A Burgundy barge cruise is a slow and relaxing way to soak up this stunning region of France. Drift down peaceful waterways as you savor views of the magnificent Burgundian vineyards and quaint French villages. Divide your time between visiting brilliant historic sites, indulging in delicious chef-prepared cuisine, and catching glimpses of the French countryside’s rolling hills.
This was my third luxury hotel barge cruise with European Waterways. My first sailing was aboard the Athos barge in the south of France on the Canal du Midi. Next, Justin and I experienced a trip on the La Bella Vita barge in Italy, cruising between Venice and Mantua. Now, we’re sailing aboard the beautiful vessel, Finesse, on the Canal du Centre in Burgundy (Bourgogne), France.
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In this article about our hotel barge cruise in Burgundy on Finesse, we’ll provide you with a full review and all the details you need to know. We’ll tell you more about European Waterways, the Finesse barge and our cabin, what a typical day looks like, our itinerary in Burgundy, the food and wine, the crew, and how to plan your trip.
Watch our Burgundy Barge Cruise Video
Watch our video entitled, France Canal Cruise: Our Barge Cruise of Burgundy on YouTube. You’ll be able to catch glimpses of the barge, the canal, and some of the pretty little towns we visited.
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Burgundy Barge Cruise Aboard Finesse
Have you ever traveled by hotel barge before? It’s a fascinating way to see the world! It’s very different from an ocean cruise or a river cruise. You’ll slowly drift down quiet canals and rivers, often visiting off the beaten path destinations on the way. When you aren’t admiring the beautiful scenery aboard the barge, you may be taking a tour or eating the delicious meals prepared by the onboard chef.
The Finesse barge is a luxurious floating hotel that hosts up to eight guests. With five crew members, the crew to passenger ratio is nearly 1:1 (in our case, we only had four passengers on our trip!). There are shared spaces both indoors and outdoors, as well as your private cabin with its own bathroom.
Your chef prepares top notch meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and you’ll enjoy local wines from Burgundy. There’s a stocked fridge and bar with every type of alcohol imaginable, and you can request a cocktail or a coffee anytime.
The barge usually sails only in the morning or the afternoon, and you’ll spend the other half of the day on a tour. In some cases, you can choose to walk or bike along the canal when the barge is in transit or after you stop for the day. Every day, you’ll wake up to explore a new destination or attraction. Unpack your luggage once and enjoy the journey.
It’s a very relaxing way to travel. You can choose to be active or more laid back on the trip. Wander around and explore the nearby villages once you dock for the day. Go for a bike ride on the path beside the canal. Stay on the barge and read a book. It’s all up to you!
What’s Included in a Burgundy Barge Cruise
A barge holiday in Burgundy is the ultimate in luxury. It’s an all-inclusive experience where you don’t need to plan anything at all. Just show up and enjoy your vacation. Before dinner, the captain will discuss the next day’s itinerary with you and the schedule will be written on a little display board for reference. Here’s everything that’s included in your six night Burgundy barge cruise:
- Transfers to and from the barge in an air conditioned van
- All meals prepared on board by a master chef (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
- All wine throughout the cruise, served with each meal
- An open bar of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including liquor, beer, coffee, tea and soda
- All excursions and admittance fees to the places noted on the itinerary
- Barge facilities and use of the bicycles
There are only a few things not included in the price of your barge cruise: any travel insurance, air transportation to Paris (if required), train tickets to Dijon (if required) and gratuities.
About Finesse
Finesse is a double-decker luxury hotel barge with the highest “ultra deluxe” rating. There are shared public spaces on the main floor of the barge, both indoors and outdoors. The staterooms are on the lower deck with two cabins on either end of the barge. On Finesse, there are a maximum of eight passengers and there are four ensuite cabins in total.
The main saloon features panoramic windows with plenty of natural light flowing into the room. You can watch the world pass by from the dining area or the comfortable couches and chairs. This is the perfect place to enjoy conversation or stay cozy reading a book while sipping a coffee or tea.
