France: Northern Burgundy, Auxerre – Moret sur Loing or vv Premium

The first day of your tour begins with embarkation and check-in at 2 p.m. After a warm welcome by the captain, crew and tour leader, you’ll be fitted with a bike for the tour. Dinner will be served onboard, after which you can enjoy a moonlit stroll through Moret-sur-Loing, a charming medieval fortified town, situated on the banks of the Loing, where the painter Sisley found inspiration for his beautiful impressionist paintings.

Day two begins with a leisurely breakfast while sailing to the town of Montereau-fault-Yonne, situated at the confluence of the Yonne and the Seine rivers. In Montereau you’ll have an opportunity to take a look at the Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Loup collegiate church. Built between the 12th and 14th centuries, this church has been officially classified as a Historic Monument.

From Montereau you will bike to Montmachoux where you will visit an ostrich farm. Destination for today is Pont-sur-Yonne, a quaint, friendly town where we will dock for the night.

Today you have the option to follow the river valley to the town of Sens or take a longer ride into the countryside. Sens is one of the oldest towns in France, here you’ll visit the first of the greater gothic cathedrals in France, Cathedral Saint-Etienne. There will be plenty of time afterward to shop, stroll through the marketplace or wander around town.

Near the town you’ll find the 10-hectare Parc du moulin a Tan, through which the Vanne and the Lingue run. The Parc du moulin a Tan is a precursor of the town’s project for a green belt, which should ultimately go right around Sens. It’s named after an obscure type of mill that dates back to 1887 and was used to grind oak bark to make tanbark, a powder used in leather tanning. The Parc du moulin a Tan includes a rose garden, an animal enclosure, an arboretum, and a playground.

Once more, your day begins with two cycling options. The shorter one stays closer to the river, where the longer one takes you through the hills to the museum ‘de Pomme et de cidre’ where you’ll be rewarded with a taste of the fine cider they produce here. We dock for the night in the lovely, lesser-known French town of Villeneuve where you are free to explore the medieval gate towers and romantic string of gardens as the sun sets over the countryside.

Today you’ll start the morning with a beautiful bike tour along the river to the town of Saint-Julien-du-Sault where you can visit the 13th century Saint-Pierre church with its magnificent stained-glass windows. You’ll then continue to Joigny where you’ll follow a lazy loop through the local vineyards in the afternoon sunshine. Then (one of the highlights of the tour for wine-lovers!) the tour leader will show you some places to taste the fine Burgundy wines.

Joigny, a picturesque little town with a very long and successful wine history, has several sights worth visiting, including numerous historical monuments, unique townhouses from the 16th-17th centuries, with carved renaissance facades, and ancient churches.

Another leisurely breakfast aboard as we sail to Migennes at the junction of the Burgundy canal, once a center of shipping industry. You’ll hop back on your bike at Migennes to follow the beautiful river Yonne again while you head south to Auxerre with her majestic church spires, streets lined with 16^th century timber houses and cathedral of Saint-Etienne, a true masterpiece of Gothic art. You can also stroll along the old port or visit the 15th century clock tower. Today there is no dinner on board, so you are free to choose one of the local restaurants for dinner.

On day seven of your tour, you are spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding how to spend your day. If you’d like to spend a lazy day strolling around Auxerre, feel free to enjoy this beautiful city however you choose!

If you’re itching to get back in the saddle, then explore the area of Auxerre together with your guide. Cycle along the Yonne to visit ‘Caves be Bailly’, a vineyard is famous for its sparkling Cremant de Bourgogne and limestone caves. The nearby vineyards of St Bris and Irancy are also well worth a visit, as are the paintings of George Hosotte in the Chapelle de Bailly.

The final day of this memorable trip begins with a farewell breakfast onboard after which disembarkation continues until 9:30am.