Hirondelle
Dijon toEscommes
Burgundy
The
day to day itinerary described below is a sample of a typical cruise on the Hirondelle. 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
Hirondelle 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 12th 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 Hirondelle 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 15th, 17th
and 18th 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 Hirondelle. 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.
