Alouette: BÉZIERS TO CARCASSONNE

Board Alouette and prepare to be exquisitely cocooned on a relaxing, intimate adventure. Champagne is served as you meet your personal crew and guide. Take in the 360-degree views on deck and the picturesque tree-lined Canal du Midi. Your chef is busy preparing your first feast of the cruise, a spread of vibrant dishes crafted from intensely flavourful ingredients, tailored to your tastes. As delicious wines are uncorked, raise a toast to the start of a sublime vacation.

Awake to a beautiful day on the water and a breakfast of freshly baked pastries, local juices and artisan produce. Spend your first morning relaxing as you cruise along the Canal du Midi, one of the most stunning waterways in France. Lined with willows, irises and plane trees that tower over the water, its banks abound in wildlife. After a lunch that’s both rustic and refined, disembark from the barge to visit Fontfroide Abbey with your guide. This 11th-century Cistercian monastery, now privately owned, delights with its tranquil chapter hall, refectory, cloister and beautifully maintained rose garden. On the way back to the barge, stop to enjoy a wine tasting at a local domaine. Dinner tonight is served on board.

This morning’s cruise brings you to Le Somail, an achingly pretty canal-side port, where ivy-covered walls, humpback bridges and umbrella pines create a feast for the eyes. After lunch on board in a sun-dappled spot, accompany your guide on a short drive to a local olive mill, where you can uncover the farmer’s secrets with a private demonstration and tasting. Return to the boat for a sumptuous dinner and a relaxing evening beneath the stars.

This morning, in the company of your chef, visit the wonderful covered market in Narbonne to choose ingredients for your dinner. The indoor market, bustling with bakers, butchers, charcutiers, fishmongers, cheese purveyors and more, is the perfect place to experience the rich culinary culture of France. While there, savour a traditional bistro lunch in the market. Narbonne, a former Roman port, brims with historic architecture and shady boulevards. Return to the barge for a lazy afternoon's cruise to the port at Homps. As evening falls, aperitifs, dinner and captivating conversations await on board.

After breakfast, visit the medieval hilltop village of Minerve, set between the Canal du Midi and the Montagne Noire. Perched on a limestone cliff, the village is home to a ruined castle that was once a Cathar stronghold, besieged and captured by Simon de Montfort. Explore the site’s intriguing history and admire the sweeping views of the vineyards below, before returning for lunch on board. As your cruise continues, soak up the ever-changing vistas from the comfort of the deck, or perhaps stretch your legs with a walk or cycle ride along the towpath. Tonight, we moor on the outskirts of picturesque Trèbes, the ideal spot for dinner at a charming local restaurant.

Relax on board as you navigate your final stretch of the canal. Linger over coffee, admiring the sun glinting through the trees and making mesmerising reflections on the water. After lunch, alight to tour the colossal walled city of Carcassonne. Explore the intricate fortifications of the two castellated walls, one inside the other, stretching about a mile in circumference. The views from the battlements towards the Pyrenees are stunning. Visit the cathedral, remarkable for its stained-glass rose windows, elegant Romanesque nave and Gothic transepts. Back on board, your chef is preparing your farewell gala dinner. Sit out on the balmy deck and share stories over an array of seasonal delicacies.

Savour a final breakfast aboard before the crew bids you farewell and you disembark.