Luciole French Canal Barge Cruise Review — An Excellent Holiday on a Private Barge Charter

My Luciole French Canal Barge Cruise Review

I Love Luciole!

By Heidi Sarna

Was it the first evening I fell for her? When the charming Luciole’s beauty was captured in a moonlit reflection in the Yonne River where she was moored, just below the 13th-century Auxerre Cathedral?

A scene perfectly presented from the nearby stone bridge, where are our little group of giddy friends, new and old, went to swoon at the view and take photos of the 12-pax Luciole, our home for the next six days.

The lovely Luciole by the light of the moon in Auxerre. * Photo: Penny Liley

Maybe it was the next morning when I knew I was infatuated with Luciole? Feeling profound contentment standing alone on the wooden deck the color of apricots in the early morning light, coffee in hand, gazing at the serene sun-dappled fields and forests of rural France as we moved slowly through the narrow band of water toward the next lock.

Lovely Luciole in the morning. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

The easy and warm camaraderie at mealtime definitely warmed my heart. The dozen of us at the long table in the salon each evening, sharing stories, laughs, tears and delicious food and wine served by the affable hosts Oscar and Marie-Hélène.

Our group at dinner in the salon the first night. * Photo: Penny Liley

Time spent off the barge was intoxicating too. The daily excursions to impossibly charming medieval French villages, chateaux, and churches.

And each day walking and cycling along the Nivernais Canal’s quiet leafy towpath without a care in the world — past fields of sunflowers and trees bearing grapes, figs, apples and walnuts — reinforced just how much I was loving this kind of holiday.

Heidi cycling along the towpath on one of Luciole’s bikes. * Photo: Zaina

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The Vibe was Amazing

There was a wonderful vibe and a rhythm to our Luciole week that took hold almost immediately.

Clearly lots of planning and prep goes on behind the scenes to make a canal barge cruise run so smoothly, but for passengers, the whole experience feels effortless and casual in all the right ways.

The service aboard our small canal barge cruise was friendly and efficient, but never cloying.

How it all Began — Why a Private Canal Barge Cruise Charter?

One of my very best besties Geo was turning 50 and I wanted to help put together something special for her and a small group of her friends somewhere in Europe, a convenient meeting point for Geo’s international posse.

Geo’s adoring friends all signed on for a barge cruise to celebrate her milestone birthday. 🎉* Photo: Heidi Sarna

We wanted a getaway that promised good food, lots of wine, comfortable rooms and some culture, history and beauty, but also time to relax and chat and do nothing.

Convenience and ease of planning was key for us.

The thought of a dozen women having to agree on booking restaurants, hotels and tours in some endlessly pinging group chat wasn’t appealing!

And so a private hotel barge charter in France seemed like a great idea.

But which one? There are so many.

The smallest canal barges accommodate six guests, the largest, 12. And hotel barges are based on canals all over France and range in price from about $3,500 to $8,000 per person for six nights.

It can be overwhelming to choose the right one.

RELATED: What is a barge cruise? And is it for you?

Luciole Floated to the Top

I discovered the barge Luciole through Stephanie at Barge Lady Cruises, an agent who possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the Europe barge scene. She’s been on many of them herself.

Stephanie recommended Luciole, a lovely barge that started life nearly a century ago as a mule-drawn freight vessel, decades before being transformed into a luxury hotel barge plying the Nivernais (pronounced NEAR-va-nay) Canal and Yonne River in Burgundy. (Here’s a bit of background on the Nivernais Canal & Yonne.)

Stephanie of Barge Lady Cruises recommended the 12-pax Luciole. What a great choice! * Photo: Heidi Sarna

She introduced me to Luciole’s long-timer owner Penny Liley, a trained chef, who originally joined the barge in 1986 as a cook. Today she runs the business.

And voilà! As our group of 12 came together, Penny was a joy to work with, answering my many questions and reassuring me everything was under control.

We booked our private hotel “birthday barge” charter for late August (2022) to celebrate Geo’s big birthday.

https://youtube.com/shorts/XGOXcVGqaL4

RELATED: The birthday girls shares her original hesitations about barge cruising.

An old photo from the 1980s just before conversion to Luciole. * Photo: The Liley Collection

The Details are Taken Care Of

Start to finish, everything was taken care of — the essence of a luxury French barge cruise.

Our group was picked up at two convenient meeting points in Paris for the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Auxerre, France, where Luciole was moored.

Vincent, the driver of our wheels for the week, a roomy Mercedes minibus, greeted us with a smile as he loaded our things into the bus.

Vincent our guide and driver. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Charming, disarming, patient Vincent would also be our guide during the cruise, one of the six crew members who made our Luciole cruise so wonderful, and the logistics and details seamless.

