Gardens, Art & Cuisine of the Canal du Midi and the French Riviera

You will be met in Montpellier where you will be transferred to your canal boat, Athos. Once aboard, we will enjoy a Welcome champagne, accompanied by Mediterranean canapés. Settle into your cabin, then meet your fellow travellers and ship crew during a four-course dinner, prepared by the highly skilled onboard chef.

Stay: Six Nights: Athos, Canal Boat

• Dinner

Enjoy breakfast on the upper deck, before we drive to the medieval double-walled city of Carcassonne. Your guide will provide a full tour of this historical place, while ensuring you also have time to browse the shops. Return to your canal boat for a gourmet lunch and enjoy an afternoon cruising to La Croisade, with plenty of opportunity to walk or bicycle along the riverbank.

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Today, visit Fontfroide Abbey, a former Cistercian monastery founded in 1093 by Aimery I, Viscount of Narbonne. The monastery sits on 4000 hectares of unspoilt natural landscape, through which the waters of the Fontfroide stream run. The abbey continues to operate as a winery, as it did for more than 800 years before the last monks left.

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

After breakfast, we take a trip to Roquebrun Mediterranean Garden, which we find nestled beneath the village tower. Established in 1986, Roquebrun possesses the largest collection of succulent and exotic plants found within a natural environment in the entire Languedoc region. Walk along the botanical path, where we see examples of the local flora represented, along with many varieties of mimosa. A Mediterranean orchard completes the garden. After lunch at a local brasserie, return to Athos as we continue our way along the canal. From our mooring tonight, you will have a glorious view of the town of Beziers and the Cathedral Saint-Nazaire.

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

This morning, we drive to the old market town of Pézenas, which was the first seat of the Languedoc court. The architecture found within this region is distinctive; the ‘Hotels Particuliers’, or mansions, here once belonged to the area’s nobility. Artisans, including painters, hat makers and costume designers, account for a large number of the shops in the region.  As before, your guide will ensure there is time to browse, while acquiring some knowledge pertaining to the local history. After lunch back on board our vessel, we begin our negotiation of a 17th-century feat of engineering, the Fonserannes Staircase Locks. We then traverse the 18th-century aqueduct over the River Orb. A paved path along the water’s edge to our mooring makes this an ideal afternoon for walking or bicycling alongside the barge.

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

This morning, we get underway early, cruising through the area known as the ‘Petite Camargue’. Bird watchers can look out for local species, including pink flamingos, African rollers and bee-eaters. After crossing through the exceptional ‘round lock’ at Agde, a spectacular seafood lunch awaits us - a cuisine befitting our location close to Europe’s largest mussel and oyster beds. Mooring in the port at Marseillan, we make our approach to the Noilly Prat vermouth distillery. End a perfect day with a fascinating tour of the distillery and perhaps a tasting. This evening, we reconvene for a Captain’s Farewell Dinner on board.

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

After breakfast, we disembark our ship in Marseillan where we meet our Botanical Guide and travel to Nice. Along the way, we visit Aix-en-Provence, a university town home to many famous artists over the years. Continue to Antibes, and the Picasso Museum, overlooking the blue waters of the Mediterranean. Housed within a medieval château, the collection is made up of around 245 works by the artist. Afterwards, we arrive in Nice and check into our hotel.

Stay: Three Nights: Nice, Boscolo Hotel or similar

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

This morning, visit the extraordinary Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, the former home of Baroness de Rothschild. View some of the artefacts the baroness collected, many of which are associated with Marie Antoinette, including paintings by Monet and Renoir. Admire the meticulous garden, with its marvellous sea views and enjoy lunch here before travelling to Menton, where we find the garden of Serre de la Madone. American Lawrence Johnston travelled the world, seeking plants to acclimatise here among the olive trees. Johnston was also responsible for the garden at Hidcote Manor; the contrast with Serre de la Madone couldn’t be greater. Return to Nice and visit Villa Massena Museum, an art museum surrounded by stately gardens. The collection here includes personal memorabilia from the Napoleonic era, such as Josephine’s cape and tiara, as well as Napoleon’s death mask.

• Breakfast
• Dinner