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France

French Canal Voyage by Barge: Discover Alsace-Lorraine

Program No. 21158RJ
Immerse yourself in culture as you sail the Marne-Rhine Canal on a modern river barge, discovering grand Châteaux, picturesque vineyards, cathedrals and world-class cuisine.

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itinerary
Please Note:
The itinerary for this program is different on certain dates.
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.

DATES & PRICES

Ship Outside
Accommodation Details

A cabin with a window or porthole to view the outside.

May 6 - May 15, 2023
SOLD OUT
Ship Outside 4,699
May 20 - May 29, 2023
SOLD OUT
Ship Outside 4,699
Sep 9 - Sep 18, 2023
SOLD OUT
Ship Outside 4,699
Oct 7 - Oct 16, 2023
SOLD OUT
Ship Outside 4,699
Itinerary Note

GROUP - Friends of Larry and Sherry Kuntz

Oct 21 - Oct 30, 2023
SOLD OUT
Ship Outside 4,699

DATES & PRICES

Ship Outside
Accommodation Details

A cabin with a window or porthole to view the outside.

May 6 - May 15, 2023
SOLD OUT
Ship Outside 6,699
May 20 - May 29, 2023
SOLD OUT
Ship Outside 6,699
Jun 3 - Jun 12, 2023
SOLD OUT
Ship Outside 6,699
Jun 17 - Jun 26, 2023
SOLD OUT
Ship Outside 6,699
Sep 9 - Sep 18, 2023
SOLD OUT
Ship Outside 6,699
Sep 23 - Oct 2, 2023
SOLD OUT
Ship Outside 6,699
Oct 7 - Oct 16, 2023
SOLD OUT
Ship Outside 6,699
Itinerary Note

GROUP - Friends of Larry and Sherry Kuntz

Oct 21 - Oct 30, 2023
SOLD OUT
Ship Outside 6,699

At a Glance

The region of Grand-Est, formerly Alsace- Lorraine, borders Germany and the proximity shows in its culture. But this area is also deeply, proudly French. Beginning and ending in medieval Strasbourg, this voyage on the Marne-Rhine Canal introduces you to Alsace-Lorraine’s spectacular landscapes, magnificent castles and unique customs and cuisine.
Activity Level
On Your Feet
Walking up to two miles per day; uneven terrain and cobblestones common. Embark and disembark the ship via ramp. Please note on day three there will be walking up to three miles in the morning in Strasbourg in addition to the afternoon activities.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Navigate the Marne-Rhine Canal’s tunnels and watch as your ship is lifted 144 feet by the Saint-Louis-Arzviller inclined plane.
  • Learn about the arts of wine and beer making in Alsace.
  • Explore medieval Strasbourg including its famed Romanesque and high Gothic cathedral and the Palais Rohan.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Libby Chandler
Libby Chandler lives in the southwest county of Devon in the United Kingdom, across the English Channel from the Normandy Beaches. At the age of 22, she moved to France to live in the Alps and polish her French for several years. Libby is an addicted traveler with a lust for learning, spending her time in France and across Europe. Leading groups since 1994, she works as a freelance group manager for educational organizations and in the Himalayan mountains during the winter.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Libby Chandler
Libby Chandler View biography
Libby Chandler lives in the southwest county of Devon in the United Kingdom, across the English Channel from the Normandy Beaches. At the age of 22, she moved to France to live in the Alps and polish her French for several years. Libby is an addicted traveler with a lust for learning, spending her time in France and across Europe. Leading groups since 1994, she works as a freelance group manager for educational organizations and in the Himalayan mountains during the winter.
Profile Image of Alexandra Chambon
Alexandra Chambon View biography
Alexandra Chambon has been working in the river/canal cruise field since the early 2000s. She likes to share her passion and enthusiasm about her homeland of France and its culture, traditions, history, art and architecture, and she strives to make it come alive for the participants. Outside of being a Group Leader, Alexandra is a foodie and wine connoisseur, and she enjoys playing sports. She loves having convivial moments with a good glass of wine and music.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Michelin Green Guide Alsace, Lorraine, Champagne
by Michelin Travel Publications
A guide to Alsace, Champagne and Vosges in the classic Michelin style.
Cathedrals and Castles, The Cathedral Builders of the Middle Ages
by Alain Erlande-Brandenburg
This pocket-size encyclopedia of the art, architecture and culture of the Middle Ages features hundreds of drawings, color illustrations and a brief chronology.
Corkscrewed, Adventures in the New French Wine Country
by Robert V. Camuto
An American journalist living in the south of France, Camuto travels far afield from Bordeaux visiting new winemakers from the Alsace to Mayonnaise, Corsica and Burgundy for this celebration of the culture and diversity of French wine.
The Age of the Cathedrals, Art and Society 980-1420
by Georges Duby
French scholar Duby, writing very accessibly, describes both the great cathedrals and the philosophical, religious, and political climate that enabled them to be built in this classic.
Alsace, Lorraine Map 516
by Michelin Travel Publications
An up-to-date regional map at the very good scale of 1:200,000 published by Michelin.
A Traveller's History of France
by Robert Cole
This fast-moving survey covers the conquests of ancient Gaul through the heady days of revolution to modern times.
The Food of France
by Waverly Root
An evocative and beautifully written survey of French food. First published in 1958 and revised in the mid-1970s, the book covers the important regions of French cuisine by dividing them into domains of Butter (northern France), Fat (Alsace) and Oil (the south).
A World Lit Only By Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance, Portrait of an Age
by William Manchester
Organized into sections on the Renaissance, Reformation and Discovery, Manchester's popular history evokes in vivid detail the great figures and daily life of the 16th century, including Henry VIII, Magellan, Borgia, da Vinci and Martin Luther.
Adventures on the Wine Route, A Wine Buyer's Tour of France
by Kermit Lynch
A delightful and warmly anecdotal book, highly recommended for anyone touring the wine regions of France. Lynch brings the domains and appellations of French wine to full-blown life, and his portraits of the grand personalities who make the wine are priceless.
Strasbourg Map
by IGN
A city map of Strasbourg at a scale of 1:10,000.
Wine and War, The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure
by Donald Kladstrup
This thrilling account of how the vintners of France saved their crops -- and their bottles -- as the Nazis approached, focuses on the activities of five winemaking families in Burgundy, Alsace, Champagne, Bordeaux and the Loire Valley.





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