Stein-style cruising

Jul 11 2008 By Jeremy Gates

Explore French towns on a luxury barge

The charming lady in Marks & Spencer's bureau de change wondered if my haul of Euros would suffice for six days in a barge exploring the wide open spaces of the Camargue and the coastline of Languedoc-Roussillon.

"It will never be enough", she said. "Not for the South of France with the Euro so strong."

But that's one of the attractions of river cruising, the intimate, luxury alternative to superliners of 3,000 passengers or more; this is really 'Charles and Camilla' style cruising, with staff tending to any needs, a gin and tonic available at any time, and little sign of a sordid thing called cash.

If you fancy a trayful of oysters for brunch, and those left over reheated at teatime then your gourmet chef will oblige.

But the main appeal of barging through France - as TV chef Rick Stein illustrated with his series aboard a barge in these same waters a few years back - is that the historic towns are often at their most beautiful when approached by the river or canal.

I found it hard to believe that Languedoc-Roussillon was for years viewed as the mosquitoridden poor relation of France's Mediterranean coast, and a pale shadow of its more illustrious neighbour, the Cote d'Azur.

If there is a more memorable way of arriving in historic Avignon, and glimpsing the silhouette of the Palace des Popes than clutching a glass of champers on the River Rhone, I have yet to discover it.

Our epic voyage began in the ancient town of Agde. Just 11 guests boarded L'Impressioniste, described by owners European Waterways as "a floating hotel", to be greeted over champers and canapes by a crew of five dressed in elegant white uniforms.

The captain, Nicolas Guedet, a jovial seafaring son of the Vendee, explained that the fine food and wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon region would be a key theme of our six-day voyage to the historic city of Avignon.

Before joining the boat, we had a day to spare, exploring the city of Montpellier. And a glass or two of Picpoul proved a delightful treat over lunch in the sun.

Although the vessel began life as a working barge in the docks at Amsterdam in the 1960s, lavish refurbishment has created a grander vessel in middle age.

No two stopping places were quite the same. In Marseillan, a modern marina town on the lake of Bassin de Thau, we spotted our sister ship the Anjodi, on which Rick Stein filmed his TV series.

Arles, with its great Roman amphitheatre, Van Gogh Centre and market stalls of Provencal lavenders and soaps made another inspiring excursion.

Long before we raced back home on the Eurostar through Kent, I reasoned there was another good argument for luxury barging - you don't have to go anywhere near a crowded airport.

Travel facts...

Jeremy Gates was a guest of European Waterways which offers six night all-inclusive voyages until November 2008 aboard L'Impressioniste from £2,150 per person, including gourmet meals with wine, open bars and daily excursions. Price based on two sharing double cabin.

European Waterways reservations: 01784 482439 and www.gobarging.com.

Jeremy travelled from London St Pancras on Eurostar to Montpellier and back from Avignon via Lille with Rail Europe, which offers standard class return fares from £109.

Rail Europe reservations: 0844 848 4070 and www.raileurope.co.uk