France is a country crisscrossed by a labyrinth of rivers and canals. Centuries ago, they were the backbone of the nation’s economy as they undertook their important role in the transportation network. Today, they are the lynchpin of something far more enviable; the world of luxury travel, offering visitors a unique way to explore France. Barge holidays in France are a magical way to see this part of the world, as we experienced first-hand on this Loire Valley cruise, showcasing the beautiful Upper Loire and Burgundy.
A Loire river cruise on the Renaissance offers the ultimate luxury slow travel experience. Image © Kerri McConnel
Barge Holidays in France: A Loire Valley Cruise
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Slow Travel in Style
Life aboard a luxury barge is the ultimate nod to slow travel. Doing it in France on a barge like the Renaissance elevates it to another very special level. A Loire barge cruise promises medieval villages and a patchwork of agricultural land that pull you into their daily life, each day.
Grapevines, corn and bright yellow sunflowers danced in the breeze under the powder blue sky. 10th-century churches, lock houses and chateaux passed us by in a seemingly endless display of ancient beauty. As we cruised, ever so slowly, along the canals, stopping to pass through countless locks, it felt as though we’d travelled far.
Everything slows down on canal barge holidays. It removes any thoughts or actions of our usually busy lives and creates this beautiful, positive and mellow state of mind. We had nowhere else to be so it allows you to really live in the moment and take some time out.
In reality, the Renaissance only covers a little over 52 kilometres (32 miles), something you could drive in a heartbeat. It’s the best way of explaining the life on a canal cruise in France is not about how much you can see in a day but rather how much you can soak it all up and savour every moment.
The hardest questions you might be faced with aboard the Renaissance is what drink you would like or when you’d like to eat. It’s a tough life, but someone has to do it, right?
“I could quite easily just sit here all day watching the scenery go by”, one of the American guests onboard says out loud. Their inner thoughts met with a murmur of agreement from all of us, as we lounged on the deck chairs in the French sunshine.
Completely pampered for seven days and six nights, the only negative about our time onboard the Renaissance was that eventually, like all guests, we had to leave.
Related: The Renaissance: Gourmet Dining on a Loire Valley Barge Cruise
Kerri settling in on the Renaissance luxury barge. Image © Kerri McConnel
The Renaissance Luxury Hotel Barge
The Renaissance is the flagship hotel barge in the European Waterways fleet. Built in 1957, she was restored into a luxury barge in 1997. Her former life as a hardworking transportation vessel carrying cereals and grains is now a distant memory.
These barges are engineering works of art and provide a fascinating insight into the history of boat building. They are designed specifically to navigate through the shallow and narrow canals. The lock system in France adds complexity by being built differently.
The Canal du Midi, where we cruised aboard the Savannah last year, for example, is smaller than the canals of central France. All barges are built to the size of the canals they will be working on. This became evident at the locks.
Measuring nearly 39 metres long (128 feet) and 5.02 metres wide (16.4 feet), this is where our captain, Hadrien, showed off his skills. The locks on our canals were only 5.20 metres wide. With this 250 tonne beast under his control, Hadrien moved the Renaissance through the canals with only centimetres to spare.
There’s no room for error and definitely no room to stick your head out to get a closer look.
For all of her heavy-duty exterior, the Renaissance becomes more delicate and sophisticated inside. With no gunnels running down the outside, all of the width of the barge is taken up with living areas and the sense of space is immediately tangible.
The spaciousness of the communal areas both inside and outside provide the opportunity for guests to take some time out away from others. Or, they can take respite in the air-conditioned comfort of the saloon when the temperatures rise outside.
The Renaissance barge cruise through the Loire Valley snakes up the Canal de Briare. Image © Kerri McConnel
Where in France Does the Barge Cruise Go?
Barge holidays in France often commence in Paris. In this case, all guests assemble at a predetermined meeting point, often a hotel. A private transfer then whisked us away to our starting village of Montargis, a two-hour drive from Paris.
Depending on which week you travel, the cruise will either commence in Montargis or in Châtillon-Sur-Loire and will either go up or down the canal. Wherever you start, the crew will be waiting to serve you that first wonderful glass of French champagne.
The Renaissance cruises two canals along the border of the Loire Valley and Burgundy (Bourgogne). Our cruise departed from Montargis and ended in Châtillon-sur-Loire, via Montbouy, Rogney-Sept-les-Écluses, La Gazonne and Briare.
Whilst we travelled along two canals, most of the week is spent on the Canal de Briare. This canal is approximately 45 kilometres (28 miles) and connects our starting town of Montargis with Briare. The final stretch on the Canal Latéral à la Loire takes us only 7.2 kilometres (4.2 miles) until the final destination at Châtillon-Sur-Loire.
The incredible Palace of Fontainebleau is one of three chateaux you visit during the Renaissance Loire cruise. Image © Kerri McConnel
Loire Valley Activities: Highlights of our Barge Cruise
- No Loire Valley cruise or visit to the Loire region would be complete without seeing at least one chateau. We were indeed spoilt, with visits to three chateaux. Without a doubt, the fanciest was Château de Fontainebleau, but of equal value were the privately-owned Château de la Bussière and Château de Ratilly.
- A very special tour of the French Military horse stables at Fontainebleau, led by a working Colonel.
