From its cuisine and cities to its vineyards and river valleys, France captivates visitors with a variety of tastes, but few experience this country in the quiet luxury offered by French Country Waterways. Four luxurious hotel barges take guests through storied wine regions, allowing them to bask in the natural beauty of the inland waterways while enjoying the best of French gastronomy in the Upper Loire, Burgundy, Alsace-Lorraine and Champagne.

In 2025, new and loyal guests will be met with a fresh take on France as three of the line’s four barges are being repositioned. Princess will call on wineries and towns in Champagne, Nenuphar will visit the Upper Loire, and Horizon II visits Alsace-Lorraine, while Adrienne remains in Burgundy. A 2025 digital brochure is available at 2025 French Country Waterways Brochure.

“Repositioning a higher capacity vessel in the Upper Loire allows us to better meet the current trends we are seeing in demand. This move also allows former guests who may favor one barge over another, to book their favorite on a new route,” says Glenn Carr, President of French Country Waterways.

French Country Waterways’ luxury barges accommodate 8-12 guests, making for a highly personalized experience and lasting friendships with fellow guests and crew. The six-night sailings in each region are offered from late-March through October. Sailing with French Country Waterways is fully inclusive, with private tours and wine tastings; exceptional cuisine from the on-board chef and dinner ashore at a Michelin-starred restaurant; a fully stocked open bar and all wines, many of which are from Grand and Premier Cru vineyards; dozens of tantalizing French cheeses; a private motorcoach, and more. Fares begin at $8,195 per person, double occupancy.

Highlights for each route are as follows:

Princess: Captivating Champagne

Carrying eight passengers and six crew, Princess has two Grand King suite and two King suite staterooms; and as is similar in all of the luxury barges, tastefully opulent furnishings and intimate gathering spaces are offered inside and out. As Princess sails through Champagne, guests will sample the world’s most-celebrated wine with stops at Champagne Joseph Perrier and other prominent Champagne houses; tour Reims, the Coronation City; call on historic sites from the Gothic Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims to the American Cemetery and WWI battlefields at Belleau Wood; and dine at the two Michelin star Restaurant Le Parc Les Crayères, in Reims.

Nenuphar: Discovering the Upper Loire

Carrying 12 passengers and six crew, Nenuphar has six King suite staterooms. Nenuphar sails the canal de Briare and the canal latéral à la Loire, where guests indulge in a private wine tasting in Sancerre; dine at the one Michelin star Auberge des Templiers, in Boismorand; watch artisans at La Grange Manufacture Tonnelière make oaken wine barrels; browse the fine porcelain hand-crafted in Gien; and navigate the elevated Briare Aqueduct, designed by Gustav Eiffel.

Horizon II: Exploring Alsace-Lorraine

Carrying eight passengers and six crew, Horizon II has four King suite staterooms. As Horizon II sails through the wine villages and pasturelands of Alsace-Lorraine, guests sample crisp, fruity varietals in the village of Traenheim; explore the Fine Arts Museum and grand square, Place Stanislas, in Nancy, epicenter of Art Nouveau architecture; dine at the two Michelin star Villa René Lalique, in Wingen-sur-Moder; and visit the 13^th-century Chapel of the Cordeliers, home to a 39-foot-tall Marc Chagall-designed stained-glass window.

Adrienne: Navigating the Charms of Burgundy

Hosting 12 passengers and six crew, Adrienne has six King suite staterooms. Adrienne sails through the heart of Burgundy and the Côte d’Or wine region, where guests can sip the fine vintages grown on slopes near Chassagne-Montrachet and Beaune; tour the historic center of Dijon, the renowned capital of Burgundy; explore Beaune where the original walls protect the city and the gothic architecture of the famous Hospice de Beaune; witness the remarkable Château de Rully in Chagny; and be satiated with a dinner at the Michelin three-star restaurant, Maison Lameloise, in Chagny.

Additional information can be found at www.fcwl.com. Brochure requests and reservations can be made by contacting French Country Waterways at 800/222-1236 in the U.S. and Canada and at 781/934-2454 in Massachusetts, or by email at admin@fcwl.com. French Country Waterways operates four barges, each available for individual bookings and charter trips. Special room rates are offered at designated meeting point hotels in Paris and/or Strasbourg for guests wishing to extend their stay.