'SAROCHE'

Sunday Afternoon - Beaucaire
Guests are greeted at the pre-designated meeting point and escorted to Saroche in Beaucaire. After settling in you are invited to join the captain for a Champagne Reception and cruise safety briefing. Enjoy your pre-dinner aperitifs during an early evening cruise from Beaucaire port into the countryside.

Monday - Cruising : Beaucaire to Saint Gilles
A morning excursion to Avignon for a guided tour of the Palace of the Popes and the famous Pont d'Avignon followed by some free time to explore the town before returning to Saroche for lunch. The afternoon cruise begins by passing through the only lock on the canal and then continues through the lush vegetation of the Rhône valley to overnight mooring spot in the country where frogs and nightingales sing the night away.
Excursion : The magnificent city of Avignon.

Tuesday - Cruising : Saint Gilles to Aigues-Mortes
Your morning excursion is to the Provençal city of Arles before returning to Saroche for lunch and relax on the tranquil afternoon cruise through the reed beds of the Camargue where reed cutters work, black bulls and white horses graze, and birds of prey soar over Europe's largest wetland wilderness.
Excursion : Visit Arles and the Roman arena and theatre - walk in the footsteps of Van Gogh and maybe take a drink in the Starry Nights Café made famous by his painting.

Wednesday - Aigues-Mortes
Aigues-Mortes, 'the jewel of the Camargue' built by Louis IV as a departure port for his Crusades, stands boldly on the salt flats guarding the entrance to the Mediterranean. Visit the colourful morning street market and enjoy the shopping, galleries and sightseeing, or walk the ramparts of this medieval town.
Excursion : Village and vineyards of Châteauneuf du Pape. Lunch at a selected Restaurant, followed by a tasting of the world famous red wine. The return trip to Saroche takes in the 2000 year old Roman aqueduct at Pont du Gard, one of the treasures of the Roman Empire.

Thursday - Cruising : Aigues-Mortes to Maguelone
After your morning excursion time to relax on an afternoon cruise through the inland lakes teeming with bird life, to Maguelone, an ancient settlement on a pine clad hill by the sea - its cathedral dating back to the sixth Century. Watch the nesting colonies of bee-eaters and white egrets along the canal banks and the flocks of hundreds of flamingoes gracefully wading through the etangs.
Excursion : Todays excursion is a visit to Saintes Maries-de-la-Mer with its fortified church and magical stories or visit the world famous Perrier source and bottling plant.

Friday - Cruising : Maguelone to Sète
The last day's cruising takes you to the medieval Port of Sète, France's second largest sea port. The picturesque town is crisscrossed by small canals which link the Mediterranean with the inland lake 'Etang de Thau'. The captain's farewell dinner this evening is on a canal front restaurant where fish comes directly into the kitchen from the fishing boats moored at the quay. Local Mediterranean dishes are a speciality.
Excursion : The afternoon excursion of Sète includes a trip to the hilltop for breath-taking panoramic views of the town and surrounding waters, followed by a stroll through the streets of the old town.

Saturday - Sète
Time after breakfast for one last chance to sit on deck before your departure from Saroche.

The cruise is from Sète to Beaucaire on alternate weeks

This itinerary details the cruise route and gives examples of the visits which may be made from the vessel. It is our aim to provide a cruise tailored for you, so wherever possible we will adjust the cruise to fit in with your requirements. Activities such as riding, tennis, hot air ballooning and golf can be organised on request. Bicycles and boules are available on board.

Sunday Afternoon - Dijon
Guests are greeted at the pre-designated meeting point and escorted to Saroche in Dijon. After settling in you are invited to join the Captain for a Champagne Reception and cruise safety briefing. Plenty of time for a stroll around Dijon or merely relax on board and enjoy the view.

Monday - Cruising : Dijon to Fleurey sur Ouche
Our first day cruising leaves behind the bustling centre of Dijon as we journey upwards to our evening halt in the village of Fleurey sur Ouche nestling in the Ouche valley. Climb to the top of the church of Notre Dame to view the marvellous panoramic view over the surrounding countryside.
Excursion :Tour the Côte de Nuits vineyards known as the Champs Elysées of Burgundy. Visit the Château of Clos de Vougeot, established by the Cistercian monks and famous for its wines. The Chevaliers du Tastevin meet here to sample the wines and confer their medals on selected vintages.

Tuesday - Cruising : Fleurey sur Ouche to Gissey sur Ouche
This morning we continue upwards in the tranquility of the countryside and the lush scenery of the Ouche valley through Pont de Pany and Saint Marie sur Ouche to this evening's halt at Gissey sur Ouche. Plenty of opportunities to stroll or cycle alongside the vessel as it slowly meanders along between locks to work up an appetite for this evening's meal ashore at a typical country restaurant.
Excursion :This morning is set aside for a tour of Dijon which has many places of interest such as the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy housing the Fine Arts Museum with its paintings from the 14th Century to the present day. Climb the 3l6 steps of Philip the Good's Tower to get a wonderful view of the region.

Wednesday - Cruising : Gissey sur Ouche to La Bussière
Today's cruise takes us through sloping tree laden reaches and the picturesque village of Saint Victor to La Bussière where you can visit the buildings and the grounds of the medieval abbey.
Excursion : Visit the abbey of Fontenay which was founded in1118 by Saint Bernard and built in the Romanesque style by the Cistercian monks in the 12th Century to the 15th Century. In 1906 it was turned into a paper mill by the Montgolfier brothers but was reinstated by their descendants in 1820.

Thursday - Cruising : La Bussière to Pont d'Ouche
Cruising along the tree lined valley we pass through the canalside villages of La Forge and Veuvey sur Ouche en route to Pont d'Ouche where Charollais cattle graze peacefully in the pastures alongside the canal.
Excursion : Beaune, Burgundy's wine capital - tour the Hôtel Dieu with its honeycombed, coloured tiled roof, built in 1443 as a Hospice for the sick and needy it is now famous for its collection of pottery jars and its annual wine auctions. Visit the cellars of Patriarche Pere et Fils, the largest cellars in Burgundy, for a tasting of some of its fine wines.

Friday - Cruising : Pont d'Ouche to Vandenesse
Our final morning's cruise takes us ever upwards towards the summit level as the canal winds round past the hillside villages of Bouhey and Châteauneuf. The cruise culminates in the Captain's Farewell Dinner ashore at a Burgundian restaurant.
Excursion :Visit the magnificent Château of Commarin with its forbidding stone walls and towers, and the romantic 12th Century village of Châteauneuf, former seat of the Duke of Burgundy, prominent upon its hilltop overlooking the Canal.

Saturday - Vandenesse
Time after breakfast for one last chance to relax on deck before your departure from Saroche.