European Waterways is offering a selection of themed cruises including specialized itineraries that allow travelers to experience the history and culture of Europe. Among the most notable of the company’s cruises is the Classic Northern France World War One voyage in 2015 aboard the hotel barge La Belle Epoque. The cruise travels between the cities of Lille and Compiegne in Northern France, with tours to some of the most significant battlefields, museums and memorials of the war that took place 100 years ago.
With other departures later in April having nearly sold out, European Waterways has added two new departures for April 5 and April 12, 2015.
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From Lille to Compiegne
La Belle Epoque is a 12-passenger vessel with a crew of six that offers amenities such as a sun deck with spa pool, a wood-paneled saloon and dining room and more.
Among the excursions is a visit to Vimy Ridge, the site of the Canadian National Memorial – Canada’s largest overseas national memorial – which recognizes its soldiers who fought in World War One. Another noteworthy excursion is a tour of the Thiepval memorial, a monument to 75,000 missing soldiers who fell during the Battle of the Somme, but who have no known graves. The tour includes a viewing of archival film footage and photographs at the visitor center, as well as walking beside some of the actual trenches. Passengers will also visit sites in Flanders, such as the Menin Gate in Ypres for the daily and very moving Last Post ceremony, the battlefields and museums of the Somme, and the forest clearing at Compiegne where the Armistice was signed on Nov. 11, 1918.
Rates for this six-night cruise through the historic and poignant battlefields of the Great War start at $5,090 per person, and $51,400 for a whole barge charter. Cabin rates are based on double occupancy.
For more information, visit www.gobarging.com