The demonstration galley is an intriguing feature on Finesse. On the other barges I’ve cruised on, the galley is located on the lower level of the barge, out of sight. In this case, you can watch the chef prepare gourmet meals before your eyes.
There’s also a dining table with chairs outdoors, as well as a spa pool. It’s possible to soak up the sunshine or sit beneath the shade while enjoying the fresh air. Relax outdoors as Finesse glides down the Canal du Centre as you drift past vineyards and the French countryside.
We admired beautiful fields of yellow canola flowers in bloom during our cruise in mid-April. There’s no shortage of picturesque villages or the occasional grouping of cute farm animals, too. If it’s warm enough outside, you may be able to enjoy your lunch outdoors.
Our Cabin on Finesse
Justin and I stayed in the Borealis suite, which can be configured as a twin or double room. We were thoroughly impressed by the size of the cabin as its much larger than any cruise cabin we’ve had in the past. There’s enough space for the bed, a desk, a large wooden wardrobe for your clothes, and more room to spare. The bed is so comfortable, too, like sleeping on a cloud!
This cabin has a few port hole windows which allows the light to flow into the room. You can also cover the windows with small curtains. While the windows can be opened, I don’t recommend opening them for long periods of time as bugs could enter your cabin. Plus, there’s an air conditioning unit in the room that cools the cabin down rather nicely.
The ensuite bathroom is bright and modern. There are two sinks, cupboards to store your toiletries, and a large shower. L’Occitane en Provence shampoo, conditioner, and bodywash are provided so you don’t need to bring your own from home. There’s a small mirror for doing your makeup, though I liked to use the larger mirror on the desk.
The staff on Finesse go above and beyond to make sure you have everything you need. There’s a little bowl of mints on the desk, and a little treat or chocolate is provided on the pillow during the evening turndown service. We also received a welcome gift with European Waterways reusable water bottles, baseball hats and tote bags.
Burgundy Barge Cruise: Canal du Centre, France
Barge cruises start on Sunday afternoon and end on Saturday morning. The pickup point for your Burgundy barge cruise on Finesse is located in Dijon. You’ll be picked up from Dijon and will drive for approximately one hour to the barge, which will be located in St-Julien-sur-Dheune or Chalon-sur-Saône.
The drive will fly by because this is the first time you’ll meet your barge tour guide and fellow guests. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of things to chat about as you become acquainted with one another. Once you arrive at the barge, you’ll be warmly greeted by the five staff on board, as well as a glass of champagne and some appetizers.
You’ll spend your first evening on board getting settled in your cabin and enjoying dinner with your fellow passengers. On our barge cruise of Burgundy, there were only four passengers including the two of us.
While this isn’t typical, it may happen if you choose to sail earlier in the season (we embarked on the first barge trip on Finesse that season in mid-April). Our fellow guests were such a delight to travel with, and we enjoyed many wonderful conversations over delicious meals.
Typical Day on a Burgundy Barge Cruise
On Finesse, you’ll start the day off right with a buffet breakfast spread across the dining room table. Then, you’ll either start the day with a morning cruise down the canal to the next destination or you’ll take a morning tour somewhere nearby.
Lunch is typically served around 12:30pm. It’s a four course meal with a starter, a main course, a cheese course, and dessert. They’ll also pair a white and red wine with the meals, too. After lunch, it’s either a canal sailing if there wasn’t one in the morning to reach the next docking point or a tour if you sailed in the morning.
There might be time in the late afternoon to go for a stroll or bike ride along the canal. If you’re near a small village, you can opt to go there to wander around. Once you arrive back on the barge, you’ll usually be treated to a cocktail and selection of appetizers to tide you over until dinnertime.
Dinner is a four course meal with a starter, a main course, a cheese course and a dessert. While I wasn’t able to partake in the cheese course, I was always served a little plate of fruit and nuts. There’s always plenty of fresh bread to go around, plus a red and white wine is also served with dinner. After dinner, guests retreat to their cabins for a restful night’s sleep.
