We will use our unique
in-depth experience
to find you your
perfect barge cruise
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Summary
Charter barge Saint Louis provides a luxury cruise along the beautiful, calm waterways in the historic lands of Aquitaine and Gascony in south-west France. Her style is ‘casual luxury’, providing perfect accommodation for up to six guests in three stateroom suites.
Aboard Saint Louis with her graceful lines you’ll cruise in peace and tranquillity through lush countryside, pretty villages and memorable towns in this relatively unknown corner of France. She’s a floating hotel haven of comfort and style amidst the culinary and historic delights of this fruit growing region and fascinating ‘Bastide’ area.
Peter and Wendy own and operate Saint Louis from their base on the Montauban embranchement. From a highly successful catering background, they are now providing the luxury market with delightful cruising in this major fruit and wine growing region of France.
Key Features
-
- Excellence class (4*)
- Canal de Garonne, Aquitaine, south-west France
- Charter, cabin bookings on selected weeks, 6 nights, 7 days, May to October
- 6 guests / 3 suites
- Full board dining
- Huge sundeck with dining area and loungers
The Classic Cruise — Saint Louis
Classic Cruise Itinerary
Route | Between Castets-en-Dorthe to Serignac sur Garonne |
Pick-up | Bordeaux city or airport (Merignac) at 15:30 |
Dining | All inclusive | 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 6 dinners on board |
Classic Aquitaine Cruise Highlights
- Excursion to St Emilion, explore the town and a private wine-tasting
- Explore the village of Serignac with its unusual church spire
- Excursion to Le Temple-sur-Lot and Monet’s source of water-lilies
- Discover a barrel maker and tastings at an Armagnac distillery
- Private Grand Cru wine-tasting tours
Alternative Cruises
Themed cruises:
- St Emilion and Bordeaux Wine Experience including a whole day in St Emilion to learn about, and taste, the Grand Vins de Bordeaux
- Additional week-end in Bordeaux
- Golf cruise
- An alternative itinerary is available in the Gascony region, between Lacourt St Pièrre (Montauban) and Boé on the Canal de Garonne.
Please enquire.
Day 1 — Saturday
Arrival at Castets-en-Dorthe
You’ll be collected from an agreed pick-up point for a 60 minute journey to the barge. A champagne reception with the crew awaits and after settling in why not take a short stroll to visit the impressive double lock on the canal at Castets-en-Dorthe before it joins the mighty Garonne river on its way to Bordeaux.
Day 2 — Sunday
Cruise to Meilhan | Excursion to St. Emilion
A morning cruise and then a visit to the famed town of St Émilion and its vineyards. This world heritage site is in the heart of the Bordeaux wine region and offers private wine tastings with negoçiant, Patrick, and a 1st Grand Crus Châeaux visit. Return to meet the barge for a further cruise into Meilhan port for the evening. Before dinner there should be time to go for a five minute walk up to the viewing point above – a fantastic vista out over the Garonne river and the canal below.
Day 3 — Monday
Cruise to Forques | Excursion to a Sauterne château
Relax on deck during the leisurely morning cruise, continuing eastwards, followed by lunch on board. We visit the Château d’Arche this afternoon, one of the top Grand Crus Sauterne houses, for a guided tour of the production process and a tasting. Alternatively, Saint Louis offers a guided tour of Château d’Yquem, the 1er Sauterne house with a global reputation. The tour lasts around 80 minutes and must be booked in advance.
Day 4 — Tuesday
Cruise to Lafalotte | Excursion to La Mas d'Agenais
We cruise through to La Mas d’Agenais to visit the centre of this quaint 12th century town where we’ll discover the original Rembrandt painting of Christ on the Cross inside its church. After lunch, we’ll cruise on to the evening’s mooring and visit the privately owned semi-precious gem museum for a guided tour through their unique collection of fossils, minerals and semi-precious gems from around the world – a thought-provoking visit for those who enjoy natural history.
Day 5 — Wednesday
Cruise to Buzet | Excursion to Armagnac producer
Before lunch we’ll cruise to Buzet and this afternoon visit a 4th generation Armagnac producer to learn about and taste this traditional local spirit. Guests may leave with their own personalised bottle, drawn, corked, sealed and labelled. We’ll have cocktail featuring Armagnac tonight.
There may also be time to visit the historic 11th century town of Nérac, home to King Henry 1V of France and Queen Margot.
In July and August, a visit to the ‘night market’ at Damazan can be arranged.
Day 6 — Thursday
Cruise to Serignac | Excursion to Le Temple
Enjoy the final morning cruise, admiring the passing scenic orchards, followed by lunch and a visit to the extraordinary Latour-Marliac lily gardens at Temple-sur-Lot. The garden inspired and provided Monet with the lilies for his famous paintings made at Giverny, near Paris. Dating from 1875 the Latour-Marliac gardens are a delight to visit and explore. We’ll admire the aqueduct over the Garonne river at Agen, before the final festive dinner on board.
Day 7 — Friday
Departure from Serignac
You’ll be transferred to the agreed drop-off location, leaving the barge around 10 am.
This is a sample itinerary and is subject to change. Saint Louis offers other routes/itineraries throughout the season.
