La Nouvelle Etoile: Luxury hotel barge · Holland to the Moselle
Holland's windmills to the Moselle's vineyards
European Waterways · 8 guests · 4 cabins · charter or by the cabin
La Nouvelle Etoile is a hotel barge for up to eight guests in four suites, run by European Waterways, which rates her Ultra Deluxe. She is 127 feet long and carries a crew of seven. The saloon is air-conditioned, with a cocktail bar, a piano and a dining area, and the barge also has an elevator and an exercise room. Forward, a large sun deck has loungers, a table and a spa pool, and bicycles are kept aboard for the towpath.
She does not stay on one canal. European Waterways describes her cruises as voyages of exploration that cover a larger distance than a standard week-long canal cruise. The season opens in Holland in late March, moves to Holland and Belgium in mid-May, then to Belgium and Paris in late May, Champagne from mid-June, Alsace and Lorraine from late July, and the Moselle through Germany and Luxembourg from late August to mid-October.
Each region brings its own set pieces. Holland has the Keukenhof Gardens, Zaanse Schans and the Royal Delft pottery. The route to Paris passes Monet's house and gardens at Giverny and ends on the Seine below the Eiffel Tower. Champagne offers Vaux-le-Vicomte and a private tasting in the Moët & Chandon cellars. In Alsace the barge goes up or down the Arzviller boat elevator, and on the Moselle the visits include Burg Eltz and Trier's Porta Nigra.
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. We confirm what your dates include, in writing, 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
Holland
6 nights
Late March to early May. Haarlem, Zaandam, Ouderkerk, Gouda, Delft and Oude Wetering, then back to Haarlem. Ashore: Zaanse Schans, a cheese farm and the 15th-century stained glass in Gouda, the Delft pottery factory, Keukenhof Gardens and the Aalsmeer flower auction.
Holland to Belgium
6 nights
Mid-May. Haarlem, Cruquius, Delft, Willemstad, Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges. The Aalsmeer flower auction and Keukenhof, the Delft pottery works, the Ketel One distillery, Rubens' house in Antwerp and the Van Eyck altarpiece in Ghent.
Belgium to Paris
11 nights
Late May. Bruges, Ghent, Oudenaarde and Antoing for Tournai, then Arleux, Péronne, Pont-l'Évêque, Compiègne, Auvers-sur-Oise, Conflans and Bougival, and into Paris along the Seine. The route climbs the Canal du Nord through the Vermandois Hills of Picardy and takes in Amiens cathedral, the Great War museum at Péronne, the Glade of the Armistice, van Gogh's grave at Auvers, Giverny and Malmaison.
Champagne
6 nights
Mid-June to early July, in reverse on alternate weeks. Meaux, La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, Château-Thierry, Dormans, Damery and Cumières. A private boat cruise on the Seine in Paris opens the week; Vaux-le-Vicomte, a Brie de Meaux tasting, Belleau Wood, Reims cathedral, Hautvillers, and tastings at Mercier and Moët & Chandon follow.
Alsace and Lorraine
6 nights
Late July to mid-August, in reverse on alternate weeks. Nancy, Lagarde, Xouaxange, Lutzelbourg and Saverne, ending near Strasbourg. The canal climbs to the crest of the Vosges through two tunnels and the Arzviller boat elevator; ashore are Place Stanislas in Nancy, a hand-blown crystal workshop, the Chagall windows at Sarrebourg, the Alsace wine route at Obernai and Strasbourg's cathedral.
Germany and Luxembourg
6 nights
Late August to mid-October, in reverse on alternate weeks. Koblenz, Winningen, Cochem, Zell, Bernkastel and Trier on the Moselle, ending at Remich in Luxembourg. Burg Eltz, private cellar tastings in Zell and Bernkastel, Trier's Porta Nigra and cathedral, and an afternoon in Luxembourg city.
On board: the cabins
Twin or double suite
Four of them, numbered Cabin 1 to 4 on the operator's deck plan, each fitted as a twin or a double. The en suite bathrooms have double hand basins and oversized showers.
On board
The saloon
Air-conditioned, with a cocktail bar, a piano and a dining area.
The elevator
Listed by the operator among her amenities, alongside the exercise room.
The exercise room
A fitness room, shown on the operator's deck plan.
The sun deck and spa pool
A large sun deck with comfortable loungers and a spa pool.
Bicycles
Kept on board for the nearby towpaths.
Booking this boat
La Nouvelle Etoile is sold by the cabin or as a whole-boat charter for up to eight guests. Children under 12 are not permitted on per-cabin bookings; a charter welcomes children and infants of any age. Departures are on Sundays, from 28 March to 17 October in 2027. Each cruise is six nights, Sunday afternoon to Saturday morning, except the 11-night Belgium to Paris voyage. The fare includes all meals with regional wines, the open bar, guided excursions with admissions, the bicycles and local transfers to the barge. The direction of a cruise is often not set until about three weeks before departure, and the operator describes every itinerary as a sample, subject to change.
Questions, answered
Which agency offers the most perks for booking La Nouvelle Etoile?
Compare totals, not headline perks: the barge's own inclusions and any agency credit on top. Via Privata books La Nouvelle Etoile at European 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 La Nouvelle Etoile take?
Up to eight guests, in four suites that can each be fitted as a twin or a double, looked after by a crew of seven. European Waterways rates her Ultra Deluxe and gives her length as 127 feet. Eight is the limit both on a cabin booking and on a whole-boat charter.
Where does she cruise?
She sails six classic routes across Holland, Belgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg: Holland; Holland to Belgium; Belgium to Paris over 11 nights; Champagne; Alsace and Lorraine; and Germany and Luxembourg on the Moselle. They run in that order from late March to mid-October, so the region you see depends on the week you choose.
Is La Nouvelle Etoile charter only, or by the cabin?
Both. European Waterways sells her by the suite, to guests who share the barge with others, or as a whole-boat charter for up to eight. Children under 12 are not permitted on per-cabin bookings; a charter welcomes children and infants of any age, and charter parties can ask for changes to the regular schedule, confirmed in writing.
Does La Nouvelle Etoile have an elevator?
Yes. The operator lists an elevator among her amenities, along with an exercise room. European Waterways' general guidance for its barges is that wheelchairs cannot be used on board and guests should be able to manage about 15 steps, so it is worth asking about your needs before you book.
Hold a week aboard La Nouvelle Etoile
Tell us the party and roughly when, and we will confirm the current itinerary and hold the week with European Waterways.
Start PlanningOther hotel barges
Champagne
Alsace, Lorraine and the Moselle
The Upper Loire