'Savoir Faire'

Holland Tulip Cruise Itinerary (Haarlem to Haarlem) 29 March—09 May 2009

Day 1: The Savoir Faire captain or crew member will pick you up in Amsterdam at 2:30pm. (For charters, you are met at your hotel in Amsterdam; individual cabin passengers will be met at a mutually agreed pickup point, which is usually the Hotel d'l'Europe, Nieuwe Doelenstraat 2-8, Amsterdam; Tel 020 531 1777). After a short drive, you arrive where the barge is moored, in the center of Haarlem, for a champagne welcome. We will relax for the afternoon with a cruise to Zaandam, where we will moor for the night and you will enjoy your first gourmet dinner on board.

Day 2: After breakfast we will take a short drive to the Zaanse Schans to visit a working windmill, a clog maker and a cheese maker. In the afternoon we will cruise to Amsterdam, through the heart of the city where the small canals and architecture will take you back to a previous century and then along the Amstel River to Ouderkerk.

Day 3: This morning we start early with an excursion right after breakfast to the colorful flower auction in Aalsmeer. On our return, we will cruise on the canals to the cheese Mecca of Gouda. After lunch, we will take a drive out to a local cheese farm. Besides cheese, you will find beautiful buildings, excellent shopping and the most magnificent stained glass windows in Holland.

Day 4: Our day begins with a morning cruise to Rotterdam through the center of this busy port and then on to Delft. We'll have the chance to visit the Delft Pottery works, where porcelain is still handmade and painted. You are free to spend the rest of the afternoon strolling around this delightful ancient Dutch city.

Day 5: This morning we will cruise through the canals past Leiden, across the Brasemmer Lakes to Oude Wetering. After luncheon, on board, we will board our minivan for an excursion to the famous Keukenhof Gardens with the largest display of flowers in the world. Here you will see hundreds of varieties of tulips, hyacinths, and other beautiful bulbs.

Day 6: Our morning cruise is to Haarlem, a picturesque town and the home of the famous Dutch painter Frans Hals where we will tour its museum. Farewell celebration on board and your last elegant gourmet dinner.

Day 7: After breakfast you are driven to your Amsterdam hotel or the airport in Amsterdam.

‘Champagne Cruise’ Itinerary (Epernay to Paris, or reverse) 29 March—09 May 2009

A glorious week of cheese and wine tasting while cruising on the Marne, one of the most beautiful rivers in France.

DAY 1: SUNDAY (Cumieres)
You are transferred by air-conditioned minivan from your hotel or airport and driven directly to the Savoir Faire before joining your captain and crew for our welcoming champagne reception. There will be time to stroll through the village before coming back on board where your master chef will delight you with the first of many delicious meals.

DAY 2: MONDAY (Cruise Cumieres to Damery)
This morning, after breakfast, we visit Reims and its magnificent cathedral. We then join the Savoir Faire for lunch and a short cruise to the delightful little town of Damery, with its 13th century church, which was part of a former Benedictine priory. Later this afternoon we visit the Abbey of Hautvilliers where the monk Dom Perignon first made champagne. Dinner aboard.

DAY 3: TUESDAY (Cruise Damery to Chateau Thierry)
You are now entering the true Champagne region. Your hosts have arranged a pre-lunch visit to the world famous cellars of Moet and Chandon for a tour and tasting. We then continue to cruise to Chateau Thierry, were we shall moor for the night. This pretty town offers a promenade along the original walls of the town with views over the Marne valley. This whole area was the scene of American battles in World War I. Nearby is the American Monument. Built in 1929, at an altitude of 660 feet, the monument keeps alive the memory of the American troops who fought in WW1. Optional visit to Belleau Wood battlefield and the American cemetery. Dinner aboard.

DAY 4: WEDNESDAY (Cruise Chateau Thierry to La Ferte)
Your cruise today will take you through picturesque landscapes so loved by both the French and visitors abroad. Today we have arranged a tour of some of our favorite places and a selection of visits to small family-run vineyards so that you can try their fine selection of champagnes. Our mooring for the night is at La Ferte, which offers beautiful, refreshing promenades along the river. Dinner aboard.

DAY 5: THURSDAY (Cruise La Ferte to Meaux)
Today we cruise to Meaux, in the very heart of Brie, famous for its wonderful cheeses of the same name. Nearby, on the route to Soissons, stands a monument that commemorates the 5th September 1914, the extreme point of advance of the German troops and the date of the French counter-attack. We visit Coulomniers, one of the centers of Brie cheese. Your personalized visit to a master cheese maker will enable you to see the cheese-making process first hand and to sample a variety of the world famous Brie cheese, along with wines from his excellent cellar. Dinner aboard.

DAY 6: FRIDAY (Meaux to Paris)
This morning we leave Meaux and head towards the mighty Seine which will take us into the very heart of Paris. Our cruise will take us past Coupvray, the birthplace of Louis Braille, the inventor of the alphabet for the blind. At St Maur des Fosses we pass through the tunnel, which enables us to bypass the shallow waters of the Marne Loop. Today we visit the magnificent Chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte. The wonderfully- proportioned chateau and its exquisite gardens are the highlight of this visit. Built between 1656 and 1661 for finance minister Nicolas Fouquet, the chateau's construction was monstrous even for those days. Entire villages were razed, 18,000 workmen called in. Famous architects, painters and landscapers were called in to reflect Fouquet's refined tastes. So lavish was the housewarming party, that Louis XIV threw a fit of jealousy and hurled Fouquet in jail. Just to prove who was boss, Louis XIV began building Versailles.

