French Country Waterways Marne Rhine Canal Cruise: A Review

French Country Waterways Marne Rhine Canal Cruise

By John Roberts

When I boarded the Horizon II barge for a French Country Waterways Marne-Rhine canal cruise in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, I had only a basic idea of what to expect.

After more than three dozen river cruises in Europe, I was joining my smallest vessel yet for a journey with French Country Waterways.

Horizon II carries just eight passengers, and my wife Colleen and I were surprised to see just one other pair onboard for our weeklong trip — a nice couple from California.

So, the four of us and our five crew members began our journey in the city of Nancy. I was excited to savor the fantastic food and scenery that I heard are the hallmarks of this style of travel.

A little spoiler alert: Barge cruising with French Country Waterways is fantastic!

VIDEO: Here's a quick overview, in John's video below.

 

In this French Country Waterways Marne-Rhine canal cruise review, I’ll tell you about our day-to-day itinerary, the foods and wines we enjoyed and what it’s like being on the intimate canals, passing through locks and stopping at small towns in the countryside.

We enjoyed beautiful spring weather on our mid-May cruise with temps hovering right around 70 degrees with sunny skies for all but one afternoon when it rained for a spell.

I love to stay active during my travels, and I was able to bike, run and work out daily during our voyage. Barge trips certainly aren’t as active as expedition cruising, and in terms of excursions, barge cruise tours are generally not as active as most classic river cruises either.

And for good reason.

Barge cruises are designed to give travelers a gentle and relaxing experience at a pace that feels just right. We cruised a total of 68 miles, slow and steady.

However, if you’re wondering how you can stay fit on a barge cruise, when you scroll on a bit, I'll share a few tips and tricks for travelers who also love to stay fit while traveling.

The Horizon II Backstory

Horizon II was built in 1950 as a cargo barge. It was refurbished in the mid-1980s to take on its new life as a luxury vessel for pleasure cruises on the canals in France.

It’s hard to believe that Horizon II was built 75 years ago. The barge is in beautiful condition, and the crew meticulously maintains the vessel, constantly cleaning and painting any scuffs that occur when transiting the dozens of tight locks on the route.

Our Alsace-Lorraine Marne-Rhine Canal Cruise Itinerary

Sailing six-night cruises going between Nancy and Saverne, here's a day-by-day look at the week.

• Day 1: Embark in Nancy, France
• Day 2: Walking tour of Nancy in morning; Horizon II sails at noon beginning the trip on the Marne-Rhine Canal. Arrive in Crevic for overnight stay.
• Day 3: Sail from Crevic to Lagarde for afternoon tour of Baccarat in the town of Meurthe-et-Moselle
• Day 4: Horizon II departs Lagarde and cruises to Xouaxange for afternoon stop and tour of Cordeliers Chapel in nearby Sarrebourg. Cruise to Niderviller for overnight stay.
• Day 5: Cruise from Niderviller to go through two tunnels and through the Saint-Louis-Arzviller inclined-plane boat lift in the Vosges Mountains. Arrive at Lutzelbourg for afternoon tours to Marmoutier and its Benedictine abbey. Dinner at 2-Michelin-Star restaurant Villa Rene Lalique in Wingen-sur-Moder. Overnight stay in Lutzelbourg.
• Day 6: Sail from Lutzelbourg to Saverne. Afternoon tour and private cellar tasting at Mochel winery in Traenheim.
• Day 7: End of the cruise; transfer to Strasbourg for onward travels.

These two historic regions are linked by one of France's most scenic waterways. Known locally as Canal de la Marne au Rin, the serene waterway winds through the idyllic countryside of Alsace-Lorraine filled with horses, sheep and cows and rises over the summit of the Vosges Mountains in the Alsace region.

This part of the country has a distinct cultural identity and feel owing to its history as part of the Holy Roman Empire and being annexed by Germany in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 before being returned to France after World War I.

The barging program from French Country Waterways was a good way to see the very best of this region and get a little bit of a history lesson along the way as our passionate crew dropped in colorful facts and details along the journey during the periods of cruising and on our variety of shore excursions.

Food Is A Large Part Of A French Country Waterways Marne-Rhine Canal Cruise

French Country Waterways prides itself on its culinary program, and the food and wines truly are outstanding. Chef Wojciech works in a tiny galley on the small vessel and produces huge results.

The boat has three decks, with the galley and wheelhouse at the very back on Deck 2 and Deck 3. The Salon is located forward of the galley, and it’s a dining room, lounge and bar space.

This is where we eat breakfast and dinner and hung out for a drink or two pre- and post-dinner each evening. Lunch is served here when the weather outside doesn’t cooperate. We were able to enjoy all our lunches during the week at a large table on the Sun Deck.

Lunch is served buffet style, though everything from salads to main courses and cheese course is prepared fresh. Lunches and dinners are paired with excellent wines, mostly from the Alsace-Lorraine region.

What’s Included?

The program is all-inclusive, covering:

• all meals
• fine wines and drinks (you can grab your own drinks from the bar or fridge if crew is not around)
• daily excursions
• transfers to/from barge

*Note, gratuities are not included.

The barge has Wi-Fi, which performed well on our trip when we were in the ship’s lounge.

The Barge’s Layout & Cabins

Horizon II's sun deck features loungers, chairs and small tables, so cruisers can sit out and enjoy the scenic sailing or just relax outdoors when in port. Umbrellas can be put up to offer shade.

The four identical suites are located on Deck 1, and they have two porthole windows looking out to the water line. The large rooms offer twin beds that can be combined to make a king size. Nightstands are on each side of the bed.

