Renaissance luxury barge cruises

Montargis

Sunday

After arriving at our meeting location in Paris**, guests are driven to the roomy Renaissance by a private chauffeured shuttle. They are greeted with champagne and canapés and get to know the captain and crew. There is enough time to take a stroll through the charming village of Montargis before the first dinner on board.

Montargis to Montbouy

Monday

We set off on our first voyage this morning to dock at Montbouy, passing through the picturesque Loire region with many of places to explore and cycle along the towpath. We will be visiting the magnificent Château de Fontainebleau this afternoon, a national museum and UNESCO World Heritage Site, following lunch on board. Every French royal family has added their own architectural style and features to this unique royal and imperial château that has been continually inhabited for seven centuries. We take a private tour of several chambers and galleries, such as the Column Room, the Stag Gallery, and Napoleon III's Imperial Theatre, that are not often open to the public.
Dinner on board.

Montbouy to Rogny-les-Sept-Ecluses

Tuesday

We visit the magnificent decorative and vegetable gardens of the privately owned Château de La Bussière, also called the "Fishermen's Castle," this morning. There, we watch the barge chef prepare a meal using fresh, in-season ingredients from the gardens. We take a leisurely afternoon cruise to our mooring in the charming village of Rogny-les-Sept-Ecluses, which gets its name from its 350-year-old 7-lock flight, which is now a national monument and is no longer in service. Before dinner on board, it's worth taking a quick trip to the locks.
Dinner on board.

Rogny-les-Sept-Ecluses to La Gazonne

Wednesday

We go deeply into the world of Impressionist painting today. After taking a quick walking tour of Moret-sur-Loing, which is well-known for being associated with the Impressionist painter Alfred Sisley, we view some of his most well-known scenes before moving on to Rosa Bonheur's chateau. The most well-known female artist of the 19th century, Rosa Bonheur was a trailblazer for women's rights and a pioneer in a world dominated by men. Her most well-known paintings feature animal themes, one of which features Buffalo Bill riding a horse and led to the two of them developing a lasting friendship.
After lunch in the chateau's private salon, we tour the property with the current owner and learn more about her extraordinary life story while admiring some of her artwork. After that, we take a leisurely afternoon cruise past the Rogny lock flight to La Gazonne, a stunning rural mooring encircled by lakes and ponds that supply water for the Canal de Briare's operations. 
Dinner on board.

La Gazonne to Briare

Thursday

A morning cruise to our mooring at the small village of Briare, home to Gustave Eiffel's enchanted aqueduct that spans the River Loire and offers fantastic walking and cycling routes. We give a first peek at Friday's traversal of this remarkable 6,62-meter, 10,000-ton Pont Canal, which was finished in September 1896.
We will be going to a well-known Sancerre winery in the afternoon, like Domaine Henri Bourgeois in Chavignol, for a tour and private tasting. This charming medieval hilltop village is situated above a thriving area involved in wine production since the Roman era. 

We return to Renaissance in the late afternoon, ready for dinner on board.

Briare to Chatillon-sur-Loire

Friday

This morning, we explore the food and fashion stalls of the Briare market before heading back to the hotel barge for lunch and a breathtaking ride across the Briare aqueduct, which spans the expansive River Loire below and features elaborate iron lampposts and railings. This afternoon, we go to the charming Château de Ratilly, whose construction dates back to 1270 and its somewhat odd collection of turreted turrets. We may watch traditional pottery being thrown by hand in the castle's workshops and even get a chance to try this artisanal craft for ourselves.
Captain's Goodbye Dinner aboard.

Chatillon sur Loire

Saturday

After breakfast, guests are transferred by private chauffeured minibus to the Hotel Westminster in Paris.