Sunday, Day 1 - Toulouse to Montauban
Guests are met by the captain at 4.00pm at a designated
hotel in Toulouse and transferred by air-conditioned minibus
to Rosa, moored in the Port of Montauban. Following a Champagne
Welcome, there is time for a tour of this beautiful old town
set on the banks of the River Tarn, before returning for
your first dinner aboard.
Monday, Day 2 - Montauban to Montech
This
morning Rosa meanders up the flight of ten locks on the beautiful,
recently
restored branch canal skirting the
Forest of Agre and moors in the heart of the little town
of Montech. In the afternoon we head into the Côtes
du Frontonnais wine region in the minibus, for a tasting
of the outstanding cuvee ‘Optimum’ at the renowned
Chateau Bellevue la Foret. Return to the barge and try your
hand at a game of Boules on the quay this evening before
dinner aboard.
Tuesday, Day 3 - Montech to Castelsarrasin
We
awake to the bustle of the weekly market in the cosy centre
of Montech
and after accompanying the barge’s
chef around the stalls in the half-timbered streets, we negotiate
the remarkable inclined Water Plane. This amazing feat of
engineering by-passes five locks and lowers the barge 43
feet all in one go! Later, we arrive in Castelsarrasin and
after a short drive to the Ferme des Jauberts at Angeville
we can tour and taste the foie gras of Eric Couderc with
some fine local Armagnac. Dinner aboard.
Wednesday, Day 4 - Castelsarrasin to Moissac
After
breakfast, we cross the River Tarn via a 1000 foot long
aqueduct to
descend towards Moissac through a staircase
of delightful locks and moor for lunch on the River Tarn
below the old watermill. Then we may cruise downstream to
St. Nicolas de la Grave for an afternoon’s swimming
or canoeing, or alternatively, we can visit Moissac's 7th
century Abbey with its wonderfully preserved cloisters and
chapel. This evening we stroll ashore, to savour regional
specialties at the acclaimed restaurant ‘Le Pont Napoleon’,
where celebrated TV chef Rick Stein once cooked Tarn-caught
pike for the BBC TV series portraying his cruise aboard Rosa.
Thursday,
Day 5 - Moissac to Valence D’Agen
Today
the Rosa rises up from the Tarn and turns West on the brick-lined
canal through Moissac. After negotiating
the swing bridge, we cruise between the placidly flowing
waters of the Garonne and the foothills of the Quercy massif,
before mooring at Pommevic. After lunch we drive to Auvillar,
a 15th century village famous for its pottery and perched
high on the side of a gorge above the River Garonne. Return
to Rosa and cruise to Valence d'Agen and a tour of this old "Bastide" town
with its Palladian canalside public wash-house and arcaded
market place. Dinner aboard.
Friday, Day 6 - Valence D’Agen to Agen
A
morning cruise through the bucolic countryside to Lamagistère.
From here we can travel the ten minutes by cycle or minibus
to Donzac and its Conservatoire of traditional trades, where
we step back in time to see the extensive exhibition of rural
life, before returning to Rosa for a leisurely cruise to
the historic town of Agen. After lunch, we visit Chateau
du Frandat for private tastings of their esteemed Armagnac
and Floc du Gascogne and Buzet wines in delightful surroundings.
Captains Farewell Dinner aboard.
Saturday, Day 7 - Serignac to Toulouse
After breakfast, guests disembark the barge and transfer
to Toulouse for approximately 11am.
This is a sample itinerary and is subject to change. On alternate
weeks the cruise is in the reverse direction.
ROSA - CLASSIC CANAL DU MIDI CRUISE -
Carcassonne to Toulouse
Sunday, Day 1 Toulouse to Carcassonne
At 4pm you are met in Toulouse and transferred to Rosa moored
in Carcassonne. After a Champagne Welcome there is time to
have a visit of the fortified city of Carcassonne by mini
bus. Dinner aboard.
Monday, Day 2 Carcassonne to Bram
A
fascinating morning tour of La Cité, classified
by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Dating back to the Gallo-Roman
era, this is the most complete mediaeval, fortified city
in existence today. With its 52 watchtowers, portcullis and
extraordinary repertoire of defences that resisted the many
armies that tried to storm this Camelot setting. We return
to Rosa for lunch and a cruise among the vines, junipers
and pine trees, listening to the sound of the cicadas. We
reach the charming port of Bram and in the late afternoon
visit this circular village. Dinner aboard.
Tuesday, Day 3 Bram to Castelnaudary
A
morning excursion to the sparkling wineries of the Limoux
region, discovering
and tasting its well known “blanquette”.
The afternoon sees us climbing rapidly in triple and quadruple
locks to Castelnaudary, and we enter its renowned Grand Bassin,
with its one kilometre circumference, through one of the
lowest bridges on the canal. This peaceful little port, once
a Customs House on the road to Aquitaine in the gallo-roman
period, is now famed as the “world capital of Cassoulet”.
Dinner aboard.
Wednesday, Day 4 Castelnaudary to the Col de Naurouze
Enjoy
one of the most picturesque portions of the Canal as your
barge climbs
to the summit under the overhanging
sycamore trees whose branches cross over the canal and meet
overhead. It is here that Pierre-Paul Riquet, in the late
17th century created the ingenious system to supply water
to the Canal du Midi from the waters of the Black Mountains.
After lunch, we take an excursion up to the lake at St Ferreol
which is the key element of Riquet’s system, now a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. We end our excursion with a look
at Durfort, a community of 270 inhabitants nestled in the
hollows of the Sor valley near the foothills of the Montagne
Noire, famous for its copper works, fabrication, restoration
and creation of copper pans, as well as its Bastide Royale,
founded by the King of France in 1342. This evening we dine
at the Auberge des Collets Rouges, in Soreze.
Thursday, Day 5 Naurouze to Negra
A long cruising morning sees us descending through several
locks to the little village of Negra, once a major stopping
point between Toulouse and Carcassonne. From here we discover
the countryside by bicycle or walk along the tow path. After
lunch aboard we trace the tragic saga of the Cathars and
discover villages such as Fanjeaux which perpetuates the
memory of the passage of Saint Dominic, and the medieval
bastide of Mirepoix with its surprising 14th century discoveries.
Dinner aboard.
Friday, Day 6 Negra to Toulouse
This
morning we cruise among the green slopes of the Lauragais.
Pastoral
countryside, with sheep and cows grazing in green
pastures alongside the canal are in amazing contrast to the
Mediterranean vineyard landscapes at the beginning of the
cruise. We reach our final destination, the elegant, cosmopolitan
'ville rose' of Toulouse. This southern city with Spanish
accents and Italian facades has always been open to foreign
influences. The splendid Capitol square and Cathedral set
amid cobble stone streets, will enable you a good tour of
the town where the shopping is excellent. Captain’s
dinner aboard.
Saturday, Day 7 Toulouse
After breakfast, transfer to Toulouse TGV station or Toulouse
Airport by about 11am.
On alternate weeks the cruise is in the reverse direction.
This is a sample itinerary and is subject to change.
European
Waterways - Rosa Hotel Barge 2011 Rates 
