported spring water from Uzès to Nîmes.

Tuesday - Cruise to St.-Etiennes-des-Sorts. Visit Avignon.
A walking tour introduces you to the walled city of Avignon, home of the Popes from 1309-77. A guided tour of the Palace of the Popes is followed by some time at leisure. Return to the barge where lunch awaits and an afternoon cruise. Visit Chateauneuf du Pape for a wine tasting before continuing your cruise to St. Etienne des Sorts.

Wednesday - Cruise to Viviers. Visit Orange.
This morning your guide takes you on a tour of Orange, an important Roman city dating back to 100 BC. The historical town contains two of the finest Roman monuments in Europe. Lunch back on board and continue the cruise to the mooring at Viviers. There's time for a leisurely stroll around this charming medieval town.

Thursday - Visit Château de Grignan. Visit Nyons. Cruise to La Voulte.
Today's visit is to the typical Provencal village of Nyons, to visit a working lavender distillery and tour an ancient XVIII century olive mill. Lunch is taken at a local restaurant in the very scenic village of Grignan. In the afternoon, visit a truffle farm to learn all about the black diamond and taste this expensive and unusual mushroom. Rejoin the boat at La Pouzin, to continue the cruise to La Volte.

Friday - Cruise to Tain l'Hermitage/Tournon. Dégustation.
This morning, the chef takes you to discover a traditional French market in La Voulte followed by a leisurely lunch on board. During this part of the cruise the river valley is flanked by the vineyards of the Côte du Rhône and has a completely different perspective. Mooring in Tain or Tournon you are escorted to Mr Ferraton's winery for your last dégustation. Farewell gala dinner on board.

Saturday - Valence to Paris.
After breakfast disembark the Napoleon and transfer to Valance TGV train station and take the TGV to Paris Gare de Lyon

NOTE: This is a sample itinerary and is subject to change.

The day to day itinerary described 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 - Valence. Tain l’Hermitage.
You are met by the Napoleon guide at Valence Train Station and transferred to the Napoléon for your cruise along the Rivers Rhône and Saône. A champagne reception welcomes you aboard and gives you a chance to meet the crew. You are then taken to Mr Ferraton’s local vineyard for your first wine tasting.

Monday - Cruise to Condrieu. Visit Vienne.
Cruising the Vallée du Rhône is a delightful experience; the magnificent vineyards of the Côtes Rôtie and the Côtes du Rhône seem to descend right into the river. After lunch, we visit the ancient city of Vienne with its many Roman remains including an amphitheatre and aqueduct and the outstanding temple of Augusta and Livia.

Tuesday - Cruise to Lyon Visit Lyon
Enjoy the morning’s cruise to Lyon. Today you have lunch in the centre of Lyon before exploring France’s second city. Dominating the city is the splendidly ornate Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière. Lyon’s shopping facilities are renowned for its quality, including many chic boutiques and a market hall devoted entirely to antiques.

Wednesday - Cruise to Montmerle. Visit Beaujolais.
Leave the city of Lyon behind you as we cross from the River Rhône onto the River Saône, a new pace develops as the Saône is a smaller and quieter river than the Rhône. After lunch we moor in Montmerle where you take a drive into Beaujolais where you have an opportunity to taste the famous wine. Later, we make a stop at an escargots farm where you can sample this local delicacy.

Thursday - Cruise to Mâcon. Visit Cluny and Cormatin.
This morning we cruise to Mâcon, a thriving market town bordering the Mâconnais wine region. After lunch, we visit the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny. The abbey church is a masterpiece of Romanesque art whose influence spread throughout the western Christian world. Then on to Château de Cormatin, a 17th century renaissance-style château with elegant formal gardens.

Friday - Cruise to Chalon-sur-Saône. Visit Beaune.
Your final cruise takes you into Chalon-sur-Saône, a beautiful town with a fine pedestrian centre. After lunch you visit Beaune, capital of the wine region of Burgundy, and visit the famous Hôtel Dieu, Hospice de Beaune and then enjoy some free time for shopping. Back on board the chef is preparing a feast for your farewell dinner.

Saturday – Disembark.
After breakfast disembark the barge for the transfer to Dijon for your onward travel.

Monday - Cruise to Condrieu. Wine tasting in Condrieu.
Cruising through the Vallée du Rhône is a delightful experience; the magnificent vineyards of the Côtes du Rhône seem to descend right into the river. After a delicious lunch on board, we drive through some of the most prestigious and renowned appellations in France - Côtes Rôtie one of the oldest vineyards in France where the delightful Syrah grape grows so well, and Condrieu famous for its Viognier grape. The viognier grape was almost wiped out by the Phylloxera virus, but now flourishes here on the slopes of the Upper Rhone valley. We enjoy tastings of all these wonderful wines here. Tonight we are moored in Condrieu surrounded by the sloping hills filled with grapes slowly maturing.

Tuesday - Cruise to Lyon. Visit Lyon.
Enjoy the morning’s cruise to Lyon. Today you have a gourmet lunch with tasting menu with wines to match each course, our guide will host this meal and introduce each wine. Lyon is France’s second city, dominating the centre is the splendidly ornate Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière. Lyon’s shopping facilities are renowned for their quality, including many chic boutiques. There will be free time to enjoy the many shops of this city, or to sit in one of the numerous pavement cafes and simply watch the world go by. We are moored in Lyon for the night, after dinner perhaps walk up into ‘Vieux Lyon’ the old part of town, just a few minutes from where you are moored.

