Sunday, Day 1: Béziers
Step aboard and enjoy a welcoming champagne reception, meeting your crew and guide for the trip. In the evening, enjoy your first fabulous dining experience on board. Your chef will have prepared a feast showcasing the region’s tastiest seasonal ingredients.
Monday, Day 2: Cruise to Capestang. Visit Fontfroide Abbey
Spend your first morning relaxing on board as you start your cruise on the beautiful Canal du Midi, one of the most stunning waterways in France. After lunch on the barge, accompany your guide on a visit to Fontfroide Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded in the 11th century. Now privately owned, the abbey has been lovingly restored with a well-kept garden and peaceful cloister. On the way back to the barge stop to enjoy a wine tasting at a local domaine.
Tuesday, Day 3: Cruise to Le Somail
This morning’s cruise brings you to Le Somail, one of the prettiest moorings along the canal, which attracts a host of local artists displaying their wares. After lunch, accompany your guide on a short drive to a local olive mill, where you can uncover the farmer’s secrets with a private demonstration and tasting. Return to the boat for dinner.
Wednesday, Day 4: Visit Narbonne and the market. Cruise to Homps
This morning, in the company of your chef, visit the wonderful covered market in Narbonne to choose ingredients for your dinner. Narbonne is a lively Mediterranean city and an important wine-producing centre. The historic architecture, shady boulevards and location on the banks of the River Robine all contribute to its charm. Enjoy lunch at a local bistro close to the market and then return to the barge for an afternoon’s cruise to the port at Homps. Dinner is served on board.
Thursday, Day 5: Visit Minerve. Cruise to Trèbes
After breakfast, visit Minerve, an ancient village perched on a limestone cliff, overlooking the vineyards below. Its now-ruined castle was once a Cathar stronghold, besieged and captured by Simon de Montfort. Return for lunch on board, relax and soak up the ever-changing views from the comfort of the deck, or perhaps walk or cycle along the towpath. Tonight we moor on the outskirts of the picturesque town of Trèbes, the perfect spot for dinner at a local restaurant.
Friday, Day 6: Cruise to Carcassonne. Visit Carcassonne
Finish the week with a tour of Europe’s largest medieval fortress, Carcassonne. Explore the intricate fortifications of the two castellated walls, one inside the other, stretching about a mile in circumference. The views from the battlements towards the Pyrenees are stunning. Visit the cathedral, remarkable for its stained-glass rose windows, elegant Romanesque nave and Gothic transepts. Back on board, your chef is preparing your farewell gala dinner.
Saturday, Day 7: Carcassonne
After breakfast the crew bids you farewell before you disembark the barge for your onward travel arrangements.
This is a sample itinerary and is subject to change. On alternate weeks the cruise is in the reverse direction.
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