Fleur de Lys

Dijon to Escommes

Burgundy

  The day to day itinerary described below is a sample of a typical cruise on the Fleur de Lys. However, on any one cruise, the moorings may change, there may be fewer or more excursions, the places visited may vary depending on the season and the passenger preferences. Because there are a limited number of passengers on any of our vessels the guide can tailor the itinerary in accordance with the passengers’ wishes.  

Sunday - Paris to Dijon.
Your departure from Paris from the Gare de Lyon via the TGV train will arrive at approximately 16:15 at the Dijon train station where you will be met by the Fleur de Lys guide. After gathering your baggage you will be driven by mini-van to Dijon’s Port du Canal, an old commercial dock area, now refurbished for pleasure craft and a short distance from the town center, where you will board the barge for your cruise through Burgundy.
A champagne reception welcomes you on board and gives you a chance to greet the crew while your luggage is brought aboard.
Time permitting the barge gangplank is raised and you can enjoy your first experience of navigating a lock and cruising the Canal de Bourgogne from Dijon upstream to a quiet canal mooring. Alternatively, the boat will remain moored in Dijon and cruising will begin early the next day.

Monday - Cruise to Fleury-sur-Ouche. Visit Clos de Vougeot  
As you leave Dijon the canal turns to the southwest and follows the river Ouche where small-unspoiled villages and green forested hills provide the traveler with exceptional views from the deck. This afternoon’s excursion is a dégustation in Chambolle Musigny and a visit the Clos de Vougeot, a medieval abbey surroungded by 12^th century vineyards.  This is the headquarters of the Chevaliers du Tastevin, whose special label is awarded annually to the finest Côte d’Or vintages. The barge will moor for the night in Fleury-sur-Ouche, a small village from which you may safely bicycle or stroll around. Also, a tennis court is never far away. Just ask your guide for directions.

Tuesday – Cruise Fleurey to St. Victor.  Visit Dijon
After breakfast, while the Fleur de Lys cruises through several more locks before reaching it’s final destination of St. Victor, your guide will take you on a walking tour of Dijon, past the elegant houses, visit the Ducal Palace, the market and the Grey Poupon mustard shop. Back to the boat for a scrumptious lunch and the afternoon’s cruise. While enjoying the passing scenery pay attention to the lock keepers’ gardens and, by all means, make sure you don’t trespass thereupon, by foot or by bicycle - a definite “faux pas”. The French government sponsors competitions for the best garden on the canal, thus the lock keepers take great pride in tending to their flowers. After lunch, tour of the 700 year old Benedictine Abbey in La Bussière. A stroll through the grounds will make the hustle and bustle of Paris seem like a million kilometers away.

Wednesday - Cruise St. Victor to Veuvey.  Visit Beaune, the Domaine Prieur-Brunet and Meursault.
Today your excursion is a visit of the Côte d’Or, literally “Slope of Gold”. This is the name given to the strip of land running south of Dijon, which is planted with vines and produces some of the world’s most famous wines. You will see the charming villages and will visit some of the finest wine producers in France. You will have the opportunity to see a family run winery and to sample wines that may never reach your corner of the world. After another delicious lunch your guide will escort you to Beaune, capital of the wine region of Burgundy, and a visit to the famous Hôtel-Dieu, Hospice de Beaune.

Thursday – Cruise from Veuvey to Crugey.  Visit Château de Commarin.
After breakfast, your guide will take you to visit the Château de Commarin, an interesting castle from the 15^th, 17^th and 18^th centuries.  Its celebrated tapestries with the coat of arms of the Vienne family take the place of a family tree.  Decoration and lavish furnishings have been intact for over 200 years since Marie-Judith de Vienne (1700-1780).  Back onboard for lunch and then a tour of a snail farm with degustation is on the agenda for the afternoon.

Friday - Cruise Crugey to Escommes.  Visit Châteauneuf.
Morning cruise through several more locks until reaching your final destination of Escommes,  just past Châteauneuf-en-Auxois. At this point you are very near the watershed at Pouilly-en-Auxois, where there is a tunnel through which the barges must pass to reach Upper Burgundy. This is also the point of the “partager des eaux”, literally, “to divide the waters”, where on one side the water flows to the Seine and on the other, to the Saône. The Château de Châteauneuf has an interesting history and will be visited this afternoon. Meanwhile the chef is preparing a feast for your farewell dinner. Bon appetit.

SATURDAY - Disembark the Fleur de Lys. Transfer to Paris.
After breakfast you will disembark the barge and all aboard the van for the last time for the drive to Dijon and your return to Paris on the TGV, arriving Paris Gare de Lyon approximately 11:20.

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