Discover the beauty of France as it was meant to be experienced.

Barge tours are best enjoyed slowly, completely, fully as you savor the taste of a crusty baguette whisked fresh from the oven or smell the exquisite bouquet of a glass of vintage burgundy or cognac. Enjoy tasting the velvet texture of fresh Camembert or Brie melting upon the tongue while you luxuriate on a French barge cruise. Spend a week cruising centuries-old canals through the verdant fields and picturesque villages of provincial France.

Sophisticated European travelers have long known the pleasures of touring France’s charming waterways by barge cruise. Now more and more Americans

are discovering this perfect method for viewing the beauty of the French countryside up close -- barge travel in France!

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About Us

Time seems to stand still as the barge slowly motors by quaint stone churches and well-kept houses, periodically pausing at

moss-covered locks, as it makes its leisurely way from one town to the next. Catch up on your reading on deck, enjoy a delicious, gourmet meal from your private chef's kitchen and simply relax to the gentle sounds of water lapping against the hull. Enjoy the quiet sensation that comes with unplugging yourself from the 24/7 world on a luxury barge cruise.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, the Prospérité barge cruise

features daily excursions in our accompanying Mercedes bus

into the surrounding countryside. You will explore the local

chateaux or sip the fruits of one of the many local vineyards.

During the seven days and six nights, the 128-foot long

Prospérité will serve as your floating home away from home.

Expressly designed and constructed to meet the expectations

of upscale travelers desiring to experience the luxury

of five star travel.

A Prospérité cruise offers some of the largest rooms and

highest level of amenities you will find on any of the

barges in France. Enjoy the space and comfort of

luxury accommodations.

About Us

Welcome aboard the Prospérité for the trip of a lifetime!

Accommedations floorplan

Size 128 X 16 feetPassengers 8Crew 5 onboard/1 on tourCabinsA Prospérité cruise offers some of the largest rooms and highest level of amenities you will find on any of the canal boats in France. The four luxurious staterooms provide 270 square-feet of space, stereo systems, an electronically adjustable oversized twin or king bed and private bath with tub, separate shower, and heated towel racks. Individually controlled central heating and air-conditioning.Salon & Dining RoomThe salon decor encompasses Italian leather couches with French accent pieces and other beautiful touches plus a separate dining room. The salon is very bright and spacious with beautiful panoramic windows, which give you a good view of the outside countryside while cruising.The dining room has a table seating 8, decorated with elegant and contemporary style. It is the perfect place to enjoy the gourmet dinners prepared for guests by your private chef. The separate dining room also boasts a fully equipped demonstration kitchen, where the chef gives planned and impromptu demonstrations in French and Continental cuisine during the cruise. On DeckA spacious sun deck with hot tub is a glorious way to experience the passing scenery on the beautiful Burgundy waterways. With deck chairs and tables, a sun canopy for shade, and an open bar are available around the clock, guests can spend time relaxing here. Guests are welcome to join the Captain to observe cruising techniques and procedures going through the locks. Off BoatEnjoy a casual bike ride or stroll along the towpath or into the countryside, bikes are always onboard and ready to go, Our 9 seated air conditioned Mercedes is available for transfers and during shore excursions.

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Accommodations

Food and Wine

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Sample Wine List

Red Wines Beaune 1er Cru Les Theurons Domaine Albert Morot Corton Bressandes Grand Cru Domaine Nudant Chateauneuf du Pape Domaine Duclaux-QuiotSaint Emilion Grand Cru Domaine Rolland MailletSantenay Maladiere 1er Cru Domaine Prieur-BrunetBourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits Domaine Moillard-GrivotCotes du Rhone Domaine CharpoutierBrouilly Domaine Andre Vonnier GravesChateau PeyratBourgogne Pinot Noir La Chapelle Domaine Dubreuil-FontaineWhite WinesPernand Vergelesses 1er Cru Clos Berthet Domaine Dubreuil-FontaineSancerre Domaine Dezat Condrieu Coteau de Breze Domaine Cheze Meurault Charmes 1er Cru Domaine Prieur-BrunetChablis Grand Cru Bourgos Domaine du ColombierBourgogne Chardonnay Cuvee Prestige Domaine des Hautes CotesSaint Veran Domaine du PoeteSauvignon de Saint Bris Domaine Felix et FilsBourgogne Aligote Selection PerardelPetit Chablis Domaine Jean Marc Brocard

