Classic Cruise – Loire Valley
ITINERARY*
Sunday, Day 1 Moulin de Nitray
Guests are met near Tours* and transferred by private chauffeured minibus to hotel barge Nymphea where the crew and a Champagne Welcome await you at our mooring opposite the 17th century Moulin de Nitray. Dinner on board.
Monday, Day 2 Moulin de Nitray to Vallet
After breakfast, we stroll up to Nitray to visit the château and rose garden. We taste their range of Touraine wine before returning to the barge and cruising up to the hamlet of Vallet. In the afternoon, we enjoy an excursion to Château de Villandry on the banks of the Loire. The château is world-renowned for its amazing array of ornamental, water, vegetable and herb gardens. Dinner on board.
Tuesday, Day 3 Vallet to Civray-de-Touraine
After a short morning cruise we enjoy a pre-lunch aperitif at Bruno Curassier’s Domaine de la Grange before continuing our cruise to Civray de Touraine. After lunch on board, we tour the Château d’Amboise, a royal residence of the Kings of France for 200 years. We also visit Château du Clos Lucé nearby, Leonardo Da Vinci’s home for the last 3 years of his life. Dinner on board.
Wednesday, Day 4 Civray-de-Touraine to Chissay-en-Touraine
This morning we cruise under the 5-arch bridge of the impressive Château de Chenonceau before mooring at nearby. From here we take a short drive in the air-conditioned minibus to visit Chenonceau, often called ‘the ladies château’, after those such as Henry II’s mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who added the bridge over the River Cher and the beautiful gardens. Evening cruise to Chissay-en-Touraine and dinner ashore at a local restaurant, La Boulaye.
Thursday, Day 5 Chissy-en-Touraine to Montrichard
A morning cruise takes us towards the troglodyte village of Bourré and we moor near one of the more unusual dwellings, La Magnaneraie. The Coquillat family have grown up in this hillside troglodyte habitation, which has been in turn a wine cellar, a quarry for the tuffeau stone, and lastly, a silkworm nursery. After lunch we drive to Valençay, one of the most splendid châteaux of the Loire. We then cruise to Montrichard where we moor for the night. Dinner on board.
Friday, Day 6 Montrichard to Moulin de Nitray
Following breakfast, we explore the street market of Montrichard and the 11th century château overlooking the medieval town square, as well as the local vineyard of the Meriau family, to taste the regional Touraine vintages. In the afternoon, we cruise back downstream to Nitray before the Captain’s Farewell Dinner on board.
Saturday, Day 7 Moulin de Nitray
After breakfast, guests are transferred by private chauffeured minibus to the drop-off point near Tours.**
This is a sample itinerary and is subject to change.
**other locations available for private charter bookings
Cruise Route
Photo Gallery
Related Articles
Top Four Iconic Aqueducts in France
If you're a civil engineering buff, the waterways of France will provide much to marvel over (and under, and through!) Read More
Château de Chenonceau: The Fairy Tale Château of Dreams
Cruise beneath the five-arched bridge of the Château de Chenonceau and experience the splendour of its turreted façade when you cruise the Loire Valley aboard Nymphea Read More
Château de Villandry: An 18th Century Marvel
Visited aboard luxury hotel barge, Nymphea, the Château de Villandry really is a blooming marvel with spectacular floral gardens that are sure to impress all year round... Read More
Sancerre & the Upper Loire Wine Guide: France’s Most Diverse and Third Largest Wine Region
Sancerre is the most recognizable appellation for French Sauvignon Blanc in the Loire Valley. The region’s rolling limestone hills and semi-continental climate deliver richly textured wines Read More