Daily Excursions and Destinations on our Burgundy Barge Cruise
The Finesse barge tours Southern Burgundy, spending the majority of the time on the scenic Canal du Centre and a shorter portion of the cruise on the River Saône. Guests are met in Dijon and transferred by van to St-Julien-sur-Dheune.
This barge cruise in Burgundy stops in St-Léger-sur-Dheune, Remigny, Rully, Fragnes and Chalon-sur-Saône. Please note that your cruise’s itinerary may be in the reverse order of our itinerary. The barge will either set sail from St-Julien-sur-Dheune or Chalon-sur-Saône, depending on the week.
While the barge makes stops in tiny, picturesque villages right on the Canal du Centre, the majority of our tours and day trips are outside of these communities. We travel by van from the barge to several destinations that are among the best places to visit in Burgundy, France.
The following attractions and activities are half day tours. We spent the morning or afternoon experiencing the town or attraction, while generally spending the other half of the day sailing on the barge.
Chateau de Germolles
On our first full day aboard Finesse, our Burgundy barge cruise took us on a morning sailing through 11 locks. We sailed past pretty little places and beautiful countryside until we reached the village of St-Leger-sur-Dheune.
After lunch, we drove to the 14th century Château de Germolles, the best preserved of the residences of the Dukes of Burgundy. We took a tour of the property visiting the ducal chapel and admiring the rooms of the castle with original medieval wall paintings.
Autun
Autun is a small town in Burgundy, founded by the Romans as Augustodunum. We saw many ancient Roman monuments still in tact, like the Roman gates, ruins of a temple and a 17,000 seat amphitheatre. After visiting the town’s cathedral, we had some free time to explore.
After lunch back on the barge, we drifted down the Canal du Centre towards Remigny, witnessing many idyllic scenes along the way. Once we docked, Justin and I went for a bike ride along the canal before retreating back to the barge for dinner.
Beaune
Beaune is the capital of Burgundy’s wine country. In the morning, we toured Maison Champy, one of the oldest winemakers in Burgundy. After a private tour of the cellars and a wine tasting, we were surprised with a unique dining experience in a one-of-a-kind venue, a historic wooden wine vat (also known as a “cuve”).
After lunch in the massive wine barrel, we took a tour of the 15th century Hôtel-Dieu Hospice. It’s an amazing historic site with many intriguing stories. We had a little bit of free time to walk around Beaune before returning to Finesse for an afternoon cruise.
Santenay and Domaine Chanzy
We enjoyed a morning cruise on the canal towards the village of Fragnes. Justin and I went for a walk alongside the canal for part of the way. After we docked and had lunch, we visited Domaine Chanzy for a private tour and wine tasting.
Our tour guide, Raivis, drove through Santenay on the way and we made a couple of additional stops. We viewed the exterior and property of Château Philippe le Hardi, a remarkable chateau and one of Burgundy’s largest wine domaines. We also took a short hike to the top of the Mountain of Three Crosses for some amazing panoramic views.
Clos de Vougeot & Chalon-sur-Saône
On our final day, we spent the morning on a tour of the 12th century Clos de Vougeot, headquarters of the prestigious Chevaliers du Tastevin (“Fraternity of Knights of the Wine-Tasting Cup”). Then, after returning to Finesse for lunch, we embarked on a short jaunt down the river. We traveled through the last lock on the canal, connected to the River Saône.
We docked in Chalon-sur-Saône and spent a couple of hours walking around town on our own. Justin and I wandered around the cobblestone streets and enjoyed a coffee on a patio within the main square. It’s a lovely little town to explore.
Then, we were treated to a surprise – a quartet came on board to serenade us with some traditional and modern tunes. On our final evening on Finesse, we dined with the Captain and chatted about our wonderful week on this Burgundy barge cruise.
The Food on the Finesse Barge
The food is one main reason why guests love hotel barging so much. There’s always a skillful chef on board preparing all of the meals. In our case, chef Gio put so much dedication, skill and heart into our breakfast, lunch and dinner.