- A private tour of a vineyard and a very generous and inspired wine tasting in the Sancerre.
- Visiting the Gien pottery factory and store.
- Local market shopping with the chef.
- Mooring for the night near the historical Rogney-Sept-Les-Ecluses locks.
- The grand finalẻ, cruising over the Briare Aqueduct made famous by Frenchman Gustav Eiffel.
Related: Cruising the Canal du Midi: A Luxury Barge Cruise in France
Delicious welcome cocktails thanks to the wonderful crew on board the Renaissance luxury barge, France. Image © Kerri McConnel
The Crew
You’ve boarded your luxury barge, full of excitement about the week that lays ahead. You’ve read the brochures, perhaps done a little online research and you’ve got a general idea of the types of activities you will be involved in. It’s the reason after all that you decided to book the Renaissance.
Your week, in essence, has been set up perfectly. This is certainly true, and when you come aboard this barge, the aesthetics are instantly comforting. You know you’ve made the right choice.
However, that’s only part of the prize. A barge can be as beautiful as she wants but without the hospitality, knowledge, personality and overall generosity of the crew, it’s simply that. Just a beautiful barge.
The crew makes (or breaks) the cruise, in our opinion. Thankfully, when you book the Renaissance, you are booking with a team of professionals. Down to earth, engaging and with plenty of stories to tell, they are the centre of the barge’s operations and the people who will create a week of magic for you. In the background, everything just gets done.
You don’t see it happening, you aren’t necessarily aware of what’s going on, but each and every moment aboard the Renaissance is coordinated and executed to ensure maximum pleasure for the guests. They do everything so you don’t have to. This is what true luxury travel is all about.
Whilst for some people, like us, having others waiting on your all the time can feel uncomfortable at first, others book these types of cruises expecting that level of service. They come on board to be pampered, well-watered and fed, and do not have to worry about how to get from point A to point B. Absolutely everything is taken care of for you without question.
Hostesses Carla and Claire work together like old friends attending to your every need, even when you don’t think you have one. They are ever-present and yet simultaneously hidden. Guests are provided with exceptional service, anticipating their every need, without ever feeling as though they are in your way.
They will serve you tea at your required hour or put ice in your glass because they know you like it that way. For me, they’d pop a glass of bubbly in my hand just because they know I would appreciate one.
They are the little fairies who leave chocolates on your pillow at night, remember that you like sparkling water over the still variety and stay up long after you’ve called it a night to make sure that everything is ready for your breakfast in the morning.
Matthew, one of the five crew on the Renaissance has truly found his calling and the guests are the grateful recipients. With a degree in transportation and logistics planning in his back pocket, Matthew now splits his time on the Renaissance between being a deckhand and tour guide. “I love spending seven months of the year in the middle of nowhere”, Matthew said to me during one of our chats.
When cruising, he is the eyes and ears of the captain, who uses Matthew’s guidance to steer the barge through the tight locks. When it’s time for the guests to go on the daily excursion, Matthew’s greatest prowess comes to the fore. Matthew has a great love of history and loves to share his learnings onto the guests.
Whether it be a famous (or not so famous) chateau, a tiny 10th-century church in a minuscule village, or a pottery factory, Matthew enchants everyone with his stories and his depth of knowledge.
The kitchen tucked away at the back of the barge is the fiefdom of Chef Hannah. Hannah, a British-born former hairdresser, told me that she “developed a passion for food and French cooking, so went to school in France and learned how to be a chef”.
As each dish is served, Hannah comes to the table to explain exactly what it is that we are eating. We always used this opportunity to gain a little more insight into how Hannah had prepared the meal.
Finally, Hadrien, Parisian-born and now a resident of Lyon in the south of France, rounds out the crew as the captain and leader of the barge. Young and engaging, Hadrien has oversight of everything that occurs on board the Renaissance, ensuring the guests are happy and that everything is going to plan.
He also has what might seem like an arduous task to many of keeping the Renaissance in the right part of the canal at all times. His “wheelhouse” sits at the back, a long way from the front of the barge.
He navigates this large vessel via two mirrors, one on each side of him or by watching the hand signals of Matthew when moving through locks or mooring.
On many occasions, the barge passes underneath low overhead bridges, requiring Hadrien to duck as he cruises under them. It only takes a little bit of time spent with Hadrien to realise what an amazing job he does.
The cabins onboard the Renaissance are huge; featuring a king-size bed, full-sized bathroom and plenty of space for bags. Image © Kerri McConnel
Taking a Tour of the Renaissance
The Cabins
“Wow!” This was the first thing I said as I walked through the door of our cabin, feet sinking in the plush grey-blue carpet. I couldn’t believe the size of it. Expecting a cabin half this size, I swanned around in here all week, never tiring of the luxury of having this incredible amount of space around us.
This is a key feature of the Renaissance, where complete consideration has been given to ensuring that all guests have spacious cabins as well as spacious living areas.
Four cabins accommodate a maximum of eight guests. The cabins, all named after the French writers Dumas, Moliere, Voltaire and Hugo, are located on the lower deck, accessible by internal stairs. The number of guests has been deliberately restricted to eight in order to be able to provide larger than average cabins.
The strategy paid off as the feeling of space that a 235 square feet (almost 21.5 square metres) cabin provides most definitely enhanc