Saturday

Boofzheim Passengers who have taken our Optional Paris Transfer meet in the lobby of the Hotel Regina, 192 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris at 9.30 am and transfer to the meeting place by 1st class seating on the train to Strasbourg. Meeting place is the Strasbourg railway station at 3 pm. Coach transfer to the Lorraine moored in the village of Boofzheim, south of Strasbourg. Alternate weeks the meeting point is the station at Saverne. You will be welcomed aboard with champagne, and then enjoy time to settle in to your cabin before dinner aboard.

Sunday

Boofzheim - Krafft Cruise on the Canal du Rhone au Rhin. We moor during lunch at the village of Krafft. Afterwards, we take the coach to drive south to Colmar for a guided tour of the city center with it’s medieval Renaissance buildings,13th century collegiate church, and the waterside ‘little Venice’ area. Free time to explore the city. We return by the “route des vins” at the base of the Vosges mountains parallel to the Rhine. We make a short stop at the picturesque, medieval village of Riquewihr for a visit to a cellar to taste some local vintages before retuning to the boat at Krafft.

Monday

Krafft – Strasbourg Cruise over breakfast and during the morning to Strasbourg. We pass the ultra modern buildings of the European Parliament, and disembark for an afternoon guided walking tour of the principal sights of Strasbourg. The cathedral of Notre Dame, whose construction spread over five centuries from the Romanesque choir to the flamboyant gothic spire, is a highlight. Free time to explore the this capital of Alsace , take advantage of the excellent shopping or stroll through the cobbled streets admiring the timbered houses.

Tuesday

Strasbourg - Saverne This morning we pass Hochfelden, where ancient documents prove there was a brewery as early as 870 AD. This tradition is continued to this day by the Metero beer company. We stop for a sample before lunch on board. Today offers excellent opportunities for our guests to walk alongside the boat or cycle into one of the villages to apprciate the produce of a loca brewery in a ‘Bierstub’. We moor in Saverne and have an excellent view of the Red sandstone chateau built by the Rohan family during the 18th century. We recommend a delightful stroll before dinner.

Wednesday

Saverne - Niderviller We visit a unique crystal factory to see the famous products of this area. Beautiful pieces of crystal are still individually blown and fashioned by hand. We cruise over the border into Lorraine near the village of Lutzelbourg. Here the canal follows the valley of the river Zorn to the famous inclined plane of Arzviller. Seventeen locks have been replaced by a counterbalanced hydraulic barge lift that hauls the Lorraine up nearly 150 feet to the summit level of the Marne to Rhine Canal. The we cruise through a cutting and two tunnels under the peak of the Vosges mountains before mooring in the evening at a quiet spot near the village of Niderville.

Thursday

Niderville – Sarrebourg We cruise through the regional park of Lorraine, a nature reserve with numerous lakes and vast areas of woodland. This afternoon we will take the coach for a drive to Sarrebourg and visit the chapel of the Cordelieres where we can see the strained glass window created by Marc Chagall. We return to the Lorraine for our farewell gala dinner.

Friday

Leave the Lorraine after breakfast and coach transfer to Saverne train station for return to Paris.