Cruise to the heart of Alsace-Lorraine, where French and German culture entwine to create one of France ’s most bewitching regions. Visit Colmar and Strasbourg , enjoy wine tasting, and have a look at crystal-making. Spend time in picturesque villages and around a gourmet dining table. The Lorraine , an elegant new boat accommodating 22 passengers in great comfort. It is a very modern vessel equipped with a flower-strewn sundeck with chairs and parasols, a cozy saloon leading to the bar and a separated dining-room. On the lower deck are 11 comfortable cabins with large opening windows.

I T I N E R A R Y
SATURDAY, Day 1
StrasbourgMeeting Point is the Strasbourg rail station at 3 p.m. From the Strasbourg rail station coach transfer is provided for everyone to the boat moored in the village of Boofsheim , 30 kilometres south of Strasbourg , close to the junction of the canal with the river Rhine . The crew offers welcome aboard apéritifs as the luggage is taken to your cabins. You have ample time to settle in before dinner.

SUNDAY, Day 2
Boofzheim to Krafft After breakfast you’ll cruise on the Canal du Rhône au Rhin, a peaceful waterway that has seen little use since the building of the Grand Canal d’Alsace (the canalisation of the Rhine ) in the nineteen-fifties. Moor during lunch at the village of Krafft from where you will take the coach to drive south to Colmar for a guided tour of the city centre with its magnificent medieval and Renaissance buildings, 13th century collegiate church, and the waterside “little Venice” area. There is free time to explore the city further, its shops and museums, particularly the Unterlinden museum. This museum is famous for its collection of Renaissance art works and specifically for the masterpiece of Mathias Grünewald, “The Issenheim Altarpiece.” Towards the end of the afternoon head back northwards along the “Route des Vins”, a small road running at the base of the foothills of the Vosges Mountains parallel to the Rhine through the famous vineyards of Alsace . Pass through several typical wine growing villages and make a short stop at the picturesque, medieval village of Riquewihr for a visit to a cellar to taste some local vintages  before returning to the boat at Krafft.

MONDAY, Day 3
Krafft to Waltenheim Cast off early and cruise over breakfast and through the morning toward Strasbourg . During lunch, enter the heart of Strasbourg and pass through the commercial docks before leaving the city to the north.  Pass the ultra modern buildings of the European Parliament. Here you will disembark for an afternoon guided walking tour of the principal sights of Strasbourg .  The unique beauty of picturesque “petite France ” riverside district is magnificent.  The remarkable cathedral of Notre Dame, whose construction spread over five centuries from the Romanesque choir to the flamboyant gothic spire, is a highlight. Afterwards there is free time to explore this capital of Alsace, perhaps visit one of the museums, take advantage of the excellent shopping or just stroll through the cobbled streets of timbered houses before returning to the Lorraine at her mooring close by in the village of Waltenheim sur Zorn.

TUESDAY, Day 4
Waltenheim to Saverne This morning you begin cruising after breakfast passing several typical Alsatian villages including Hochfelden, where ancient documents prove there was a brewery as early as 870 A.D. This tradition is continued to this day by the Meteor beer company. Stop for a sample before beginning lunch on board.  A number of locks and the recently restored towpath give excellent opportunities for guests to walk alongside the boat or maybe cycle into one of the villages to appreciate the produce of a local brewery in a “Bierstub”. You will moor in Saverne, an attractive, bustling town with a population of some ten thousand inhabitants. From your mooring you have an excellent view of the imposing red sandstone château built by the Rohan family during the eighteenth century. Saverne is a special place with typical Alsatian architecture and a narrow, winding main street.  This is a perfect place for a delightful stroll before dinner.

WEDNESDAY, Day 5
Sauverne to Niderviller After breakfast, make a short drive t o visit a unique crystal factory  to see the most famous products of this area. Beautiful pieces of crystal are still individually blown and fashioned by hand. Re-join the boat a few kilometres further and cruise over the border into Lorraine near the attractive village of Lutzelbourg .  Here the canal follows the steep-sided, tree-lined valley of the river Zorn to the famous i nclined plane of Arzwiller . Seventeen locks have been replaced by a counterbalanced hydraulic barge lift that hauls the Lorraine up nearly 150 feet to the summit level of the Marne to Rhine canal. Then you will cruise through a cutting and two tunnels under the peak of the Vosges Mountains before mooring for the evening at a quiet spot near the village of Niderviller with it’s remarkable pottery works.  Artisans have been producing figurines and fine tableware since the early eighteenth century in Nederviller.

THURSDAY, Day 6
Niderviller to Xouaxange Begin your morning along the summit pound, the highest section, of the Marne to Rhine canal. This section of some thirty kilometres with no locks passes through the regional park of Lorraine , a nature reserve with numerous lakes and vast areas of woodland. The canal then begins its descent towards the plains of Lorraine through a series of locks, the first of which was built in the nineteen-fifties to replace a flight of seven of the original early nineteenth century locks and has a drop of nearly fifty feet. This afternoon you will take the coach for a drive to Sarrebourg and visit the chapel of the Cordelieres where you can see the stained glass window created by Marc Chagall.  Return to Lorraine , moored in Xouaxange for your farewell gala dinner.

FRIDAY, Day 7
Xouaxange Leave the Lorraine after breakfast and coach transfer to Saverne train station  for return to Paris.

On alternate weeks the itinerary is reversed and the meeting point changed.  On alternate weeks meeting point is Saverne Train Station and drop off is at Strasbourg Train Station.

From $2,215* per person based on double occupancy

From $2,715* per person based on single occupancy

Whole boat charters are available, please inquire for prices.

Accommodation with private bath or shower All meals with selected regional wines All sightseeing tours and admittance fees as stipulated Use of vessels’ bicycles and other facilities Roundtrip transfers from specified meeting point

*Prices are per person, based on double occupancy.  Seasonal supplements and blackout dates may apply.