Why ‘Barge Cruising’ Is the Smartest Way to See Europe This Summer

At the start of harvest season in Champagne, the first sunshine of the day illuminated the purple grapes, making them sparkle like irresistible jewels. I swiped a few off a vine of pinot meunier. Their skins were thick and leathery, their juice surprisingly tart, and their seeds fat. As workers carefully snipped clusters of fruit and filled their crates, my husband, Chris, and I marveled at our good fortune: we had chosen our late August dates without realizing they would coincide with la vendange, or the harvest. But now we were reaping our reward.

We had chosen to spend a week cruising the Marne River so we could slow down and immerse ourselves in the French countryside, trying out an experience that’s growing in popularity with Americans.

We had booked a stateroom on the Kir Royale, a four-cabin barge owned by European Waterways, a leader in this style of travel. The company has 18 vessels in all, across France, as well as Belgium, the British Isles, Italy, and the Netherlands. We also considered French Country Waterways, with its fleet of four barges, and Belmond, with its seven-ship collection known as Les Bateaux Belmond. In the end, the Kir Royale felt right for us, with its 200-square-foot cabins that turned out to be as comfortable as many on luxury oceangoing cruise ships.

As we were planning our trip, Chris voiced one concern: “If there are only eight of us on board, what if we don’t get along with somebody?” It was a fair point, but we agreed to take the gamble. In the end, we couldn’t have been happier with our four fellow passengers: a couple from Australia who were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary and a couple from Michigan on their sixth barge cruise.

“It’s not for everyone,” concedes Stephanie Sack of Barge Lady Cruises, a company founded by her mother, Ellen, in 1985. The firm works with around 50 vessels throughout Europe, including a number of mom-and-pop operators who manage a single ship. “We even have a handful that carry only two or four guests, so you can really have an intimate, quiet charter, with the boat all to yourself and a crew of three.”

The element of privacy is part of the allure, Sack says. Other advantages include the leisurely pace, the excellent service on board, and the quality of the food and wine served. What you won’t find is the laundry list of amenities common on a proper cruise ship. “There’s no spa, no nightlife, no trivia night,” Sack explains, “so we vet our clients to match them to the right vessel for their priorities.”

Each day, we had the option to do an excursion or two. We visited the blockbuster Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims, where kings of France were once crowned, and the Château-Thierry American Monument, which memorializes fierce World War I battles. We strolled Épernay’s imposing Avenue de Champagne and visited three houses, including Ayala, where we descended into brick-lined caves stacked with grand cru bottles, and Frerejean Frères, an upstart producer making interesting bottlings.

While wine provided something of a through line for our cruise, it was the food that stood out most. Our chef, Hugo Hiest, was from Burgundy, and he impressed us passengers with his multicourse meals. One day, we asked if he had any plans for all the fava beans that were coming into season—but are notoriously fussy to prepare. “I’ll even help you with the shelling,” I joked. The next day, Hiest surprised us with a beautiful tartelette brimming with fresh peas, shoots, and favas.

While the onboard experience was idyllic, I was somewhat surprised by just how rustic stretches of the Marne were. I had expected to walk and cycle along manicured towpaths of the sort that are common along waterways like the Erie Canal or France’s Canal du Midi. For the first few days, there were no such routes. That thankfully changed once we entered the Canal Latéral à la Marne, and several of us from the ship enjoyed biking along it, zooming ahead of the Kir Royale.

One afternoon, I struck up a conversation with one of our fellow guests. “This is just such a relaxing way to travel,” said Maria Leonhauser, a former journalist who has taken to writing murder mysteries in her retirement. Despite our reservations about traveling with strangers in the cozy confines of a barge, Chris and I, in the end, relished the chance to make fast friends. Just as memorable was the opportunity to walk through storied vineyards, and to taste the fruits of Champagne.

A version of this story first appeared in the February 2026 issue of Travel + Leisure, under the headline “Slow Your Roll.”