buckle

planning this trip may 2013. any advice on things to see, restaurants recommended, trip planning much appreciated

Rastaguytoday

Your post is very ambiguous.

What do you mean by waterways?

Is louhans pontailler one town?

If you relook your title, and tell everyone how it relates to your request line, that would help.

nukesafe

This is evidently a new member who has another thread running about a French canal trip. He evidently does not understand how to look for the answers to his original thread, and has posted this confusing fragment.

We are willing to help, Buckle, but I suggest you go back to your original thread and repost your questions.

buckle

Apologies for second thread and delay !
Have canal boat booked for 8, travelling between Louhans to pontailler in Burgundy,in may
I have been sent a waterways guide by the boat company, and my enquiry is
1) anyone familiar with that route who has recommendations for restaurants or things to see along the way
2) we have a one way trip booked , if anyone has made a similar trip I would appreciate any tips on return to Louhans from pointailler to collect car, re Train/bus/taxi hire
I understand this is very specific just on the offchance there is someone who really knows that area
Thanks

nukesafe

I cannot tell you about restaurants on that part of the Saone, Buckle, but we did leave from Pontailler-sur Saone on a trip a number of years ago, so I can tell you a bit about Pontailler.

We started our trip there, and went North up the Petit Saone and back for a week in September. Mistake, as there is not much infrastructure on that part of the river, and much of what is there had shut down for the season. Other than one really memorable meal in Grey, dining was mostly on the boat, which I really do not prefer, save for breakfast and lunch. I think your trip on the Basse Saone will be much more rewarding in that regard. You will certainly encounter fewer locks than we did.

As far as transport is concerned, we flew into Paris, took the TGV to Dijon, spent the night, met with the wonderful Fodorite Coco, who took us on a tour of Dijon and its pastry shops, and then took a local bus to Pontailler. Pontailler is not much. there are a couple of restaurants and a bakery, near the marina, and a supermarket on the edge of town about a kilometer away. The restaurant close by the marina was quite nice, though by no means gourmet.

When we finished the trip, the bus schedule was not convenient, and we took a taxi back to Dijon. If I recall correctly, the fare was around €50.

I'll try to look up the trip report and post a link later, to see if you can winkle out other details that might be of help.

Have a wonderful trip!

nukesafe

Buckle, here is the link to that old trip report. As I said, it is quite old, but I doubt much has changed in that part of the world. The first part of the report is all about the Scotland part of the trip, so just skip that, as well as the Paris bit at the end.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

buckle

thank you for that, we are prepared to cook aboard and have been warned about unreliable opening times of restaurants, there seem to be quite a few according to the canal guide we have been given, so hope we are well prepared