As someone who follows a vegan diet, my dietary preferences were not a problem at all. Gio created artful and delightful plant-based dishes that often mirrored what the other guests were receiving (without any animal products, of course!). I loved how much thought was put into each meal. I was able to taste the specialties of the region with a vegan twist.
If you have any dietary restrictions, food allergies, or preferences, let European Waterways know at the time of booking. It isn’t a problem to accommodate any diets, including vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or others.
Breakfast
For breakfast, you start the day off right – with a feast! There’s a massive spread of breakfast foods, including freshly baked baguettes from a local bakery, fresh fruit, yogurt and soy yogurt, and so much more. For the omnivores, there’s cold cuts, croissants, and you can request the chef to prepare eggs for you.
Every day, there was something new to sample for breakfast like freshly baked cookies, loaf cake, banana bread, and even a grape chutney. All of these options were made vegan so everyone could enjoy them. They also put out a little plate of vegan cheese for me, too.
Lunch
During both lunch and dinner, there was a small chalkboard with the menu written on it. There’s always an appetizer or salad, an entree, and a dessert. Between the entree and dessert, there’s usually a cheese course for those who consume cheese.
Chef Gio always prepared my vegan dish similarly to what was being served to everyone else. For instance, instead of beef bourguignon, I enjoyed a chickpea bourguignon. My French onion soup had a different broth that had a similar flavor. Sometimes the starters or desserts were completely vegan for everyone because they were easily adaptable and retained French traditional flavors.
I can’t stress enough how delicious the food was on the Finesse barge. Chef Gio prepared the tastiest dishes and we looked forward to every meal on Finesse. Some of my most memorable lunches included fresh ravioli, a vegan creme brulee, quinoa salad and apple crumble.
Apertivo
In the late afternoon before dinner, we’d arrive back to the barge to find small bites and cocktails waiting for us. There was always one vegan appetizer prepared for me, whether it was mini avocado toasts or hummus on crackers.
It’s always nice to have a little snack between lunch and dinner to tide you over to the next meal. Generally speaking, breakfast was around 8:00am, lunch at 12:30pm, and dinner between 6:00pm and 7:00pm.
Dinner
Similar to lunch, dinners were a four course affair with a starter, a main course, a cheese course and a dessert. Some of my favorite meals for dinner included gnocchi, a cauliflower steak, a tofu patty over a delicious bean mixture, and others (it’s really too hard to pick favorites!). There were also some super delectable chocolate desserts that were absolutely divine.
Wine Pairings on our Burgundy Barge Cruise
For lunch and dinner, both red and white wines are paired with the starters and main courses. The hosts will tell you something about the wine or the winery before it’s served. Much of the wine comes from Burgundy and some of the wine even comes from the specific wineries that we visit on the voyage.
You are welcome to have as much wine as you’d like. If you don’t like wine or don’t drink alcohol, there are so many different refreshments to enjoy, like water and sparkling water, soda, juice and more. There’s also beer and a whole cabinet full of spirits and liqueurs.
The Crew and the Passengers
The crew were incredibly attentive and provided first class service throughout our stay. The barge was kept impeccably clean, our tour guide was knowledgeable and helpful, and our captain guided us safely through the canals and locks.
On Finesse, we sailed with our captain, Mathias (from France), chef Gio (from Cyprus), tour guide Raivis (from Latvia), and hosts Olivia and Eva (from England and Latvia, respectively). For our sailing, barge pilot, André was assisting as Mathias was finishing his training to become the full time captain of Finesse.
I loved how the kitchen where Gio prepared our meals was right next to the dining room. We could watch him put the finishing touches on his delectable creations. One day for lunch, Gio was making fresh ravioli and invited me to give it a try. It was really fun and special to have my own mini cooking class right on board!
Olivia and Eva alternated between serving our meals and wine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They shared details and stories about the wine and cheese served at lunch and dinner. Eva and Olivia were always on hand with cocktails and appetizers when we returned from our excursions. They also didn’t mind preparing a soy cappuccino here and there during our quiet afternoons drifting down the canal. In addition to these duties, they also kept our cabins extra neat and clean throughout our cruise.