Wednesday - Cruise to Montmerle. Visit the Beaujolais region.
Leave the city of Lyon behind as we cross from the River Rhône onto the River Saône. A new pace develops as the Saône is a smaller and quieter river than the Rhône. After lunch we moor in Montmerle, in the heart of the famous Beaujolais wine region. We then take a very scenic drive into this wonderful wine region, rolling hills are in abundance dotted with vineyards as far as the eye can see. We make our way towards Oingt, a cobblestone village, which is listed as one of the prettiest in France where we have a wine tasting at a small traditional family winery.

Thursday - Cruise to Tournus. Visit Pouilly Fuisse vineyards and wine tasting. Gala dinner with wine expert
This morning we cruise to Tournus, a thriving market town bordering the Maconnais wine region. After lunch, we continue our journey through these ever changing wine regions to the charming village of Pouilly Fuisse. Under the back drop of the Rock du Solutre, this area is almost exclusively producing Chardonnay grapes, the vineyards make up part of this breath taking landscape where limestone and heavy clay combine to create a unique ‘terroir’. We take the opportunity to taste the wonderful wine of this region with a local producer. Tonight, we invite a local wine expert to join you for dinner, he will introduce some of his favourite wines of the region and explain the importance of his choices over a special meal created around his selection of wine.

Friday - Cruise to Chalon-sur-Saône. Visit Beaune and Dinner in Gevrey Chambertin.
Your final cruise takes you into Chalon-sur-Saône, a beautiful town with a fine pedestrian centre. After lunch, visit Beaune, capital of the wine region of Burgundy, for a tour of the famous Hôtel Dieu, Hospice de Beaune followed by a special wine tasting in Drouhin.. The town with its tiny centre, has hardly changed physically down the years, a circular boulevard runs round its former ramparts, many of which still stand. Within, there is a dense maze of narrow old streets. We continue our journey along the magnificent ‘Route des Grand Crus’, you will pass through Montrachet, Meursault, Pommard, Morey St Denis on route to Gevrey Chambertin. We meet the owner Christine Drouhin Laroze who will take you on a tour of her cellars and of course, introduce you to her wines. We then complete the experience with a wonderful Burgundy feast prepared by Christine - dining in her private dining room within their cellar.

Saturday – Disembark. Transfer to Paris.
After breakfast disembark the barge for the transfer to Dijon and your return to Paris on the TGV where you are met by a barge representative who will assist you with your luggage.

Monday – Cruise to Viviers. Painting at Viviers
Relax on the top deck and watch the beautiful scenery of the Rhône Valley glide by as the barge cruises down stream towards Viviers. Mid-afternoon, the boat moors in this charming medieval town. We find a wonderful position just down river from where the Napoleon will moored, this site looks up on to the village and then finally to the Cathedral on the top of the hill. The sun light in Provence is perfect for painting, and today is a perfect place to start your first lesson.

Tuesday – Painting at Grignan. Cruise to St. Etienne des Sorts.
After breakfast, we take a very scenic drive through the countryside to Grignan. Here, we spend the morning painting, from a position that over looks the entire town. Grignan is famous for its fields of purple lavender, which are so picturesque to paint. Lunch is taken at a local wonderful restaurant, we then return to painting this afternoon. We return to the barge and continue our journey south, this afternoon we pass through the Lock (Ecluse) of Bollene, which has one of the largest drops in Europe, measuring over 23 meters. Tonight we moor in the very quiet village of St. Etienne des Sorts.

Wednesday - Cruise to Avignon. Painting at Avignon.
This morning we continue our cruise towards Avignon.We stop on route to visit Chateauneuf de Pape for a wine tasting at the magnificent Chateau la Nerte. We return to the boat for a lunch cruise into Avignon. A walled city of great beauty. We cruise alongside the Pont St. Bénézet (the famous Pont d’Avignon) before mooring-up at the quay opposite the gate to the walled city. We then transfer across the river to the Ile de la Barthelasse, for an amazing view of the Popes Palace and the Pont St. Bénézet for an afternoon of painting. There is simply an unbeatable view of this wonderful town and with David’s assistance – you are sure to paint a truly stunning picture from this location.

Thursday – Cruise to Arles. Visit les Baux.
During the morning, the boat continues to cruise south towards the Roman city of Arles, after lunch you are transferred to the hill top village of Les Baux de Provence, set in the heart of Provence. This is an outstanding village; with the beautiful church of St Vincent and a hill top Chateau overlooking the valley towards the Mediterranean Sea. There are pictures to be painted at every corner. We return to the boat, which has now moored in Arles. This is the place that Van Gogh painted his famous ‘Starry Night’ picture, perhaps take the same position by the wall, and recreate your own ‘Starry night’ painting!

Friday - Visit Arles. Cruise to Vallebregues. Painting at a Provencal Bastide
After breakfast, your guide takes you on a walking tour of Arles, best known because Van Gogh painted here between 1888 and 1890. Lunch will be served while cruising to Vallabrègues. Later that afternoon we visit a traditional 18th century “Provencal Bastide” where 15,000 olive trees are growing. There are plenty of scenes to paint here, perhaps the beautiful property or simply a single olive tree. Meanwhile the chef is busy back on board preparing your Farewell gala dinner.

Saturday - Avignon
After breakfast, disembark the barge.