Beyond Boundaries Travel: Champagne Barge & Bike Tour

Itinerary: Paris - Meaux - La Ferte sous Jouarre - Château Thierry - Epernay - Reims
Highlights: Paris - Brie de Meaux - champagne cellars in Epernay - Reims cathedral

Champagne vineyards along a gorgeous river
During this tour we follow the beautiful valley of the river Marne. Along the way, you have plenty of opportunity to taste the cheese and the champagne this part of France is famous for.
You meet the Fleur in the heart of Paris, not far from the Notre-Dame. From there, we follow the valley of the Marne upstream. The first stay is the city of Meaux, famous for its Brie. Later on we arrive in the real Champagne region and you bike straight across the vineyards on the rolling banks of the Marne.
We visit the immense champagne cellars in Epernay, capital of the Champagne region, as well as small champagne growers, who will be proud to let you taste their best champagne. We spend a night in Château-Thierry, scene of the American battles in World War I. Destination is Reims, with its beautiful gothic cathedral.

Day 1 (Sat): Paris
Welcoming drink
Dinner
Town walk. The guide takes you to Monmartre and the Sacré-Coeur.

Day 2 (Sun): Paris - Meaux
Biking: about 50 km. Sailing time: 8,5 hours
Breakfast
You leave Paris by bike via the canal de l'Ourcq. A bike path leads from the place the la Bastille (close to the mooring place of the Fleur), via the basin of la Vilette to the banks of the l'Ourcq. In Trillbardou we visit a pumping engine dating from 1865, which had to take care for a sufficient water supply for the city. Destination of today is Meaux , famous for its 'brie de Meaux'. But Meaux also has a magnificent cathedral, the Cathédrale St.-Etienne. The building of the cathedral lasted 400 years, from the 12th until the 16th century.
Dinner

Day 3 (Mon): Meaux - La Ferté-sous-Jouarre
Biking: about 40 km. Sailing time: 6 hours
Breakfast
Today we bike through the valley of the Marne into the direction of La Ferté-sous-Jouarre. On the way we may visit the Châteaux de Montceau, the building of which was started by Catherine de Médicis in the 16th century.
In Jouarre, 4 km from La Ferté, the beautiful abbey from the 12th century, with the 7th century crypt st. Paul, is definitely worth a visit. In Jouarre we can also visit a cheese dairy and taste brie de Meaux and brie noir.
Dinner

Day 4 (Tue): La Ferté-sous-Jouarre - Château-Thierrry
Biking : about 45 km. Sailing time 5 hours
Breakfast
Today we leave the valley of the Marne. We bike through the hills north of the river while looking for the valley of the little Clignon river. Final destination of today is
Château-Thierry, which owes its name to the castle that once was situated on the slopes above the Marne. You can still see some remnants.
Here we visit the centuries-old champagne cellars of Pannier. Château-Thierry is also known as the native town of the world-famous writer of fables Jean de la Fontaine. The house of his birth now is a museum
Dinner

Day 5 (Wed): Château-Thierry - Epernay
Biking: about 40 km. Sailing time: 8 hours
Breakfast while sailing
The bike tour starts shortly before Dormans. In this quiet village on the Marne there are a castle and chapel in memory of the battle of the Marne. During World War I this neighborhood was the scene of close battles.
From here we bike really through the champagne region. We are surrounded by extensive vineyards and will pay a short visit to some champagne cellars. We pass Vandières, where we look at the Roman church. Further along we come across the Châuteau de Boursault. This large castle was built in 1848 by the widow of Mr. Cliquot, who gave her name to a famous champagne wine. Finally, we visit Hautvillers on the southern slopes of the Montagne de Reims. According to tradition Dom Pérignon (1638-1715), who was in charge of the wine cellars of the abbey of the Benedictine monks, was the first to succeed in blending various kinds of wine into a wine of superb quality. Double fermentation, characteristic for the making of champagne, was introduced also by this monk.
We meet the Fleur in Ay, shortly before Epernay,
Dinner

Day 6 (Thu): Epernay - Sept-Saulx
Biking: about 40 km. Sailing time: 7 hours
Breakfast
Our first visit of today is Epernay. Together with Reims, this city is the major wine center of the Champagne, where three extensive wine regions meet: the Montagne the Reims, the Côte des Blancs and the Vallée de la Marne. Epernay has many town houses dating in neo-renaissance style or classical style dating from the 19th century, especially around the avenue the Champagne where prestigious champagne houses such as Moët et Chandon are situated.
After this we bike after the Fleur, still through the valley of the Marne for a little while. We pass Mareuil-sur-Ay with its beautiful castle, of which in 1830 the Duke of Montebello became the owner. He established a champagne house there. After Tours-sur-Marne we definitely leave the Marne and bear off to the north. We retrieve the Fleur in Sept-Saulx, a small village on the canal to Reims.
Dinner

Day 7 (Fri): Sept-Saulx - Reims
Biking: about 40 km. Sailing time: 6 hours
Breakfast
Today we bike along the northern side of the Parc Naturel Régional des Montagnes de Reims via Verzy, where we can admire the 'Faux de Verzy'. These odd crooked birches owe their curious forms to a genetic disorder. Then we bike past old wine villages until Rilly. From there we can see Reims, final destination of our tour. This old city on the banks of the river Vesle is especially known for its wonderful cathedral, where the French kings were crowned. The Notre-Dame cathedral is one of the most famous cathedrals of the world, because of its unity in style, the magnificent sculpture and its prominent part in more than 1000 years of French and European history. But the Basilique St.-Remi is also very much worth a visit. Together with Epernay, Reims is also the center of champagne production and the city has numerous cellars, which we can visit.
Dinner
Town walk

Day 8 (Sat): Reims
Breakfast
Departure