Set sail on Enchante for a 7-day private cruise through Southern France's Canal du Midi. Discover the region of Languedoc-Roussillon's rich history, medieval villages, and world-famous wine. Explore the stunning views from the hilltop village of Minerve, which features a Cathar fortress dating from the 12th century. Continue to the Archbishop's Palace in Narbonne before partaking in a wine tour and tasting at Château Saint Jacques d'Albas in Minervois. Admire the lovely Lagrasse, one of France's "Most Beautiful Villages," and meander around the 8th-century Benedictine abbey. Your tour continues with a visit to Carcassonne's 52 watchtowers, often regarded as the complete medieval walled city.
Highlights
Visit beautiful Lagrasse and its 8th century abbey with your private group of up to 8 guests
Visit an olive oil press to sample the famous Lucques olives
Enjoy a private winery tour and taste fine Minervois wines
Tour Narbonne’s Archbishop’s Palace and experience the colorful local market
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 in Narbonne and transferred by private chauffeured minibus to Enchanté. Enjoy a champagne welcome and an introduction to the Captain and crew, followed by dinner on board.
By morning, Enchanté starts cruising through the Robine canal, which was built to connect Narbonne to the Mediterranean and the village of Ventenac. It is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France and is also known to be historical. If you want to taste some wine, you can explore the château, which was converted into a winery, then have a side trip to “L’Oulibo” where you can have a taste of its famous Lucques olives. The excursion continues to Minerve, which is known to be the ancient capital of the Minervois that has a 12th-century Cathar fort surrounded by deep limestone gorges. With Simon De Montfort surrounding Minerve, you can enjoy stunning views on its hilltop. The day ends with a mouth-watering dinner on board.
Your excursion starts with a delightful breakfast followed by a trip to Narbonne. Narbonne connects Via Domitia and the Via Aquitania and is where the Visigoth monarchs once lived. You are given the time to browse or shop at the Archbishop's Palace and the indoor market at the center of the busy town. By the afternoon, cruise past the vineyards and pine trees the "grand brief," another engineering prowess unique to the Canal du Midi, to Bassanel. The picture-perfect mooring view under the trees is the best place for you to play the game of boules. The day ends with a delicious dinner on board.
Today, visit the Benedictine Abbey situated in Lagrasse that was founded in the 8th century. This village is known to be the “Plus beaux villages de France” and where you can find many artisans gathered to set up workshops in the medieval center. It was once the wealthiest region because of Charlemagne’s charter. Have lunch prepared with an amazing setting overlooking the Corbieres vineyards. After lunch, the cruise continues to Puicheric, passing through one of the bridges invented by Pierre Riquet, the “l’Epanchoir.” Dinner served on board.
Today, cruise along the 330-year-old canal, which is a great opportunity to explore by walking or bicycling from one lock to the next. The excursion continues on a wine and tasting tour at Château Saint Jacques d’Albas in Minervois. The winery humbly received the approval for wines known as A.O.C. (Appellation d’Origine Controlée). This informative tour offers an opportunity to sample wine in situ and learn more about Languedoc’s long-standing and continuing wine trade. Dinner on board.
Enjoy a spectacular tour of Carcassonne to begin your day. Carcassonne has 52 watchtowers, portcullis, and an extraordinary repertoire of defenses that protected this town from many armies who tried to damage Carcassonne. Considering the history, Carcassonne is the complete medieval fortified city in existence today. By afternoon, cruise through the dappled cathedral-like canopy of the plane trees to Trèbes. Tonight, enjoy a Captain's farewell dinner served onboard.
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Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$56,500
or $7,063 per person based on 8 max passengers
Lower Deck
165 sq. ft. including en-suite. Four twin/double staterooms with twin sized beds, wardrobe, private bathroom with shower, a small table beside beds, desk and a chair.
Notes
- All children under the age of 18 years accepted onboard qualify for a discount of $300 per child per week.
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
This was our first trip to South America and we were a little nervous. But Adventure Life made things so easy! All our questions were answered before we left, and our guide, Vidal, was amazing! He gave us enough space to explore without rushing us along. He also knew where the best picture taking opportunities were, which was great.
Lindsay Gompf
TrustScore 4.8 | 254 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 254 reviews on
2 days 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
2 days 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!
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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
1 week 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.
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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.