Raivis provided the transportation to and from Dijon, as well as each day on our tours. In most instances where we didn’t have a tour guide at the attraction, he provided an informative, interesting and knowledgeable tour. Raivis shared insights about each attraction that enhanced our journey. He provided historical facts and more background information about each place that helped us better understand the importance of each site.
Booking Your Burgundy Barge Cruise with European Waterways
Would you like to experience this exact Burgundy barge cruise itinerary? It’s easy to book your trip. Head over to the European Waterways website and the page for the Hotel Barge Finesse. You’ll see our cruise itinerary, “Classic Cruise – Southern Burgundy” with more details on the cruise dates, pricing, special offers and more.
There are also three theme cruise itineraries: a family cruise, a golf cruise, and a wine appreciation cruise. The family cruise includes more family fun activities for children. The golf cruise replaces some of the cultural and historic places I’ve mentioned above with days on the green. And lastly, the wine appreciation cruise adds more wineries and wine tastings to your days in Burgundy.
Getting There
If you’re traveling from overseas or outside of France, you’ll need to make your way to Paris. We flew from Toronto to Paris. Search for the best prices on flights to Paris to find your preferred flight. Then, you’ll need to make your way to Dijon. This is where you’ll meet a crew member from European Waterways who will drive you to the barge’s starting point.
If you’re traveling from some areas of Europe, you may be able to take the train directly to Dijon. For us, we flew to Paris and made our way to Gare de Lyon, one of the main train stations in Paris and the departure point for many high speed trains.
You can take an Uber from the airport or take public transportation (RER B train from Charles de Gaulle airport, transfer at Chatelet Les Halles station, take the RER A train to Gare de Lyon). At Gare de Lyon, take the train to Djion. Be sure to get your train tickets to Dijon far in advance before the prices go up (or the tickets sell out!).
You can also rent a car in Paris and drive towards Dijon, making any stops on the way if you’d rather not travel by train. I recommend Discover Cars to find the best car rental rates. You’ll be able to compare prices between several car hire companies to find the best rate. Book your rental car here.
One Day in Dijon, France
We recommend spending one day in Dijon before your Burgundy barge cruise. It’s such a lovely place to visit, and you can settle in and get over the jet lag before your canal cruise in Burgundy begins. There are so many wonderful things to see and do in Dijon, like wandering the picturesque cobblestone streets, touring the museums and landmarks, and tasting the mustard that makes Dijon so famous.
Justin and I spent one night before our Burgundy barge cruise at the Ibis Styles Dijon Central hotel. Like the name suggests, this hotel was perfectly located in the middle of town within a short walk from the train station. We could easily walk all over Dijon from our hotel. The rooms are cozy and comfortable, and there’s a complimentary breakfast included with your stay.
If you’d like to compare properties in Dijon, here is a map view of all hotels and apartments in town. Enter your travel dates for more precise information. See the hotel locations and their rates, click on each property to learn more details, and book your stay at the one you like the most.
The Verdict: We Love Barging in Burgundy!
Our barge cruise in Burgundy was a total dream vacation. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience. From the outstanding crew members who made us feel right at home to the charming and idyllic destination, the amazing memories of our Burgundy barge cruise will stay with us for the rest of our lives.
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More Barge Cruise Reviews:
We’ve been fortunate enough to have experienced a few barge cruises with European Waterways over the years. Here are some more reviews to help you decide which barging itinerary to choose:
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Thank you so much to European Waterways for hosting us. We had an amazing time experiencing Burgundy aboard Finesse.
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Lauren is the full-time travel blogger and content creator behind Justin Plus Lauren. She started Justin Plus Lauren in 2013 and has travelled to 50+ countries around the world. Lauren is an expert on vegan travel as one of the very first vegan travel bloggers. She also focuses on outdoor adventure travel, eco and sustainable travel, and creating amazing travel itineraries for cities and small towns.