Will be in Burgundy for about 5 days and have a hotel for most of the days but wondered about doing a 1/2 day or 1 day barge trip -- just 2 of us. Can we get on an organized trip? Where are the best towns to do a short barge trip? any tips from your experience?
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
I don't have barging experience, but I feel sure that earlier discussions in this forum confirmed there were no one-day trips. http://www.locaboat.com/en/ is a popular cruise and boat rental operator.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10600 posts
I did a short canal trip from Carcassonne on the Canal du Midi a few years ago. It was a few hours. I was unable to find anything like that in Burgundy when we were there in October. Maybe someone else had a different experience.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
3984 posts
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
As an alternative, renting bicycles for a tour along the canal might be an agreeable alternative, even a superior one.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10621 posts
Here is the link JHK's thread had:
http://www.pouilly-auxois.com/tourisme-fluvial/croisieres.htm
If Andrea was unable to find a boat ride, it may not be running because Andrea did have a comment on JHK's thread.
In any case, here's what the above link found on JHK's thread says:
It's a small one-boat company out of Pouilly-en-Auxois that has irregular boat trips. It says to call them to be sure they are running before you go over there and to make a reservation. The barge can hold 60 maximum, which is a lot.
They have a 2-hour trip that includes a lock and a 3.3 kilometers in a tunnel, and an all day trip that includes the tunnel and 8 locks. They say they can arrange food with a caterer.
These aren't cruises because you have to stop to go through the locks. And then part of it is in a tunnel. Think of stop-and-go traffic, not motoring along too much. Due to the stop-n-go nature of passing locks, waiting your turn to go through locks, boat rides on canals are rare. Most are little boats people rent for a week. The website mentions school groups, and I think this appeals to French tourists, as something different on the canals. We have French tv at home, and I've seen the tunnel on a show about Burgundy.
There are a lot of working barges on the large rivers, with the exception of the Loire which is too shallow in places. You can see them on the Seine passing through Paris and other cities.