Sunday, DAY 2 La Rèpe / Pont d’Ouche
Begin the day with a morning excursion to the 15th-century Cinhâteau de Commar, still privately owned and operated by the same family, the chateau is notable for its beautiful furnishings and a unique collection of Renaissance heraldic tapestries.   Continue the short distance to Chateauneuf-en-Auxois, a medieval village with majestic views of the valley and canal below. A sumptuous lunch is followed by a peaceful cruise along the Burgundy Canal to the picturesque village of Pont d’Ouche.   This is an excellent day fo pleasant walking and cycling along the towpath.

Monday, DAY 3 Pont d’Ouche / La Bussière
Shortly after breakfast we can take the coach over the hills to the famous wine-producing village of Meursault in the Côte de Beaune. The cellars of the Maison Ropiteau here were originally built by Cistercian monks during the sixteenth century to house wines produced in the vineyards belonging to the Hôtel Dieu charity hospital in Beaune. Today the cellars are the centre of a large domain, created as a family business in the nineteenth century, which owns vineyards in the some of the most famous villages of the wine slopes of Beaune and Nuits St Georges. We visit the impressive vaulted stone cellars and sample a number of the most prestigious wines of the area before returning to the Litote in Pont d’Ouche. We cast off and leave the port of Pont d’Ouche by crossing over the river Ouche on a small aqueduct to enter what is generally recognised as being one of the most attractive stretches of waterway in France. The canal follows the meanders of the river down a valley with steep, heavily wooded slopes. Rich pastureland and ancient villages border the limpid, fast-flowing trout–laden waters of the Ouche. We arrive at the end of the afternoon in the quiet village of La Bussière. The Abbey, a few hundred yards from our mooring, is worth a visit. Originally a monastery founded by the Cistercians in the twelfth century, the Abbey became a private property after the revolution and was largely remodelled. Donated by its owners to the diocese of Dijon early this century, its beautifully tended buildings and grounds now serve as a centre for retreats and are open to the public.

Tuesday, DAY 4 La Bussière / Gissey
Today is market day in Dijon, so after an early breakfast we make the drive of half an hour or so to the city centre. There will be a guided tour of the principal monuments followed by time free to explore the colourful covered market of fresh provender and surrounding street stalls of general merchandise. There are also some excellent shops and boutiques, which include probably the only store in the world to sell nothing but mustard! We return to the Litote at La Bussière and cast off, cruising through the afternoon past the villages of St Victor, and Barbirey, where the romantic ruins of a vast medieval fortress overlook the valley.  This was once the château de Marigny, the seat of one of  four barons who owed their allegiance to the Duke of Burgundy. We arrive in the late afternoon at the village of Gissey where we moor near an ancient bridge, the foundations of which are believed to date from the Gallo-Roman period.

Wednesday, DAY 5 Gissey / Fleurey
We cast off during breakfast and continue cruising through the morning and over lunch down the beautiful Valley of the Ouche, passing through the villages of Sainte Marie and Pont de Pany. In the early afternoon we take the coach to drive over the hills of the Hautes Côtes  (the upper slopes of the wine producing area) to Beaune, centre of the wine trade in Burgundy . We make a guided tour of the world-famous Hôtel Dieu, charity hospital, which was built in the mid-fifteenth century and is a masterpiece of late-medieval architecture. There will be time free to explore the town with its Romanesque church of Notre Dame , wine museum, cellars, shops and boutiques before we return to the Litote at a quiet mooring in the village of Fleurey sur Ouche.

Thursday, DAY 6 Fleurey / Dijon
We cast off early and cruise during breakfast through the villages of Velars. and Plombières, and then  past a long artificial lake, Lac Kir, named like the local apéritif after their creator Félix Kir, former mayor of Dijon and churchman. The towpath along this section has been upgraded in recent years by the city council and is in excellent condition for walking, cycling and even the use of roller-blades!  We arrive shortly after lunch at the port of Dijon close to the heart of the city. Once a bustling commercial wharf , the port  is now a peaceful, beautifully laid-out and carefully-tended park which makes a lovely setting for our final mooring. From here we take the coach  to drive south through the vineyards of the Côte de Nuits for a guided visit of the château of Clos Vougeot, medieval monastic winery and present-day headquarters of the Confrèrie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (The Brotherhood of the Knights of Wine-Tasting). There will then be an opportunity to make a final trip into Dijon’s shopping centre before we return to the Litote in the port of Dijon in good time for our farewell gala dinner on board.

Friday, DAY 7 Dijon
After breakfast, transfer to Dijon railway station for onward travel and where those who have taken the Paris – Dijon – Paris transfer option will board a return train to Paris Gare de Lyon.