Hauts-de-France & Upper Loire Barge Cruise 2024

Welcome to C’est la Vie!

You’ll be met at 3:00pm in the lobby of your Paris hotel and chauffeured to the C’est La Vie.

For charter groups in the lobby of one hotel, mutually agreed upon by the group. Guests on individual cabin sailings will be picked up and returned to the Hotel Madison, 43 Boulevard St Germain,75006 Paris,Tel; +33 (0)1 40 51 60 00.

After the traditional champagne welcome from the Captain and crew, there is time to unpack and take a stroll, before enjoying the first of many gourmet dinners on board.

Sightseeing: WW1 museum in Meaux

Cruise to Neuilly-sur-Marne

After a buffet breakfast we will take a drive through the city of Meaux to the WW1 museum, this is the biggest museum in Europe dedicated to the First World War and holds over 60,000 exhibits. The collection was started by Jean-Pierre Verney and in 2005 the City of Meaux bought his collection and built the museum to show it to the world. We return to the C’est La Vie for lunch and a cruise on the beautiful river Marne going towards Paris, our evening mooring is the town of Neuilly-sur-Marne.

Dinner Aboard.

Sightseeing: Chateau of Vaux le Vicomte

Cruise to Melun

Cruising on the river Marne and joining the river Seine, you will be able to catch a glimpse of some of the magnificent homes and gardens that line the banks of these two majestic rivers. After lunch visit the Chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte, an enormous privately-owned property with grand gardens and an intriguing history. Built by Nicholas Fouquet, finance minister to Louis XIV, the chateau became a lightning rod for the jealous king. Fouquet landed in jail for the rest of his life and the king built Versailles in retaliation!

Could Fouquet have been the man in the iron mask, some people certainly think so?

Return to the C’est la Vie moored in Melun for cocktails and dinner

Sightseeing: Barbizon, Verrerie of Soisy sur école

Moret sur Loing (River Seine)

Morning cruise to Moret sur loing.

The afternoon visit takes us to Barbizon where, The Barbizon School of painters was part of an art movement towards realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870. It takes its name from the village of Barbizon, near the Forest of Fontainebleau, where many of the artists gathered. Some of the most prominent features of this school are its tonal qualities, colour, loose brushwork and softness of form.
We finish with a visit to the glass blowing factory of Soisy sur Ecole, watch this fascinating process and regard some of the pieces of art made from using this age old tradition.

Returning to the C’est La Vie in time to prepare for your dinner ashore at a local restaurant, carefully chosen by Olivier & Deborah.

Sightseeing: Moret sur Loing

Cruise to Nemours

Morning visit of this medieval town Moret sur Loing, this is where the painter Alfred Sisley spent most of his life. Sisley was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life in France to English parents.

A specialty of the town of Moret-sur-Loing is the barley sugar; it is one of the oldest boiled sweets in France. Enjoyed for over 300 years, this candy is available as amber-colored round sweets or translucent sticks. It was first made in 1638 by nuns in the town, who prepared sweets with cane sugar and barley for medical purposes.

Returning to the C’est La Vie for a buffet lunch which could be served on the deck weather permitting and as we cruise to the town of Nemours. There’s plenty of time this afternoon to take a walk or a bicycle and follow the C’est La Vie as she meanders down the canal.
Cocktails and Dinner aboard.

Sightseeing: Chateau of Fontainebleau

Cruise to Montargis

This morning we cruise on the Loing canal and enter the Braire canal as we head towards the town of Montargis, take this opportunity to walk or cycle on the tow path before lunch. This afternoon we will drive to the famous Chateau of Fontainebleau, built in the 16th century, it is often referred to as the “House of Centuries” due to the fact that every French monarch from Francois 1 to Napoleon 3 has left his mark upon this magnificent chateau.

Return to the “C’est La Vie” for the Captains dinner which ends your cruise in style.

Return to Paris

After breakfast, at 9.30 you will be chauffeured back to Paris for the end of the morning.

We look forward to your company again on the “C’est la Vie”!