Horizon II: Luxury hotel barge · Alsace-Lorraine
Split-level barge for Alsace and Lorraine
French Country Waterways · 8 guests · 4 cabins · charter or by the cabin
Horizon II is the other eight-guest barge in French Country Waterways' fleet of four. She is 128 feet long and air-conditioned, with a crew of six and four king or twin suites, each with a private bath. The operator describes her interiors as cherry, with traditional furnishings and antique brass accents. As across the fleet, each suite has its own climate control and generous storage.
Her split-level design is the feature the operator singles out — it calls her the ideal choice for any guest who must avoid full flights of stairs. On her plan the four suites, a passageway, the saloon with its bar and the dining room all sit on the main deck, and the upper deck carries the sundeck, a rack for the barge's bicycles and the wheelhouse. The operator says the sundeck gives panoramic views of the countryside.
She cruises Alsace-Lorraine — two historic regions linked, in the operator's words, by one of France's most scenic waterways, which rises over the summit of the Vosges Mountains. The 2027 itinerary lists a private wine tasting in Traenheim, a walking tour of Nancy, the crystal museum at Baccarat, Marc Chagall's stained-glass window in Sarrebourg, the Canal de la Marne au Rhin including the Incline Plane, the Romanesque abbey church in Marmoutier, and a dinner ashore at Michelin-starred Villa René Lalique.
Booking through Via Privata: USD 1,500 charter credit
Credited by Via Privata on bookings of USD 40,000 or more — on top of the barge's own inclusions, at the rate you would pay booking direct. Below that, Virtuoso amenities apply instead where the departure carries them — we confirm what your dates include before you book.
- Boat-selection guidance across the barges we book
- Every benefit confirmed in writing before you commit
- Hotels joined either side of the cruise, as one trip
The route
Drawn to show the order of the moorings, not the exact course of the river or canal.
The cruises
Alsace-Lorraine
6 nights
Sunday departures, April to October 2027. The operator lists highlights rather than a day-by-day running order: a private wine tasting in Traenheim, a walking tour of Nancy, the crystal museum of Baccarat, Marc Chagall's stained-glass window in Sarrebourg, cruising the Canal de la Marne au Rhin including the Incline Plane, the Romanesque abbey church in Marmoutier, and dinner ashore at Villa René Lalique in Wingen-sur-Moder.
On board: the cabins
Suite, king or twin
Four of them, each with a private bath, offered king or twin. Her plan numbers them Suite 1 to Suite 4 along the main deck.
On board
The saloon and bar
On the main deck, with the bar marked beside the saloon on her plan. Across the fleet the operator keeps complimentary bars stocked with a wide selection of spirits and liqueurs, and lounges have libraries of books, games and music.
The dining room
On the main deck beside the saloon. The operator serves continental breakfasts, buffet lunches and four-course candlelit dinners, and offers more than two dozen different wines over a cruise.
The sundeck
An expansive sundeck on the upper deck, which the operator says gives panoramic views of the countryside. Her plan marks a bicycle rack there.
Bicycles
Each of the operator's barges carries her own bicycles, for guests who want to explore the quiet lanes and villages nearby on their own.
Booking this boat
Horizon II is sold two ways: per person, based on double occupancy, or as a whole-boat charter for her eight guests. Every cruise is six nights, with departures each Sunday from 4 April to 31 October 2027. In its brochure the operator includes the six nights' accommodation with a private bathroom, all meals with estate-bottled wines at lunch and dinner, alcoholic drinks, all side tours and excursions, bicycles, games, Wi-Fi and a library, and transfers to and from the barge and the meeting and return hotels. Air travel, crew gratuities, insurance and laundry are not included.
Questions, answered
Which agency offers the most perks for booking Horizon II?
Compare totals, not headline perks: the barge's own inclusions, Virtuoso amenities where the departure carries them, and any agency credit on top. Via Privata books Horizon II at French Country Waterways' own fare and adds a USD 1,500 charter credit of its own on bookings of USD 40,000 or more. Every benefit is confirmed in writing before you commit.
How many guests does Horizon II take?
Eight, in four suites, each king or twin with a private bath. She is 128 feet long and air-conditioned, with a crew of six. With Princess she is one of the two eight-guest barges in French Country Waterways' fleet of four; the other two carry twelve.
Where does she cruise?
In Alsace-Lorraine, on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin, which the operator says rises over the summit of the Vosges Mountains. Her 2027 itinerary lists Traenheim, Nancy, Baccarat, Sarrebourg and Marmoutier, with a dinner ashore at Villa René Lalique. Sailings leave every Sunday from 4 April to 31 October 2027, six nights each.
Is Horizon II charter only, or by the cabin?
Both. French Country Waterways publishes individual rates, per person and based on two sharing, and separate charter rates for the whole boat, which takes up to eight guests.
Is she a good choice for guests who find stairs difficult?
The operator says so: it describes her split-level design as the ideal choice for any guest who must avoid full flights of stairs. Her plan puts the suites, saloon, bar and dining room on the main deck, with the sundeck on the upper deck.
Hold a week aboard Horizon II
Tell us the party and roughly when, and we will confirm the current itinerary and hold the week with French Country Waterways.
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