We boarded and arrived to cocktails, canapés and a welcome from lovely Penny and the friendly crew.

Cheers to the week ahead! * Photo: One of the girls

The Daily Flow of our Luciole French Canal Barge Cruise

Each day was similar, a comfortable rhythm that began with a casual grazing breakfast around 7:30/8am that some of us enjoyed on deck soaking up the morning sun, while often cruising a short distance in the morning. (By the way, barges are always moored at night, typically cruising for just four to five hours each day.)

Breakfast on deck, what a backdrop! * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Others sat down at the table in the salon with a coffee and easy access to the baskets of fresh breads, croissants, and pastries from a local boulangerie laid out along with buffet-style fruit, yogurt and granola.

The breakfast table. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

The breakfast buffet. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Eggs could be ordered for anyone who wanted them.

Then the day unfolded from there. Nice and easy. The way a barge cruise is meant to be.

VIDEO: See what I mean? Look below!

On Board & Off the Barge Luciole

With six overnights on board, from Sunday to Friday, that left five full days to enjoy the cruise.

Each day, there was a three- to four-hour tour that Vincent would take us on, either after breakfast or after lunch.

The other half of each day was spent relaxing on deck. Two in our group enjoyed painting the passing scenery from a set of mini watercolors they brought along!

Painting the passing scenery. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

One of the masterpieces! * Painting: Sczerina Perot

We also pursued walking, jogging or cycling (my passion!) along the towpath, hopping off the barge (and then on again) at the various lock points.

ChuChin, Kakit & Liew enjoying their towpath meander. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

VIDEO: Below, watching the Luciole glide by from my bicycle on the towpath. 

On our canal barge cruise, we passed through four to eight locks a day — a total of 32 locks on the 35-mile stretch we covered on our six-night cruise. Locks control the flow of water, creating a series of steps to allow a canal, and the boats on it, to cross land that is not level.

Entering one of the many locks along the way. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

At each lock, a keeper or two was on hand to crank the doors to the lock chamber open or closed (and our mate Sean also often pitched in), and to adjust the sluice gates to fill (or empty) the chambers with water, so our canal barge Luciole could move (up or down) and along on her way.

VIDEO: Here’s one of the 32 locks we passed through, below.

There were also small country bridges to pass under, which a few times necessitated taking down not only the deck umbrellas, but also Captain Jim momentarily removing the steering wheel.

Duck!

Passing under a bridge, some lower than this one! * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Luckily for Luciole, she has an extra shallow draft that enables her to cruise on the beautiful Nivernais Canal between Auxerre and Clamecy and pass under the bridges — Penny says many other barges cannot fit.

“To enter this waterway is to step back in time, to gentleness and relaxation. It [Nivernais Canal] is possibly the most beautiful French canal of all, almost certainly the most varied.”  (page 104 in the book, “France – the quiet way” by John Liley; co-owner of the Luciole)

A barge cruise is a bit like holidaying on an island, a lovely otherworldly, borderless suspension-of-reality-casually-elegant-indulgent-yet-simple vacation paradise, set against the pastoral beauty of France while serenaded by the soothing hum of engines, rippling of the canal waters, chirping of birds, and the ambient laughter and clinking glasses of friends having fun.

Reflections of beauty along the way. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Barging is about the Journey, Not Just the Destination

The half-hour or so drives to and from each day’s destination were a lovely part of the experience. We traveled along winding country roads that meandered up and down Burgundy’s hilly terrain, with gorgeous vistas unfolding at every turn.

Beautiful northern Burgundy. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

The limestone-rich farmland was dotted with cows, goats and medieval stone villages and chateaus. And we could often spot birds, from signets to ducks, geese, white swans and grey heron.

We usually had the roads to ourselves, and the towns weren’t crowded either. Burgundy in late August was wonderful.

We practically had Auxerre to ourselves. * Photo: Agnes

Barge Luciole’s Day-by-Day Itinerary

Our days blended together in the best possible way, as we explored France slow and easy, on board and off.

There wasn’t a heavy overload of information on our daily guided excursions, just enough to get a gist of the beauty before us.

Vincent leading a casual tour through medieval Noyers. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Vincent would share an introduction and some main points of each site and was happy to answer questions for those who wanted to know more.

There was always a bit of time for strolling and shopping before heading back to the minibus and the barge.

A bit of shopping in Noyers. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Always time for fun photo ops. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Vineyard Visits to Taste Chablis & Crémant

Wine tasting was a great way to start the week. On our first day of touring, Vincent took us to the Château Long-Depaquit, in the heart of the village of Chablis, in the northernmost region of Burgundy, to sample a selection of crisp tasty Chablis from the wine maker Albert Bichot, established in 1831.

