Savoir Faire - Luxury French Dutch Hotel Barge France and Holland

SAVOIR FAIRE
Luxury barge cruises in France, Belgium and Holland

13-night, Three Country Cruise - France, Belgium & Holland

It’s a great way to experience three different cultures without leaving the comfort of your cabin! There’s so much variety and in addition, it is a wonderful time of the year to travel, as the trees are in their resplendent autumn colours. Artists would really appreciate this tour, with plenty of subjects and visits to Monet’s garden and Rubens’ house.

The Autumn cruise starts on the Seine in central Paris near to Place de la Concorde, where guests have a day to soak up the city atmosphere, tour the sights and visit the shops in the company of the guide before enjoying the evening illuminations...

Guests are met at their hotel in Amsterdam at 2pm (Pickup at Schipol Airport can also be arranged) and driven to the Savoir Faire for a champagne welcome and a cruise through the heart of the city to the quaint little town of Ouderkerk

Morning cruise along the canals to the town of Gouda, famous for its cheese. Afternoon visit to the Keukenhof Gardens, the largest display of flowers in the world. Here you will see hundreds of varieties of tulips, hyacinths and other bulbs. After we return to the Savoir Faire there will be time for a stroll around Gouda where we will find the most magnificent stained glass windows in Holland

A cruise out of Gouda to the river Ijssel and across the Hollands Diep, part of the Dutch estuaries, to the charming old fortress town of Wilemstad. This town is preserved in its original state, with windmill dykes, an old church and a 15th century arsenal. There will be an optional visit to the famous Delta Project which is one of the greatest feats of water engineering in the world involving damming the great estuaries

Today we will leave Holland and cross the border into Belgium and travel to Antwerp. Antwerp is the city of Rubens, where we can take a tour of Rubens' house, then a walk in the old quarter of this beautiful Flemish city

We catch the flood tide up the winding "Sea Schelde" which takes us to the town of Ghent. You will have plenty of time to visit this beautiful town in the afternoon.

You cannot pass through this part of the world without a visit to the beautiful little town of Bruges, known as the "Venice of the North". The chef will pack a picnic lunch, so there will be plenty of time to explore the many museums, buy some of the handmade lace or take a boat trip in the small canals that wander through the town. Rejoin the Savoir Faire in late afternoon to cruise along the river Schelde to the French/Belgian frontier.

Guests who have slected 6 nights will be transferred to Brussels Airport or Ghent by about 11am. After clearing customs at the frontier, (a simple formality), the Savoir Faire continues along the river Schelde, through the town of Valenciennes to the junction of Canal du Nord at the little French village of Arleux. The cars will take guests to Valenciennes along the way.

The Savoir Faire begins her climb over the Vermandois Hills of Picardie through the many locks and several tunnels of the Canal du Nord. The scenery is splendid - rural France at her best, and a good tow path allows guests to walk between locks. After lunch, the cars take an excursion to Amiens to visit what must be one of the greatest of all the Gothic cathedrals with its powerful, towering columns.

The cruise continues along the Canal du Nord as it drops down into the valley of the river Somme; a short trip on the Somme before climbing over another watershed and down to the valley of the river Oise to moor in the riverside town of Compiegne. There are many places to visit, including the train where the World War I Armistice was signed, as well as the Royal Palace.

As the Savoir Faire continues down the lovely Oise River, guests are taken on an afternoon excursion to the old Roman town of Senlis with its quaint narrow streets, ancient churches and interesting museums, rejoining the Savoir Faire for an evening cruise to the river town of Pontoise.

Loaded down with a picnic lunch, deck chairs and tables, the cars take guests on a day excursion to Giverny to visit the home and gardens of the Impressionist, Claude Monet. The gardens should be at their best at this time of the year, and we can visit the waterlily pond and the Japanese bridge that inspired so many of Monet's paintings. Moor for the night in Pontoise.

Cruise to Bougival in the morning and visit Malmaison, the home of Napoleon, its many rooms lavishly furnished by Josephine. Guests rejoin the Savoir Faire for an evening cruise into Paris and we moor in the heart of Paris, beside the Place de la Concorde.

A day moored in Paris with a chance for guests to tour and shop in Paris Centre. Your guide will be available to accompany through Paris. Captains Farewell Dinner on board.

After breakfast guests are driven either to their Paris hotel or to the airport.