The 12-guest river cruise ship La Belle Epoque offers premier comfort and elegance in Burgundy cruising. A heritage vessel refitted for modern luxury barging, she features a sundeck with a spa pool, spacious common areas, and well-designed accommodations with marble ensuite facilities.
This 126-foot ship is a spits barge built in 1930 to carry timber between Burgundy and Paris. Renovated by European Waterways in 1995, she now serves as a deluxe hotel barge ferrying passengers through the lovely region of Northern Burgundy. Her classic looks, modern amenities, spacious cabins, and wide range of daily excursions make the La Belle Epoque barge ideal for leisurely Burgundy cruises.
125 - 130 sq. ft. featuring twin or double beds, private bathroom with shower, wardrobe and a small table.
Junior Suites
150 - 165 sq. ft. featuring win or double beds, private bathroom with shower, wardrobe and a small table.
Deckplan
Staterooms & Suites
Barging Burgundy is more comfortable than ever, with guests coming home to the gracefully appointed Le Belle Epoque cabins. The hotel barge features four Staterooms (125 to 130 square feet) and two Junior Suites (150 to 165 square feet), with a choice of twin or double beds. All rooms are equipped with marble-clad ensuite facilities, warm lighting, a window or porthole, and individually controlled air-conditioning.
Amenities
A highlight of a La Belle Epoque cruise is the range of hotel-like facilities available on board, whether guests want to mingle indoors or relax under the sun.
Saloon/Dining Room: The wood-paneled saloon and dining room offer a fantastic space for socializing on the cruise ship, especially with the open bar on hand. Bespoke, handmade seating, and quality detailing of teak and brass create a refined atmosphere, while large picture windows keep the room light-filled and airy.
Sun Deck: Spend rain-free days on the spacious sundeck, where guests won’t miss any of Northern Burgundy’s spectacular scenery as La Belle Epoque drifts along the canal. There’s a large table under a canopy shade for al fresco dining, as well as comfortable loungers for passengers who want to nap, read a book, or gaze at the passing sights. A spa pool is also available on the deck.
Guests can travel in ease at all seasons with air-conditioning and central heating. Additionally, a six-man crew is on board to assist the passengers during the week-long cruise.
Dining
Full meals are served aboard the La Belle Epoque barge. The chef prepares fresh and contemporary dishes using local ingredients, giving passengers a taste of the region’s culinary delights. Wine pairings are carefully selected from Burgundy vineyards enhance the flavors while showing off the region’s esteemed wine-making legacy.
La Belle Epoque Itinerary
La Belle Epoque cruises on waterways in Burgundy, passing through the rolling French countryside, medieval villages, and heritage sites.
Enjoying Northern Burgundy’s stunning and diverse scenery is an essential element of a cruise trip to this area. Exclusive tastings at renowned wineries, private tours to historical and cultural landmarks, and even a special audience to local aristocracy are just some of the activities that are part of the Burgundy cruise excursions in France.
Optional adventures include a hot air balloon ride. There is also an excellent towpath for cycling and walking; guests may use the bicycles stowed on board at no additional cost.
A private charter of La Belle Epoque is also available.
La Belle Epoque Specifications
Year Built: 1930
Length: 126 feet
Passengers: 12
Crew: 6
About European Waterways
Established in 1977, European Waterways is an international cruise company known for delivering top-quality barge vacations in Europe’s most beloved waterways. The operator is based in Berkshire, England, but cruise destinations are far-ranging to places like Ireland, Scotland, and Mantua. The small-ship cruises in Europe that the tour operator specializes in are ideal for reaching acclaimed yet lesser-known locations.
European Waterways developed its fleet by taking old trading barges from all over the continent and renovating them into luxury boutique hotel barges. Each boat in the collection can accommodate four to 20 passengers, plus three to eight crew members. Expect an intimate cruise experience; travelers can also charter each barge for private cruises.
Spacious suites, professional service, and a highly personalized barging experience made the La Belle Epoque cruise a standout among guests. Many guests made it a point to praise the exceptional cuisine prepared by the onboard chef, with a new wine served every day. Excursions are fun and well-spaced from each other to ensure guests aren’t too tired to appreciate the tours.
For information or a detailed comparison of La Belle Epoque and other Burgundy cruise ships, contact our Adventure Life travel experts.
We are so glad that we chose Adventure Life. The service is top-notch. Everything is well taken care of and we just have to print the documents and go. Franny even gave us timely updates on possible airport strike.
KC Chan
TrustScore 4.8 | 251 reviews
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4 days ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
5 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
6 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.