Culinary Offerings
Dining aboard Prospérité is unlike any other barge on the French canals. Let our private chef captivate your taste buds with fresh and elegant French cuisine. Wake up to croissants and French baguettes still warm from the oven - accompanied by a buffet of fresh fruit, cereals, yogurts, jams and jellies, and on request, eggs any way you like. Usually served on deck, lunch is an ever-changing array of buffets from salads, quiche, pate, bread, fresh fruit and local cheeses. While dinner is in an elegant setting feel free to come in informal attire. Sit back, relax and enjoy a gourmet meal, which is full of flavor and light in feeling. Take pleasure in wines, especially chosen for each meal and selected from numerous French vineyards. You'll get the opportunity to try vintages new to you - as well as enjoy old favorites. All told, onboard alone you will sample 24 wines and 36 cheeses on your week aboard Prospérité.

Lunch Menus

Dinner Menus

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Food & Wine

Some things in life are meant to be savored...

Itinerary

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Sunday: A representative of Prospèritè will meet you at 2:00 PM in central Paris and escort you to Prospèritè, at anchor in or near Dijon, to begin your luxury barge cruise. Enjoy a champagne reception, an introduction to the Prospèritè and her crew and the first of many gourmet dinners on board. Monday: Begin your journey into the heart of "La France profonde" with a morning cruise to the village of Fleury-sur-Ouche. The rest of the day will be devoted to exploring the Côte d'Or wine area south of the canal. We'll first drive through the gorgeous "Route des Grand Crus" vineyards, followed by a visit to Château du Clos de Vougeot. The original building was a 12th-century winery built by Cistercian Monks. The old wine presses are on display as well as rooms where the monks lived and stored the wine. We'll return to Prospèritè for dinner on board.Tuesday: After breakfast, we'll drive the short distance back to Dijon for the lively local food market, where you can also shop for antiques on rue Verriere or explore the medieval town center. The 14th-century Ducal Palace dominates the architecture of this historic town. This afternoon cruise further into the beautiful valley of the Ouche with its limestone cliffs and wooded hills. Dinner on board completes the day. Wednesday: We'll float this morning through gorgeous scenery to La Bussière, mooring near the gardens of the abbey. This afternoon, return to the Côte d'Or vineyards for a personal introduction to winegrowers and a special private tasting. Dinner tonight is off Prospèritè at the Abbaye De La Bussière, an historic property restored into one of Burgundy's finest restaurants.Thursday: Walk the towpath, bicycle into passing towns or just laze in the hot tub as Prospèritè continues its barge cruise on the Canal de Bourgogne, completed in 1836. In the afternoon, we'll explore Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy. Tour the remarkable, perfectly preserved Hospice de Beaune, a 14th-century hospital in use until the early 20th century! Shop in the pedestrian zone for wine, gifts, tapestry pillows and acessories - or just sit in the square and enjoy life! Then it's back to Prospèritè for dinner on board. Friday: Cruise past the dramatic village and château of Châteauneuf-en-Auxois perched high on a hill overlooking the canal. After lunch we'll return to explore this atmospheric medieval town. A festive Captain's dinner ends the cruise in style. Saturday: We will return you to central Paris, arriving 12:00 PM. Note: The route is run in reverse on alternate weeks.

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Itinerary

Cruise Inclusions

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Inclusions

Private chauffeured transfer via Mercedes Minivan from Paris to the barge on Sunday (Please note 2:00 pm pickup time) and from the barge back to Paris on Saturday. Estimated arrival time in Paris is noon.

Gourmet meals on board and one elegant dinner off the barge as described in our itinerary

Fine wines to accompany lunch and dinner

Open bar with premium brands, wine, soft drinks juices and bottled waters

Daily sightseeing in the comfort of our Mercedes minivan and always accompanied by your private barge guide; entrance fees to chateaux, museums and the like are of course included

Use of eight on-board bicycles, the hot tub and all barge facilities.

Special Arrangements

Hot air ballooning will take you over the same countryside you have floated through! We will book with our top-notch ballooning partners in Burgundy.

