Explore the French Riviera on a stylish and sustainable ‘rail and sail’ adventure that harnesses the power of Mother Nature on a clipper ship
It was like eating beneath the Sistine Chapel on steroids. Gilded carvings, ornate chandeliers and intricate neoclassical ceiling and wall frescoes covered every inch of space as far as the eye could see.
But we weren’t in Italy and this dazzling Belle Epoque setting was relegated to the backdrop of a different form of art: food. We were in Le Train Bleu, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful brasseries in Paris, where we’d stopped off for lunch on the way from London to the south of France.
Breakfast on the Eurostar had been typically French, a light platter of croissant with a yoghurt and lashing of steaming hot coffee (or tea for us unsophisticated ‘Roast Beefs’.)
Now we’d upped the culinary ante with a visit to the Michelin star restaurant that was designed by renowned architect Marius Toudoire at Gare de Lyon, to embody the grandeur and romance of the French railway for the 1900 World Exposition.
A Monument Historique, I spent the time waiting for my open herb ravioli with morel mushrooms and peas in vin jaune to arrive by savouring crusty French rolls with thick layers of deliciously salty butter and admiring some of the 41 paintings by the most popular artists of the time, including Guillaume Dubufe and Francois Flameng.
One, of the southern city of Orange, depicts the legendary Parisian actress Sarah Bernhardt, distinguished French businessmen and Cyrano de Bergerac author Edmond Rostand.
But we only knew that by looking it up in guide books – and soon my attention was distracted by the ravioli while friends dived into roast leg of local lamb with potato gratin dauphinois.
‘Delicious,’ we all chorused, polishing off every morsel while murmuring our admiration.
The restaurant was packed, even though the average price is 87 euros a head, but lunch is the meal du jour in France and no one was in a hurry to leave.
We had two hours until our train to Cannes and made the most of it with plates of French cheese and trips to the toilette just so that we could examine even more of the frescoes.
It was a leisurely start to our trip and an apt one as we were on a slow travel ‘rail and sail’ adventure with Star Clippers – a cruising company that has three clipper ships.
Far from being a behemoth, these masted tall clippers hark back to the golden age of sail in the 19th century when swift– or ‘clip’ – sailing ships designed for speed carried tea to Europe from China and provided passage to gold fields in California and Australia.
Full, but happy we strolled across Gare de Lyon to catch a double decker train to Cannes, a journey that would take five and a half hours.
Sun, Sea and Films
It gave me time to read an entire novel, sometimes looking up from the pages to watch the verdant French countryside pass by. Lulled by the rhythmic movement of the train, I was sure I nodded off because suddenly we were pulling into our destination on the French Riviera.
We’d arrived before our ship Star Clipper, which wasn’t due until the next morning, and headed to our hotel Villa D’Estelle for the night. It was so near the station we pushed our cases through Cannes’ narrow streets, falling, exhausted into the family-run four-star establishment.
The next morning, I was up early to devour the petit dejeuner left in a paper bag outside my room, before meeting with the others in my group to head out on a food tour of the city.
We met our guides from the Riviera Bar Crawl tours and began a leisurely tour of the culinary greats while hearing all about the history of Cannes.
Hurrying past the red carpet laid out for the event three days later, we heard how Cannes became the host of the famous eponymous Film Festival in 1939 and has been synonymous with the glitz and glamour of the movie industry ever since.
So much so that a mural on the harbourside cinema celebrates 100 years of films, with myriad paintings of the iconic movies including Titanic, The Kid, Star Wars, and Casablanca. There are 15 more installations honouring the movie business that made Cannes world famous all over the city.
Almost as well-known and pre-dating the Film Festival is the food market which opened in 1881 and fills the air with the scent of herbs and lavenders.
We walked past the stalls of olives, cheeses, charcuterie – everything you could ever wish to eat – and tried Socca, a chickpea pancake made like a pizza, and tourte de blettes a savoury quiche made with chard or any vegetables found in the garden.
We stopped for giant croissants – which are not a French delicacy after all but were Austrian and said to be introduced to the court at Versailles in 1770 by Queen Marie Antoinette, a native of Austria, after her marriage to King Louis XVI.
La Tarte Tropezienne was made popular by another woman – Brigitte Bardot who was filming And God Created Woman in 1955 and tried the little pastry based on the traditional French brioche, filled with a mixture of vanilla and lemon cream, created by Alexandre Micka. She fell in love with the sweet treat and their popularity rose as she was snapped enjoying them.
