Renaissance accommodates up to eight passengers in ultimate luxury. She was extensively refitted in 2009 and will delight the most discerning passenger. The air conditioned interior includes a beautifully appointed lounge with comfortable seating, a cosy bar stocked with your favourites and bookshelves which contain a Bose CD system, current books, up-to-date periodicals.
Renaissance has five members of crew who attend to the eight passengers throughout the cruise including a captain, tour guide, master chef and two housekeepers. She has four large suites which can be configured as twins or doubles. Each has a 60ft sq private bathroom and a TV/DVD system. The sundeck has seating and a spa pool, and bicycles are available for clients use.
Below you can find some of the highlights of the cruises we are currently offering on Renaissance, along with some examples of the cuisine and fine wines the master chef will present you with on board.
Cruise Highlights
Cuisine Aboard
Visit the medieval town of Chateau Landon
Tour of Chateau Guedelon, a unique re-creation of a 13th century castle
7-lock flight at Rogny Les Sept Ecluses
Visit to Chateau de Sully sur Loire, a moated fortress and "monument historique"
Cruise across the Pont Canal de Briare, built by Gustav Eiffel over the River Loire
Wine tasting in Sancerre
Excellent towpath for walking and bicycling
Regional Specialities
Filet Mignon de Charolais, Medallion d'Agneau Farci a la Provencale, Filet de Sole Chablisienne, Canard au Petits Navets
Wine Cellar
Sancerre, Chablis, Pouilly Fume, Cote de Nuits, Cote de Beaune, Vosne Romanee, Domaine Laroche, Nuits St Georges
Cheese Board
Aisy Cendre, Bouton de Culotte, Epoisses, Ami du Chambertin
Sunday, Day 1 Paris to Chatillon-sur-Loire
Guests are met at the meeting hotel in Paris at 1.30 pm and transferred to the spacious Renaissance where a Champagne Welcome awaits you. We preview Monday’s crossing of Gustave Eiffel’s magical aqueduct across the River Loire, an amazing 10,000 ton, 662 metre Pont Canal, which was completed in September 1896. Time for a walk or cycle ride before your first dinner aboard.
Monday, Day 2 Chatillon-sur-Loire to Briare
Morning cruise across the River Loire on Eiffel’s Aqueduct to Briare. Before lunch, time to wander around fruit and vegetable, seafood, cheese and French fashion stalls in the market in Briare. Afternoon visit to a family-run vineyard in Sancerre. This medieval hilltop village overlooks a vibrant and pulsating region which has known viticulture since Roman times. Dinner on board
Tuesday, Day 3 Briare to Ouzouer-Trezee
This morning we visit Gien, home of the Faience pottery and hunting museums and Chateau de Gien, built at the end of the 15th century for Anne de Beaujeu, Louis XI's older daughter. Afternoon cruise to the village of Ouzouer-Trezee. Dinner aboard.
Wednesday, Day 4 Ouzouer-Trezee to Rogny les-Sept-Ecluses
This morning we visit Chateau Sully sur Loire. The castle originally belonged to Georges de la Trémoïlle, who infuriated Joan of Arc by encouraging the Dauphin to devote himself to idle hunting in the forests around Sully. After Joan's failure to liberate Paris 1430, de la Trémoïlle virtually imprisoned her in the castle. In the 18thC Voltaire, exiled from Paris, also spent time at the Château. Afternoon cruise to the historical town of Rogny. Dinner ashore at Michelin starred Auberge des Templiers in Les Bezards.
Thursday, Day 5 Rogny les-Sept-Ecluses to Montbouy
We leave Rogny this afternoon for a gentle cruise to Montbouy. Today’s excursion is to Chateau Guedelon. A team of fifty people have taken on an extraordinary feat to build a castle using the very same techniques and materials used in the Middle Ages. Work on the site began in 1997 and is scheduled to take 25 years to complete. Guédelon offers a unique opportunity to witness the different stages of a castle's construction with each phase being of interest in its own right. Let yourself be transported from the present day, back to the sights and sounds of a 13th century construction site. Dinner aboard
Friday, Day 6 Montbouy to Montargis
We enjoy a morning cruise through Little Venice, past flower-bedecked bridges and medieval watercourses joining France’s oldest canal. The cruise takes us through the Loiret countryside with towpath cycling to Montargis. Our visit this afternoon is to the splendid town of Moret-sur-Loing, home to the great Impressionist artist Alfred Sisley. This medieval walled town is still an inspiration for painters today, with its elegant Renaissance facades, colourful shops and medieval half-timbered house. Captain’s Farewell Dinner aboard.
Saturday, Day 7 Montargis to Paris
After breakfast we return you to the meeting point in Paris by midday
On alternate weeks the cruise is in the reverse direction. This is a sample itinerary and is subject to change.