Wine tasting at Albert Bichot. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

The second tasting was in the village of Bailly, the home of Crémant de Bourgogne wines to sample some refreshing Rosé & Pinot Noir crémant in the cool underground limestone caves of the Bailly Lapierre estate. (By the way, French sparkling wines made outside of the champagne region are called crémant.)

Crémant tasting at Bailly Lapierre. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

A Morning in Elegant Auxerre

The second full day had us back to the city where we first boarded Luciole, atmospheric Auxerre, to have more time for a proper visit.

From our mooring, it was a short walk to Auxerre’s historic cathedral, the Cathédrale Saint-Étienne d’Auxerre, whose oldest parts date back to the 13th century. St. Joan of Arc visited in the 15th century and there’s a statue commemorating her.

The beautiful stained glassed of Auxerre’s cathedral. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Along the way, we admired the old town’s gorgeous 15th-century clock tower and many surviving 16th-century half-timbered buildings.

The half-timbered 16th-century buildings of Auxerre. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Charmed by Fairytale Noyers

On day three, we spent the morning at the pretty little medieval village of Noyers, set along a bend in the river Serein. Complete with a maze of cobbled streets and half-timbered houses, Noyers belongs in a fairytale.

Time has stood still in Noyers. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Vincent guided us on a pretty walk along the remains of Noyers’ 13th-century fortified castle, past crumbling flower-framed ramparts and a few remaining towers. We had an hour to wander along the town’s charming lanes, popping into cute shops. One friendly owner had us pegged and asked us if we were Penny’s ladies!

The old ramparts of Noyers. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Awed by Hilltop Vézelay

We were collectively awed as our minibus approached the town of Vézelay with its spectacular hilltop Romanesque church that can be seen from miles around. The UNESCO World Heritage Site dates back to the 9th century when it was established as a Benedictine abbey.

Vézelay church. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

The massive limestone church became an important pilgrimage site when the belief spread in the mid 11th century that it held the relics of St Mary Magdalene.

We went down in the crypt to have a look at the small glass case in which they are said to be kept.

The interior of the massive Vézelay church. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Beautiful Château de Bazoches

In the afternoon of our last full day, Vincent drove us to the hilltop Château de Bazoches, an imposing estate whose oldest sections go back to the 12th century. Here, time appears to have stood still.

The well-known military engineer Marshal de Vauban acquired the Château in the 17th century and it’s been in the family ever since. We enjoyed a stroll through some of its ornately decorated rooms and expansive outdoor space.

Clowning around on the grounds Château de Bazoches, * Photo: Chrissy Colon

Back on Board the Luciole

After a lovely day exploring, relaxing and socializing with our gang, it was necessary to return to our cozy cabins for a rest!

Not large (barge cabins never are), Luciole’s eight cozy cabins are smartly laid out. Our twin beds were arranged in an L; in some slightly larger cabins, the twins are side-by-side and can also be made into a queen.

Our L-shaped twin cabin (the other bed is out of view). * Photo: Heidi Sarna

The good quality bedding and towels were thick, soft and welcoming, with a nice fresh scent.

For a compact barge, I was impressed with the relatively roomy bathroom and shower; great water pressure and with a wall heater to dry hand washables. The toiletries were Molton Brown.

VIDEO: Here’s a little tour of a twin cabin just like the one I occupied.

Dining, Wining & Bonding on our Luciole French Canal Barge Cruise

Eating and drinking are a major reason to do a barge cruise in France. A private chef is on board to cook for you and Penny chooses the regional wines served at lunch and dinner. Or any time you feel like a drink.

I greatly enjoyed the wines, a different pair at each meal. * Photo: Heidi

Light refreshing wines served at lunch. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Hosts Oscar and Marie-Hélène served our meals and drinks and also serviced our cabins. They were knowledgeable and clearly passionate about French cuisine — the look of heart-felt enthusiasm in Marie-Hélène’s eyes when she described that day’s cheese course was priceless.

Marie-Hélène presenting the cheese at lunch. Yum! * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Oscar, just 20, had the poise and maturity of a man two or three times his age. They were a terrific pair.

Chef Nicolas was an eccentric shy young man with film-star looks who would pop out of the galley for a quick moment when dinner was served to briefly describe what he had created for us.

Chef Nicolas. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Bountiful lunches were served buffet-style with two or three salads — from spinach to beetroot, avocado and artichoke. Plus, there were several other dishes to sample, from cheese tarts to mussels, pork cheek, confit duck leg, tomahawk steak and pastas the likes of truffle ravioli with parmesan, carbonara and gnocchi.

Lots to choose from at lunch. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Every day, lunch impressed. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Four-course dinner highlights included a delicious pork tenderloin served with porcini mushrooms and cauliflower puree; lamb chops; monk fish wrapped in bacon; and lobster Thermidor.

