Renting a River Boat in France
 

I've just started contemplating renting a river boat/barge to cruise through the Loire Valley next summer. Has anyone done this? I can think of lots of positives for traveling this way...if everything worked out as it does in travel magazine articles. I'm wondering about the hidden negatives. My family usually travels by renting homes or apartments and so I thought this would be a similar experience. Just starting to formulate an idea so I'd love to hear any thoughts. Thank you! - Lara

There is very little of the Loire River that is navigable, particularly between about Orléans and Saumur. Upstream from Orléans there are portions of the Loire used in conjunction with the Burgundy Canal network and self driven boats are present hear. Here is a list of reputable rental companies which will have itinerary suggestions and cost estimates:

http://www.leboat.com/
http://www.locaboat.com/
http://www.bourgogne-fluviale.com/
http://www.nicols.com/
http://www.rive-de-france.com/

A hidden negative for friends of ours was that it rained every day. Obviously that's something that can't be controlled but it meant the dream of sitting in the sun enjoying a bottle of wine and a cheese plate was shot to bits. It also meant dealing with the lochs in torrential rain.

Thank you for the replies and especially the helpful websites.

and rain, on a boat would definitely be a huge negative. My husband mentioned the movie the African Queen when I first brought up the idea so I know he has thoughts of leaches and mosquitoes in his head...not bread and wine.

Perhaps the Loire River is an assumed choice but I was wanting to sail by the chateaus. Obviously I need to do my research. Has anyone else looked into this?

One negative of renting a boat is whomever is piloting it will not be able to relax and have to do a lot of work. Unless you are accomplished in boating, it probably will only be fun for the passengers, not the captain.

We did a week of boating one say on the Burgundy Canal. The distance covered was approximately 75 km. with 50 or so locks.

The pictures between the two maps were taken on that trip:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...th/4083891938/

We used Rive-de-France

one say on the Burgundy = one way on the Burgundy

Au contraire, Michelle. Everyone is involved in the boat handling. The best helmsman usually guides the boat into the lock, but in between locks you are essentially in a ditch, and anyone who can drive a tricycle can steer, so everyone takes turns, and everyone handles lines, and all can have a good time.

There are something like 5,000 miles of navigable waterways in France, so there is no dearth of places to go.

<i>One negative of renting a boat is whomever is piloting it will not be able to relax and have to do a lot of work.</i>

The teenagers on our trip had fun steering the boats (5 kph max speed) and shopping for and preparing the lunches they were assigned.

Not the river unless in a canoe or small dinghy. Take the canal

There are loads of canals, if you click on the "carte" bit you can see the map
http://www.vnf.fr/vnf/content.vnf?ac...t&occ_id=30385

We LOVED out 4 days out on a Locaboat penichette on the Alsace area's canal; can hardly wait to do it again. It can be a bit harrowing if you have a large barge bearing down on you in a tunnel or something, but 99% of our time was totally relaxing. My husband loved driving and I enjoyed being the rope handler. All companies load the boats with plenty of bumpers for boat safety, so while you can't go bashing your way cross the canal, it's not like you have to live in fear of doing something wrong or hurting the boat either.

I do think the Loire River is the least conducive to this type of travel. Research the companies and their ports of call/sevices and what villages/points of interest they're near to make the best decisions for you and your family and you won't be disappointed.

Just a personal impression, I think the established canals would be easier/more relaxing than larger river/estuaries areas.

Most of the rental companies offer one way trips, with the only negative being that you will not know where you will pick up the boat until about a month before you depart. But, because the rental locations are all easily reachable by train, taxi, or rental car, that just requires a little flexibility on your part for that part of the trip. For example, on one trip we did not know if we were going to pick up the car in Narbonne or Tarrascon until about 5 weeks before our 10 day canal trip. But, because we were traveling to the location from Aix, we only had to arrange to change the car return if we were unable to get the preferred departure. I have done 4 one way trips, and always was offered the departure town of my choice.

For a first trip, I would suggest the Canal du Midi. It has relatively fewer locks, and has many facilities for boaters. Even though it can be crowded sometimes, that only means that you may have to have an extra glass of wine waiting to lock through or perhaps tie up some extra meters down the tow path for an evening.

After the wettest May and June on record, there has not been a drop of rain outside of a few brief thundershowers in the Languedoc since June 25. Who knows what will happen next year? The one essential piece of equipment not noted in the brochures is insect repellant. BTW, make certain your boating company offers bicycle rentals and be certain to take advantage of them. They are often essential to getting that first baguette of the morning.