Join La Bella Vita for an Opera Cruise This Summer     Book your spot aboard La Bella Vita’s Italian Opera Cruise for a lavish barging experience departing on 17th July 2022. Beginning in Venice, the “City of Canals”, La Bella Vita travels down the Po Valley to Mantua, with stops at magnificent locations on […]

Visit Burgundy’s Oldest Winemakers   Maison Champy Wine Tasting Experience   French Hotel Barge Finesse – Burgundy Barge Cruises Does it get any more indulgent than sampling exceptional wines at the vineyards of Burgundy’s oldest wine company? Since its founding in 1720, Maison Champy has been producing award-winning wines, and it’s the newest stop on

   Part 3: Places of Interest on the Briare Canal The picturesque Canal de Briare, one of the oldest canals in France, connects the valleys of the Seine and the Loire. The Canal de Briare begins just north of Montargis at Buges. The section of the canal between Montargis and Rogny follows the valley of

 Part 2: Towns & Villages Along the Briare Canal The picturesque Canal de Briare, one of the oldest canals in France, connects the valleys of the Seine and the Loire. The Canal de Briare begins just north of Montargis at Buges. The section of the canal between Montargis and Rogny follows the valley of the

Part 1: About the Canal de Briare   French Hotel Barge Renaissance traversing the aqueduct   The picturesque Canal de Briare, one of the oldest canals in France, connects the valleys of the Seine and the Loire. A popular route for both private and commercial cruising vessels, the canal is renowned as one of the

French Hotel Barge Renaissance Adds Visit to Rosa Bonheur’s Home  French Hotel Barge Renaissance – Canal de Briare & Canal Latéral à la Loire The French hotel barge Renaissance has added a visit to the home of Rosa Bonheur to their itinerary. She is the most celebrated female artist of the 19th Century. On this

 Barging in France  The Burgundy Canal – Part 3 Best Places to Visit Beaune, capital of the Burgundy wine country, is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Burgundy. Until the 15th century, Beaune was the residence of the Dukes of Burgundy. France eventually took the town from the Burgundians in 1477, after Louis

  Barging in France   The Burgundy Canal – Part 2   Click on map to enlarge in new window   Towns & Villages along the Burgundy Canal The fortified hilltop town of St-Florentin lies at the juncture of two rivers, the Armance and the Armançon, and is one of the first towns on the

Barging in France   The Burgundy Canal – Part One An Overview The Burgundy Canal is 150 miles long with 189 locks and connects the River Yonne at Migennes with the River Saone at St-Jean-de-Losne. It has the highest summit of any canal in France, reaching 378m (980 ft) above sea level, which is the

  Need a great gift idea ?     Say it with flowers   As a gift or a much needed getaway, a barge cruise is definitely the way to discover Holland. The Netherlands are famous for tulips, of course, but as a country with a rich artistic and cultural history, it has a lot more