From Abercrombie & Kent, this 129-ft-long, 17.5-ft-wide luxury barge carries 12 pampered passengers and a mainly French crew of six or seven. She conducts 6-day cruises beginning on Sundays between early April and early November.
A&K markets some 33 barges in Britain and Europe of which seven ply the waterways of Provence in France as hotel and/or charter barges. Barging is very popular with North Americans, and some British find their way to them as well. They attract passengers looking for a casual, social atmosphere and good food.
Napoleon travels along the Rhone in France, between Tain l'Hermitage and Arles in Provence. Passengers meet Sunday in Paris, and take a train to Valence, followed by a short drive to Tain. Cruise stops include Avignon, Arles, Viviers and Les Baux-de-Provence and feature wines from Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
For the return trip, passengers transfer to Avignon and continue on to Paris by train. The route is reversed on alternate weeks. The journey takes in vineyard tours and wine tastings, Roman ruins, chateaux, fortresses, palaces, aqueducts, markets and a deserted clifftop village.
Departures are guaranteed with a minimum of two occupied cabins, but children younger than 14 are welcome on charters only. Rates include transfers, all alcoholic drinks, sighsteeing and entrance fees. Tips are extra.
Clearances on the Rhone permit three decks. The spacious upper deck holds the canopied dining area, a sun deck with chaise lounges, a hot tub and exercise equipment. The window-lined lounge looks like a gracious country estate room, and the restaurant serves good food with nice views.
All six cabins (129-137 sq ft) are outside with small windows and provide twin or queen-sized beds, toilets and ample stowage. One cabin offers less privacy on the middle deck between the dining salon and crew quarters.
Without delusions of grandeur, the Napoleon offers a luxurious way to see monuments of the Roman Empire, Van Gogh landscapes, famed vineyards, and historic towns and villages and at higher rates than most of the rest of the A&K fleet. Riverboats, carrying many more passengers, would be a cheaper route.