“The trip was fantastic and exceeded my expectations in every way. The crew was amazing. The food was the best week of food I have ever eaten….the crew was always attentive to our comfort and needs and I can’t think of a single thing I would criticize or change.”
AM, USA, Sept 2023
“It was a delightful trip. The barge is lovely, the crew were very good at keeping us happy and extremely well fed. We feel they all became personal friends. I can’t think of anything that could have g one better. All the off the barge visits were interesting and guides at the wineries kept us well informed and entertained.We had perfect weather and enjoyed the beautiful scenery while cruising the canal. Lots of chance to walk and bike alongside too. Thanks for recommending the St Louis, Ruth, a great choice.”
CK, USA, Oct 2022
Accommodations and Facilities
- Dimensions: 96ft (29m) long
- Cabins: 3 x queen-size double or twin-bedded, two windows, 127 sq ft including bathroom
- Ensuite bathrooms have one window, shower, toilet and basin with toiletries
- All cabins have hairdryer, full length mirror and dressing table, individually controlled heating and air conditioning, and JBL Flip bluetooth speaker
Other items on board:
- Professional English-speaking crew of 4 – captain, hostess, deckhand and chef
- Central heating and air conditioning throughout
- Library of books and games, cards
- Music system in the salon, and speaker on deck, for iPhone, docking, Bluetooth
- Wide selection of CDs and DVDs
- Large deck with loungers, parasols, dining table & chairs
- 6 bicycles and helmets
- Air-conditioned minivan for excursions and transfers
- 6 bicycles and helmets
Facilities At A Glance
Fine Wines — Fine Dining
South-west France is full of delicious, locally grown produce, cuisine and great wine and the French food tradition of Aquitaine and Gascony (so much praised by master chef Rick Stein in his French Odyssey) is an integral part of the barging experience.
Since the Atlantic is nearby the vibrant local markets here are bursting with varieties of fish, oysters and fruits de mer to tempt every palate.
The ethos in the kitchen is: cook it simply, cook it lightly, embrace seasonality and avoid heavy use of sugar, salt and fat, let the flavour and texture of the food be the focus – guests love this approach.
Pairing wine with food is an art and we work closely with our wine distributor in St Émilion, himself an executive chef, to bring you a wide variety of wines of great quality from across this region, specifically selected to complement the dishes. The excellent cellar carries approximately 600 bottles on board.
No meal in France would be complete without an offering of examples of the cheese makers’ art. Three new cheeses are selected each day to create imaginative cheese boards that may include dried fruits, nuts and honey.
The enjoyment of food is not only a taste experience, it’s also a visual one and each evening guests sit down to a different table setting, with luxury linens, candelabra and imaginative napkin folding!
Beautifully prepared by our resident chef, duck, foie gras and seafood are thus among the basics of the cuisine. Dietary preferences, vegetarian and special dietary needs are easily and cheerfully accommodated (but please tell us in advance).
Charter barge Saint Louis cruises in the Bordeaux/Gascony region
– [below] In the region: Bordeaux, Duras, Moissac, St Emilion, Bordeaux Wine, Canal de Garonne, Serignac, Agen –
Duras © Michel Michelot | Bordeaux vineyard ©Chateau Raba | Tasting ©Nicolle Croft | Others ©FW, wikimedia, n/a
Classic cruise rates and dates
All rates and prices will be confirmed at time of booking. Special Offers are available from time to time – contact us
What’s included
6 nights accommodation
Return transfers from the pick-up
All meals and wines on board
Daily excursions, fees, tour guide and associated transport.
What’s not included
Travel to the meeting point
Travel, medical and cancellation insurance
Personal expenses
Crew gratuities (5-10% suggested)
2024
Charter bookings only
Saturday to Friday
Rates and dates
Regular rate weeks
May 4, 11, 18, 25
June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
July 6, 13, 20
August 10, 17, 24, 31
September 7, 14, 21, 28
October 5, 12
4 guest charter: 29,200 USD
6 guest charter: 34,800 USD
2025
Charter bookings only
Saturday to Friday
Rates and dates
Regular rate weeks
May 10, 17, 24, 31
June 7, 14, 21, 28
July 5, 12, 19
August 9, 16, 23, 30
September 6, 13, 20, 27
October 4, 11, 18
4 guest charter: 32,000 USD
6 guest charter: 36,600 USD
Booking
Booking a luxury barge vacation isn’t the kind of thing one does with just a mouse-click or two. It takes a little research, thought and understanding, and we hope that our pages have provided you with all the information and inspiration you need to take this next step.
Why should you book with us? Because…
We’ve explored the waterways of France on our own boat since 2003 and know each of the barges and their routes.
We’re independent, impartial and enthusiastic – and we are the only France cruising specialist that can offer you the benefits of our own in-depth cruising knowledge and experience.
We love France, we love the rivers and canals of France, we love hotel barging – and we love talking about all three!
There’s nothing like speaking to a friendly expert to help you see the wood for the trees and to make the best possible decision about the vacation cruise of a lifetime. Get in touch – we’re here to help.
We will use our unique
in-depth experience
to find you your
perfect barge cruise