Barging in Burgundy
As we are approach the one-year mark of the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic here in the U.S., I’ve been getting homesick (literally) for travel. So I’ve been going back through old travel photos and revisiting some of my favorite trips which I thought I’d share with you. Let’s start with barging in Burgundy.
In 2018 my husband Steve and I decided to rent a “self-drive” barge and explore a portion of the Canal du Nivernais with my parents. The great thing about this type of trip is that is doesn’t require significant boating experience (however a familiarity with navigation, map reading and line/rope handling doesn’t hurt.) The Canal du Nivernais links the Loire River with the Seine. It is an ideal cruising waterway, offering a wide variety of landscapes and many places of interest to visit along the canal and in the surrounding area. There are numerous mooring and cruising service facilities set up throughout the length of the canal and a number of companies offer boat rentals for cruising on the canal. The canal is also regularly navigated by a number of upscale/luxury “hotel barges”, which cruise primarily between Auxerre and Clamecy. This cruising area is conveniently located between the Loire and Burgundy regions allowing for some exceptional wine drinking opportunities!
Canal du Nivernais (highlighted in red)
We cruised from Tonnere to Vermenton.
Cruising by barge (whether hosted or self-drive) gives travelers the opportunity to leisurely enjoy the region from a unique point of view. In addition to simply cruising the waterway, passengers can enjoy local wine tasting, biking on the canal tow paths, dining in small country restaurants and the opportunity to visit a lesser traveled part of the country. High season on the canal is during the summer when the canals are busy with locals as well as tourists. Early fall is also popular due to the vineyard harvest activity. I would recommend May/June and September to early October.
To get a sense of what cruising on a “self-drive” barge is like click on the video below!
After we finished our barge trip, we took a week to drive around the surrounding Franche Comté region, a beautiful rural area in eastern France that is one of the most underrated regions of the country. The region promotes its “Green Tourism” i.e environmental tourism, and while much of France is hot, dry and brown in the summer, Franche Comté remains green, cool and inviting. The northern part of this region is highly agricultural with small towns and villages that give rise into the foothills of the Vosges mountains to the east. The remainder includes the French Jura mountain area with its beautiful landscape of hills, meadows and spruce forests. The area is popular with campers, bikers and hikers. Windsurfers, sailors and paddleboarders also enjoy the region’s lakes. The region features a number of UNESCO World Heritage sites including Arc et Senans Royal Saltworks and Vauban’s citadel in Besançon. It is also famous as France's watchmaking area and the industry is still active either side of the Swiss border.
The capital city of Besançon is one of the hidden jewels of France. Unlike other French cities it didn’t succumb to the modern urban development of the 1960s that razed and destroyed the historic quarters of many towns. The town remains composed of mostly old stone-built houses, narrow streets and historic buildings. It’s Musée des Beaux Arts is often referred to as the “petit Louvre” and contains one of the oldest and finest public art galleries in the countries with a strong collection of old masters and 19th century French Art.
This area is famous for its agricultural products, notably Comté cheese (similar to the Swiss Gruyere) which remains produced only in farms and rural dairies (known as fruitières) using an age-old traditional cheese-making process. Other cheeses from this region are Mont d'Or - also called Vacherin - Morbier and Bleu de Gex. Apart from its cheeses, Franche-Comté is also renowned for its charcuterie: Morteau sausage, a smoked mountain sausage that can be boiled or grilled; Montbéliard sausage - similar but smaller and mountain ham. As for wines, Franche-Comté has them too : Arbois and Côtes du Jura are the great regional AOC wines. The Jura also produces a very special aperitif wine, called Vin Jaune.
This type of trip is perfect for travelers who have already visited France several times and are looking to discover something new. It will appeal to all types of travelers from families, couples and small groups (especially for the barging portion) to anyone simply looking for an active vacation with local food and wine indulgences!