There is a desk with mirror and power outlets, plus a wardrobe on each side of the desk with a closet space and a drawer. The room offers North American and European power outlets, as well as USB and USB-C outlets.

The spacious bathroom features a walk-in shower.

VIDEO: John shows us around his roomy cabin #3 in this short video, below.

We traveled at a gentle pace from place to place, going west to east from Nancy to Saverne. The barge doesn’t cruise at night, so we would arrive at our port for overnight stays by late afternoon, to enjoy a nice restful sleep on our moored barge.

Dining & Wining on Horizon II

We boarded on a Sunday night, enjoyed a welcome glass of Champagne, unpacked into our room and then had our first of the incredible dining experiences we quickly learned to expect with FCW.

We learned that there would be two bottles of wine presented at each dinner and lunch, and the varieties were all Premier Cru or Grand Cru selections — always a white and a red.

There is an appetizer, main course, cheese course (always three varieties) with a crisp green salad and dessert. My taste buds were delightfully overwhelmed as we enjoyed a tender chicken breast with potato puree and green asparagus and a chanterelle mushroom sauce before Comte, Camembert and Pouligny-Saint Pierre cheeses and chocolate mousse.

Trust me, you get a good night sleep, too, after these rich meals and a couple glasses of wine.

After our first night onboard Horizon II, we had our morning workout, breakfast and then a short tour of the city led by Anna. A top attraction of the city is the impressive Place Stanislas and its UNESCO World Heritage buildings.

We were back onboard by noon to shove off and start our time on the Marne-Rhine Canal, first in the Lorraine region. We had our first lunch on the sundeck, and our hostess Csilla and chef Wojciech presented our meal of fresh salad, burrata and tomatoes, oven-roasted potatoes, beef fillet and a pizza-like tart with bacon.

After an afternoon of cruising, we arrived at Crevic for our overnight stay and another great dinner.

Here is an example of some of the food that was prepared for us all week:

We enjoy pan-fried sea bass, giant langoustines, tuna steak on Nicoise salad, Margret de Canard (tender duck breast), lobster in charcoal ink ravioli, filet de St. Pierre (John Dory fish) and foie gras, of course.

Daily Rhythm Of Our Barge Cruise

We would start cruising around 9 a.m. just after breakfast, and there was a scheduled shore excursion each day, typically in the afternoon after lunch. We were able to enjoy our days as we wished as we cruised. One day, it was a little chilly with intermittent rain, so we all did some reading or played card games in the lounge.

All other days we beautiful, and Colleen and I took a couple of 12-plus mile bike rides before hopping back onboard in a lock farther along the route.

On one of our rides, we were able to coast down the hill past a series of old locks that have been replaced by impressive the Saint-Louis-Arzviller Inclined-Plane boat carriage system that transports through the Vosges Mountains.

The boat elevator replaced 17 locks, and it lifts or drops vessels more than 145 feet in about four minutes. We went on the system with Horizon II near the end of our weeklong voyage for a truly memorable maritime experience.

While we chose to bike or run in between locks, cruisers can choose to enjoy walks, too. It really is fun to hop off the boat at just the right time as it rises or descends in the lock and  meet up with the crew again to get back onboard.

Stops Along the Way

Lagarde

We arrived to Lagarde and had an afternoon tour of the Baccarat crystal factory in the town of Meurthe-et-Moselle. Anna arranged several interesting tours for us.

Sarrebourg

In Sarrebourg, I was stunned by the beautiful 40-foot-high stained-glass wall created by Marc Chagall within the Chapelle des Cordeliers. It's called La Paix, or the Peace Window; it was installed in 1974 as part of the overall restoration of the chapel, which dates to the 13th century.

Inclined-Plane Boat Elevator

Leaving from the town of Niderviller, where we docked for the night, Oscar drove Horizon II expertly through two long tunnels cut into the mountains — the Niderviller and the Arzviller tunnels.

We had a fantastic day of cruising to get through the Vosges Mountains before reaching the Saint-Louis-Arzviller inclined-plane boat elevator.

On the other side, Colleen and I hopped on our bikes and rode past the old locks to meet up again before riding the elevator down.

VIDEO: John shot this video while going through one of the tunnels!

 

Marmoutier

We continued cruising to the picturesque town of Lutzelbourg, had a delicious lunch of mussels under sunny blue skies outside on the deck and went to the town of Marmoutier to visit the historic Benedictine abbey grounds and well-preserved church.

We had reached our final day of cruising, and Oscar invited us to take a turn at the wheel, explaining that it’s not too hard.

“It’s like driving a lorry backwards on ice,” he joked.

He made plenty sure to give us good instructions and watch closely as we giddily spun the wheel from side to side aiming to keep a line in the middle of the canal. It gave a real appreciation for how unusual it is to drive a long boat from a vantage point so far back while slipping gently into tight locks along the way.

Dinner that evening was our special event off the boat at the 2-Michelin-Star restaurant Villa Rene Lalique in Wingen-sur-Moder in the Alsace countryside. Our eight-course wine-pairing meal was outstanding (and included in the fare). (But I thought they were no better than the meals we were enjoying on our barge, really.)

Hope You Enjoyed My Review of Our French Country Waterways Marne Rhine Canal Cruise

This intimate experience with the lowest passenger count I’ve ever enjoyed was an ideal mix of relaxation, fun and physical activity.

A French barge cruise is highlighted by the amazing food, gentle pace and beautiful scenery — and this suits me just fine. I’m excited to do it again and again.

OVERVIEW VIDEO: Below is John’s awesome vlog of his full Horizon II barge cruise.

 

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