European Waterways Offers New Excursions in Burgundy, Southern France and Scotland

For the 2014 season, European Waterways is adding new onshore excursions to its cruises in Burgundy, Southern France and Scotland.

For 2014, aboard luxury hotel barge L’Impressionniste, European Waterways added a visit to Château de Bussy-Rabutin, a 12th century castle surrounded by moats and manicured French gardens. Among tour highlights is a portrait gallery created by Roger de Rabutin, a disgraced courtier of King Louis XIV in the 17th century. Other highlights on the itinerary include tastings of Grand Cru and Premier Cru wines at Château André Ziltener and Bouchard Pere et Fils, and a tour of old Dijon, where guests will explore the produce markets, mustard shops and the Notre-Dame de Dijon. 

On the charter-only luxury hotel barge Absoluut2, European Waterways introduced a wine tasting at Château de Meursault, a castle and vineyard estate ideally situated to cultivate the finest grapes and award winning wines. The cruise also has a tour of Beaune, the wine-growing “capital” of Burgundy, as well as visits to two magnificent properties, the Château de Commarin and Château Savigny-les-Beaune. 

A new itinerary on hotel barge Rosa will include the Bordeaux wine region of South-western France from August to October. The cruise includes an excursion to Saint Émilion, center of the Bordeaux wine appellations and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Other highlights include a tasting of Grand Cru wines at Château Beau-Sejour-Becot and visits to the medieval towns of Nerac, Vianne and Le Mas d’Agenais.

On the Canal du Midi, luxury hotel barge Enchanté will now enjoy a longer route between the ancient cities of Narbonne and Carcassonne, offering travelers an opportunity to explore more of the historic region that is famous for its fortified hilltop villages and local artisanal crafts. The extended itinerary will include a tour of L’Oulibo, a local co-operative olive press where guests will learn about the production process and taste the Lucques olives and a private tasting of fine Corbières wines at Château Ollieux Romanis.

As part of its own celebrations, European Waterways has added several new excursions to the itinerary of hotel barge Scottish Highlander, which cruises the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness through a landscape with medieval castles, local villages and historic battle sites. Tour favourites include visits to Clava Cairns, a clan chieftain prehistoric burial site dating back to 2,000 B.C., and the Glen Ord whisky distillery, founded in 1838 and famed for its single and blended malts.

For more information, visit www.gobarging.com.