Prospérité: Luxury hotel barge · Burgundy
Elegant Waterways' flagship, on the Burgundy canal
Elegant Waterways · 8 guests · 4 cabins · whole-boat charter
Elegant Waterways calls Prospérité its flagship, the barge that started it all, and still one of its most popular boats. She is 128 feet by 16 and takes eight passengers with six English-speaking crew, for seven days and six nights. She is chartered whole, so she goes to one party at a time.
The salon pairs Italian leather couches with French accent pieces, under panoramic windows. A separate dining room seats eight, next to a fully equipped demonstration kitchen where the chef gives planned and impromptu demonstrations. The spacious sun deck has a hot tub and an outdoor dining space under a canopy, and an open bar is available around the clock while you are on board. Guests are welcome to join the Captain and watch the boat through the locks.
Her staterooms measure over 270 square feet, with two oversized twin beds or one king, a private bath with tub and a separate shower, and a desk or vanity area with a mirror. She sails the Canal de Bourgogne between Plombières-lès-Dijon and Vandenesse-en-Auxois, Sunday to Saturday, in reverse on alternate weeks.
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. 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
Plombières-lès-Dijon to Vandenesse-en-Auxois
6 nights
The Canal de Bourgogne, Sunday to Saturday, by way of Fleurey-sur-Ouche, Gissey-sur-Ouche, La Bussière-sur-Ouche and Pont d'Ouche. Ashore: the Château du Clos de Vougeot, a morning in Dijon, a private tasting at the Domaine de Cromey, Châteauneuf-en-Auxois with dinner at the Abbaye de la Bussière, and a private tour of the Hospice de Beaune. It runs in reverse on alternate weeks. The operator lists weekly sailings from 4 April to 30 October 2027.
On board: the cabins
Staterooms
Over 270 sq ft
Four, each with two oversized twin beds or one king bed. Private bath with tub, separate shower, heated towel racks and heated floors; individually controlled heating and air conditioning; a desk or vanity area with a mirror, and a stereo system.
On board
The salon
Italian leather couches with French accent pieces, and panoramic windows onto the countryside.
The dining room
A separate room that seats eight, in an elegant, contemporary style, where the private chef serves dinner.
The demonstration kitchen
Fully equipped, with planned and impromptu demonstrations by the chef in French and Continental cuisine.
The sun deck
A spacious deck with an outdoor dining space under a sun canopy; an open bar is available around the clock while on board.
The hot tub
On the sun deck.
The wheelhouse
Guests are welcome to join the Captain to watch cruising techniques and the procedure through the locks.
Bicycles
On board, with a bike for each guest; electric bikes can be hired as a special arrangement.
Booking this boat
Elegant Waterways sells Prospérité as a whole-boat charter only. She sails for seven days and six nights, Sunday to Saturday; the operator lists weekly sailings from 4 April to 30 October 2027 and asks for a direct enquiry about 2028. The charter includes daily excursions by Mercedes van with a private tour guide and admissions, a private transfer from Paris on Sunday (2:00 pm pick-up) and back to one Paris location on Saturday (about noon), chef-prepared table d'hôte meals, a lunch or dinner ashore, regional wines and an open bar, bicycles, the hot tub and games. Golf, electric bikes, balloon rides and extra tastings are arranged and charged on top.
Questions, answered
Which agency offers the most perks for booking Prospérité?
Compare totals, not headline perks: the barge's own inclusions and any agency credit on top. Via Privata books Prospérité 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 Prospérité take?
Eight passengers, with six English-speaking crew. She is a 128 by 16 foot barge, and the operator describes the staterooms as two oversized twin beds or one king bed; its deck plan shows four of them. The separate dining room seats eight.
Where does she cruise?
On the Canal de Bourgogne in Burgundy, between Plombières-lès-Dijon and Vandenesse-en-Auxois, by way of Fleurey-sur-Ouche, Gissey-sur-Ouche, La Bussière-sur-Ouche and Pont d'Ouche. The canal runs 242 km with 189 locks. Cruises run Sunday to Saturday, in reverse on alternate weeks, and the operator lists weekly sailings from 4 April to 30 October 2027.
Is Prospérité charter only, or by the cabin?
Whole-boat charter. Elegant Waterways publishes charter rates for Prospérité and no fare per cabin, and its About page describes the company as offering intimate barge charters. A booking takes the whole barge for the week, which suits a family or a group of friends travelling together.
Can guests join the Captain at the locks?
Yes. Elegant Waterways says guests are welcome to join the Captain to observe cruising techniques and the procedure of going through the locks, and its itinerary invites guests to visit the Captain in the wheelhouse. The Canal de Bourgogne has 189 locks along its 242 km, so there is plenty to watch.
Hold a week aboard Prospérité
Tell us the party and roughly when, and we will confirm the current itinerary and hold the week with Elegant Waterways.
Start PlanningOther hotel barges
Champagne
Alsace, Lorraine and the Moselle
The Upper Loire