The Nymphea is the ideal vessel for navigating the beautiful sandy beaches of the River Cher in the Loire Valley. Very few other vessels are able to cruise this magical waterway. You will even get to cruise through the arches of probably the most-photographed château in the Loire Valley, Château de Chenonceau – not once, but twice – a rare privilege afforded to very few boats!
Highlights
Visit the Century-old Chateaus in Central France
Experience their locally-produced wine at Touraine
Visit Leonardo Da Vinci's home at Chateau du Clos Luce
Activity options vary depending on destination and operator. Activity level is determined by the range and intensity of activities you choose to participate in. Discuss with your Trip Planner which options are best for you.
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 your mooring opposite the 17th century Moulin de Nitray.
A morning cruise through two locks takes you to the quaint town of Larcay where you moor under the weeping willows for lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy an excursion to Château de Villandry, the last of the great Renaissance châteaux to be built on the banks of the Loire. The château is world-renowned for its amazing array of ornamental, water, vegetable and herb gardens.
After a morning cruise past no less than six private châteaux, you tie up opposite the hamlet of Vallet, a cluster of classic Tourangeau architecture grouped around its 18th century mill. From there you drive to Amboise on the banks of the Loire, where you visit the Royal Château d’Amboise, a royal residence of the Kings of France for 200 years. You also get to visit Château du Clos Lucé nearby, Leonardo Da Vinci’s home for the last 3 years of his life.
Whilst cruising in the morning you may pull in to the tiny landing stage next to Domaine de Fontenay. A two-minute walk brings you to the courtyard where you can taste their range of Touraine wines as an aperitif before lunch. In the afternoon you cruise under the 5-arch bridge of the impressive Château de Chenonceau and moor at Chisseaux. From there you 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. Upon your return, you cruise upstream to Chissay-en-Touraine and have dinner in one of the local restaurants specializing in Loire regional cooking.
A morning cruise takes you 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 drive to Valencay, one of the most splendid châteaux of the Loire. We then cruise to Montrichard where we moor for the night.
Following breakfast, a short stroll takes you to the heart of Montrichard and into one of the largest street markets in Touraine. You also explore the 11th century château overlooking the medieval town square. Before lunch you can visit the local vineyard of the Meriau family, to taste the regional Touraine vintages. In the afternoon, you can enjoy another passage under Chenonceau and arrive at the hamlet of Nitray in time to visit the château and rose garden. Enjoy an aperitif from their vineyards before the Captain’s Farewell.
Day 7: Moulin de Nitray | Disembark
1 Breakfast
After breakfast, guests are transferred by private chauffeured minibus to the drop-off point near Tours.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$5,7902-3 travelers
Rates are subject to change without notice. Book early to get the best rate.
Stateroom
Nymphea has three compact, but comfortable cabins, two twin staterooms and one twin or double stateroom, all with air conditioning and en-suite facilities.
Notes
Cruise under the famed Château de Chenonceau
Visit a Troglodyte cave dwelling and see the silkworm nursery
Excursion to the Château d’Amboise and Château du Clos Lucé
Private wine tastings at Montrichard and the Domaine de Fontenay
Visit to Château de Villandry and its magnificent gardens
Initial deposit is 25%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure by Credit card, check, and bank transfer. All final payments by credit card subject to a surcharge of 2.5% and maximum of $20,000 charge
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1 day ago
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
1 day ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
1 day ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
6 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
1 week 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.