Golfing can be scheduled on any of the several 18-hole courses along our route. Let us create an itinerary which combines luxury barge cruising with three or four rounds of golf during the week and well chauffeur you to the courses, too.

Individual transfers, upgraded wines./spirits, special excursion: Let us consider any request which will enhance your barge experience.

All of these arrangements will be charged additional to the cruise fare. We will advise you very specifically. Some providers will be paid directly at the time of service; the cost of other requests will be pre-paid before departure.

Cruise Inclusions

Rates and Dates

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Rates and Dates

Client Testimonials

Actual Client Questionnaire
Quality of cabin accommodations: The cabin was better than some 5 star hotels we've stayed in. Luxurious describes it. They even had a heated towel rack and cleaned our bathroom 2 or 3 times a day. I took a long, hot bubble bath while cruising down the canals!Quality of service: Outstanding! We really felt that we were special people, even royalty! Everyone tried their very best to please us. On the first morning I felt like a bit of cheese from the previous night's dinner for breakfast. From then on, there were morning cheeses out just for me without my asking.Quality of food/drinks: Incredible! Never have we been so consistently surprised at taste, presentation, and variety. The staff was consummately informed about the origins of the food, cheeses, and wines and shared information about such in an authoritative, yet "unstuffy" and friendly manner. The wines were very impressive and perfectly matched with the food for each meal----4 course lunches and dinners (sometimes 5) and 3 new cheeses at each along with 2 new wines at each.Quality of excursions: Captain Spencer Hayes not only took us to the most interesting places, but he also gave us time to wander around the little villages and towns. We were grateful for his wealth of historical facts which he shared with aplomb and humor. We even spent a morning with an 85 year-old Contessa who inherited a winery that she still operates. We toured her cellars as we learned about a vintner's life. We drank her wine, ate her pate and cheese puffs, and intently listened to her stories about growing-up in Nuits St. George, surviving the war years with German soldiers on the property, her loves, even some of her jewelry. We saw how the powerful lived in castles and how the religious orders lived in medieval abbeys, and even saw 900 year old presses. Amazing!Quality of barge route: It is my understanding (and I have read) that the route we took was the most beautiful area that can been seen from any canal. We were not disappointed. It WAS beautiful!Did the barge and your cabin meet your expectations? It exceeded our expectations.Do you have any suggestions for improvement? No.What were the high points of the cruise? Meeting and spending the morning with Madame Contessa and touring the most historic Abby in all of Burgundy.What did you enjoy least? We had one misty, cool morning, but only God could have helped that.Is there any other information you would have found useful? Only that I should have gone on a diet before the trip. The food was irresistible.Any other comments you'd like to make about the barge trip?I only wish it would have been longer. The week flew by us. The day we had to leave, I wanted to chain myself to the barge. When a member of the crew said to me, "Sorry you have to leave, it is a beautiful day today," I responded, "I'm not sorry---because I'm not leaving!" I said goodbye to my husband who then proceeded to usher me down the gangplank. "Do you think, Captain, that if I fall and break a leg that I can stay?" Oh well, all good things do come to an end, don't they? We have our memories and many photos.

"An 11 on a 10 scale - the best service I

have experienced in years of travel!"

- Joseph and Barbara Ross, 2009

"It was an absolutely fabulous trip from Day 1! T

he entire crew couldn't have been more enthusiastic,

helpful or just plain fun! A great week."

- Bob and Jane Long, 2007

"The crew was very attentive and warm. The accommodations were excellent. The food was very, very good! The planned tours reflected the region and provided a real "picture" of the area.

We relaxed, we laughed, we enjoyed each other and felt quite at home. Highly recommend this barge, the region and the vacation. I would rate this as one of our best vacations!"

- Cym Lowell and Dale Justice, 2009

"From start to finish, a top drawer experience. We were warmly welcomed, pampered as much

as we desired and always made to feel like Prosperite was our home, full of familiar comforts.

The staff was instantly responsive to our needs and even to our barely expressed wishes.

This was the best, most relaxing vacation we've ever had!"

- Robert and Jean Krapf, 2009

Guest Reviews

When the finest just doesn’t seem to measure up…come visit us!

Contact Us

Ellen Sack

The Barge Lady

Booking Agent - Prosperite Barge

Phone: 1.800.880.0071

E-Mail: Ellen_bargelady.com

Contact Us

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