Sept 11  Thursday    Depart for Paris.

Sept 12  Friday  Paris - Dijon  Arrive Paris.  Coach transfer to train station for ride to Dijon.  Arrival and coach transfer to Chateau Gilly.   Overnight and Welcome dinner at Chateau as well as wine tasting.

Sept 13  Saturday  Chagny - Santenay  We meet in lobby of Chateau Gilly,  coach transfer to the Caprice. On the way to the barge, a stop at the wine cellars of Pascal Bourgeot in Remigny for winetasting.  Welcome aboard and cruise out of Chagny through an attractive, winding stretch of canal with views over the vineyards of the Côte de Beaune to the famous wine producing village of Santenay where we moor for tonight.

Sept 14  Sunday  Santenay – St Leger sur Dheune  Morning excursion to Beaune, centre of the wine trade in Burgundy, for a guided visit of the Hôtel Dieu, world famous charity hospital which was founded in the fifteenth century and is a masterpiece of late-medieval architecture. On our way back to the barge in Santenay we visit a cellar for a tasting of  some local vintages . We take the coach from here to visit the Côte Chalonnaise  area of Burgundy, famous for its village wines from Rully, Montagny, Givry and Mercurey. We visit the Chateau de Rully, where we will tour a couple of rooms, have a wine tasting and join Countess de Ternay for lunch.  Dinner tonight will be at the 3* Michelin restaurant Lamelloise in  Chagny.

Sept 15  Monday   St Leger sur Dheune – Montchanin  After breakfast make the drive of ten minutes to the nearby village of Couches where we visit the château of Marguerite of Burgundy, the vestiges of a vast medieval fortress which was one of the outposts of the Dukes of Burgundy and which has a fascinating history and legends connected with it. After a guided tour of the historic buildings we can visit the château’s cellar to taste some of the wines made here by Emmanuel Cayot, son of the proprietor. We meet the boat at a lock in time for lunch and cruise through the afternoon past the villages of St Julien and Ecuisses to Montchanin, our mooring for tonight.

Sept 16  Tuesday  Montchanin – Montceau les Mines.  Cast off during breakfast and cruise through the morning along the “summit pound” or highest level of the canal du Centre past a series of artificial lakes dug at the end of the eighteenth century to supply water to the canal. As we cruise this morning, our wine expert will come aboard to give us an exposé of the appellation controllée system, particularly in regard to Burgundies, followed by a comparative tasting of several wines.  We moor in the early afternoon in Montceau les Mines, a bustling former industrial centre. During the afternoon there will be an excursion to the city of Autun, originally seat of the first Gallo-Roman University founded by the Emperor Augustus and today centre of the rural Morvan district of Burgundy. A guided tour of the city with its Romanesque cathedral, Roman city gates and amphitheatre will be followed by free time to explore the winding streets and boutiques of the medieval quarter. Dinner tonight will be in a 1* Michelin Restaurant in St Remy.  Return to Caprice at a quiet mooring in Montchanin.

Sept 17  Wednesday   Montceau les Mines – Génélard  We cruise during the morning through rural scenery past several hamlets to arrive in the early afternoon in the village of Génélard, our quiet mooring spot for tonight. From here we take the coach for a drive of a little over an hour past the historic eleventh-century Benedictine monastery at Cluny into the area of the Maconnais. We shall drive through the vineyards surrounding the prehistoric site of Solutré and stop at a winery to taste some of the famous wines of this southernmost part of Burgundy such at Saint Véran and Pouilly Fuissé. Return to Caprice in Génélard for dinner.

Sept 18  Thursday  Génélard – Paray le Monial  We continue to cruise over lunch and this afternoon we take the coach to La Clayette to visit Master chocolate maker Bernard Dufoux, after which there will be an opportunity to visit the “Centre du Goût” (centre for taste) in the village, where local artisans who make foodstuff and wines exhibit their  products and offer samples of them. There is a characteristic wine from the nearby village of Mailly called “le vin des Fossils”, sometimes growers from the Beaujolais will also be present as well as apiculturists with their honey, gingerbread makers and goose farmers with their “foie gras”. We return to Paray le Monial, our final mooring , in time to stroll around the town centre or visit the remarkable twelfth century basilica before our final gala dinner.

Sept 19  Friday  Paray le Monial  After breakfast coach transfer to Vonnas.  Check into George Blanc Hotel.  Free time in town.  Dinner tonight in George Blanc Michelin restaurant.

Sept 20  Saturday  Vonnas - Paris  After breakfast coach transfer to Macon train station.  Train to Paris.  Coach transfer to Hotel.  Afternoon free time.  Farewell dinner tonight at Michelin restaurant.  Coach back to hotel.

Sept 21  Sunday  Paris  After breakfast coach transfer to Airport for flight home.

Rate includes air from Chicago*
*Call for rate from other cities.