We sampled the sourest lemoncello and expensive truffles – black and white, all made with seasonal ingredients and tasting of sunshine.
Wind Power
And then finally it was time to head down to the harbour. There she was – out to sea, Star Clipper with her four masts looking the epitome of elegance.
We had to catch a tender out to get onboard – and I gasped as I clambered onto the teak deck. It was like stepping back almost 200 years with those masts reaching 226ft into the sky, and neatly coiled ropes stacked beneath the rigging to unfurl the 16 sails.
I was handed a glass of champagne and nodded to the other passengers embarking. Star Clipper can carry a maximum of 166 passengers, but for this cruise there were only half that on board, meaning there was as many crew as passengers.
‘To cater to your every whim,’ I heard someone saying. I smiled as I didn’t want much – just some wind and sunshine.
Next stop my cabin at the bow of the ship. It was large, with a double bed, triple wardrobe, safe, shower wet room, TV and DVD player and a port hole. I loved it.
After unpacking – there was ample space for everything – it was time to see the rest of the clipper: the spa room, two swimming pools, bowsprit nets for lounging on at sea or spotting dolphins which raced alongside out at sea, and the Tropical Bar where cocktails were 6 euros and Champagne 7 euros.
Then the bell rang to signal it was time for dinner, a delicious eight-course affair. There was an array of cuisines and dishes, with myriad vegetarian choices including soup of the day, vegetable paella, veggie burgers, pasta, tropical salads, peach Melba, and a cheese board.
Finally, it was time to Sailaway, and we amassed on the top deck to watch the crew unfurl the sails to the dramatic musical backdrop of Vangelis’ Conquest of Paradise. As the music faded, the wind caught the sails and the sparkling lights of Cannes began to dim behind us, we slipped out towards the inky horizon heading for our next glamorous port, Monaco.
That night I was rocked to sleep by the clipper slicing through the Mediterranean Sea and awoke the next morning totally refreshed. ‘A sailor’s life for me,’ I smiled as I made my way past the burnished brass fittings and mahogany brightwork to the dining room for a hearty breakfast.
Afterwards on deck, I watched the famous skyline of Monaco slide into view. None of us could resist walking the roads that make up the Formula 1 racetrack, to sit and people – and super car - watch while sipping a chilled Citron Presse at the Café de Paris beside the casino and luxury hotel, The Hermitage.
Back on board Star Clipper we turned towards L’ile Rousse, making the moment of every moment at sea. We watched the sails become a kaleidoscope of colour with an after dark light show, and then got up early for a yoga class on deck before breakfast.
The bravest among us clambered 65ft up a rope ladder to the crow’s nest on the foremast while I was more at home taking part in the music quiz after dinner – we won!- and dancing to Abba and other crowd pleasers until the early hours, giggling as the dancefloor bucked and swayed.
The company’s Swedish owners Mikael and Ann Krafft were on the cruise and after buying us a cocktail invited us to see their suite. The bed was enormous, the cabin spotless but it didn’t have the same cosy feel as my spot at the bow that cradled me in my sleep each night.
I spent the rest of the cruise exploring Corsica’s tiny villages perched in the mountains, but I was happiest on the top deck of the Star Clipper watching her sails flutter in the breeze, the only sound the slap of the waves as she cut through them, powered by Mother Nature. I’d only been on board four days but it had been a swashbuckling adventure and I couldn’t wait to return for another slice of life on the ocean wave.
Getting There
A 7-night sailing on Star Flyer (Star Clipper’s identical sister ship) from Cannes to Rome departing on either 15 June 2024 or 10 August 2024 and calling at Monaco, L’ile Rousse, Corsica, Ajaccio, Corsica, Bonifacio, Corsia, East Corsica and Bastia, Portoferraio, Elba and Civitavecchia, Rome, starts from £1634pp cruise only, based on 2 adults sharing a category 6 cabin. FULL PACKAGE PRICE INCLUDING RAIL TO COME. Includes 10% Early Booking Discount (valid until 31st January 2024) and port charges. Tips are an additional 8 euros per person per day. www.starclippers.co.uk
Catching a train to Cannes reduces carbon emissions by 77 % compared to going by plane.
Star Clipper stats:
Construction date: 1992
Passenger capacity: 166
Crew capacity: 74 (almost 2:1 guest to crew ratio)
Length: 115.5m
Gross tonnage: 2298
Number of masts: 4
Mast height: 63m
Number of sails: 16
Sail area: 3365m2
Speed: 5-17knots
Cabin count: 83