Lamb chops. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

The delicious lobster Thermidore. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

I wasn’t as crazy about the guinea fowl and pigeon, but mostly because I’m not an adventurous meat eater.

Two classic French cheeses were presented and served after both lunch and dinner, from Morbiere and Valencay to Comté, Brillat Saverin and Brie de Meaux.

Cheese lovers will be paradise. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

I loved them all! Many were soft and buttery — in fact, Marie-Hélène told us one of them was practically butter, with 75% fat!

The best desserts included a delicate lemon souffle, rich chocolate mousse, and a satisfying raspberry frangipani tart.

Yummy fruit tart. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

One night dinner was in a nearby local restaurant, part of the weekly cruise schedule and covered in the all-inclusive fares.

Penny joined us, and it was a great change of pace, though our boisterous group of cackling ladies might have put off a few of the other patrons!

On the way to dinner in town one evening. * Photo: Penny Liley

While tasty, most of us agreed, the food on board Luciole was better. The bar was set high.

By the way, Luciole’s crew will accommodate just about any dietary request, from gluten-free to vegan, diabetic and dairy-free.

A Family Feeling Reigned on our Luciole French Canal Barge Cruise

Unlike on some barges, the Luciole crew don’t wear matching uniforms or polo shirts, which helped to set a casual “we’re all family” tone. Still, the crew always maintained a high degree of professionalism.

Jim the friendly captain invited anyone interested to have a turn at the big brassy wheel to steer Luciole for a few minutes — let me tell you, it looks easier than it is. (On a barge, crew wear multiple hats and sometimes Jim even introduced the wines at dinner!)

Captain Jim served the wines some evenings. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Sean, the deck hand, is a teacher by trade drawn to the traveling life. He was a lovely friendly chap whose duties included assisting the captain by calling out the very narrow distance between the barge and the edges of the lock chambers as we moved through.

(Interestingly, the measurements he called out were not in inches or centimeters, but in the thickness of a black line painted along the barge’s edge; so when Sean called out “one,” it mean “one” black line away from the lock walls.)

Sean would also be on hand to whisk away the two deck umbrellas before we passed under a low bridge, and then quickly set them back up on the other side.

Sean swiftly put the deck umbrellas up and took them down as we passed under low bridges. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

After Dinner on Barge Luciole

Most evenings post dinner, we’d go out to the open deck to chat a bit more and have a mint tea or one more drink, reveling in the stillness and beauty of the starry night sky.

Well … except for the dance party night!

Turns out one of the women in our group was an expert mixologist and natural party promoter. Mid-way through the cruise, she created a batch of post-dinner cocktails from the barge’s bar — a yummy minty Caipirinha-like concoction — and then put her spotify playlist on Luciole’s wireless speaker.

Zaina and Oscar making after-dinner cocktails one night! * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Cheers! * Photo: Heidi Sarna

We drank and danced our hearts out around the lounge, tables and chairs pushed aside.

Some of the crew joined us as well. What fun!

Dance party on the Luciole! * Photo: one of the girls!

Another evening towards the end of the week, some of the ladies played mahjong in the lounge into the wee hours.

Interested in Chartering the Luciole?

All-inclusive rates start at $4,900 per person; or $57,000 for a full charter for 12 people.  (A 5% to 10% tip, on the total fare, per person, is suggested for the crew at the end of the cruise.)

Note, a private charter with family or friends is an ideal way to travel on a barge, though many weeks during Luciole’s season are not booked by private charters and so are booked by individuals, usually couples.

Keep in mind, cruising with strangers in the intimate confines of a hotel barge could result in some wonderful new friends (or not!).

Click here for more info.

The lovely Luciole. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Inclusions in the Luciole Barge Cruise Rates

• All meals
• All drinks (regional wines, plus spirits and mixers)
• Accommodation in 8 en-suite cabins with showers accommodating 12 people  (there are 4 double cabins with twin or double beds, and 4 single cabins)
• All excursions
• Transfers via comfortable minibus between Paris and the Luciole before and after the cruise
• Use of onboard bicycles
• WiFi (though it’s often weak) — Put your phone down and look up & enjoy!

The Luciole carries a fleet of bikes on board to use any time. * Photo: Sean

Finals Words about My Luciole French Canal Barge Cruise

Our week ended in Clamecy, just some 35 miles from where we had begun a week earlier.

The last morning after breakfast, Vincent met us with the minibus for the drive back to Paris.

We had all made new friends, enriched existing ones, gained a few pounds, and acquired a heart-felt appreciation for barge cruising.

The 12-pax Luciole was an ideal setting for bonding, relaxing and soaking up France. And a most memorable way to celebrate a dear friend’s 50th, and for all of us, to celebrate life.

I would do it again, in a heartbeat. ❤️

See you again soon friends! * Photo: crew

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