Canal Boating

Choosing a Canal Boating Holiday

Barging on the French Canals is one of the most enjoyable and relaxing experiences. My first comment that I would make in deciding where you have your cruise, is to choose a canal which has easy access. Some of the canals are quite frankly very difficult to get to and from, and can in itself sometimes spoil the leisure of a cruise.

My personal preferences for a group arriving from outside France is to arrive at either Paris, or Toulouse airports. From both these airports the following cruises I warmly recommend:

From Paris

An easy train ride from Paris will take you to Joigny, in the Nivernais / Burgundy region. From Joigny there are some of the best barging options available in France. You can travel up the Canal du Nivernais past the lovely town of Auxerre and on to the wine village of Vermenton, and Chatel-Censoir from where you can make an excursion to the cathedral of Vezelay.

Similarly from Joigny you can travel up the Burgundy Canal passing such lovely villages as Tonnerre, Tanlay, Ancy le Franc, as well as sampling the local Chablis wine! A really wonderful cruise past the splendid architecture and beautiful countryside.

For those seriously interested in wine, then there is a new cruise which takes you from the base of St Leger to the south of Beaune, in the heart of Burgundy from where you can get to explore towns famous for the finest Burgundy wines, such as Puligny Montrachet, Santenay, Meursault and Beaune.

From Toulouse

A short train ride from Toulouse is the Negra base on the famous Canal du Midi . This canal is one of the greatest feats of engineering and has just been listed as a World Heritage Site. Plane tree lined canals and lovely towns and villages, passing Castelnaudary and Carcassone before arriving at the base in Argens. This is one of the most popular one week cruise.

In this region one of my favourite cruises is an out and back cruise up the Baise River from Agen, passing Condom, and through to Valence. This is a very local cruise with divine canal side villages!

One Way or Out and Back?

Often I am asked about the merits of whether to choose a one-way cruise, or an "out and back" cruise. This is very much a question of personal preference. Many people like the idea of travelling from one point to another, with no back-tracking. An out and back cruise however can take some pressure off you, by reducing the need to continually keep cruising during the days. Also with an out and back cruise there are some administrative advantages in that your car (if you have one) will be at the base on your return, and for those with excess baggage, this can often be left at the departure base and picked up on your return. While travelling on an out-and-back cruise you seldom get to see the same sights on your return journey, as you would have seen on the way out, and people actually enjoy re-visiting familiar locks and villages.

I know most of the barging companies in France and their boats, and I am most happy with the boats of Locaboat Holidays. I especially love their classical style and good quality of fittings.

Fun for All

Having a boating holiday on the French canals is tremendous fun. You meander along the canals at a leisurely 7km/h watching the scenery change slowly before your eyes - with a cheap bottle of wine included and a good book, what more could you want? My children are the greatest advocates of cruising on the canals, and even my children (10 and 12 years) are competent at driving the boats!!

I hope that this information will help you in your choice of canal holiday in France. I look forward to hearing back from you if you have any queries.

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