We finish our journey with an exclusive evening cruise through Paris. As the Savoir Faire glides past the magnificent church of Notre Dame, the resplendent Louvre art gallery and the symbolic Eiffel Tower, you will be joined by your captain and his wife for cocktails followed by the farewell "Captains Dinner". Paris by night is referred to as the "City of Lights" and is one of the greatest sights to behold anywhere in the world. As we pass beneath the Eiffel Tower and the floodlit bridges, you can see from our panoramic observation deck why this capital has been the focus of so many creative artists and authors. The very essence of Paris comes flooding down to the banks of the Seine, overwhelming the senses and firing the imagination. Our final berth for the night is in the Arsenal, a stone's throw from the lively district of the Bastille.

Day 7: SATURDAY (Departure 9.30am)
After a hearty breakfast, our chauffeurs will drive you to your hotel or airport in Paris.

‘Burgundy Cruise’ Itinerary (Nemours to Villeneuve, or reverse) Itinerary to follow shortly. Contact us if desperate to receive it!

The ‘Three Country Cruise’ (between Paris and Amsterdam, and reverse) Departing only 10 May and 18 October 2009

From the canals of Amsterdam and the excitement of the city, through the Dutch countryside, past windmills and fields of tulips, then on to Belgium, and the Seine, and into Paris ... this is the most leisurely and pampered way to visit Holland, Belgium and France ever invented! Special rates and a very special tour.

Day 1. Guests are met at their hotel in Amsterdam at 1:30pm and driven to the Savoir Faire for a champagne welcome and a cruise through the heart of the city to the quaint little town of Ouderkerk.

Day 2. Morning cruise along the canals to the town of Gouda, famous for its cheese. Afternoon visit to the Keukenhof Gardens, the largest display of flowers in the world. Here you will see hundreds of varieties of tulips, hyacinths and other bulbs. After we return to the barge there will be time for a stroll around Gouda where we will find the most magnificent stained glass windows in Holland.

Day 3. A cruise out of Gouda to the river Ijssel and across the Holland Diep, part of the Dutch estuaries, to the charming old fortress town of Wilemstad. This town is preserved in its original state, with windmill dykes, an old church and a 15th century arsenal. There will be an optional visit to the famous Delta Project which is one of the greatest feats of water engineering in the world involving damming the great estuaries.

Day 4. Today we will leave Holland and cross the border into Belgium and travel to Antwerp. Antwerp is the city of Rubens, where we can take a tour of Rubens' house, then a walk in the old quarter of this beautiful Flemish city.

Day 5. We catch the flood tide up the winding "Sea Schelde" which takes us to the town of Ghent. You will have plenty of time to visit this beautiful town in the afternoon.

Day 6. You cannot pass through this part of the world without a visit to the beautiful little town of Bruges, known as the "Venice of the North". The chef will pack a picnic lunch, so there will be plenty of time to explore the many museums, buy some of the handmade lace or take a boat trip in the small canals that wander through the town. Rejoin the Savoir Faire in late afternoon to cruise along the river Schelde to the French/Belgian frontier.

Day 7. After clearing customs at the frontier, (a simple formality), the Savoir Faire continues along the Schelde, through the town of Valenciennes to the junction of Canal du Nord at the little French village of Arleux. The cars will take guests to Valenciennes along the way.

Day 8. The Savoir Faire begins her climb over the Vermandois Hills of Picardie through the many locks and several tunnels of the Canal du Nord. The scenery is splendid - rural France at her best, and a good tow path allows guests to walk between locks. After lunch, the cars take an excursion to Amiens to visit what must be one of the greatest of all the Gothic cathedrals with its powerful, towering columns.

Day 9. The cruise continues along the Canal du Nord as it drops down into the valley of the river Somme; a short trip on the Somme before climbing over another watershed and down to the valley of the river Oise to moor in the riverside town of Compiegne. There are many places to visit, including the train where the World War I Armistice was signed, as well as the Royal Palace.

Day 10. As the Savoir Faire continues down the lovely Oise River, guests are taken on an afternoon excursion to the old Roman town of Senlis with its quaint narrow streets, ancient churches and interesting museums, rejoining the barge for an evening cruise to the river town of Pontoise.

Day 11. Loaded down with a picnic lunch, deck chairs and tables, the cars take guests on a day excursion to Giverny to visit the home and gardens of the Impressionist, Claude Monet. The gardens should be at their best at this time of the year, and we can visit the waterlily pond and the Japanese bridge that inspired so many of Monet's paintings. Moor for the night in Pontoise.

Day 12. Cruise to Bougival in the morning and visit Malmaison, the home of Napoleon, its many rooms lavishly furnished by Josephine. Guests rejoin the Savoir Faire for an evening cruise into Paris. The last evening is spent moored in the heart of Paris, beside the Place de la Concorde.

Day 13. After breakfast guests are driven either to their Paris hotel or to the airport.

PLEASE NOTE – ALL ITINERARIES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THIS IS A SAMPLE CRUISE ITINERARY AND IS PROVIDED AS A GUIDE ONLY.